Don't just talk about it, be about it

The time is coming for me to put my training into practice. I have been sculpting my theoretical and practical skills to be able to apply them to my research. It has been interesting trying to conceptualize my movements through coursework to create a mutually beneficial outcome for myself and the individuals I will be working alongside during my research. I appreciate the flexibility and support that I have experienced from this class and others. I have been able to tailor my assignments to best suit future goals (independent creation of a promo film, grant writing, promotional website). Within other courses I have been able to find overlap within the material that correlates with my research. I feel that all of this is building a solid foundation and framework for my work, a hands-on applied approach to research.

My next project- build a website, is something I had not envisioned myself producing prior to this course. Of course, the skills and what I am able to produce with them will be offered to the community I will be working with, if they deem them appropriate and in line with their goals is yet to be seen. I aim not to impose, but to offer/provide. As an outsider far removed from the community I am only able to understand a fraction of the reality present until I am able to spend extended time with them. I have hypothesized what would be the most practical, cost effective, and beneficial contribution I could make, but it may turn out that my perceptions were muddied by the Western lens that influences my worldview, we will see. Yet, the realization of this influence aids me in attempting to understand suitable alternative solutions/strategies.

The time is coming for me to stop talking about it, and to start being about it.

It's in their hands now....

How to tell if something is "done"...... Well, in the past when it came to papers and assignments the "doneness" of something typically correlated with deadlines. Once the clock hit the time to turn in whatever was assigned, it was done. The rest was up to them to decide my fate in the form of a grade. Now when it comes to this class and creating projects that will transcend the classroom and take flight into the electronic and public spheres being done may become a little more complex.

I kept a blog while I was away down in Chiapas, Mexico and since there was no deadline and no pressing issues surrounding it I constantly knit-picked at my wording, grammar, phrasing, and layout. To this day there are still words that I am like "when I get a minute I'm going to take that out" even though digital cobwebs have crusted the blog over since my last post in March of 2011. I would say that my blog would be a great example of deciding how to understand when something is "done." My wife and I decided we were going to turn our blog into a book and distribute it ourselves on the web. This required us to format the blog appropriately, thoroughly go through the text and figure out the flow of the narratives. This took many thorough edits, but once we felt the final product was finished as best as it could be (there were some things we wish we could have altered like the center alignment of the final poem, etc) we were happy and willing to make compromises. We both believed in the final product enough to feel it was worthy of being placed in the marketplace.

Using the website lulu.com we set a price, created a profile page and attempted to market our creation. After about 3 days we sold about 10 copies (mostly to family members), but we took it offline. Our original plan was to take all the proceeds and donate it to the organization that is working with the Q'eqchi' I will be doing my research with, but then we felt uncomfortable knowing we included photos of individuals and used real names without asking for consent. I know this is just a blog, but since I was "profiting" off others who were not necessarily benefiting I was conflicted with the ethics of it all. We eventually took the small proceeds from the initial sales, added to it, and donated $100 to the organization.

I would consider this project a success and it being "done." We were able to produce a finalized product that carried monetary value, we were proud of it, and it contributed to the benefit of others. Of course we could have done more to make it more successful- i.e. remove real names (add pseudonyms), remove photos to ensure privacy, etc., but this would have taken away from the realness of the story. I have considered doing this, but instead I feel leaving the blog as it is with all the true intricacies of the trip intact for everyone to search for and discover on the Internet for free is of higher value to me than the occasional sale of a book.

I guess what I'm saying correlates with a quote I heard from our volunteer leader, "what you build with your hands you also build within yourself." So, as long as you are proud of what you created it is done and the confidence that surrounds it will prove its worth, if the product is a farce and you know it, it will be obvious. So, in a way what you create is a reflection of yourself, you'll know when its ready, its a feeling you get of understanding your own worth.

Been Busy Beeing

This is my first Spring in the South and my wife and I are experimenting with all the backyard space we have like it's going out of style: we are growing potatoes out of used tires, broccoli in storage containers, worm composting, and building things with free bamboo we picked up off craigslist. The next logical step was to beekeep, and we happened to run into Ian at our bee class, interestingly enough. Anyways, beekeeping is very labor and time intensive, last weekend we had to put together our hive, this weekend we went to the bee yard and we got our bees. I installed them fully dressed in my bee suit today, it was crazy, scary and exciting all at the same time. I may have not released my queen from her cage properly, and I will know soon enough because if she was released and not accepted I will find her carcass laying in the pile of other discarded bees that they chuck out their front door as they get settled. Bees are pretty hardcore. So that has been my last two weekends aside from schoolwork.

