I have to admit, it’s taken me some time to process, but I think it’s time I reflected on the events of the past week.

Tuesday’s session was, I think, a tough one for most. We had the opportunity to work with some of the presentation skills we’d acquired the previous week to lay out our initial thoughts and ideas regarding the project we wished to work on. As previously stated, I had settled on the Electric December season, however I struggled to share my thoughts coherently – perhaps being dazzled by all the discussion prior to my presentation. I attempted to contribute my ideas of using social media tools such as Instagram and Vine to garner interest from what could be a under-privileged audience, and mentioned the questionable branding of the website – which it seems was a collective worry of the Electric December team. These submissions from myself and the valuable ideas of others asked the question of WHO is the audience of Electric December? It’s clear the season needs a revamp and I’m excited to be part of the team to pioneer the reconceptualisation. I’m happy with the group I am to be working amongst – I believe we all have attributes that will be beneficial and will compliment each other.

Between the sessions, I managed to go on a solo cinema trip to watch Frances Ha at Watershed. If you haven’t seen the film already, I’d suggest catching it whilst it’s still around! The character of Frances was not only charming but very identifiable. I loved the scenes where she is in Paris, and it reminded me of some solitary adventures I had in Barcelona last year. It’s refreshing to watch a film with a female protagonist not having to rely on a romance plot. There is also a theme of fighting for your dreams, whilst retaining a sense of reality – a very inspirational film indeed.

The Thursday session, which was our introduction to the Gold Arts Award, left me feeling quite anxious if I’m to be honest. I’ve had a very patchy education and the idea of fulfilling criteria with a qualification as an end result has evoked a sense of dread in me. That being said – I couldn’t be more eager to get stuck into the workload!

It was quite an ordeal to suggest where my talents lie, as I am a jack of all trades, master of none. I somehow got roped into leading an animation workshop. As the week has gone on, I’ve become less worried about this, and instead seen it as a challenge to better my own knowledge of the subject. Animation is a perfect way to utilise many other skills too. There are others who specialise in photography, print making, design, and film-making, who will all be able to find a way to adapt to this discipline. I have signed up for workshops in design and copy-writing which I hope will broaden and hone certain skills I possess.

I’m keen to crack on with the next session to cement my understanding of the qualification. In the meantime I’ve been thinking of novel ways of grabbing a CineKids-audience’s attention with the use of animation.

It’s not that daunting when even the simplest of methods will do 🙂

On a last note – in a discussion about the attraction of being a facilitator of art, Zoe and myself have thought an interesting way for a group-wide collaboration would be to create a zine project. Anyone have any thoughts on this?