What I Learned
I have learned how to take a step back and follow. I have always been a strong leader, for better or for worse. I have always known how to be assertive and voice my opinions (most of them fairly strong in nature). I have also always known how to succeed in any given situation. I have learned on this trip that sometimes, in order to succeed, you also have to scale back and observe.
I have, for the most part, been travelling with a very shy group of people. It is easy as an outgoing personality to be the first to break awkward silences--I have learned to live with silence. This is a trait I hopefully will continue to develop (I can name a few people in my life that wouldn't mind that whatsoever). I am happy with my level of confidence both in leading and following. I do believe confidence is necessary in order to learn to follow--confidence in other people.
I have also learned that things will always fall into place when the time is right. When we left for this trip, we had a lot of interviews lined up. More than double that amount is the number of interviews we currently have on tape--all thanks to chance. The key is listening to the people you talk to, paying attention to the environment around you, and seizing every possible opportunity that arises. Yet another benefit of scaling back and listening in silence. Our end result: hours upon hours of more than 40 interviews to upload, transcribe, and edit down. Turning that into one hour will be quite the challenge, because every hour of that footage is meaningful. We won't disappoint.
What I Feel
I am not sure I can put into words how I feel at this moment, but I will try my best. Is this trip what I expected? Absolutely not. Is that a good or a bad thing? A little bit of both. I am not afraid to say this because that is always how life is. You let the good in with the bad. Would I change anything about this experience? Absolutely not. I feel that everything I have dealt with, learned about, and improved on throughout this past month has been incredibly meaningful. The fun times, the difficult times, the frustrating times, the wonderful times--I wouldn't change any of it. With a whole lot of good you let in a little bit of bad, and all of that and everything in between makes this trip the meaningful experience that it has been (and will continue to be in the stages to come).
What I wish I knew was what to expect from here. I just got used to this fast paced, yet seemingly slow alternative universe. Now, with a transition from gathering material to creating a product, I don't know what to expect. All that I know for sure is that the learning has merely just begun. October is months away, but in terms of the amount of material we are working with it is just around the corner. Stressed? Yes. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Of course.
What Now?
I am going to take this experience, along with everything I have learned, and apply it to a new outlook. I have grown a lot in just a month, and I know that the growing will continue. I simply hope that I can keep a firm grasp on this project as I am thrust back into work, life, reality, and everything in between. I care about this project so much, and I truly believe in what we are doing. I just hope our film can instill these same feelings in all of you. This is a very reflective explanation, and gives the illusion that I am nearing the end--but I am not. This is only the beginning. I hope you will all still be with me come October.
Until next time...and there will be many.
