Project 3: Creative Remix(Written Reflection)

       This project reminded me of a project I did in my previous school. We were instructed to pick a topic discussed throughout the semester and devise a creative means to share this information. My creative project was based on my rhetorical analysis paper about the BLM/BPP. I enjoyed writing the paper about the media’s portrayal of the BLM and the BPP because it sheds light on the bigger issue, the oppression of African Americans and other minority groups, along with women and the lower class. Groups of people would make it seem as if the problem is black and white instead of focusing on the systemic issues causing the oppression of the lower class and minorities.
      The medium I chose was spoken word. I chose spoken word as my medium because it’s one of my favorite forms of creative expression along with music. I’m not gifted in either category so I thought it would be cool to try for the sake of this project. Spoken word is often used to as a form of revolutionary expression, artists perform their work, so the audience has a better understanding of the emotions behind the piece. The idea behind my poem was I was trying to speak from the perspective of the entire African American community in the first person. It’s so easy to make generalized statements but hearing it from a personal perspective is a different experience. I also didn’t want to sulk in the “poor me” mentality. It was calling out the hidden faces behind the oppression (whatever race/gender they may be). The poem shows the journey of growth and then poses a question at the end. As much as I hate sharing my creative work because it makes me nervous, I enjoyed doing this project and getting the opportunity to present it to my classmates.
      Multi media formats are a whole different experience because rather than listing out a bunch of facts, you are able to create a picture for the reader, whether that be through literal pictures or other forms of visual and verbal media outlets. One of my classmates did project on how the party utilized ethos, logos, and pathos to serve the purpose of the party, I think through multimedia expression you are also able to accomplish the same thing. You can use music, tone, language, and sometimes even fictional concepts to provide a better understanding of the topic. 
      I fortunately have had some basic level experience with recording and editing content so that was the easiest part of the whole process for me. When I read the poem I had certain images in mind so I wanted to utilize the visual aspect to show the reader. This proved to be a bit of a struggle for me. I wanted to make sure that with my new found knowledge of Creative Commons, I was utilizing photos that wouldn’t have any copyright issues. While Creative commons has so much to offer I couldn’t really get the exact visual I had in mind but the project came out pretty close. I rewrote the poem a few times as well. I was even editing as I was recording because I found certain words flowed better in certain places.
       In general, I really enjoyed completing this project. It allowed for me to explore a new part of creative writing which I’ve grown to really enjoy. I don’t like the idea of sharing my creative work with the world but I believe sometimes you have to take chances. I’m hoping not too many people explore our Blogs@baruch page (lol).