Hello hi hello! This still exists! Happy new year!
Today I'm chatting about a millennial self-preservation challenge I embarked on last year and reflecting on the process. What was that? Arts degree? Never heard of her.
Depending on whether you follow me on Instagram (@rosemaryrosero #selfpromo) or not, you may or may not know that in 2017 I attempted to do a one-second-everyday compilation using the aptly named app one second everyday. I'd seen a couple of friends using it in 2016 and being a sentimental soul, it seemed right up my street. Whimsical dated film footage of every day of my life neatly sewn together for me into romantic anthologies? Yes. Please. The examples I'd been inspired by in 2016 were full of funny phrases cut out of context, glasses being 'cheers'ed in pubs, people hugging and dancing and eating, beautiful street corners and the sky setting. I was led to believe (forgetting that most of my friends are artists) that even boring days could be beautiful and I wanted a slice of that rose-tinted life.
So, beginning on News Years Day of 2017, I began to film something everyday. Some days there were obvious events or social engagements to film but a lot of the time (most of the time), especially in the first couple of weeks of January, my days were pretty mundane and this was a sad realisation to come to. Unlike some of my more organised friends who I've since seen try out this activity in 2018, I never thought to set myself reminders, so from day one to 365 I was relying entirely on my feeble memory. Good one, Ro. How did that work out for you?
...It was alright!! To be honest, it was a slog with moments of satisfaction that made me stick with it. Similar to being in a relationship with a dying spark...I imagine? I don't know. As a result of my own folly rather than the app itself, I was continually falling short of my own expectations - by forgetting to film but also by not always doing interesting things. (But who is??) Because I was sharing each month on Instagram there was a pressure (from the feeling of there being an audience but also from it being cataloged on my profile; a collection of photos and video clips that I am proud of) for every month to have its own beauty - coffee shops in the winter and beaches in the summer, etc. It was easy to forget that these compilations were not actually entirely reflective of reality so if one didn't turn out great, it almost felt like confirmation that the month itself didn't go well when in fact they were totally separate, almost unrelated things. Oh, and then there was the compilation envy!! The green eyed monster really came out all singing and dancing with regards to this past time, I can tell you that for free!! A couple of my friends were doing the same activity alongside me and it always felt like they were doing it better than me...and that feeling never really went away, but it did soften a little with the understanding that mine relates to no one else in the world like it does to me - it's entirely my own...even if it's trash.
All in all, I am very glad to have tried my hand with this one-second-everyday lark. What I've produced is, despite its imperfections and liberal use of artistic license to fill in the gaps, a really lovely and thorough time capsule of the central part of my University experience. Also, what is particularly effective throughout it is the reflection and replication of the tone of a time. Even in the places where I forgot to film the desired landscape arty shots so photos and trashy Snapchat videos were used instead, the mood of that week in my life still shines through the collage of memorabilia. I'd definitely recommend this experience to anyone interested but would advise you to either set yourself reminders to ensure you do film something you like everyday or hold yourself to lower expectations of beauty than I did to avoid feeling disappointed at the end of each month. Also remember that like every other piece of social media, the monthly compilations are not a mirror of the month itself so the mood of the video can be very different to your own mood.
I have posted my full year-long compilation as an unlisted video on Youtube so if any friends reading this are interested in watching it, send me a message and I'll forward you the link. But I deliberately haven't bothered posting it anywhere because that seemed presumptuous when the content is so niche to my experiences.
Over and out!
Ro is listening to: One Day by Paolo Nutini
No comments:
Post a Comment