Introduction // What I’m Here For

This Blog is to be used throughout my journey in the Bachelor of Communication – Media Course at RMIT. I am to use this blog to reflect on all elements of my studies (my work, lectures and tutorials, my peers work etc..).

I thought the best way to introduce myself in this blog is to state why I am here. “Here” being studying Media. By happenstance this also happened to be a part of an exercise done in my first media lecture, to write down 10 things I want to accomplish, learn, or improve on over the time of this course. Some of the things I wrote down could be combined into broader segments of what I want to get out of this course. Below are the 3 core branches of what my list was made up of.

1. Communicate Craftily (specifically writing skills).  One of my bigger fears in an educational setting is writing. I have never been confident in my writing skills and experience great amounts of doubt during the process of writing something I am going to be critiqued on. Whether that be an essay or something less formal like a blog. I am actually quite excited that this course as well as my Networked Media (blog here) elective are both having me keep a blog this semester. As this forces me to confront my dread of writing immediately.  As well as improving on my writing skills, I do hope to boost my skills in other forms of communication (oral and through digital media).
2. Surround Myself  With “Why Not?” . A “why not?” environment comes from a thought one of my favorite filmmakers/podcasters, Kevin Smith speaks about frequently. One of the main reasons I wanted to come back to school and specifically  study something creative was to be allowed and encouraged to explore. To surround myself with people who would be willing to respond to my ideas with “why not?” rather than the all to come “why would you do that?”. And for me to be able to encourage my peers with the same response.  This concept also goes along with my want to find people I can collaborate with and work off of.
3. Produce a Portfolio of Work.  To accomplish this goal during my course I need to be able to learn all the practical skills that go into producing the work I wish to create. I wish to better my editing skills in both audio and film, learn to use professional equipment, and most importantly learn how to craft a story.

The people whose careers I admire the most are people I consider to be incredible storytellers. Kevin Smith may not be considered one of the most prolific filmmaker (or even a good one by some) but (to me) he is an incredible storyteller in his numerous podcasts and his live Q&A’s. Sarah Koenig revamped long form  journalism in the first season of Serial by constructing a story the audience could not get enough of. Lin-Manuel Miranda has produced one of the greatest pieces of  storytelling of our time with the musical Hamilton. In the next three years I wish to explore what it takes to communicate a great story through multiple kinds of media.