1. Documentary and (in)visibility
Making a documentary is very different from making a short film. Obviously directing a film is theoretically a practice in empowering others, letting go of your own ego… but it’s a little ego driven. Everything happening is because of you, and therefore feels at least a bit centred around you.
Filming a documentary is the opposite—doing it well usually means not being noticed, not participating or interacting, trying to be inconspicuous. I’ve found it a bit isolating, seeing all the cool things Urbana does but instead of being directly involved I have to stick to the sidelines! It's been useful to realize that not being the centre of attention, not being noticed, actually often means success in terms of filming. What I'm taking forward here about leadership and teamwork, I suppose, is that things are not as simple as visibility = leader and invisibility = uninvolvement; different leadership scenarios call for different levels of visibility.
2. Not everything is about me!
One of my overall difficulties has been feeling like my boundaries and needs aren’t being accommodated. I had 6 interviews scheduled for this week, and had made it clear that this was the latest I could possibly do interviews. Three of those were cancelled, and one was moved to next week. This has been enormously frustrating, and also, sometimes, insulting—it makes me feel that my work is not remotely valued or prioritized.
But I recently learned that there are some staffing changes at Urbana, or some sort of difficulty like that. These discussions have of course been rather opaque because the HR of it all doesn’t concern me, but what’s clear is that my supervisor and fellow staff have been facing some difficult-to-navigate challenges which interrupt their normal tasks.
This is a lesson I should take with me—not jumping to the conclusion that my work is being undermined or ignored, but considering what other commitments or priorities my coworkers might have that prevent them from getting involved in my work (as much as they might want to!).
3. Making do with what I’ve got
A final perspective shift I’ve been working on (successfully, I’d say) is approaching the challenges I encounter as, well, challenges. It’s been quite stressful having so many (and I mean, so many, at least a couple every week) interviews or shoots cancelled, but it’s been helpful to remember that regardless of what goes awry, I’m ultimately responsible for the end product. And so, these kinds of complications present interesting opportunities to challenge myself—what can I do with what I’ve got, how can I strengthen my ability to make imperfect circumstances into a quality finished product that I’m proud of? Perhaps a silly idea in its simplicity, but a useful one: I really do like hard things, I like problem solving, and so encountering difficulties just allows me to do that.
Bonus.... awesome non-work things this week
- Visited the stunningly beautiful island of Agistri and its beaches (got a sun burn on my hand, which I didn't really realize was a possibility?)
- Had my first cream bougatsa, which basically changed my life
- Went to the Ancient Agora at 8am and found it completely empty, allowing me to see the Temple of Hephaestus and their museum (dare I say, one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to?) in total peace and quiet
Hello! I'm Maia, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, Victoria College. I'm majoring in Sociology with minors in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies.
My research brings together women-identified social media users into focus groups to investigate how young women understand social media's value, their consumption of it, and its impacts on them. Despite extensive literature on the negative impacts of social media, few studies have explored how women make sense of their scrolling, especially in their own words. In light of this, my research focuses on not only exploring how women experience their online time but also developing collaborative strategies for more positive engagement; it moves beyond documenting harm to support women in shaping more conscious digital practices.
Outside of research and academia, as of late I love to spend my free time crocheting, reading and writing, learning ASL, and developing my martial arts skills. If you'd like to know more about my research, collaborate, or just say hi, I'd love to connect—you can reach me at maia.cassie@mail.utoronto.ca!
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