Category: Uncategorized

Dec. 1, 2021 – Washington, D.C

In this short podcast, I talk to three young adults as they navigate staying creative throughout their everyday lives. While some guests like Jade, A.K.A The Mistress of Rap, practice their artistry in more obvious outlets like creating music, others find more mundane ways to liven up their routines that listeners are welcome to try out for themselves. Join us as we talk artistic inspiration and advice in Spill the Creativitea.

Transcript:

Nyah Hardmon 0:01
This is spill the creativitea, an afternoon tea time with creatives. Join me your host, Nyah Hardmon. As we talk all things artistic, whether you find yourself in a creative rut or just looking for some helpful advice and tips, this is the show for you. So sit down, relax and have a cup of tea with your neighborhood creatives.

In today’s journey, we’re going to take a look at how creativity shows up in our everyday lives. Believe it or not, creativity does not always have to look as intricate as singing on a stage or painting an entire masterpiece. Instead, it could look something a little more familiar. creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. And to prove it, we’re going to talk to a handful of guests who are all creative in their own ways. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s hear what this Howard student has to say. So I’m here with the Howard student who’s going to talk us through how she stays creative throughout her day to day life. Would you like to introduce yourself?

Nyah Marshall 1:04
Yes, hi, my name is Nyah Marshall. I am a senior journalism major Afro American Studies here at Howard. And as a journalism major, you know, I get assigned stories and projects every day just uncovering things in the news, but to kind of stay creative and not lose myself in the process. I like to write my own stories and post them to my blog, which is called in black and right so with that, I get the opportunity to produce stories that I personally enjoy, and also showcase my skills as a writer and as a journalist.

Nyah Hardmon 1:40
And what kind of stories do you personally enjoy?

Nyah Marshall 1:43
I don’t know if I should say this . . . I remember my freshman year I posted a story called six nine me and Ernest withers are snitches. And I know sounds crazy. But in that story, I kind of just went through if you guys remember, (Tekashi) 69 was in the media during that year for basically being a snitch and going to jail for that or whatever. Anyway, I wrote a story about that. And I kind of was just like, why is being a snitch such a bad connotation in the African American community? Like, where did that come from? So yeah, I kind of investigated that within my blog post. And I thought it was a little fun piece that I did

Nyah Hardmon 2:30
No, that actually sounds really fascinating. I’d love to read it. Thank you so much. Spotting a creative during your everyday routine, may be easier than you think. In fact, they may be right there on your college campus. On our next stop, we’ll talk to a student musician as she discusses what it means to balance your academics with her art.

Jade A.K.A Mor 2:56
My name is Jade, I go by the mistress of rap, aka mor. I am an artist. I am a mixer engineer, as well as a student at the Howard University. And that’s pretty much what I do.

Nyah Hardmon 3:13
Awesome. And then how is it balancing such an artistic career with being a student?

Jade A.K.A Mor 3:18
I think it’s just like anything that you want to do and you love. It’s kind of like go hard or don’t go at all, like, just keep moving, keep pushing. Don’t be willing to just quit after something doesn’t work, especially as an artist. So I would just say for people who are you know, students who are artists, just keep going, get that degree because you could use it to your advantage. Just don’t stop.

Nyah Hardmon 3:44
That just don’t stop. And as we near the end of our journey, I’d like to leave us with inspiring words from a creative on the other side of the East Coast. So now I’m here with Naja Hardmon, a photographer here in South Florida, and we’re here right in the streets of Miami. today. I’m asking her how do you stay creative throughout your everyday routine?

Naja Hardmon 4:09
I feel creativity is something that everybody has. You just choose whether to consciously unlock it or keep it hidden every day. So as long as I can do something that helps me remember who I am, then that’s how I stay creative.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

If you have visited Howard University anytime before the pandemic shut down campus, then it’s likely that you’ve come across what was once the home for the Cathy Hughes School of Communications (SOC) – Freedman’s Square.

This building located at the bottom of the hill leading to the main yard once served as a hospital for Black people in D.C. Years later, it was transformed into a center for communications students at Howard to meet, learn and make memories.

However, as fond as many students and staff were of the building, it did come with complications due to the institution’s old age. Water leaks, mold and faulty machinery were just some of the reasons the university began looking for a new location to host communications faculty and students.

This brings us to today as Howard’s school of communications is now operating at the Washington Metropolitan High School, located right across from the Annex residential hall. As a journalism major who attended classes in the former SOC building, it was an adjustment getting used to attending class in a brand new space.

