No, Really.
OK, NOW it’s done. For real this time. I swear. It’s over. Go home. I’m done. I quit. I’m burning it to discs for my committee. It’s going on the Missouri Photo Workshop website in this form. SO DONE.
I have no idea what else to do with myself.
Three Signatures
As of today, I have the official approval of my entire project committee. I am now in possession of three signatures on a very official photocopy called “Report of the Master’s Examining Committee.” Barring any major complication, I am now a full-fledged-MA.
This is a really wonderful day.
And now: to the bindery! After all, my project shall have a life after this blog: it’s going to the library!
I don’t need an #AlternateThesisEnding, because my “thesis” as an end. Good night, and good luck.
#AlternateThesisEndings
There was a “meme” on Twitter not too long ago that we grad students tagged #AlternateThesisEndings. It became a humorous collection of sayings, literary allusions and movie references–or, ways we know that our project and thesis committees would never let us write as the last lines of our projects and theses.
Here is a collection of the best ways to end a master’s degree. Extra points if you get it.
- “You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”
- “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked . . . . And by ‘madness, I mean ‘journalism graduate school.’”
- “All right. The Answer to the Great Question Of Life, the Universe and Everything is . . . Forty-two.”
- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .”
- “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! / Mischief managed!”
- “Go away. I’m all right.”
- “But in the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases.”
- “Enough of this bullshit. I’m gonna go get hammered with Papyrus.”
- “In conclusion, further research will forever be required.”
- “For Trite Cliche, turn to p.175. For Long-winded rehash, p.178-194. For Surprise Ending, p. 195″
- “I have a dream that one day this thesis will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.”
- “Does that answer your research question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.”
- “That whole Teddy Roosevelt quote about the credit going to the man in the ring, face bloodied, yadda yadda yadda.”
- “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.”
- “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
- “Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.”
- “And then I found five dollars.”
We have way too much fun on Twitter. It’s procrastination at its finest. Many thanks to Phoebe Sexton, known as @fotofobe and @thesis_pieces on Twitter, for inspiring this meme.
More Updates & Re-edits
I’ve re-edited the video of Ida Morris, and done some re-design for the flash presentation. I think that, combined, the extra context in the flash will solve a lot of the issues that have been raised. It can be viewed by clicking here.
For one thing, I have been thinking that showing all the photos at the beginning really doesn’t work. I have tried, in the past few days, trying to use other parts of the interview to give it more than silence for 40 seconds, but then it’s jarring when Mrs. Morris starts talking particularly about the workshop. Moreover, to use many of the photos twice is really redundant. As a photo editor, it hurts me to be visually redundant when there is not other point being made (in my opinion).
So, I added a little text slide on at the beginning of the video chapter. It explains that the photos are MPW photos, and the interviews took place later. I think that this text slide, paired with the pre-loader intro, give the viewer enough information about what they are about to see. Well, I hope that it accomplishes this.
PLEASE NOTE: I have not finished all the videos. Only the button to furthest to the left, Miss Punny, will work!
Re-Edit
The consensus that came out of my project defense last week was that I needed to refocus and re-edit my videos. And so, here goes. I am hoping, project committee approval pending, to use this as a template for the rest of my videos.
Again, with the hope!
The Line
At this stage of the game, there is a line between being a full-fledged MA and, well, not. Here’s hoping that I will soon be above the line.
Here is my final project.
With Apologies to the Poet
Had we but world enough, and time, / This coyness, Master’s Project, were no crime / We would sit down and think which way / To walk and pass our long work day.
May the ghost of Andrew Marvell forgive me.
Three more days.
Theresa Welch, Take One
Please enjoy my first draft of this video. I know, the audio needs some work!
Article: Draft ONE
This is the first draft of my professional analysis article.
In Front of the Lens:
The Photo Subject’s Experience with the Missouri Photo Workshop
By Erin K. O’Neill
Annette and Josh Bauman know their family has been through a lot caring for their two-year-old son Kade. Kade lives with epilepsy, cortical vision impairment and hypotonia. In September 2009, Kade could not support his head, crawl or talk—and his medical conditions have slowed his development.
“Our family knows everything about Kade,” Annette Bauman said. “Our friends know he has epilepst, know he has hypotonia, and the vision problems. But they don’t know what we go through on a daily basis.”
The Bauman’s life with Kade was documented during the 61st Missouri Photo Workshop (MPW) in Festus and Crystal City by photographer Julia Robinson.
“Just to see these photos, to see what we do, really makes you feel like you’re doing something. On a daily basis it’s just routine. You don’t know the impact you’re having,” Annette Bauman said.
Kade is cared for by a network of family, including both Josh and Annette’s parents. Kade sees therapists six days a week, and his grandparents care for him while Josh and Annette are at work.
“It’s not out of the ordinary for us anymore, you know?” Josh Bauman said.
The Bauman’s story was one of 32 photographic stories and essays made by 31 photographers in Festus and Crystal City, Mo. during the last week of September in 2009. An edict of MPW is, as founder Clifton C. Edom said: “Show truth with a camera.” Each year, a gaggle of photographers descend upon a small Missouri town to find, pitch and produce photojournalistic stories in less than a week.
The End. But Not Really.
End transcription, a.k.a. video logging, a.k.a. I HATE MY LIFE. Now, I just need to make all this into SOMETHING. Oh, bother.
Interview Six Redux
This time, without epic audio fail!
