cm491hollyf

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Senior Capstone Final Reflection Video

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Progress update #7: 11/26/2024

What has been happening over the past 2 weeks is that I've been continuing to post on Instagram with my remaining posts along with creating two new posts to add to the social strategy. I've mentioned in my previous post that I had filmed all the clips but these past 2 weeks I've spent editing the Reel and writing a caption. I've also edited the last remaining post which is almost like a reflection to look back at the art that I have created.

For the next 2 weeks, I will post the last remaining two posts, also evaluate the metrics of the account so far, and lastly create my reflection video for the end of the semester. I think all that is left is the final sprint in making sure my deliverable is finished up and everything is neat in a bow.

There hasn't been much hiccups and hurdles this past week as I see that everything is coming together like I imagined. However, I the only issue was getting all the clips I needed for the day in my life post. While filming the day, I realized that I wanted some additional clips to make the video more interesting so I "refilmed" some additional posts that I can insert in there. Currently in my draft, I still need to film an intro for the video, so I plan to do that tomorrow morning and then the post will be done.

Here is the drafts for the last two videos:

Here is my progress so far of the Instagram account and what I've posted:

As for my timeline, I think I am pretty on track to finish everything by next week and start wrapping things up.

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Progress update #6: 11/12/2024

Over the past two weeks, I've been continuing to post on the Instagram platform following a 2-3 times of week posting cadence. I will be honest and say that I haven't always been sticking to the deadline or the content schedule that I have originally planned, but I still think I am on track to posting all the content before the end of Week 13-14. I also have been engaging with other art accounts on Instagram by leaving comments/liking their posts in hope other users will see how involved I want to be in attracting a community of artists. I've seen some traction on my account and have already seen some learnings that I will take into account in the next couple of weeks.

One thing that I have been thinking about for the last two weeks but have had to try and organize my thoughts is possibly creating some additional content for the account. I originally planned to have all the content done before I started posting, but I see maybe that could've been not a strategic thing to do as I feel like I've learned from the content I have already posted. Like Reels have been doing better than static and that maybe the content is getting a little too repetitive. Over the last week I have thought about creating new content to add to what I've already had created. I filmed a "day in the life as an artist" video. My hopes is this video will be more engaging than some of the other pieces of content that I made and attract more followers. Over the next week I will edit the video and write a caption so it is ready to post.

Some hiccups/hurdles/AHA moments is that I want to do one more post that is supplemental to what I have planned as well, but didn't know exactly what that would look like yet. After discussing my problem with my peers during today's class meeting, they've suggested maybe taking content that I've already made and re-editing it or re-framing it to look different. They've said some of the artists they've seen on social media do that as well. I thought that was a great idea, so I'll explore that avenue in the next two weeks. I also still have to create my last Instagram post which I wanted to be a reflection on how vulnerable it is to put out work on social media and what I've thought so far. From my research, users like to see the "behind the scenes "or "behind the artist" POV of their work, so I think it'll be an interesting post. So over the next 2 weeks, I'll be working on those remaining posts.

The day in the life video isn't edited yet but here are some screenshots from the clips I plan to stitch together:

Here is a screenshot of my progress so far on the Instagram account and posting:

I am on track with my timeline, however if I want to add 2 additional posts to my posting schedule, I may have to ramp posting up a bit. Overall, I think my timeline is still do-able.

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Progress #5: 11/5/2024

What has been happening over the past 2 weeks is that I've started to post on the Instagram account, following a 2-3 post cadence. So far, it's been good and steady and I have seen some progress on the account so far.

What is coming up for the next 2 weeks is that I will still be posting the rest of the content I have planned (about 8 more posts) and also following the account closely to see what more I can do to attract more audiences. I also plan to capture some additional content outside of what I have planned, like a day in my life as an artist, etc.

Some hiccups and hurdles I've had to go through is finding the right time to post and if that makes any difference. I've kind of been posting a little sporadically during the weeks but am trying to find out and do some research on the best times to post. I've also been trying to interact with the art community on Instagram in hopes to attract art enthusiasts and build community. It's been a bit of a struggle but I'm optimistic and will keep on trying. One video/REEL hit over 750 views, so I take that as a win so far.

No drafts to share, however here is some visual progress of the account since my last post:

I am pretty on track regarding my timeline. I may have to ramp up the amount of times I post per week if I plan to add any additional content to my account. Other than that, I am pretty on track.

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Progress update #4: 10/22/24

Whatʻs been happening over the past 2 weeks?

Over the past two weeks I have been creating the content for the posts: filming, editing, and writing the captions for each post. I feel a little better now that majority of the content is made and that I can finally start posting. I have completed 11/12 posts that I've planned to create. I am debating on if I want to create more content to post the ones that I've made, however I'm going to start posting before creating the last post. I think the last post will kind of be a reflection of sorts, I am still trying to figure it out.

What is coming up in the next 2 weeks is that I'm going to start posting starting this week. Right now, I have planned 2-3 posts per week so I'm going to focus on posting and also seeing if I can connect with other artists on Instagram by commenting, following, and liking their posts and trying to attract other users to my page.

Some hiccups/hurdles/AHA moments that I had was when creating the content, especially the artwork part, I had a lot of ups and downs with the painting portion. I haven't painted in a really long time so there was a lot of experimenting, some mistakes, and some wins. I actually turned one of my "mistakes" into one of my posts because as an artist it is easy to focus on the perfect end results. But I ended up really not liking one of the pieces and instead of tossing it and starting over, I embraced the mistake to grow and learn from them.

