Fireside Chat

Putting together this piece was a really great experience for me.  The hardest part was deciding exactly what to do for it.  By the time I decided to do it about my friend, it was pretty much too late to put much together for the assignment.  But what surprised me was how much video content I had of the two of us.  Then I expanded the idea to how music has effected basically every significant relationship that I have.

As I presented, I really felt like I was able to express myself in a surprisingly personal way.  The amazing thing was that everyone was able to do so.  What I most appreciated was how open everyone was about  things that were really personal to them.  Deep down, I really got the impression that everyone wants to express themselves and be understood, but we are normally too afraid of doing so.  I think that that is the reason why most of us struggle to communicate through any medium.  There are always technical things to be learned in order to practice a craft effectively, but no matter how effective we are as craftsmen, we have to communicate honestly.  The fireside chat was an incredible opportunity for all of us to really open up to one another and experience a really unifying thing.  That thing is still beyond my articulation at this point, but it was great to experience.

Something else that surprised me was how much fear I felt while watching some of the performances. I think that some of that fear was because of a lack of trust on my part to receive something so personal from someone I don't know very well.  However, when those whom I do feel I know well presented, I felt much more comfortable while they presented.  I think that this explains why I sometimes have a hard time with a lot of art forms.  When we experience something new, and the author is someone we don't know, it makes sense that the experience results in some dissonance.  So I hope that from now on I can give every piece and every person more of a chance to express themselves.  I'm really grateful for the chance that I had to express myself.