While it doesn’t feel the same just yet, I’m confident that with time this new home will carry memories of its own.In my video below, I take you along a trip to the new SOC building so you can see for yourself what this transition is like.

Don’t just take my word for it – go visit SOC’s new home and take a look for yourself at this exciting new chapter for Howard’s communications community.

There are few things in this world more essential than water. As much as it may hurt to go more than a week without seeing your significant other or watching your favorite show, you will in fact survive. When it comes to going a week without water, however, your chances of survival become a lot slimmer. Hence, the combination of chemicals we call H2O is not only refreshingly delicious but also a human necessity.

Even so, as essential as water is to our very existence, many populations in the United States don’t have regular access to clean water sources. What should be a guarantee has now become a privilege for some as they struggle to attain this resource many take for granted.

In a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, researchers were able to break down the logistics of unequal access to water within this country. Their findings were that most clean water access issues boiled down to lack of water piping within households. Without this at-home infrastructure easily providing clean water, individuals were left with very few options as to where to turn next.

One of the most revealing aspects of this study was that most populations that lacked clean water access lived amongst the country’s top 50 metropolitan cities. Before conducting this research, I assumed that cities would not struggle with this issue as much since there is such a large congregation of buildings and businesses that could potentially distribute clean water, as compared to more rural locations where populations are forced to be more self-sufficient. However, the study revealed that in actuality urban populations are the ones without clean water, specially metropolitan cities in the Southern and Western regions of the U.S.

As someone who lives in a metropolitan city, this made me reconsider the water access within my own community. I admit that the majority of my water usage sprouts from the facilities available within my apartment building. Thus, for those who do not have access to water piping, it could be cumbersome to find establishments that offer clean water. This becomes even tougher when you step outside areas surroundings college campuses as my university campus is the only other public space I use to refill my water bottle. For those that do not have access to college resources, the task to find water can be quite stressful. Even with water piping, there is still a matter of cleaning the water so it’s safe for consumption. One of the first items I had to buy when moving into my apartment was a Brita water filter so my roommate and I would have safe drinking water. This is yet another hoop for populations to jump through when struggling to access clean water.

The research article noted some characteristics of the households that lacked water piping, and thus, access to clean water. Researchers found that a large percentage of these households were occupied by people of color. This statistic made me think of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan where residents of the predominantly-Black town went years without access to clean water as government officials ignored their petitions for change. When it comes to issues that plague populations of color, it oftentimes takes far too long for someone to care enough to enact a solution.

Other characteristics of households without water piping were that many of them were renters as opposed to buyers and they were burdened by the cost of living. This suggests that perhaps individuals without access to water are facing this challenge because of the conditions of a building they do not even own. When renting, issues with water piping are oftentimes out of the renters’ control, and thus they must rely on landlords for basic necessities. Cost-burdened populations are also more likely to carry the weight of other essentials like electricity and transportation and causing water to only add to the stress and possibly fall to the bottom of their checklist.

Learning about water accessibility has taught me to not take for granted the clean water I have readily available. In the infographic below, I further examine this issue within this U.S. and add a visual element to show just how many people do not have the privilege of pouring a glass of water anytime they need it.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

When was the last time you actively checked your screen time?

The moment I recognized exactly how much time I spent on my phone, I came to a sudden and slightly scary realization: I was in a relationship with a piece of technology. Or at least that’s how it felt.

It’s no secret that we are all attached to our cell phones in some form or another. From carrying it with us wherever we go to treating the device as a saving grace during any and all awkward moments – the dependency is clear. This week, I ventured out to see if others’ relationship with their phone was as clingy as my own. Unsurprisingly, it was not hard at all to find subjects to capture, as it seemed as if nearly everyone I came across had a phone if not in use then at least in sight.

In the photo essay below, you will see and hear my analysis on how heavily we use our phones throughout our daily routines, and how this screens us from the outside world around us, even when we’re standing right in it. Let’s take a look.

Observing others’ attachment to their cell phones was like looking into a mirror and seeing my own technological dependence. I couldn’t believe how many people completely neglected their environment in exchange for the virtual reality in their hands. Capturing these photos spelled out just how silly it is to remain married to my phone screen when there’s a whole world outside that’s much more appealing to look at.

In this post, I show the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to moving out and living by yourself. Yes, I’m talking dirty rooms.