Grants, funding and what not...... I am having some reservations about the funding I found regarding the indigenous organization I was planning on working with. I called the office and spoke with a woman who somewhat spoke down to me and said things like "we don't fund individuals who want to go help the poor Indians.". So, that kind of made me mad and even after I told her how I could coordinate a fiscal agent from a 501c3 non-profit organization she told me that "strategies for sustainable development" doesn't include economic development, as my project involves a collective enterprise composed of community members with the goal of achieving socio-economic upward mobility for the entire community, what is more strategic, sustainable, and results in development than that? Whatever. My wife also had a point, my relationship with the NGO I intend on working with isn't the strongest and I wouldn't want to jeopardize the future interactions due to a potential grant. So, I will have to figure something else out, and this way I won't have to deal with that rude woman, someone should tell her the age old phrase "You attract more bees with honey.". Which is true, those critters will rob you clean of your honey.

What is the Internet anyways?

We have come a long way since 1994 as is evident from this news clip featuring Katie Couric. Enjoy!



So, in today's "modern-age" we must have a presence upon these "billboards" others can access through a "vast network of computers that is getting bigger every day."

From BBS (bulletin board systems) to mIRC and America Online people around the entire planet can now carry entire encyclopedias and others' whole lives within their pockets or purses. Making one self visible has become vastly simpler, but now there is clutter and static to contend with. A bubble within the crest of a wave will have a difficult time making itself more noticeable than the surrounding whitewash it is a part of. This is today's Internet. A vast ocean of information that when looked at from a high enough vantage point appears as more of a singular body and the difficulty to distinguish characteristics within the mass requires dedication by the noticer and the noticee.

Since attention spans have been altered due to the access to everything available a source of information must be easy to understand, eye-catching, and interesting. The Quark Nova site reminded me of the blogspot site I made for friends and family while my wife and I were away in Latin America, here's a link: www.mikeandfaith.blogspot.com.

The blog developed and expanded as time passed and features were added to the site. I realized the importance of the side bars in relation to the top menu. The side bars were always visible and somewhat unchanging, which is good, people don't like change. Uniformity is key, confusing the audience making them feel as if they left the site can lead to complete abandonment and loss of interest. Our blog was intended to update our network of friends and family and promote certain organizations/movements. We added links to these organizations and films, using the top menu. After looking at Quark Nova I realized how important a Home Page is. We let the continuous blog be the Home Page, we probably would do that differently if we were to do it again.

We went through the process of publishing our blog into a book through web converter websites such as www.blog2print.com and www.lulu.com. We were going to market the blog-book, but decided the information within the blog was personal and shouldn't be exploited. There are people mentioned within the blog who wouldn't be benefitting from my profitting of their story. Instead we made printed versions of the book available only to certain individuals: family and friends. Lulu.com is an amazing site, upload a pdf file, create a page, and you set the price.

I like the personal feel of the Quark Nova site, it feels like a person is in charge, and they are entrepreneurially selling their own products. Websites from giant corporations have that sterile and squeaky-clean perfect look that feels disinfected and inhuman. A website should invite you in to have a cup of coffee and sit on the couch for a minute. Quark Nova gives enough information to be able to get the concept without having to read volumes, excellent style especially with today's shorter attention spans. The site doesn't feel like a consumer frenzy erratic buy-now! While supplies last! kind of site. Nobody likes those, and they lead to empty consumption.

I hope to create a web presence similar to the Quark Nova site for the community I will be spending the Summer with. I hope to be able to take the "come in, have some coffee and sit on the couch for a minute" and turn it into: actually leave your computer screen, your surroundings, and experience something new. Seeing Quark Nova's site I feel like I could even make their business site a blog-style site, which is great because I have no experience with any other style of webmastering. I hope to show the experience, tell the story, and offer services in a succinct, eye-catching, informative, and inviting way. I believe I will be able to accomplish that, and am excited to potentially assist my friends in Guatemala with the skills I am currently polishing.

