Fireside Chat

This assignment was a phenomenal blend of all the concepts we discussed in class throughout the semester. This class treated us like artists and showed us that inseparable from the artist identity is a constant desire to empathize with others. I enjoyed that this experience was receiving and opening up to other’s presentations just as much as it was giving and putting time into our own. The entire evening adopted a familial tone that enabled the performances. Another essential characteristic of an artist and of this project is vulnerability. I enjoyed the vulnerability that this assignment required. It made me realize that vulnerability is inseparable from creation and, by extension, life. We have talked at length about vulnerability in class the last few weeks and I tried to tie that into my performance.

I played with several different ideas for my presentation. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to showcase my passion for Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I wasn’t sure about the best way to couch it. Through self-reflection I realized that the very act of loving something was worth celebrating and highlighting. I am not adamant that everyone should love ATLA, but I am adamant that everyone should have things that they love and that bring them joy. So, my presentation morphed from convincing everyone to love ATLA to demonstrating that my love for ATLA is something that everyone should replicate with whatever they value. I think I accomplished this by stating explicitly at the beginning of my presentation the beliefs I hoped to convey. I premeditated and rehearsed the “rant” because I believe that my ability to convey my love for ATLA hinged on the energy and momentum I brought to the performance. There is nothing exceptional about the episode I focused on except the song that I knew others would know and sing along to. It was a fun personal exercise to reflect on how what I love about the show manifests in this ordinary episode.

I do not take for granted that most of my audience shared at least a familiarity if not a similarly fervent passion for ATLA. I think I injected magic into my presentation by incorporating a live performance element that others could join in on. If I thought that the thing that I loved was unfamiliar to the class, I would not have included a live performance element. This is to say that the live performance was inseparable from its human interactive nature. I acknowledge that my singing and ukulele playing skills are not good enough to earn merit on their own, so I would say the most vulnerable component of my performance was geeking out so hard about a children’s show and just hoping that my audience would relate and not mind my novice playing.