In this sound slide video, I use natural sound and my own voiceover to walk through the journey of cleaning my room, something that means more to me than merely a simple tidying up. Maintaining a clean room is a value instilled in me by my mother, and so whenever I find myself getting a little messy, I can hear her voice telling me to put down my phone and pick up a broom. I also find that freshening up my space tends to improve my mood and clear out any negativity that clutters my life . There’s something special about coming home to a clean room where everything is in its own place and I’m not tripping over shoes just to get to my bed. I find peace in cleaning my room and feel like the world is back in order when all my belongings are back in order. As always, my mother is right. Sometimes you just have to slow down and create your own fresh start.

Featured Image via Joelius Dubois

This week I channeled my inner artist as I learned all about visual analysis. As an art-lover, it was incredibly beneficial to learn how to look at pieces from a deeper perspective. As easy as it may be to take one or two glances at artwork and move on to the next, you’d be surprised by how much can be revealed when you take a moment to sit down and peek into the mind of the artist.

I chose to analyze the art of Howard University artist Joelius Dubois. His work struck close to home for me as his depictions painted near perfect portraits of mundane Black existence, something that was both visually intriguing and familiar at the same time. Both of my selections “it takes a village” and “in the salon” managed to capture the warmth that exists within an interconnected community and the intimacy of Black interactions. Check out my Animoto video below for a more detailed analysis of Dubois’s work.

Using the Animoto platform for my analysis was an adjustment that I believed paid off in the end. Oftentimes, when you think of analyzing a subject, your mind likely wanders to pages of notes and critique. However, with Animoto, I had to condense my thoughts into short sentences. While this may have been challenging in the beginning, once I got the hang of it I discovered that this actually made me focus on the most important aspects of the art, and cut out any extra fluff.

In my vlog below, I discuss my experience analyzing Dubois’s art and using the Animoto platform to produce my analysis video.

The moral of this week is to take it slow the next time you find yourself in an art museum. By looking at art through an analytical lens, you just might unlock a whole other masterpiece hidden within the strokes.

Featured image via Pexels

This week’s post is all about photo composition. For those who snoozed during photography class, this means I played around with the different components of a photograph and tried out techniques to make my photos a little more captivating. As classic as a good center-subject photo may be, it can be much more rewarding to explore new and unique ways to visually display elements. Don’t believe me? No worries, allow me to show you.

Technique 1: Symmetry A.K.A The Copycat

By capturing the shadow of this high-rise dining chair, I was able to create symmetry within my photo. The chair’s reflection against the wall depicts a perfect mirror of the design structure, appearing almost as if the chair is looking back at itself. For this picture, I had to wait for the perfect time of day, Golden Hour, when the sun was just about to set for the shadow to come out just right.

Technique 2: Rule of Thirds A.K.A Everything’s Better in Trios

This photo utilizes the rule of thirds to capture the image of a lamp. Instead of putting the lamp in center frame, the subject is actually slightly to the left, making better use of the negative space to the right of the subject.

Technique 3: Leading Lines A.K.A Follow My Lead

This photo was taken using the concept of leading lines. The horizontal lines created by the window blinds created a direct path to the subject of my photo, which is the lamp. Thus, by using the natural lines in the image to my advantage, I was able to easily guide viewers’ eyes to the main element of the photo.

Technique 4: Rule of Odds A.K.A Let’s Not Get Even

The rule of odds is used in this image of three chairs, as the subject count for the photo is an odd number. This creates a more visually-appealing composition compared to an even-numbered amount of subjects. The three chairs are able to be evenly distributed across the space and allows for a more satisfying look. To show all three chairs, I had to lean to the right of the last chair in line and point my camera across the row to fully capture all subjects.

Technique 5: Rule of Space A.K.A Back Up & Give Me Space

This photo utilizes the rule of space as there is negative space towards the top of the tall building. Thus, as viewers’ eyes travel upwards, they are met with a visually-appealing amount of space in the direction that the building is “growing” or standing erect from the ground. This photo also uses elements of juxtaposition as the building’s brick design is contrasted against the cloudy sky. To get this effect, I had to lower my own body and point my camera directly up to fully capture the building and the sky above it.

Technique 6: Left To Right A.K.A To the Left, To the Left

This photo utilizes the left-to-right technique to capture a car traveling down a busy road. The car is captured on the left side of the image and is traveling towards the right, which mimics the natural flow of how viewers’ eyes would study the photo. The car is also framed by the tree on the left and the brick building on the right. This birds-eye-view photo was taken at an elevated angle to fully capture the whole street scene.