1080pHDW200Samsung

So, after creating the video for this class I realized that my Olympus TOUGH is a little subpar for the task I would like it for. The images it captures are quality stills, but the video comes out unclear and poor quality. I have decided to try out a different camera and after some research the Samsung W200 seemed like the best choice. I am going to be needing a camera that is concealable, rugged, but shoots quality footage. The Samsung W200 records at 1080p Full HD is waterproof and shockproof. I have been getting used to its functions and capabilities since I received it in the mail just this week. So far I am content, of course it lacks a lot of the fine tuning that higher end cameras are capable of, but I needed to make a compromise between these types of features to achieve the concealability and ruggedness my field research will require. This class has helped me come to this conclusion, I thank everyone for the constructive criticism and I'm sure the community will appreciate the final product (promo film) a lot more now too.

I will also be submitting my UFVA application soon, as the deadline approaches.

Passing Through a Prism

It is the midway point of the semester and as I write this I am reminded of Doogie Howser inputting his journal into his archaic computer. I am going to take this week's open-ended blog assignment to reflect on my current status within the class. The past couple of years of my life has taught me that to stimuate growth one must remove themselves from familiarities and implant themself outside of their comfort zone. Forced adaptation to new environments, situations, and circumstances allows a person to see the components of who they are. Like light passing through a prism it becomes seperated and segmented into individual colors that make up the whole of white light. Similarly, I have placed myself in a situation that has allowed for me to break into identifiable portions of myself to be able to analyze which may need work or strengthening.

This Media Arts course has placed me within a group of individuals who are all familiar with one another's work, personalities, and quirks. As an outsider I began by simply observing and attempting to translate the language used within this microculture of Art graduate students. It has been interesting, confusing, and hilarious all at the same time. I have realized that I am not in competition with anyone in the course, which was a huge relief.

The goals I have set for myself differ from everyone in the class and I appreciate the insight and guidance provided when discussing my project. My project, a video production created entirely by myself, has allowed for me to realize where my deficiencies lie within the production process. I not only am learning how to edit footage on my own, but I have placed additional constraints upon the filming process: using basic equipment and software.

Prior to this course I only had experience with cinematography, but this course has essentially forced me to learn how to "do it yourself." A skill I am excited to have, and plan to use for the reciprocal gift to the village I will be staying with this summer. Had I not taken this course I would be learning how to edit while conducting my research, placing additional difficulties upon the film making process. I may not be able to provide an HD National Geographic-esque visual experience, but what I will be able to offer will be something useful that can potentially become beneficial to their sustainable tourism business.

Not only has this course shown me where I need improvement, it has allowed me to make improvements. Classroom discussions have also brought many new resources to my attention. The COS.com website has opened a Pandora's Box of possibilities for funding sources and I have shared this valuable resource with my cohort. Hopefully upon completion of this course, having improved segments of myself, I can reassemble and fuse together a light that can make the future a little brighter.

CA$H MONEY

So, do I work to live or do I live to work? I would like to take the diplomatic stance of a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. I have chosen a career involving academic pursuits because of the potential to make real positive change for the future. I have worked lucrative restaurant industry jobs for years, but the full wallet often left me feeling empty. After graduating with my undergraduate degrees I felt a strong sense of having no direction. My wife and I decided to make a major life change, so we saved the money we usually just turned and burned within the service industry culture, and applied it to an extended stay in Latin America. This allowed us to grow and not fit back into who we once were. We had shed the skin of our prior selves and it was time to keep moving forward.

My wife and I have structured and tailored our lifestyles around the combined income we generate. Removing ourselves from familiar areas and starting anew here in South Carolina definitely aided in not allowing us to stray from a more restrictive budget. My goals of course require money, but how I earn that money has changed and I can honestly say that I am proud to be a graduate student and all that it entails. My research will take me to places in regions across the globe and I intend to give back for what I receive. I may not earn the highest amount of dollars, but the amount I do earn will be enough to live comfortably with my wife. Payment isn't always in the form of financial assets. Funded research, travel, inspired students, and seeing positive change all raise a person's level of self-worth. So, when it comes to money, I only need as much as will happen to come to me, and I will find ways to use the surpluses (if there ever are any) and reinvest it into projects with a similar path to my life plan. I saw a great Internet meme and it said "Teachers don't do it for the income, they do it for the outcome."

