I cannot explain how challenging I found this class and it’s probably not for the reasons you’d expect. Y’all are incredibly talented- every single one of you (that’s you too Dr. Kwami). With a broad spectrum of specialties ranging from graphic design, personal brand, aesthetic, photography and video and website editing, I walked in knowing just a little bit of everything. And I seriously mean
a little bit.
I tackled each task with my personal best, but it never seemed to compare to the content y’all created. I felt defeated at times. To my friends and family I am creative and artsy, but here I sometimes felt as if I were lacking a certain something. I was so happy with my final individual project, but even after our presentations I found myself comparing my end product to everyone else’s end product. I mean that’s natural right? However it dawned on me to compare my own drafts and look at how far I have come throughout this class.
I have learned more about creating websites, video editing and effective story telling. I learned about some amazing and fun resources for the future, including thinglink and medium. I was not sold on using Medium for my individual project, but the more I kept using it the more I realized I got to highlight some of my favorite parts of my project- my writing. It allowed me to build a text based personal narrative with multimedia visual and interactive aids.
I really enjoy my thinglink and I love the video I have from Botswana. My project felt very different from my peers’ project. Yet I believe I showcased my strengths and I am proud of everything I accomplished.
I am not walking away a pro in any of the before mentioned categories, but I am walking away better. All of the content I produced throughout this semester got me one step closer to figuring out just what my specialty might someday be. Even more importantly I began to realize what mattered most to me. Through constant reflection I found myself.
I am learning how to best showcase my passions and what I have learned from them. My favorite idea that I had for my e-portfolio was my “Travel” page which showcases what my travels have taught me. It also lets my future audience know that I am actively reflecting on my life experiences and learning from my surroundings.
My peers have inspired most of the content I have created both in and outside of this class. I am working on a better social media presence and hoping to figure out what my atheistic can be. I am enjoy putting work into my posts on social media sites, because I now understand the importance. I’m also having fun playing around with my brand, because now is the time to figure out what it is I want to be known for.
I have started to go out of my comfort zone to try messing around with applications that intimidated me before- like photoshop. I’m starting to see the importance of post editing and how a picture can be salvaged from bad lighting.
This class has peaked my curiosity and has made me believe in myself. I am not missing anything. I am just as capable as the incredibly talented young women in my class. Before taking this class, you all might’ve put more time into learning multimedia skills, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do the same now. We all have to start somewhere and I choose for my start to be now. I will no longer back down from a challenge. Instead I will embrace every challenge thrown my way and I truly have Dr. Kwami to thank for it.
Dr. Kwami, thank you for your guidance over the past year.
I have gained a confidence throughout the course of this class and I know it will aid me in all of the future challenges life will give me.
Advanced Multimedia Storytelling 