My goal in creating these two videos is to teach others by teaching myself how to flow with technological advancements rather than force against them by avoiding the act of trying something new due to the fear of failure and a lack of control.
The energy and effort you put in by leaning into this fear directly correlates to the magical sensory output known as digital art and new media. I believe that these meditations will inspire social cohesion and solidarity, collective effervescence and “communitas” as well as a universal construction of power.
Learning to utilize technological systems in an unconventional way can be just as empowering as it is mechanistic. By formulating a structured assembly line of virtual motions which underline the adaptability of step-by-step stylistic behaviors within new environments, we can experience a collective, transcendental ritual, a rhythmic routine, co-created within the virtual sphere.
My hope is that these videos inspire viewers to trust in the age-old tradition of purposeful, habitual repetition when approaching new forms of making. If this particular e-ritual effectively acts as “a showing of a doing”, assuring others of their capabilities, of all the possibilities at their fingertips, I have successfully followed through with my objective.
As noted by my friend Amirah, who graciously acted as a participant in playtesting my prototype, before watching the Garageband tutorial, she did not think it was possible for her to make beats. After watching the video however, she felt capable of doing just this and was excited to try out the e-ritual herself.
Watching me go through the steps of producing first before trying it out for herself helped Amirah realize how “accessible the art form actually is… and empowered [her] as a creator… all [she] has to do to create something meaningful is flow with [her] body and do what feels natural”. The video, she believes, “opens up the learner's mind, outlines which tools are available to use and how exactly we could use them”.
She also noted that the steps in the Photoshop Mix video were hard to actionably follow because it was so fast. It felt less like a tutorial and more like an overview of my way of doing things, which was not the goal. Furthermore, the GarageBand tutorial was not as intuitive as I hoped it would be because it was missing all the nitty gritty, minute details between larger steps. For a tutorial video to be most effective, I must focus more on these details than aesthetically pleasing segues.
I also showed this video in real time to my friend Fredo, who consistently needed me to fill in the missing gaps. When he tried to follow the steps exactly as I noted when creating his own song, he was confused about how to place and find loops, how to start and stop them, and so forth. If I was not there with him in person to explain, I do not know if he would have wanted to keep trying on his own. My goal is to outline an action plan for the viewer, not to offer them a tour of my artist’s mind. While making changes to these prototypes, I will go in with the assumption that those watching are not as knowledgeable about the usability of the applications as I am.
For me, this knowledge came with practice, but as stated before, my goal is to teach others how to create something new, even if it is daunting to do so, and that means I need to help them feel as comfortable as possible through this process by breaking down every step. This would have saved me a lot of time and energy if I were in their shoes when I started making beats, so I definitely can see the benefits of adding them into the final cut!
Which Tutorial Video Was Your Favorite?
GarageBand
Photoshop Mix