My goal with this video was to practice telling my story of chronic illness and roller skating. After having been diagnosed with chronic illness in August of 2019 it’s a story I end up telling to new people often as unfortunately its a big part of my life. Recently I’ve decided I want to get better at telling my story to better represent myself and maybe others like me in the future.
I believe I accomplished my goal. To me the video felt as natural as I could have made it. Small mistakes and slip ups were okay with me because I am viewing it as practice since this is my first “vlog style” video I had ever filmed.
The first thing I would do is get better lighting. I had to film in a very stale and uninteresting part of my apartment because it had the best lighting. Originally I was planning on filming myself sitting on my couch with my blankets around me and my cat next to me. I thought this would make for a very casual and conversation like video. However the lighting in that location was extremely bad so I had to settle for the kitchen.
I would love to try and vlog again. It’s been at the back of my mind for a long time but I always thought I didn’t have anything particularly interesting to say or show people.
I watch a lot of YouTube, so it’s extremely hard to narrow my favorites down to one! Currently I’m enjoying watching a lot of the Try Guys, brutalmoose, Peanut Butter Gamer, Buzzfeed Unsolved, and Lazy Game Reviews (LGR).
I think what appeals to me the most about all the creators I listed is a sense of authenticity. For example Lazy Game Reviews, or Clint Basinger, is very different than your stereotypical YouTube host. Usually when someone thinks of a YouTuber they think of someone animated, loud, and peppy. Clint is quite the opposite. He’s very relaxed and laid back with a monotone voice and he covers retro computers, thrifting, and stories of technology past. On paper, it seems like something I wouldn’t want to watch. However, his genuine interest in what he’s talking about makes his content so appealing that I find myself watching video after video on why tech companies in the seventies went bankrupt.
The biggest lesson I can take from Clint of Lazy Game Reviews is to make content about what interests you – not content that you think people will want to watch. Evidently, people want to watch videos on topics that the creator has a genuine interest in. At least that is the case for myself and LGR’s videos. Earlier when wrote that I haven’t tried vlogging because I didn’t think I had anything interesting to say or show people – that is the exact mindset I should avoid when making content. I should focus on what interests me and make that, and hopefully that in itself makes for good content. At the very least, it would make for authentic content.
To me, authenticity is creating art that resonates with you and not allowing worry about other’s opinions to shape what you create.
Performance on the other hand is an act. It could be an authentic act – one that you’ve spent time creating and crafting to represent yourself truthfully. But it can also be dishonest, and perhaps influenced by what an audience wants to see or perhaps would pay for. Its the classic downfall of an artist. People are drawn to an up and coming artist (a singer, a band, a content creator, any artist) for their authenticity. This gains them popularity and maybe money and power. Then they’re all of a sudden not living the same lifestyle. And now there are many more sources besides just themselves trying to influence their art like managers, publicists, or even fans. It becomes more and more difficult to only draw from themselves to create. In the story everyone knows, the artist ends up creating things to satisfy the outside influences instead of creating for themselves. When this shift occurs their art no longer resonates with people because it is no longer authentic, and they loose their status.
Authenticity and performance can coexist. But it’s extremely difficult, especially when someone’s art makes them well known or it becomes apart of their job. As stated before, art is authentic when you are creating for yourself. That is what makes art appealing. But other things like money or an audience can influence one’s art and dilute it, making it less and less authentic and thus less appealing. Successful artists have found a way to ensure that their creative process is free from outside influences, even if it means that their job or their fans must make adjustments.
Naturally I think that the version filmed at home is more authentic and less performative than the version filmed in studio. For the same reasons above – at home there aren’t as many influences to attempt to satisfy with one’s art. The biggest influence one might try to appease with their art would of course be the studio audience but there are many more behind the scenes like producers, managers, makeup teams, lighting crew, and so many more. At home I think it’s easier to let go of many of these influences and just focus on what you want to say.
ART 110 Blog 