iPhone Hears Everything

Once I saw the directions, I truly struggled.

It took me weeks to figure out what I wanted to do. I truly feel that I am a creative person but when it came to this project, it made me really think. The directions state “tell a story that is rooted in your personal life experience, aiming to offer insight to your audience on the complicated business of being human.” It made me think that I have not gone through a lot of hardships on my twenty-five year journey. There was not much I needed to get over in life. There was not much that was inspiring enough to tell a story about.

The other day, I was sitting on the couch doing homework with my dog. Earlier that day, I was having a difficult time. I felt overwhelmed, and started to crash. This moment gave me an idea for this project. Throughout the past year I have struggled with anxiety and depression. Bad enough where I needed a reason to get up in the morning.

One day I was scrolling on TikTok and noticed there were a bunch of videos about dogs. These videos were about getting a new puppy, living with a puppy, etc. Specific videos that stuck out to me were dogs and mental health. Once I saw this, I started doing research. I found that dogs can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, encourage physical activity, and improve overall health. I have always been a small dog person. Growing up with small dogs around me, I have always been happy. This gave me an idea.

While working on this project, I was unsure how I wanted to tell my story. I didn’t want to only talk through a podcast because it might not have shown the full effect. I composed a slideshow beginning with images I found online that shows how I was feeling. By the middle to end of the slideshow, I used personal photos of my dog and family. While looking through my photos, I was able to use a tool to talk over it and tell my story.

I know the video itself is not the most flashy. I originally wanted to do an Instagram Reel where I could have uploaded pictures/videos from my snapchat memories, import audio, then talk over it. Reels can only be 60 seconds. Overall, I’m happy with my final project. Completing this project really made me think about my journey and overall creativity.

#EDC534 #digitalstorytelling