I think the idea that stood out to me the most from this weeks reading is Cal Newport’s first law; “Telling a young person to follow their passion reduces the possibility they will end up passionate”.

This is a comforting sentence to read during my first week into a comprehensive 3 year course in a field I feel passionate about. However, I also think I am still unsure about what exactly I am passionate about. Don’t get me wrong, I am not idly fence sitting, or disinterested in my course. I have worked very had to get to where I am right now. I just find it comforting that this course gave us a reading on the fluidity of our passions and interests.

The talk dismissed the idea that you must follow a rigid, unstraying path to “success”. That in order to make yourself happy, you need to channel all of your motivation into one career (“money making”) choice, and stick with it until the day you die, and during that time you will have become successful. Making a profitable and respectful career seems to be a huge pressure on this generation, and it’s a sad notion that happiness can only be found in a successful career.

Regardless, the skill I want to take from this talk is Newport’s time-blocking scheme. Setting aside time to partake in deep cognitive learning, and extending this time after every few weeks. In all the “study skills” classes I took in high school, I wish someone told me this!

In Wednesday’s tute, we were given the task of taking a photo of a “Melbourne moment”. No other requirements but to use whatever technology we had on hand, and within 10 minutes. I had my iPhone 5 on hand with a cracked front camera screen, let alone a nasty light leak in the main camera. Either way, I managed to get some interesting and kinda intrusive pics of people crossing the road, some trams and bike riders, but i thought these were a little unoriginal. So I walk-jogged to the state library to take a photo of someone sitting on the lawn but instead I bumped into some milk crates underneath a park bench near the crossing.

Milk crates are the official seating choice of hipsters (a word I hate, used to alienate young people and portray them as vain, vapid pseudo-intellectual whingers by stuffy old people who can’t send an email aka or Sunrise presenters). Yes, Milk Crates hold my house together, and provide an uncomfortable pedestal for the bums of my houseguests. They crop up among graffiti covered alleyways, displaying vinyls in record stores, outside coffee (to deliver the milk in, surprisingly),  etc. “What’s with the milk crates?” was a line uttered by my partner when she moved to this city.The humble milk crate is the unofficial hero of this city. So that’s what I’m using for my image. I chucked a gram filter on there for good luck

my photographic skills

We began with an open discussion about who we were, what we are here for and what we hope to achieve through RMIT media. From what I gathered from the class, there is a huge lean towards creating and working with film/video and motion media. I’m glad I have a crop of prospective collaborators and peers who share a common interest!

During the discussion, were were instructed to write a list of things we hope to achieve in 2018; our graduation.

Mine is as follows:

Dear Future Self…

1. Find my creative voice. Find where I belong in an industry you admire. Or don’t fit in! Just find my style, what I like and dislike and achieve some sort of direction to funnel my creativity into.

2. Bring ideas to fruition, rather than wondering what to do with them.

3. Collaborate! I am lucky enough to have a second chance at Uni (not lucky for my HECS fees) so this time instead of shying away from groups and socially isolating myself, i want to find like minded people to work with.

4. Stop working in hospitality. Get an internship, Get a break in an industry job

5. The previous requires networking so I will put my feelers out. A journalism teacher told me to keep a notebook full of every persons contact details you’ve ever met. I probably won’t go to that extreme but I will take an approach like that on board (possibly)

6. make more art.

7. Write a Dialogue heavy script. No more moody scenic shots. I just saw Noah Baumbachs “Mistress America” and it was pretty mind-blowing.

8. Find my own learning style. Be committed to my education (or centrelink will kill me)

9. Make time every day to practice SOMETHING whether its photography, drawing, guitar, studying even.

10. just learn some practical skillz