Technique 7: Simplicity A.K.A Don’t Overthink It

This image uses the simplicity technique to focus on a single leaf of a decorative house plant. By zooming in on a single aspect of a subject, I am able to focus more on the details of the plant and less on any background clutter or negative space. I had to get up close and personal with this plant, continuously adjusting my focus so that the details of the subject were captured.

Technique 8: Foreground Interest / Depth A.K.A More than What Meets the Eye

This image uses the power of foreground to create depth within the photo, adding context and visual clues. While the surrounding flowers are visible in the background of the photo, the focus on the white flowers in the foreground make it clear what the subject of the photo is. Still, the surrounding flowers add depth to the image and let viewers know the subject is part of an entire bouquet, rather than standing alone. This photo called for me to test different focus and zoom settings until I got the shot that caught both the pink and the white of the bouquet.

Technique 9: Frame within a Frame A.K.A Inception

For this photo, I was able to use the opening of a coffee table to frame the image of an entertainment center. The T.V set was surrounded by the legs, the top and bottom of the coffee table, creating a frame that perfectly enveloped my subject. This shot called for me to get on my knees to perfectly frame the television at an upwards angle.

Technique 10: Change of Angle A.K.A Perception is Everything

This photo was taken from a bottom angle, which completely changed the appearance of my subject. Although the potted plant is rather small in nature, by capturing it from a bottom angle I was able to make it appear much larger and as if takes up more space than it actually does.

Hopefully these photo composition techniques allow you to see the fun in experimenting when taking photos, rather than sticking with the same old snap shots. Next time you find yourself ready to capture a moment, feel free to move around a little and see just how much you can accentuate the components of your image.

Featured image via Pexels

Welcome back to my wonderful world of blogging. And yes, I say “back” not as a nod to rear anatomy, but to remind readers that this is not our first trip to blogging land. In fact, loyal subscribers will know that this site was actually started last semester as a part of my multimedia storytelling course. Now, I’m back and better as I tackle a new semester and a new course: Visual communications.

This time around, I hope to only expand on the skills that I have already picked up. This means becoming even more well-versed in digital storytelling, and figuring out new ways to communicate in this rapidly advancing technological age.

Because I am already somewhat familiar with this curriculum, my expectations for this class are very high. I look forward to adding more tools to my digital backpack and creating more compelling content.

Last semester, I pushed myself to get personal with my digital creation. This was a challenge for me because I usually enjoy telling other people’s stories, not my own. However, I learned that the best content is the most authentic content, and there’s nothing more authentic than turning the camera on yourself for a change. Although this was tough at times, I found it incredibly rewarding to see my own truth documented. Thus, this semester I look forward delving deeper into what I already started. I plan to get even more intimate with my storytelling, pushing myself even further to see what I am truly capable of.

This blog will be a living, breathing testament of this journey. Okay, maybe not literally, but you get the point. I hope this platform can learn and grow with me, evolving just as I evolve. Before this growth can occur, however, we must first build a good foundation. Luckily, Mark Briggs’s “How to Blog” section in Journalism 2.0 helped outline some key points to keep in mind.

As easy a blogging may seem, there are in fact some guidelines to making this platform the best that it can be. For example, Briggs recommends using a voice that combines both authority and personality when blogging. This means letting your readers get that sense that you know what you are talking about without sounding like a generic textbook. When it comes to journalism, I can oftentimes get too caught up in relaying straight facts and information, that I forget to cater to specific audiences. Thus, this blog will be great practice in conveying messages that are both impactful and unique to my own style.

Another tip Briggs underlined is the important of consistency when blogging. He suggested looking at a blog almost as a notebook, meaning a space to regularly jot down your thoughts. While deadlines will hopefully help me stay consistent on this platform, it can still be incredibly easy to fall behind and lose momentum. Posting regularly, however, is something Briggs points out as key to building an audience that follows your progress rather than randomly checking in now and again. As my schedule becomes busier and life gets more hectic, it’ll be nice to stay grounded with this constant. Especially as I get more into the routine of blogging, I’m excited to test myself by keeping up with such a regular mode of communication.

Alongside this blog, I will also be video blogging, or vlogging, my experience as well. Whereas written word can only convey so much emotion, vlogs are a lot more useful in transferring my energy across a screen. Below, you will find my first vlog of this course where I talk about my expectations for the semester to come.

Stay tuned for even more content and even more digital stories.

