The Details: Pettis Channels Creative Interests
October 28, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
In the bio of Dante Pettis' Twitter page, the first thing listed is the school he attends – the University of Washington. Next it's: "Literature Enthusiast."
Outside of his profile picture, a shot of him in the end zone after a touchdown, there is no direct mention he is one of Washington's leading receivers.
Pettis has made enough plays – especially during this breakout junior season – over the course of his career to become a household name among Husky fans, so he needs little introduction.
But the fact he lists literature in that bio is important. It shows the student athlete places the right amount of focus on both academics and football.
His interest in reading was piqued by a pair of teachers in high school – Mrs. Sullick and Ms. Forster. He was in Sullick's class as a freshman.
"I just really liked her as a person," he said. "She made English fun."
Then as a senior, Forster's passion for Shakespeare – "really just how much she loved Shakespeare, her enthusiasm for literature" – further pushed him toward famous written works.
So what's his favorite book? "The Great Gatsby."
"I just really like the story," he said. "Not only that, I really like the way F. Scott Fitzgerald writes."
Now Pettis reads all the time. He is on a book-a-week pace. In fact, he's currently reading two – "Mindfulness" and "The Catcher in the Rye."
The first book, aimed a self improvement is helping to be "here in the situation now instead of thinking too far ahead." And the second, well, it's another classic to cross off his list.
For Pettis, reading provides an escape while also sharpening his mind.
"It's really easy to get caught up in everything that's going on right now, especially the way our team is playing," said Pettis. "This book ("Mindfulness") is helping me appreciate everything we're going through right now.
"I've always liked reading. I got away from it a little bit in high school at times, but I'm really glad I picked it up again, because it is an escape. There's so much that goes into it. There are separate worlds in each book."
Literature has also provided a gateway into other creative interests. He started visiting Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking site, as a way to find "snippets of literature" and he started to find photographs that caught his attention.
But getting into photography? That seemed a little out of his depth.
"I thought I couldn't take good pictures," he said. "I don't have an eye for that stuff."
Pettis did have a desire to see the places captured in photographs, so he pushed his friends toward photography. Then he started experimenting with his phone.
And, over time, his perspective shifted.
"I could do this," said Pettis, who recently ordered his first camera. "If I learned a little bit more about this, I could pick this up as a hobby."
From literature to photography and now art, the receiver is constantly expanding his creative interests.
"Art evokes a feeling out of you, if you have an eye for it," he said.
In a season that has seen him develop into one of quarterback Jake Browning's favorite targets, Pettis has remained grounded. He focuses on the fun that comes with being a part of the nation's fourth-ranked team. And, when he steps off the field, he embraces his other interests – literature, photography, art and anything else that "makes you feel a certain way."
