I'm Assuming His Name Wasn't Thomas
Did the little engine that could have a name? One of my former students encouraged me the other day (or merely commented on my facebook update...I choose encouraged) and mistakenly quoted Thomas the Train in reference to the little engine, but it got me thinking. Did he/she/it have a name?
The reason it comes back to me today is that I could seriously use some motivation right now. The whole concept of the little engine is that it finds self-motivation and makes it over the hill. My motivation level is low. If it were blood pressure I would be brain damaged. I am just finding it harder and harder to make this work. It isn't so much that I don't believe in its potential, but it is more negative and, I worry, arrogant than I wish it were. Who am I to judge? As discussed in a previous blog, I also suffer from a lot of the ailments that I admonish, and I greatly dislike the era of post production we are in that requires unattainable standards of beauty.
And yet I not only am making a relatively judgemental commentary, but I am also expounding the use of extreme post production to achieve this plasticity and naive affect in every shot. This goes against what I really think we should be doing with the media (I'm more of a "Campaign for Real Beauty" type of girl) and also gives me a nauseating amount of self-portrait retouching to do that demonstrates how many flaws I have - the deepening wrinkles on my forehead, my too large pores, my asymmetrical eyes, my crows feet, my yellow teeth. It is discouraging at best.
But I have also created a final layout that I think could work to make the commentary valid and personal for the viewing audience. A layout that requires more images. Lots more images. And I don't have a ton of time to get them all done. So, motivation is key.
So we return to Thomas or his cousin or friend or brother/sister. Although it would be nice if the story demonstrated where he found his unexpected and triumphant self-motivation. That would be a better story. That would help me now. Merely telling me that Train X has this motivation doesn't assist me in the "just keep chugging" department.
The reason it comes back to me today is that I could seriously use some motivation right now. The whole concept of the little engine is that it finds self-motivation and makes it over the hill. My motivation level is low. If it were blood pressure I would be brain damaged. I am just finding it harder and harder to make this work. It isn't so much that I don't believe in its potential, but it is more negative and, I worry, arrogant than I wish it were. Who am I to judge? As discussed in a previous blog, I also suffer from a lot of the ailments that I admonish, and I greatly dislike the era of post production we are in that requires unattainable standards of beauty.
And yet I not only am making a relatively judgemental commentary, but I am also expounding the use of extreme post production to achieve this plasticity and naive affect in every shot. This goes against what I really think we should be doing with the media (I'm more of a "Campaign for Real Beauty" type of girl) and also gives me a nauseating amount of self-portrait retouching to do that demonstrates how many flaws I have - the deepening wrinkles on my forehead, my too large pores, my asymmetrical eyes, my crows feet, my yellow teeth. It is discouraging at best.
But I have also created a final layout that I think could work to make the commentary valid and personal for the viewing audience. A layout that requires more images. Lots more images. And I don't have a ton of time to get them all done. So, motivation is key.
So we return to Thomas or his cousin or friend or brother/sister. Although it would be nice if the story demonstrated where he found his unexpected and triumphant self-motivation. That would be a better story. That would help me now. Merely telling me that Train X has this motivation doesn't assist me in the "just keep chugging" department.
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