Conclusion of How to Paint Your Panda

How to Paint Your Panda launched in August of 2013 as a depository for essentially anything I decided I wanted to write about. Originally it was about free thinking, words of wisdom, and generally just sharing my thoughts and feelings about the world around me. Starting in December of that same year, I started to experiment with my academic affairs. Not only had I started sharing my artwork but I came to explore writing research essays, and I was pleased with the results. I had found an outlet that allowed my mind to stretch and explore while keeping in touch with the humanities. Synthesizing the two is what led to my bombshell post on "Lewontin's Fallacy," which is not only by far the most popular post on this blog but was also the subject of several controversies and arguments, which only made me want to keep going. It has since been used in several classroom and other academic mediums, as have many of my other posts. For an undergrad struggling to maintain her place in the world and discover her interests, this was more than what I could have ever asked for.

So the blog stayed in that direction, and for the next 2 years it would grow and grow, picking up on approximately 75,000 unique viewers, which isn't particularly impressive but is huge for someone without a name in the world or any advertising or specialty. I have written about many topics, including but not limited to sex/gender differences in evolutionary traits, pseudoscience, and even uncommon research such as RNT relating to depression. The latter has been circulated in numerous science outlets and even a couple of clinics. Again, this is all more than I ever could have asked for.

My readers will be happy to know that the research doesn't stop there. I have just recently continued my studies and have decided to make the latter most essay the inspiration for my master's thesis. I hope to expand upon it further some time in the future as the topic of original research. It is something I am deeply passionate about for many reasons, and I hope to contribute to the limited body of knowledge we have.

On this note, however, is why I have decided to conclude my presence on How to Paint Your Panda. I can see myself becoming too enveloped by my studies and, seeing as how the space between each of my posts seems to just get longer and longer, I feel that it would be too burdensome for me knowing that the blog is still up and that some people are looking forward to my next work. My best friend and colleague, and the co-owner of this blog, agrees, and has consented to this change.

HtPYP had a great run. It was successful, it informed and inspired a number of people, and without a doubt it has motivated me to rigorously pursue my career and exercise critical thinking and information literacy skills beyond what I ever would have been capable of. It grew a passion in me, and so in that sense it will always have a permanent mark on me. I hope others can say the same.

I thank all of my readers for their support, and I thank my friends for encouraging me to continue with this for as long as I have. Thank you for contributing and helping me find my place in a world of ever growing interest in science and expansion of knowledge. Thank you for pushing me to do what little work I have, which has helped a great number of people.

And of course, thank you all for reading, and good luck to you all in the future.