Here are some drafts that I have put together for my posts:

And here is a screenshot of what the Instagram feed is looking like so far:

I was a little behind schedule but I feel like I am back on track. I do, however need to start posting so I have time to gather all the insights for the final deliverable.

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Progress update #3: 10/15

Over the past two weeks, I've been trying to work on the actual art projects itself and get all the posts and content created so I can start posting them by 10/21, latest the 10/28. So far, I've created the Instagram handle @holly.makesart and also have the introduction post which will be the very first post featured on Instagram. I'm also in the process of creating the second post, the image has been shot, however where the real content of the post is going to live is in the caption. I'm still figuring out exactly what I want to say. The rest of the content I am in the process of filming. I have shot all the raw footage, but there are a lot of videos/video editing involved in the rest of the content.

Some hiccups and hurdles that I've encountered was just that at first the art didn't really come out how I envisioned it to come out and it was very frustrating at first. The issues mainly had to do with the paints and materials I was using, so I ended up researching new materials and settled on some that I liked. I think this would be good to reflect on at the end on how frustrating creating the artworks can be and how social media can put pressure on artists to pump multiple things out in order to keep up with posts.

Here is the first introduction post draft:

Visual documentation of some of the content that I will be posting:

Where you are on your timeline?

On my revised timeline, I'm still on track, however it is really crunch to finish all the pieces and get the content made so it is ready to post next week. I am optimistic that I will complete the art production part of it this week.

[cm491hollyf]

Progress reflection #2: 10/01/2024

Over the past two weeks, I’ve mainly been establishing what my senior project will look like and started prepping for the bulk of the production. I had a bit of a hiccup in the beginning, where I was confused on the goals and outcome of my senior project and didn’t really know how to move forward. Since the last meeting, I had a clearer vision of what my project would look like. I’ve decided to move forward with an application of my thesis, which is finding success as a visual artist through social media. Over the past two weeks, I’ve mainly just been prepping, doing some additional research, and establishing my timeline over the next few weeks. I’ve created the social media account and also mapped out the posting schedule so I can think about the content I need to create while making the art.

The next two weeks ahead are dedicated to making the art part of the project. I’ve given myself 4 weeks to develop the actual art before I start thinking about the social media aspect of it. So I’ve tasked myself with 3-4 different projects that I want to showcase and each week is dedicated to making one piece.

When I came up with this thesis in my pre-capstone, I didn’t realize it had to be related to something that I currently do versus something I was interested in. I’m not much of an artist myself, however I used to enjoy it in the past. I think that is what has been the most challenging part of the process is trying to figure out what kind of art I want to make and post on social media. I have all the information and prep work for the social media aspect of the project, however the actual art and application process has been tough to figure out. But I think over the past two weeks, I’ve started to figure it out and feel a bit more confident in my project moving forward. 

There aren't any deliverable drafts ready to share, however I did do some research surrounding the art that I want to create. The concept for the art pieces are based around the movement of flowers and how when they blow in the wind and cross different flowers, they intertwine and their colors mix with each other. I went down to the flower market to do some research on what type of flowers I want to incorporate and so I have a clearer vision of what the final product will look like. My plan is to photograph each of the flowers and either keep it as a photography project or maybe paint them on a canvas. I’m a little worried about the painting part since I haven’t painted in a long time and may be too ambitious. 

But so far, here is the research I’ve collected:

I believe that we are in week 4-5 of the process, so technically I’m supposed to be in the art creation phase by now. However, I think it is okay if I am a little behind and that just means that I need to speed up the process a little bit more, which I think is do-able. I think that I am still on track according to my work back plan.

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Progress reflection #1 (09/09/2024)

Since the start of the semester, I’ve been really trying to organize my thoughts and prepare myself for the weeks ahead. Coming off of summer was a bit hard to get me back in the grove of school along with trying to refresh my memory on all the research that I did last semester in the pre-capstone class. So far we’ve had two classes and I’m glad that I got to meet the people in my class and also get to work on the icebreaker. I think the icebreaker was a nice way to get my mind going again and prepare me for the semester. However, working on my workback plan was kind of a struggle but it really helped me track my timeline along with getting myself organized on what needs to be done.

What’s coming for the next 2 weeks is that I will be getting my initial account set up along with establishing branding for my Instagram account. I think it is important for any type of account to have some sort of branding that can be easily recognized to followers and establish a consistent look. I think it’ll also help me visualize what the content will look like when I actually start to create it. 

In terms of any hiccups, hurdles, or AHA moments, I am kind of having one currently with deciding whether an Instagram account versus a website or downloadable PDF would be the best platform for a toolkit. What worries me about the Instagram account is that it can’t house a ton of content per post and I’m thinking maybe it might get too overwhelming for the viewer. Also, the viewer has to wait until each post comes out to get the information versus a  website or a downloadable PDF that would have all the information available at once and also can house a lot of information. However I chose the Instagram account so that it could be easily found by other people and also can be engaging. Sometimes a webpage could be hard to refer back to, but the Instagram account will be a constant reminder that this information exists. I think I'll continue to think about it over the next week to see what is the best thing to do.

I don’t really have any deliverables or drafts to share at the moment, but I have general branding in my head and a general idea of what the content would look like. However, I do have a screenshot of the branding and mock deliverable from last semester that I will include here:

However, I might change it depending on what type of content I want to produce. I think I may want to change the brand colors and establish a tone within the content. I want it to look all cohesive and pleasing to look at.

In terms of my timeline, I am very much in the beginning of the pre-production phase, but I think that the pre-production phase will be the chunk of my semester just trying to produce all the content needed. I think I have a clearer vision on what I need to do next and also what is upcoming in the next couple of weeks.

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Introduction Video