A tutor a day, keeps the anxiety away?

Having a tutor, is probably one of the best elements of the Media 1 course.

In the weekly workshops we usually discuss the weeks readings and lectures as well as complete workshop activities that often get us to practically engage with the content we have learnt about that week. All these things about workshops are pretty great, but I think the best thing about the workshops is having a tutor, and not just any tutor, but a great tutor, we have tutors who are engaged, have a load of media experience and knowledge and are always available to guide us when we need it most.

This week within our workshops we got the opportunity to talk about our project brief 3’s with our peers and tutors. As my tutor slowly made her way around the room, going from student to student, talking to each person about our own intricate problems and inspirations, I began to realise that I was anxious. I was so anxious and nervous about my project brief 3, that as she made her way around the room, I literally sat staring at my computer, to anxious to work, just waiting for her to get to me.

This was an interesting experience for me, being someone that often just ‘get’s on with things’ and doesn’t really stop to think about how I’m feeling. I came to the realisation that if this opportunity hadn’t presented itself to me, I probably wouldn’t have asked my tutor for advice or help, I probably would’ve just sat down and got on with it, but when I got given the opportunity I realised that I really wanted the opinion of someone exactly like my tutor.

As she slowly made her around the room I mulled over the questions I was going to ask, and the problems I would present:

“I’m not sure which direction to take it..”
“Well my subject is into this, this, this, and this.. I’m not sure if I should focus on this or this, or that and this?”
“But where is my three act structure? What can be the ultimate resolution?”
“Is this topic relevant?”
“Should my stock footage explicitly relate to what I’m saying?”
“Is it daggy if I mention this?”
“Do you think this setup looks good?”

As I slowly got my questions and problems out, she began to calmly answer each one, writing her notes down on a piece of paper, then handing it to me at the end. It was like a helium balloon, tied down by a string, nervous anxiety, and being set free with the cut of string, calming reassurance.

I know where I want to go and I know what I want to say but I’m so glad that we have tutors to calmly point us in the right direction.

Catch you later, Louise Alice Wilson