For my RAC I decided to post my you tube video, Things About Me, on Facebook and I was nervous. I used a collage montage format, I say montage because it is in slide show form. I chose pictures that I felt were most important to the story I was trying to create, and I found quotes, which was really time consuming, to find the things I wanted to say. I created a modern collage of the person that I believe I am. I shared it on Facebook, I am always nervous sharing my work, but on Facebook my audience will like it, they are all my friends.
As I was creating this montage I really felt self-appreciation and self-worth, these pictures and quotes put together make me feel as if I am a proud, strong women that has been through a lot, at least thats what I was trying to say. I realized that my story is unique as is everyone else’s, but I feel as if I have a closer connection with my story. These pictures and quotes, overcoming a fear of posting my video, all made realize that now my story is a little easier to write. I can no longer be afraid of criticism or the unknown.
The pictures and quotes and small captions are put together with thought. In the end there is a quote about chance and what follows are pictures of my husband and all the wonderful things we have had happen to us because I took a chance with another love story. There is also another slide of my younger sister and I, and I captioned it, ‘my life!’ which has definite meaning because I feel very close to my younger sister and have always protected and taken care of her.
Facebook is an easy audience, plus it is on Youtube, and I took off the privacy blocker so a million people could see my video and I could become famous. I chose this audience because the people on these certain social media groups are my friends. I chose to go public just because I wanted it to available to everyone, I must have been feeling brave, typically I am shy. Facebook audience, I felt weren’t going to judge me to harshly, and the things I usually post get liked. This was an easy audience, and I didn’t feel embarrassed, just maybe a bit cheesy for posting a video completely about myself.
My Facebook friends enjoyed my video, some made silly comments and some made nice semi-serious comments. People liked it meaning they watched it, or at least some of it. People now know more about me, if all the hidden messages and flow a pictures were seen correctly everyone that has watch my video knows all about my feelings. Facebook friends, not all of them, don’t get that deep, often times what is written between the lines is lost on Facebook. Facebook is personal yet impersonal when its convenient for yourself.
Public acts of creativity are good for two reasons, 1) you finally have an audience, and 2) it takes you out of your safe bubble. I don’t go out very much, just a personal preference, and sometimes I feel cut off from the outside world. I turn to social media, I am connected to millions in seconds. I think Facebook is more like a private act of creativity, even though you have marked the ‘public’ button, an audience on Facebook is my personal than an audience in a coffee shop. Public creativity is hard, it’s daring, it takes you out of your realm and gives you and audience. Private creativity, is safe, monitored—by you.
