The hot chick in the display window at the wig store in Tucson.
There are two schools of thought about showing your first efforts in a new endeavor. One view holds that prototypes should be kept in the laboratory where their obvious shortcomings will not attract attention to the craftsman’s incompetence and trials by error. The other is that attracting constructive criticism will hasten the development of knowledge and expertise, although at the great expense of the novice’s ego.
The second method is risky, messy, and unpleasant, and it is the one I chose for my venture into making videos.
I received lots of great criticism, all of which was useful. I also spent a lot of time on Lynda.com learning more about editing. I have the good fortune to be friends with Yuri Makino, who teaches film arts at the University of Arizona. She invited me to workshops in which her film students viewed and critiqued their peers’ work. That is not only fun, it is highly educational for me. Richard Ruthsatz and Jeff Morris-Reade were also especially helpful.
I want to share what this experience has been like in case you might consider the messy approach for some endeavor of your own.
There are many precedents for shoving immature products into public view. Early Apple computers are one famous example. Many companies routinely do it to this day. Almost all advertising today is shabby, and so are most television news programs. With these examples in mind, I encourage readers to brave the storm and put your stuff out there without shame.
Second, my approach worked. I was hammered by my friends, and I wanted the trial-by-fire rapidity that resulted. I could have worked privately for much longer than the bold path took. Friends don’t want friends to look like idiots.
I also used the opportunity for charitable purposes. I offered to donate a can of food to Pawsitively Cats, a no-kill shelter here in Tucson, for each comment I received. The results were underwhelming, but I donated a case of food anyway. No reason the cats should suffer just because I don’t move my readers to action. It taught me that my influence does not enable me to move mice for the benefit of cats. That’s a bit of computer humor, if you couldn’t tell.
I have pulled all my existing videos from public view, and I will create new ones in the coming weeks. I learned that I prefer to stay off camera. I have also learned a few things about adding some pizazz. Speaking of which, I really like this 57-second presentation by Darren Rhodes. The camera man is Michael Longstaff, AKA Milo. It inspires me to achieve.
Moral of the story? Embarrass yourself. It brings your friends running to your aid. You will learn faster than you thought possible, and the bruises will heal.
