10 Things I've Learned So Far
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Mr. Jack, on the second day of school, gave us an assignment to write down the 10 things we've learned so far in our lives. Whether they be popular mantras or personal mottos derived from experience, the 10 things were fun to think of and fun to explain to our friends. We took that assignment and created a podcast of the 10 mantras in WebAudio. It was our first assignment, and a great way to start the year. Using a Snowball mik, I recorded myself saying the 10 things, and then created original music, using a MIDI keyboard, to accompany it. I used Garageband to mix the track, eventually adding pictures for the viewer to watch.
For me, talking about myself is hard. It’s difficult for me to convey my inner beliefs, for I always worry about the skinny boundary between sounding arrogant, or ignorant. However, when my English teacher gave us the assignment to write down the 10 things we have learned in our lives so far, surprisingly enough I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I can’t say that these ten things are the only things to live by, I am proud of what these statements convey about myself. All in all, creating this podcast was very fun. It pushed me to express myself in different ways and through different medias. I had a bit of trouble syncing all my music to the correct tempos and keys, but in the end I am satisfied with my product.
1. Absolute silence stimulates (my) creativity. Along with a dark room.
2. Eye contact is the first sign of professionalism.
3. Excuses create your own grave, but what’s nice is it’s do it yourself.
4. Anything through a straw creates instant bamf-ness.
5. Nothing is easy. Ever. The easier you try to make something, the more difficult it will get.
6. Pens make everything seem more official.
7. Talking to yourself only leads to an un-stimulating conversation.
8. The first way to seem mature is to listen.
9. Never leave a headline unfinished.
10. Screw awkwardness.
I picked a myriad of pictures to go with my podcast. For the statement that creativity is stimulated by silence and a dark room, I chose a picture of a dark room. I write music in my spare time, and I find that my most successful ideas and motifs come from those times when I am alone and in a dark room.
The next statement, ‘eye contact is the first sign of professionalism,’ is paired with a picture that shows two business associates conversing. The overall mood of this photo is serious. As a journalist, I have come to see that the first way to seem professional is to maintain steady eye contact. It easily conveys the attitude that you are willing to work, listen, and be a contributor to the conversation.
“Excuses create your own grave” was coupled with a picture of a tombstone, with the epithet of the victim saying the following people owe me an apology. Excuses don’t make other people look bad--just yourself.
The next image is a cluster of straws. This statement about bamf straws is a bit on the funny side. As a kid, I was always enthralled by them. In retrospect, I guess straws for me was a symbol of childish fascination, an attribute that many teenagers lose as they grow older. We forget to be fascinated.
The statement that nothing is easy is accompanied by the picture of the “easy” button, advertised by Staples to indicate easiness. For me, nothing worth being passionate or hard working for has ever been easy--life does not come with an easy button. I tried to satirize that aspect. I always like writing with pens because it makes me feel mature, explaining the next image of a cool quill.
“Talking to yourself” has a picture of someone talking to themselves. I never understood why people did this.
The comment “The first way to seem mature is to listen” has a picture of an intently listening student. Students always have this maturity complex, about wanting to be taken seriously. Honestly, the first step down the road is to listen to others thoughtfully.
The next statement, “Never leave a headline unfinished” has a picture of a stack of newspapers. As an editor, I never try to leave a headline unfinished and incomplete. You always need to be clear of your intention.
Lastly, the phrase “Screw awkwardness” has a phrase coupled with it, saying “...This is awkward.” That is my most hated phrase. It serves no point.
