In this weeks workshop, we delved into various things concerning reflection and overall getting better at our craft. Firstly, I’m not going to lie, I never was a fan of the whole blog post format. In my mind, I didnt need any blog post, it seemly just seemed as a tedious task. However, the slides in class did make me realise, even though I do write the posts to the best of my ability (as i do wish to do well in this class), maybe I have not been utilizing it to the best of my ability. Stating that it helps develop professional expertise, professional identity and track your progress, did connect with me as I with most people, have had times where the development of my skills have been stuck. Thus I will from now on reflect on these blog posts to track and nurture my progress and expertise.

However, where we really delved into the fundamentals of getting better at our craft was when we watched the video of Cal Newport (posted above) which also linked to the our week 4 reading which was also written by him. The video we watched in class did make me think also. In a world full of inspirational quotes that seem to sum up the meaning of our lives in a sentence; “follow your passion” “all journeys start with a single step”, this one definitely seemed more realistic. Stating that you should not follow your passion, and that you should fine something you are good at that people can’t ignore your skills, did seem like a more practical approach. This linked to the reading (“The Clarity of the Craftsmen), in which Cal describes the craftsmen mindset (which is where you strive to become better at your craft to the point where you cant be ignored) as superior to the passion mindset (finding something you are passionate about), as the craftsmen mindset will increase your skill whilst the passion mindset will leave one unhappy and unsatisfied. Cal also suggested practical methods of the craftsman mindset, including websites which block out distracting websites,a plan of attack so to speak, and developing ones focus which are definitely things I shall try out and document during the course of my media study.

However, I feel what spoke to me most about the video was the fact that it took not only a practical approach, but one that doesn’t overwhelm me. You see when it comes to creating media or any form of art, can be daunting. I have grown up on so many legends; Scorsese, Spielberg, Tarantino, Fincher, who alright have had there fair share of hard ship, but their skills at what they did always seemed otherworldly to me, often leaving me in awe. But when Cal Newport used Steve Jobs and Steve Martin, both one of the best at their crafts, and presented their triumph in a practical sense, and one where their skills did not start off as top tier, did give me hope and inspiration to take a similar route.