Growing up, I was obsessed with cheesy romance movies. The kind where the girl stumbles into the guy’s life in a spontaneous meet-cute and BAM- they’re in love. However, these films were almost always starring white leads and looking back, portrayed highly unrealistic depictions of relationships.

Thus, I decided to make an interactive timeline exploring romance films that I could both better relate to and that were much healthier portrayals of what love should like. The films I analyzed all featured Black characters, showcasing the beauty that is Black love. I enjoyed discussing the mere diversity in Black stories that I found in the movies I selected. It proved that our love doesn’t look the same, and quite frankly, doesn’t fall together perfectly like they do in Lifetime movies. Yet, they are beautiful nonetheless.

You can check out my project here.

We all know what the internet is. In fact, I’m 99.9% sure that you are utilizing the internet to read this blog post right now. However, not many people are aware of the vivid history of the internet, or simply what it took to get to where we are today. It almost seems odd that the details of the startup of such a widely used platform are not as publicized. When considering just how much we use the internet in our daily lives, you’d think that we would be more informed about its origin story. I can speak for myself when saying that I had no clue that the history of the internet was so interesting, or on that note, that it contained so much drama.

My main source of enlightenment came in the form of the documentary Browser Wars . The short film tracked the stories of two major browsing networks: Netscape and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. I’ve heard of the latter, but I’ll be the first to admit that this documentary viewing was the first I’ve ever heard of Netscape. This, unfortunately, speaks to just how extreme their downfall was.

In summary, Netscape was once one of the first biggest browsing platforms on the Internet. They dominated the industry, and thus dedicated most of their time and resources towards developing new software and updates for their product. I believe this was the era when the Internet was at its purest. There was little need to worry about exploiting customers or besting competition. The industry was simply a bunch of tech-nerds gathering together for the common challenge of figuring out this whole internet thing. It was an exciting time of research and discovery and innovation. But, like most pure things in this life, it did not last for long.

Once Microsoft realized just how big, and thus profitable, the internet would grow to be, they decided they wanted in. And all hell broke loose. It wasn’t a matter of Netscape having competition, this was something they expected from the beginning; the problem was with just how grueling this competition was. According to the Netscape engineers, Microsoft essentially offered them an ultimatum. They pressured them into joining their team, or eventually having no job at all. That’s no way to conduct business.

And thus began an intense competition between Netscape and Microsoft as each browser fought to stay on top. They went back and forth updating their respective platforms in extremely petty attempts to attract more customers. Because this was the business of competition and not collaboration, this created an era where it was common to see the notification “this feature is not supported by your platform” since both Netscape and Microsoft fought to have their own exclusive tricks and gimmicks.

I believe there should have been a point within in this time frame where both companies should have flown the white flag and agreed to cut the childish antics. The collaboration of two tech giants of that nature would have been revolutionary. However, they spent all their potential fighting each other instead of working together. They lost track of why they started in the first place, which was the exciting challenge of figuring out the Internet. Like many markets, it quickly became taken over by promises of wealth and fortune. Both companies let their greed and pride get in the way.

Ultimately, Microsoft came out on top and Netscape, a company that was integral to the formation of the internet browsing services we utilize today, became an unheard of name.

It turns out, stories like that of Netscape and Microsoft are not uncommon when analyzing the history of the internet. It didn’t take long for the discovery of such a game-changer to become, well, catty. Companies began to fight each other for dominance over the web realm, essentially eliminating the chance of collaboration. For example, Bob Metcalfe, an engineer for ARPANET which was one of the first packet-switching networks that set the foundation for the internet, told the story of how bigger companies like AT&T were almost rooting for the downfall of smaller internet initiatives like ARPANRT. When showing the software to a dozen AT&T executives, Metcalfe recounted how the room full of men in suits began to laugh once the demo crashed. This image, of a bunch of men in suits laughing at the failure of a tech company, is the epitome of how unnecessarily petty the industry was at the time.

While this competition was quite cutthroat at times, perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Without the competition, as brutal as it was, there likely wouldn’t have been as much motivation to keep creating new internet updates. The pressure created by so many tech companies vying for the upper hand created a space of internet platforms constantly coming up with something new to improve people’s online experience. Without the catty conflict, we may not be as advanced as we are today.

No matter how you view it, learning more about how the internet came to be did force me to look at companies like Microsoft in a different light. It’s interesting how something so pure like online innovation could turn to something so intense like driving a company out of business. That’s human nature for you.