I'm focusing on continuing to develop my creative practice through completing my MFA.
WHY?
An MFA will provide me with the mentorship and structured production experience to significantly hone my skills as a mediamaker, making my creative work more technically skilled and my message more effectively communicated. Completing the MFA will also demonstrate my commitment to using media as a tool of social engagement and change in future professional and creative opportunities. It also has the added benefit of providing a credential that will help give me access to teaching opportunities in higher education.
The deeper "why": I aspire for my work to foster vulnerability and curiosity, which in turn develops empathy and enhances the quality of our lives as individuals as well as strengthens our connections to one another.
WHO IS MY CUSTOMER?
I have three different types of "customers" (though I still bristle at using this term)
The audience for my various creative projects
HOW WILL MY SERVICE HELP MY CUSTOMER?
Audience
While an MFA itself will not magically enhance the quality of my work, the critical thinking and time that I will put into finishing my MFA will undoubtably contribute to my development as a mediamaker and (hopefully) improve the quality of my work, thus increasing engagement with my audience.
Subjects
Same as above (more experience will make me a better mediamaker, getting an MFA will get me more experience), but I also think a credential would help demonstrate some legitimacy or at least commitment to this craft and critical thinking about the ethics of mediamaking, hopefully enhancing trust and confidence.
Students/Collaborators
Getting an MFA will increase my access to more potential students (University students within formal degree programs) and help establish myself as a mediamaker with demonstrated commitment to and mastery of my craft that would be an asset to a given project.
WHY?
An MFA will provide me with the mentorship and structured production experience to significantly hone my skills as a mediamaker, making my creative work more technically skilled and my message more effectively communicated. Completing the MFA will also demonstrate my commitment to using media as a tool of social engagement and change in future professional and creative opportunities. It also has the added benefit of providing a credential that will help give me access to teaching opportunities in higher education.
The deeper "why": I aspire for my work to foster vulnerability and curiosity, which in turn develops empathy and enhances the quality of our lives as individuals as well as strengthens our connections to one another.
WHO IS MY CUSTOMER?
I have three different types of "customers" (though I still bristle at using this term)
The audience for my various creative projects
My audience wants to be engaged with information and stories that make them feel more connected to other people and more informed about the world.
The subjects of my documentary work
My subject wants to feel heard and understood. They also want to be able to trust me as a documentary maker with their story. They are being vulnerable with me and taking the risk of me sharing their story to the public, so establishing trust is of the utmost importance. They also have to believe that their message is important, even more important than their insecurities, in order to take that risk.
My students and/or creative collaborators
My students and/or collaborators want to take action. They are eager for hands-on experience and knowledge. When they can't get or don't want hands-on experience, they are also interested in my experience guiding them.
HOW WILL MY SERVICE HELP MY CUSTOMER?
Audience
While an MFA itself will not magically enhance the quality of my work, the critical thinking and time that I will put into finishing my MFA will undoubtably contribute to my development as a mediamaker and (hopefully) improve the quality of my work, thus increasing engagement with my audience.
Subjects
Same as above (more experience will make me a better mediamaker, getting an MFA will get me more experience), but I also think a credential would help demonstrate some legitimacy or at least commitment to this craft and critical thinking about the ethics of mediamaking, hopefully enhancing trust and confidence.
Students/Collaborators
Getting an MFA will increase my access to more potential students (University students within formal degree programs) and help establish myself as a mediamaker with demonstrated commitment to and mastery of my craft that would be an asset to a given project.
Reading this, it sounds like you know yourself very well. And you know each type of person you are focusing on.
ReplyDeleteIn reading this the second time, I have two questions.
The first is, to choose a term other than customer that you don't bristle at (recently I bristled at the word 'consumer' as identity for another project and chose 'citizen' or 'person' or 'resident' instead). You can choose a word other than "customer" (you did, you chose three words, audience, subjects, and students/collaborators). "Humans" "people" "citizens" "owners" "individuals" "people I'm wanting to attract" etc could be the broader label. I think the main idea here is to focus that you are providing something to them, that they have needs and desires different from yours.
The second is, I wonder for the MFA, are these your three groups of humans to attract (do you do better future-focused or present-focused)? When I was working on my undergrad playwriting thesis, I had my advisor, my director, my actors, my peers, my family, my friends. All people I needed or wanted something from in the moment. And they wanted things from me, and certainly the thesis play affected their labels of what they felt for the 90 minutes in the theatre and in talking with me before and after. My friends wanted to understand me better, my family wanted to see what I had made, my director wanted me to provide a script for her to have a showpiece, etc. (I'm not working too hard to find identity labels for them right now in describing this, but basically, an MFA likely has other humans involved. If I had thought about this for the thesis, it might have been a better thesis.)
Hi Laura. It's fun to hear you get excited about this next phase of mediamaking. I can't wait to her more about it. Are you still thinking nuns for your project? I kinda honed in on the subjects of your project. Do they have a story that feels urgent to them to tell? Do they want to be represented in an authentic and genuine way? Perhaps people generally don't know their story, or misunderstand their purpose/mores/lifestyle. Are they shy? Will this type of media representation capture a kind of intimacy with them on film that could not be brought about in another way (say if they were up on a stage or some other public place). How will being on film serve them differently than say, them writing something down about themselves? What will it do for them personally being interviewed?
ReplyDeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liz, there is so much awesome passion in this post and I get excited just reading it. I was also wondering if you were still thinking of nuns or women thinking about becoming nuns as your subjects. I am wondering about the power of doing a documentary (especially if women contemplating becoming nuns doesn't work out) about a truly underserved population that is screaming to get to their voices heard. That's where I see the service and empathy in your thesis. I also see your collaborators and students ready to work blood, sweat and tears to join you and work with you. It's pretty powerful to give people a voice who society has pushed aside, and in giving them a voice, you are truly in service to them.
There are two communities I am especially thinking about. There is a community on NE Russell and Vancouver called "Not Dead Yet." It's housing for quadripalegics.
Or think of the community I'm in, women under 30 with advanced breast cancer. Many of the women have kids and are just starting life. It's a different diagnosis at 30 than at 60. And we have a lot of spunk :)
Those are just some ideas. I also heard in your writing that with your MFA you have more opportunities to teach at higher ed. How will this documentary help everyone involved become who they want to be? How will you pass that passion on to your students?
Very impressing work!
Take Care,
Sam
Good job identifying your audiences!
ReplyDeleteI think you might be able to suss out more of what your documentary subjects want/who they want to be. I agree with what you have, I just have a hunch there’s even more there. Agreeing to be in a documentary is a big decision and a LOT could go wrong (the filmmaker could portray you in an unflattering light, you could be caught on tape picking your nose, etc etc). What is the deep deep motivating force for someone to agree to make their private moments so public? I’m thinking of that Anthony Weiner documentary I just saw a preview for. I assume, in his case, he was motivated by a political comeback? Maybe even REDEMPTION?
Same thought/question for your students/collaborators. Do they want to achieve their artistic visions? Change the world through art practice? I dunno, am I being too lofty?