These were my thoughts when Mr. Allen first introduced the mashup project to us. I searched for clarification everywhere, I reread the prompt multiple times, asked my peers, and even sat down to ask Mr. Allen a few questions, and still nothing. But I chose a topic: Independence, simply because it seemed to be the topic I could most relate to; I strive to be as independent and self-dependent as possible.
So I collected every piece of information I could. I collected every angle, definition, picture, quote, article, anything and everything that had to the slightest thing to do with independence.
After that, I talked to Mr. Allen, and found out that this project wasn't just about independence, it was about independence AND Jane Eyre, and how she viewed being independent. Okay, now that made sense.
So I threw it all away. I restarted and this time focused on Jane, but I was still confused. But instead of becoming frustrated with my confusion, I used it to my advantage. I had so many questions and all the tools to answer them.
I wrote down every question I had, and found all the answers within Jane Eyre, and other literature and media. Now that I had cleared up my confusion, I imagined myself teaching someone else about all of this. How could I best organize everything I had learned, and still make it creative?
Boom. Flash. I once found a quote that says, "My mind works like lightning. One brilliant flash and it is gone." And that's how I came up with the concept of drawing my project. Youtube stars have been doing this thing called "Draw my Life," recently, where they draw the story of their life on a whiteboard, and then narrate over it. And it is SOO COOL! I wanted to entertain and teach my audience just like these people had.
So I bought the white board, set up the camera, and began. And it was tedious, and it was boring, and you really don't want to hear about it. But the finished product? Well, to be honest, I'm pretty damn proud of it. There are a few mistakes, and it most definitely isn't perfect, but this project was really an experiment for me, and I'd say it payed off.
Looking back, at first I was most definitely skeptical of the mashup. It seemed like I would need to force myself to think about Jane Eyre too much, but really, I learned a lot about myself, feminism and individualism along the way too, and I genuinely enjoyed it. I think the best part was that I got to let my creative side shine more than I would be able to in an essay, or a test. And being stuck is just part of the process. I've said this before and I'll say it again, "Inspiration, then perspiration." Sure, I definitely put effort and hard work into this project, but I was also very inspired, which made it easy and fun.
HERE IT IS!!!
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