Spirit Animal and Prior Work

When the concept of "what is your spirit animal?" was brought up in class I immediately had an answer- Blue Morpho Butterfly. I know it sounds a little silly, but let me explain.

From a purely symbolic standpoint the Blue Morpho butterfly goes through several life cycles taking different forms and emerging stronger and more atune to its environment. The delicate nature of a butterfly can also be viewed as how delicate and perishable we as humans are. The purpose of a butterfly is to pollenate and assist in the reproduction of plants, a truly noble endeavor in itself. Aside from being large and brightly colored the Blue Morpho has the ability to close its wings, perch on a branch and disappear completely disguising itself as nature's backdrop. The ability to make such a commanding presence and the ability to completely vanish are both equally difficult to accomplish.

We haven't even begun to discuss the flying aspect of a butterfly. Who wouldn't want to fly? The butterfly has also been mentioned in many ancient texts. For example, the Aztecs believed that the fiercest warriors came back to life as butterflies. How about that for turning gender norms on its head. Oh ya, and while I was down in the jungle of Chiapas and visiting Mayan ruins I saw many of these amazing creatures, and even had a close encounter of the Morpho kind. This picture is of my hand and was taken in June of 2010 at the Tonina Mayan ruins, this Blue Morpho decided it wanted to make contact with me.


I don't know if I would modify my response according to my situation/surroundings. I think it applies to any situation- an animal that continually transforms into beauty and takes flight works for me.

I also wanted to put up links to my prior work:

This was the second film I made- Root Awakening. It focuses on an educational community garden in a low-income high density area of Orange County, California. There is a lack of green space in this urban setting, and much of the immigrant population have little access to healthy food. This community garden allows for older generations to share agricultural knowledge with younger ones. The class was two semesters and we had Sony HD cameras and used FinalCut Pro for editing. I was the cinematographer for both of these films.

Root Awakening 22min36sec
http://vimeo.com/10369251



This was my first film, much lower quality. It was filmed with a handheld camera and edited in iMovie. This was Cal State Long Beach's first ever attempt at Visual Anthropology, and was completed in only one semester. We won an award for this film- best film by undergraduates. It is about a dog park in Costa Mesa, California and the space issues faced by dog owners.

Bark Park 6min40sec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtWXjoqZrgc

Mission Statement

I posted a blog about the conceptualization of my project last week before I saw the prompt about creating a Mission Statement. After reading my peer's statements of practice I saw many commonalities between my worldview and theirs. If I were to condense the reasons behind my work it would have to be based around the idea that privileged hands have the ability to assist, whether or not they do is the issue. I have realized my position and how it has been attained and feel that I have the power to make change that will better more than my own interests. Yet when considering what exactly are "my interests" one realizes that others should be included in this concept. The ability for compassion and love is the ability to expand oneself large enough to welcome in others. Leading by example has been the best route I have witnessed by great individuals throughout time and is a model that should emulated. My mission statement will change over time as any good idea should, there is always room for improvement and by bringing in new concepts it becomes refined. One major realization I have come to which could be the core of my Mission Statement is: you enjoy what you have most when it is shared.

I wrote this in November of 2011:

We are all actors upon the world stage,
On display, splayed, absorbing gaze,
We all work for the same agency,
Power is sometimes granted, planted, born into,
Privileged hands have multiple uses,
To lift up, hold another, make a fist,
Or do nothing, remain voiceless,
Not taking a stand is to drag,
Social surveillance keeps them in line,
No one should be at ease,
We are allowing the redefining of slavery,
We have forgotten that the Other,
Like us, too has a mother,
Hope and hunger fuel dangerous decisions,
Restrictions on both retains the status quo,
What will be your contribution?
Seasons will change
As colorful leaves fall to the ground
Cold creeps and blankets the land,
We will consume to demonstrate our love,
As we shut our eyes for the night
Within warm walls and under solid roofs
The producers of our hollow products
Warm their hands by a wood burning stove
Our system isn't profiting as much as it would like
The machine is hungry and thirsty
It sips on our accounts
Takes bites out of our futures
The difference must still be made up,
Didn't take one
But passed it down
Now watch the invisible people scramble
Huddled, oppressed, but numerous,
By joining together we can form
Whatever we'd like to be the norm
A plurality of voices
Allows for better choices
But we can't keep fighting over the scraps
The master's house was built by us
Don't ignore the whispers
These are the Earth's quieted screams
What is the purpose?
What is the plan?
To give back for what we've been given,
Or should we continue to steal from our children?

