The Internal Monologue of a People Person

*I would like to preface this blog post by making the note that nothing too dramatic or riveting has really occurred since my last post. I’ve chased a couple geese around campus. LUTV’s editing system crashed a hour before we went live (okay that was awfully dramatic, but that’s all there really was to it). I became one with nature and got some solid news VO. I drove around I-70 off-ramp construction and got some pretty unavoidably boring wide shots of construction cones from every angle possible.

By no means was I bored though! It was a great two weeks, but compared to the weeks before, I’d say I’ve been pretty relaxed checking some assignments off the to-do list and assessing the remainder of the semester. This being said, welcome to Sami Glenn Blog #4- The Feelings Addition. I will now share my feelings.

Spring Break Slump

This past week was my spring break. It wasn’t “wild”, but it sure was great. My family came to visit for a few days and we had a grand time. Right now, I am laying on my aunt’s sofa. I am so comfy. In just a little bit, I must go back to school.

My problem is that I don’t really want to move. In Super Semester, this is not an acceptable mindset. I have found myself on this comfy couch pondering why I feel like I have lost a bit of the fire that has propelled me for the past couple weeks. I mean, I’ve basically been flopping around for the past 7 days (which rocked), and working on my computer for this new internship I recently accepted. But now I should want to hop up and report news again…RIGHT? The idea of reporting is wonderful, but in practice I feel awfully un-energized. However, in my spring break reflection time (bear with me) I have come to credit this temporary lethargy to one thing — extreme extroversion.

This may seem somewhat counter intuitive, but I have a theory. I had always known the definition of an extrovert to be an outgoing and generally gregarious person. It wasn’t before this semester that I realized the deeper definition of an extrovert was “where a person gets his/her energy from.” A whole new understanding of my personality was revealed to me!

Then this week I took the Meyers-Brigg personality test. I’d totally recommend taking it. It’s pretty awesome. For those accustomed to the language of Meyers-Briggs, I am very much an ENFP.

Quote that was given to encapsulate the character of an ENFP —

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for — and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool — for love — for your dreams — for the adventure of being alive.

Not only were the results insanely accurate, but one section told me that I was 98% extroverted. Hmmm….that means approximately 2% of my energy comes from being alone. All things considered, this revelation makes an awful lot of sense. Here I lie alone, an un-energized blob of potential.

But when I’m in a crowd I want to know what brought each individual to where they are. I want to know how they feel in the situation at hand. I want a glimpse at their story. That get’s me pretty stoked.

Shoot. I LOVE people.

Running and Reporting

Now after that somewhat un-news-related personal look into my thought process , the “reporter take-away” from this personality assessment is that as an extrovert, reporting can be an absolute joy. You’re surrounded by people, and you absorb their energy. You don’t stop until your vision comes to fruition. Once the extrovert lights the fire, the ball keeps rolling, and energy seems to abound. HOWEVER, in my case, when there is a sudden halt in the organized chaos of news and the inexplicable voracity for new information, I seem to loose some serious momentum.

I see it a lot like running. When I haven't run in a while, there’s nothing I want to do less that run a couple miles. I know I’ll feel like a super star if I start, but sometimes it’s SO HARD to put on my darn shoes and get hyped. But sure enough, if I go 2 miles one day, I can’t wait to go 3 the next.

Now since I can associate my spring break slump with a solid analogy, I find it easier to remind myself why I will enjoy jumping full-force back into the action. I also will hopefully be able to see the slump coming and stop it in it’s tracks next time.

People and Their Super Cool Art

To mentally re-assimilate myself to the news lifestyle, I took my boo Oscar-the-camera, on a date to the Art Fair at Queeny Park today. I was mentally preparing myself to seize the situation as I was driving through the park, but then a terrible yet realistic thought came to my mind. It was an ART fair. These kind artist don’t want footage of their art being shown to the world.

Sure enough, I was correct in thinking I wouldn’t be able to shoot. So I ditched Oscar and went in by myself.

This may seem like a tale of reporter failure, but in fact I was taken aback by how captivated I was by these people’s work. I loved talking to the artists and seeing their faces light up when explaining the inspiration behind their work.

The whole hour adventure of meandering through art booths actually served to be an inspirational experience for myself. The photography in particular really resonated with me, and made me want to work hard to make sure every frame of my footage is selected with as much care as these snapshots. I wasn’t able to shoot, but talking to fabulously interesting people sure did begin to get the ball rolling again.