Me and My Digital Self
Social media is certainly a whole other world apart from the real one. It’s been a blessing and a curse at the same time using it but in the long run the experience has been solid. I think I was about ten or eleven years old, when I was a wee young lad I stepped into the digital realm and imagined all the possibilities with it. The first social media platform I officially joined and tried to do something with it was YouTube. Since I really enjoy filmmaking I figured YouTube would be a good platform to exercise my artistic expression through making videos. To say the least, I sucked at it when I was first starting out. Imagine the shittiest, annoying squeaky voiced videos of poor quality — they were very stupid and I cringe upon thinking of them but hey I was a kid with dreams and wanted to do something. I had all kinds of concepts running through my head, different stories and plots, and I wanted to make them reality and experiment in this area.
I was an amateur filmmaker back in the day and it was hard to keep up with the passion as time went on. When I started the YouTube channel, I thought I was gonna be some kind of filmmaker or YouTube artist, where I’d be producing short films and small productions about anything I wanted. The worst part of this, me being the young naive little one I was, was that I did not have any editing software, no sound effects other than my own mouth, no adequate production quality, and barely any props or equipment. All I had was a camera. It was just me and only a camcorder and I thought I was going to be some kind of A-list director or something. I clearly did not see what I was up against and was very underprepared. However, as with any human working with their passion, I evolved and improved. I don’t make YouTube videos anymore but I still have a huge passion for the art of film, filmmaking and would certainly like to pursue some kind of career in the film industry. I studied the art, found more sources for inspiration, enhanced my knowledge, developed brighter ideas, and became increasingly more observant when it comes to films as the time went on. I found myself engaging in deconstructing the art and how to apply elements of it to make my own effective, appealing films.
I was an eager child, wanting to make movies but did not have the proper tools to do so. Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself that I was not cut out for YouTube at the time I started and that I needed more time to prepare. I simply underestimated the process. If Rick Sanchez was a real person and bursted into my room through a portal, I would have one request for him. And that request would be to send a written letter back in time to deliver it to my younger self just starting out in the YouTube scene.
In this letter I would tell myself to just be patient and pace myself, study your subject of interest, gain more insight, identify your focus, prepare yourself better; way better than how I first started out I must say. With that, I tell you young Alex, you’re a passionate kid, and one day I know you’re going to come up with a brilliant idea or concept because you’re a creative kid. All I ask of you is to just get the knowledge and things you need to go about it. And Hamza Khan will certainly contribute to your inspiration once you enter the RTA 902 class years from now. Hang tight kid, patience is a good virtue, and you’ll do great. Sincerely, your future self.
#RTA902