Interview with Laverne Austin
Video log and interview by Erin K. O’Neill
May 10, 2010
{Laverne discusses her eyesight limitations, she was having particular difficulty the day of the interview. Called it one of her non-seeing days.}
00:48 Laverne: Celebrated my birthday, with mother’s day. Nice, good time. Mostly just different friends in and out, phone started ringing early in the morning, got last call 10 pm last night. Granddaughters here with me, whole day. Cooked, ate, had turkey, dressing, mixed greens, sweet potatoes, rolls. Full-course meal
02:09 Laverne: Feel like I get cheated, when birthday falls on mother’s day, get card for one or another but never both. Got birthday cards yesterday. All 66 years. I’m old, proud too. Talked to both sisters, brothers.
03:25 Erin: How did you meet John {Liau, the photographer} and get started with the workshop? Laverne: Was in here the kitchen, my brother or grandkids said there was man outside with camera, and talking to them, I didn’t think too much of it. Wandered into house and introduced himself. Started talking to him. Few days later, talked to his advisor and asked to do the story with us. Spend the week with us, explained the program. I said, sure.
04:20 Laverne: That’s how I met him. Erin: Why say yes? Laverne: The main thing was my granddaughter that’s 17, she doesn’t meet people well, smart but off by herself, when she started talking to him and found out where he was from, she’s interested in Japanese and Chinese culture. She and John hit it off so well together, I said yes just because of her. She liked John.
05:14 Erin: What was it like for you having John around? Laverne: Very interesting. A lot of fun. After the first day we thought of him like a family member. It was like, you meet a stranger, he was interesting, seemed to be nice, first impression you like him and we all did. Said yes, taking a chance. Way world is today, you never know. But, there was something about him, we all liked him from the beginning.
06:13 Laverne: So that’s why I said yes. Erin: What was it like being photographed?
06:30 Laverne: Different. But a lot of fun, after couple day when we really knew what the workshop meant, I guess we just all…. It was so different til we were like little kids getting candy. We enjoyed it.
07:10 Erin: Was there an adjustment period for you having a camera around? Laverne: Yeah, at first. Took two days and we were used to it. He’d come in the morning, girls ready for school, had time 45 minutes to sit around and had time anyways, not different, so it was easy. We went back to normal, be happy for a minute. And the like families are bicker for a minute, but we still did same things. Our usual company came by, teenagers waiting for school bus, different friends of my granddaughters. Stand around, laugh talk, eat breakfast.
Interview Seven
Interview with Randy Casey
Video log and interview by Erin K. O’Neill
May 10, 2010
{Interaction with residents about Mother’s Day}
02:00 Erin: How did you find out about MPW? Randy: When August {Kryger, the photographer} showed up. He walked in, and we sat down, he said what he was doing, asked how he found out about us. I showed him around, 50-cent tour. Asked if he could do his project here, don’t think he knew at first what direction. He was interested in the facility, community.
03:00 Randy: Residents loved it—personalities always want to be center of attention. Camera aimed at them, or out, they want to be a part of it. Home for mentally retarded adults. Don’t mix populations with mentally ill or geriatrics. All our people have commonality, they think world revolves around them here. August wasn’t center of attention but he got a lot of attention because they thought they were the center of attention.
03:53 Randy: So, that first day, they were all wanting to know: what’s he doing, why’s he taking pictures, can I be in the pictures? It wasn’t an incredibly bust week, every week busy, I was able to spend some time with him. He got to know the residents, he got to know them.
04:30 Erin: Access or consent issues? Randy: There are considerations, this is their home. August was invited into their homes. Contacted many of the guardians, and, some of them are their own guardians. They said it was fine once they knew what was going on. Pretty careful about the security of our people. They can come and go as they please, but all the doors alarmed. In or out, someone has the check, just to make sure they’re safe.
Betty Culton Says….
I found this lovely comment attached to the transcript of my interview with Ida Morris.
Ida Morris is a great persn to interview. She is very humble. She doesn’t realize how inportant she is to this community. I don’t believe she actually knows that she is one of the pillars in the neighborhood. We esteem her to a high degree and hold the ultimate respect for her. She is one of the town’s role models. My wish for her is that God will continue to bless her with a long HEALTHY life. She’s a worker!! She loves taking care of “The Garden” it’s a memorial in memory of her mother. Her mother owned Culton’s Grocery Store. It sat there on that very lot that Ida transformmed into a garden- park. I love Ida! The group that did the interviewing were awesome. I had the opportunity to meet some of them. Gemma is just a jewel. I loved her personality and her perserverance. She did an excellent job. The family met her and fell in love with her. Jouranlism appeared to me to be quite interesting. Thanks for comming to Festus!
Betty
I thought it was really nice.
Interview Six
Beleaguered by terrible audio, but here’s the video log anyway.
Interview with Laverne Austin
Video log and interview by Erin K. O’Neill
March 27, 2010
{Discussion of my eyeglasses}
{Laverne looks at the photos with her magnifying lens}
{Shows the photos to her family}
06:05 Laverne: He {the photographer, John Liau} came by one day, brother outside, and they talked, knew them for whole day. Next day he met me, and spoke to him. Came back that afternoon and said, “My boss, or advisor would like to know if I could spend the week.” I immediately agreed, one of my granddaughters is interested in lots of things, she’s smart, but she hit it off with him, and she’s not one to meet people. So, because he knew a lot, or seemed like it to her, I want her to come out of her shell, I said yeah, turned out to be a good week after all.
07:18 Erin: What was it like having a photographer in the house? Laverne: Different, but, knowledgeable, it was fun, learned a lot about his culture and he learned about us. Got to think of him as family. He’d come early in the morning, it was a nice time. Erin: What did you get out of the cultural exchange?
08:05 Laverne: For me, it wasn’t for the kids, Elizabeth was interested in dress and language, learned a few words, I was happy because they was learning. They got a good education on Chinese culture. His parents, talked about them a lot, and when they came to the US.