Conceptualization

After reading the Shaking The Money Tree text and discussing my project in class I am beginning to formulate a clearer understanding of how my project will unfold. I will be creating a proto-type entity during the course of this class with the hope to be able to recreate a similar entity during my anthropological field research. The ultimate goal for this is to offer a media project and internet presence as a reciprocal gift for allowing my presence and research within the community I will be staying. This experiment will be within a much more controlled environment with access to resources and time compared to the time I will be spending in Guatemala. As I decipher and decode the technological jargon thrown around in our classroom I am picking up useful ideas of how to market and implant my project on the Internet. Shaking the Money Tree also provided me with insight on how to successfully reach target audiences, appeal to the appropriate markets, and contact potential funding sources. I intend to continue filming and accumulating footage for my proto-type advertisement, weather permitting.

I am excited to be able to complete every step of this process because my prior work involved co-creators who had designated tasks. The diversification of labor during those projects left me specializing in only one component of film making- cinematography. To be able to produce a final project from start to finish on my own is a skill I have wanted since I began tinkering with visual media. This class is going to not only allow me the opportunity to accomplish this, I will be able to take the finished product and breathe life into it on the Internet. This skill set will prove useful to me not only for my summer field research, but for the future of my career which I envision having a visual media component.

Project Idea

As an anthropology graduate student taking this course I will be attempting to incorporate my future research into the curriculum for this course. My ultimate goal is to be able to produce some form of video from start to finish while doing my field research in Guatemala. Last winter I had the pleasure of visiting the Q'eqchi' Maya village Plan Grande Quehueche which is situated behind the port city of Livingston, Guatemala. The community has come together to establish a sustainable tourism business which involves explanatory guided hikes through the local areas (jungles, coast, caves, etc). The tour ends in their village where visitors are welcome to stay in the several cabanas they have constructed, have dinner, and partake in a traditional Maya ceremony involving marimba music and dancing. The experience and services provided is amazing and deserves recognition and promotion. There seems to be a lack in promotion for their service, so this is where I may be able to contribute.

This Media Arts class is designed to create a media project with an Internet presence. I feel that this is a perfect opportunity for me to experience the needed steps to create a promotional Internet presence for the community business in Plan Grande Quehueche. I feel the most appropriate way to execute this goal is to utilize the resources I will have available during my stay in Guatemala. I have an Olympus Stylus Tough handheld camera which also shoots video. I have decided to use this as my camera due to its inconspicuous nature and also because it is shock resistance and waterproof. I will also be using basic editing software which I will have available to me on a small portable laptop. I am debating on using Windows MovieMaker or iMovie for my iPad, but bringing the iPad to Guatemala may not be an option.

Since this class will be preparing me for my experience abroad I am documenting a local nature preserve (Saluda Shoals) and activities available there. I will create a mock promotional video using the tools I will have available while in Guatemala (Olympus camera, laptop editing software, etc). I have already filmed a kayak trip and will be taking photos and videos throughout the park to be able to create this promotional video by the Spring Break deadline. This exercise will hopefully enable me to complete a similar film while conducting my field research.

Week 1- Who is Mike Young?

That's a very good question, thanks for asking. My name is Mike Young and I spent most of my youth in Southern California. My own identity perplexed me as I grew up. My father is American of mixed European descent and my mother came to the US from El Salvador at age 17. I was born in Ensenada, Mexico, spent two and a half years in Puerto Rico when I was five years old, was blond with fair skin until I was about three years old, and English was the main language spoken at home. As difficult as that mental map is to follow it was equally difficult to identify with as a young child. So, this lead to my questioning of identity as a concept growing up.

Understanding and appreciating diversity are what guided me in the direction of Anthropology and Human Resource Management. These were the disciplines I double majored in while at California State University Long Beach. After spending time abroad in Latin America doing volunteer work with my wife I sought out schools that matched my interests and University of South Carolina was a great match. I want to be able to continually make contributions towards positive social change and feel that focusing on Cultural Anthropology with an environmental focus will have the greatest lasting impact. Technology and media arts are vital tools to empowering and connecting people around the world and I would like to sharpen my skills through this class to best put these skills to use. I also understand how important visual components to documentation are to creating histories and drawing in diverse audiences.