I was squinting, trying to absorb the details of the arches, the doors, the walls, the lights.

It had already been an hour and a half … and I was only halfway through. What I could have accomplished in a few seconds with a camera was taking an inordinate amount of time, and the end was drearily far off. For my Introduction to Drawing class, I had to pick a spot in Deering Library and draw it. We had three hours of class time and whatever time we put in otherwise to finish.

This particular assignment was extremely excruciating. To look at the exact same thing for three hours every class and to come in my spare time — be it one or two hours — appeared impossible. I don’t remember the last time I ever did something like it — or if I’d ever done something like it at all. Without the help of my iPod and occasional Facebook browsing on my phone, I think I could have lost my mind.

I can look through 60 Facebook pictures or skim through 20 statuses in a minute (I measured it!). And who knows how many times I could visit Facebook as I write this column?

Distractions, especially electronic ones, dominate my time and day.

I think back on the great artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, who would have spent all day long focused on one drawing. These great artists had full control of not only their brush strokes, but also their attention.

But I, a mere modern-day mortal, was distracted by many things in the library. I saw many people with heavily loaded bags coming back and forth. If it weren’t for my assignment, I would be one of those students drudging away to study.

The simple pleasure of watching people walk by and noticing my surroundings was quite accidental and unexpected. Were it not for my art class, I may never have taken a spot right in front of the music library. Art in a broader sense isn’t about seeking artificial beauty but recognizing the little things, little pauses. This is what made me realize how much people may be missing out on while in libraries.

Rather than working on calculus problems or squeezing out a paper, I would love to see more people absorb every crumb of every page, rejoicing in the protagonists’ happiness or feeling their sorrows. There is so much that cannot be appreciated if the library is solely a place to cram for midterms.

You know in those romantic scenes from the movies, where people in the cafe are casually sitting, leaning back against their chairs, enjoying the faint light seeping through the windows, sipping their coffee or tea and simply reading their books? Well, this shouldn’t be a scene from the movies. It should be reality.

When I had a good seven-plus hours, I came to appreciate the beauty of Deering Library. But it would be even more beautiful if it were filled with more people reading and enjoying their surroundings.

Heiwon Shin is a Medill freshman. She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected].