It has come to that time of a new month where I will inevitably reevaluate my habits over the past month so far. My choices to distract myself from Uni through time-consuming activities have come at a cost to the ever climbing workload I continue to push to the side. This work feels daunting, however, in reality, there is no viable reason for me to feel afraid of completing the tasks I have ahead of me. Over the past few weeks, there have been times I have questioned my own progress in this course. I have questioned my decision to study this course in the first place, why am I doing what I’m doing and why do I feel like it’s necessary to put time and effort into these projects. Often it is the completion of an old project or the continuation of a new one that gets me thinking about the things I really enjoy in this course. It is the spark that comes from a flow of learning within a certain project that gets me back on the path of realising its importance.

The acknowledgement of this importance has come to surface itself over the past few weeks of really looking into problem areas of my study habits. These problem areas such as productivity and time management, are things that have improved greatly since cutting out distractions that only serve to put a hold on any progress I have made over these weeks. The progress has honestly been quite incredible and the way I have been able to bounce back to a state of clarity after recognising these problems has been really eye opening. As I sit at the beginning of April, I actually feel like I’m in a really comfortable place. Seeing progress is a slow process, but like any new habit or skill, it takes patience and practise to see the real results. I have made similar statements in the past about improvements, however, I’m certain that I’m heading in the right direction this time. I always get to a point in most things where it begins to get hard, visible improvements are far in between and I lose focus on the task ahead. It has taken many hours and days of forming the wrong habits, so it is only acceptable that it’s going to take time for new habits to settle into my life. I look forward to tackling the inevitable bumps in the road that await me on my journey of forming new habits. For now, I will continue to set goals for myself each week and focus on my course work, something that I have been putting off for a while.

This week I aimed to write down my distractions as they came up throughout the week. To a large extent, I succeeded with this, however, in terms of implementing the time found from freeing up these distractions, I have been a bit stuck at this. Each day I began to write down the things that started to distract me from a task. Every time I did this I was able to put aside these distractions for later instead of focusing on them right then and there. This really helped me maintain focus during tasks where my mind was easily distracted. I found it much easier to study for a longer period of time, especially when trying to tackle a large reading when I noted down things that were not conducive to my learning at that moment. I gained a lot of new time from this exercise, freeing my study space up as I began to focus on the tasks that I needed to get done. However, because this is a new skill, I struggle to ignore every distraction that comes up, leading me into further procrastination and bringing me back down to step 1. Over the next week, I am going to continue this exercise of noting and aim to work on my patience with each exercise that I have to achieve. I believe that if I am fully involved with the task that I am trying to complete I will be able to enhance my study. This enhanced study will hopefully allow me to produce better work and move on to more projects faster because of my efficiency

So far it’s been a fair lack of progress since last week. I think the beginning of term is always slightly hard for me to get back into the swing of things. Forgetting the times of the holidays and moving forward into new study is challenging, especially after such a long break. Thus keeping up with study has resulted in a drastic shift in my mentality towards the workload. I agreed I would maintain a strong level of work ethic throughout this semester and the year. If I make an adjustment to my habits now, I will be able to get into the right state needed to complete the rest of the tasks to come. The habits that I need to form over the next few weeks relate mainly to procrastination. I need to make sure I limit the distractions that are around me. If I focus on my work and allocate a specific amount of time to it, then I’m going to be able to stick on track with the workload.

In the next week, I am going to get on top of all my course work from this studio and other classes. In order to combat distractions, I will write down the distractions that come up and then leave time for it later to either explore or get rid of. Doing this is a good way to focus on the task whilst maintaining a level of concentration into whatever I am doing in that moment. Procrastination is obviously rearing its head as one of the main things I am going to need to work on throughout the semester. If I start doing small steps now I will be able to get to the point where focus is my natural state.

Habit to change: Procrastination to Focus.

Goal: Write down distractions as they come up.

Rocking up late is a horrible habit, however, today it was simply due to the fact of working late and sleeping in. Despite unfortunately missing a review of my own work, I was able to review a few of my other class members today. I always find the viewing process really interesting, because up until that point, you really have no idea of what other people are up to in their creative pursuits. Overall I was super intrigued by how each person tackled the task. Although there were clear similarities between each person’s work, there were many aspects that stood out to me. I thought the way close-ups and archival footage was used to be really interesting. Although I think archival footage shouldn’t be used too often, it was something I didn’t even consider for this project. After seeing some works using it, I saw the potential of it to be used in creative ways to tell a story or express an idea in this course. Likewise, I thought the use of close-ups was an interesting way to focus on the item. I liked videos that used extreme close-ups in a way that left the item entirely as an abstraction. A level of abstraction is something I think is needed in this course. Without abstraction, the relationship becomes too literal and doesn’t leave enough room for the audience to think about different things.

In terms of learning from my own experience in this first project, I thought I gained a lot from Adrian’s feedback from each video. Two of the main things I gained from his feedback were the ideas of focusing on video as material and thinking about how the constraints of the camera can be used to your advantage. These two points are similar and focus on the way the camera and video are used purposefully. Given the specific nature of the relationships we are trying to document, it is necessary that we leave out elements that serve no purpose to the overall video. Likewise, although I thought a little about framing, in hindsight, it was a little rushed and my composition is something I will be focussing on in the weeks to come.

If I were to give feedback to my own work it would be centred on variation. I think it would have been interesting to have a more varied palate of material for the video to form around. By having more variety, more relationships can be explored and there is more potential for meaning to be generated from the material.

Overall, this class was an interesting way to see the direction of where this course is heading and how other class members are interpreting all the information in the studio.

The first assignment of this class asked us to create a short piece about an item that we have on us every day. I decided to choose my backpack, something that is with me most days. To begin the narrative process of this task we were asked three questions. The questions enabled us to create a complete overview of our item that would be recorded as an audio piece. The process of describing the bag in detail allowed us to gather a large chunk of material that had the potential to fit into my final script really well. Likewise, creating a specific script about what the bag does, allowed me to explore further possibilities about how the bag functions in other contexts. I drew on the specific details I described from the questions and tried to see how they related to a broader connection that might lie between the bag and another item. The relationship I decided to focus on was the bag and myself. It is easy to forget the role we play in a connection, however seemingly small it might be. The aspect of this connection I decided to look into was around an idea of time and decay.

Decay and time are two things that plague the bag and myself, so I wanted to see how we both actually worked with each other to ensure these insidious aspects of life are managed. Upon looking at this relationship I found the balancing act that existed between us, something I had never quite explored before. The relationship I uncovered, although subtle, enabled me to have a fresh perspective around how much of a responsibility humans have towards non-human things. Every relationship between two things is based on reciprocal giving. Often this two-sided relationship is overlooked and not investigated enough. However, if a voice is given to this relationship, new avenues are opened as we explore the different connections that exist in our world.

In terms of the overall aesthetic of my final video work, I wanted to create something slightly abstract in nature. Each element in the film relates to the way meaning can be established between two different items. The relationship between the video and auditory work is literal in the way the video reflects what arises in the script. However, they also work together to explore the concepts of time and decay, a duality that is often missed when we go about our lives. Although the images themselves aren’t necessarily close-ups, I wanted to leave enough space for the still and moving images to establish themselves within the duration of the video. In a sense, by having a continuous flow of a similar setting in each section, I allow time for the audience to unpack each image and relate it to their experience of life. When it came to the layout of the video, I drew inspiration from Georgia Tribuiani’s short piece called Escape, which plays with images and layers, creating a symbolic comparison between varying aspects of female identity. As much as I really like the editing and style of this video, I thought it was effective in merging two different videos together, allowing for a comparative evaluation to take place.

Below is my inspiration for the video as well as my final script and video.

Inspiration:

Anaak | SS16 | Escape from Georgia Tribuiani on Vimeo.

Final Script:

The entire outside is navy blue, plastic to the touch, resembling the sort of waterproof material you would find on camping gear. Two thick straps on the back are covered in soft cushioning material providing comfort and support to my body. A hood protects the inside contents from damage whilst a small pouch adds a point of difference to the otherwise plain backdrop. The pouch sits on the front, surrounded by thick white lines. It’s covered in purple and green specks, this being the main reason I made the purchase. This similar point of distinction finds itself at the edges of the hood, creating a clear barrier between all different compartments on the bag. Upon opening the hood, light blue fabric lines the insides clearly separating it from the external façade. This secure domain provides protection for all items inside. A separate main compartment is reserved for a laptop, distinguished by a slightly thicker back panel covered in black velvet fabric, soft and furry.

Functionally this bag does its job. It provides a convenient way of carrying my things, supporting my body and cushioning my shoulders against its straps. For the considerably amount of weight my items must bear on it, there is very little objection to what goes inside. The functionality of the bag takes precedent over the general aesthetic qualities that must be taken care of. Already, parts of the straps are fading from hard use. A small strap has broken off and the insides have been tarnished with black ink. Slowly, the once secure stitching along the sides has become undone, revealing the uneven patchwork underneath. Sure the lifeless character of this bag requires little investigation, however, accounting for the inevitable degrade of its appearance suggests a subtle undertone of care I owe it. My responsibility towards the bag comes from the ageing process of it. The pace of this process is determined by my sense of caution towards its natural decay. Our relationship is bounded in time. Linked by a common theme of degeneration. Mutual responsibilities of ensuring o ur shelf lives are extended.

Final Video:

Navy from Lucas James on Vimeo.

 

Humans are inherently self-centered creatures. We seek to ensure our own survival, naturally accepting we deserve priority on this earth. However, we never give ourselves the chance to review this privilege. We are quick to assume that because we are human, we deserve more than other living and non-living things on this planet. This viewpoint is full of limitations that only seek to reassure our own self-worth. Humans are fragile creatures. By ignoring the many other non-human things that make up this world, we conceal our insecurities about how insignificant our individual footprint really is.

A key component of this superiority complex is centred on different forms of communication. Linguistics studies the structure of language; a term that is reserved for our species only. Linguistics upholds a false perspective of how the world operates in the way it privileges human communication. We privilege human communication as the only way to describe our experiences in the world. It is seen as the only way to communicate ideas, information and emotions. Our construction of knowledge and language arises from linguistics; an aspect of human structuring that has been ingrained into how we view the world. It’s hard to believe how limiting our priority of human language is, due to the fact we rarely consider what lies beyond our own dialogue. The language of humans is only one form of communication within this vast world. It is a mere speck in comparison to the many aspects of communication that exist within this entire planet. We rarely give ourselves the chance to appreciate this fact. It is easy to position nonhuman communication in relation to us, asking ourselves, how does this non-human communication serve me? However, if we reposition ourselves to see our language in relation to everything else, we realise how dependable we really are on all forms of communication rather than our own.

Removing ourselves from the centre of the world allows us to step back and form a more objectionable view of how non-human things matter in relation to humans. Although this is a really brief starting point into this vast concept, I want to explore this further and look at examples of communication that exist in nonhuman worlds. I hope to do this in posts to come.

Maintaining a level of high productivity is one of my main goals throughout the semester. Productivity is going to be crucial for me to get things done at a rate that ensures more work is completed on time and the quality of my work is upheld. In class today we were asked to set clear guidelines allowing us to visualise what we wanted to work on and maintain throughout the semester. For this task I extended productivity beyond the idea of time and work ethic to include five key points. These key points set up clear checkpoints I would need to tick off each week. They would ensure my productivity is met and my participation in class, which is a big thing for this semester, is maintained. Participation is a key element that this class is going to focus on. Given that we are going to be marked on this task at the end of the semester, monitoring my efforts of participation through these key points will be crucial.

My key points are:

1. Communication/collab
2. Read
3. Experiment
4. Questions
5. Examples

Communication/collab: I will make sure that I communicate with class members in order to share knowledge and gain a better insight into what everyone else is doing in the class.

Read: I will read each weeks reading and keep up to date with the other bits of information that will come up during the semester.

Experiment: I will try and think outside the box, looking beyond my preconceived limitations of what I can and cant do in the course.

Questions: I will ask questions in class and also question everything I am making in order to create something that tests my thinking.

Examples: Read, view and listen to examples of work that already test the boundaries of documenting, aiming to draw off these examples and use them as features of my own work.

These five points will allow me to uphold a level of standard throughout this semester. My productivity and participation will go hand in hand throughout this course. If my productivity drops, then my participation will inevitably follow and vice versa. Productivity and participation must be treated as a relationship much like the other connections that we discuss throughout the course. The link that exists between them will enable me to reach these goals and have a fulfilling semester.

In class today we created a concept map of the various relationships that exist between a specific item/activity and ourselves. I decided to focus on my relationship towards going out to see the film Moonlight. I was initially confused about what constituted as connections. The connections that I thought about, to begin with, were all very broad, for example, I focused on how I got to the film, who came with me and why I went to the film, to begin with. I soon found out these connections were rather simplistic and too much of an overview of this relationship. My broad overview was ignoring the many possibilities that existed. Instead, I began to look at the specifics that existed in this relationship, helping break down the previous broad listings. For example, I looked into the specifics of statements such as how I got to the film, which brought up more questions, such as, what type of transport did I use, what enabled me to use this type of transport and what enabled that kind of transport to exist.

By looking into the specifics of each connection I was able to create new connections between each item, putting into perspective how complex one relationship can be. Every relationship, as evidenced by this task, is dependable on something else. Each link is made up of more links that enable each aspect to exist independently.

 

 

Despite the seemingly tedious nature of blogging, it has become a crucial aspect of this course, something I need to embrace. To enjoy doing something, I usually need a reason behind it and how it is going to contribute to my overall satisfaction. After listening to Adrian talk about the various professional usefulness of blogs, I started to have a greater appreciation for the importance of blogs in relation to my learning experience. In the case of using blogs for a professional outlet, it is going to be really useful for allowing me to voice my ideas and showcase my learning experience, aspects that could be key for landing a job in the industry.

Aside from the professional aspect of blogging, much is to be gained personally from exploring my own discontents about university. My concerns, questions, insights or general knowledge can be explored through this blog. I can undertake a deep exploration into the workings of my mind, coming to conclusions about where I sit with ideas or concepts. In a sense I become my own online teacher, learning about myself and other coursework. This blog doesn’t require formal rules to complete. If I go into this blog with the same open-minded this class requires, I am able to gain far more. A shift in perspective towards this blog is key. Instead of treating this task as begrudgingly difficult, I will treat it as a deep exploration of my learning experience. If I allow myself to notice the connections I make between this class and myself, the remainder of these posts should be rather enjoyable…

The comfort of reason must be ignored when approaching this course. Redefining what it means to tell stories and broadening our view of different media forms, is a fundamental aspect of this course.  From the beginning of our first lesson, it is clear that this course is going to challenge our thinking and expand our view of the world. Although I’m still unclear of the initial direction this course will take, I am keen to learn more about the idea of “noticing”. The concept of noticing obviously takes centre stage in this studio. We are asked to broaden our understanding of noticing beyond a material viewpoint to encompass abstract patterns of thinking. Broader abstractions of this term “noticing”, include the awareness social discourses in society and how they play a role in constructing stories, how linguistics forms the basis of cultural normalities in society and the capacity for everything to have its own independent agency. These prompts challenge our established understanding of the world. They force us to reconsider connections that exist around us, eliciting a sense of introspection as we begin to notice how we too have been shaped by these external constructions.

Another key concept that fascinated me was the idea that “story is a privileged way of understanding the world”. Up until this point in our media degree, the focal element of creating work was to tell a “story”. However, in this class, Adrian suggests this is not the only way we can view our world and create meaningful work. Although important, a story is something that is constructed, often rejecting other ways of communicating ideas and events. I am interested to see how this concept can be used when making our media pieces. Disregarding previous ideas of a “story” will be challenging, however, it should open up avenues to explore different ideas within a new framework.

The introduction to this studio has confirmed my initial curiosity in this subject matter. The inevitable challenge of realising these upcoming projects makes me slightly nervous, however, I am sure that throughout the remainder of this semester I will gain the confidence needed to tackle these concepts in a creative and conceptual manner.