Erik Jonasson

The other day, I purchased a Flip Ultra HD, primarily because I’m headed to Paris next week and I thought it would be fun to be able to put together a video while I’m there. I wanted to test it out, so I went around campus taking some shots of the Michigan State campus in summer. I slapped it all together using the video editor that came with the Flip, and embedded it below :

Before I say any more about the Flip itself, I just have to comment: why the hell do they make all the students go home over the summer? MSU’s campus was basically made to wander about aimlessly on a summer afternoon. I suspect half the students at MSU don’t even realize how beautiful the campus can be. If you’re a student, make sure to spend some time in the summer up here. Also, visit me. I’m lonely.

As for the flip, I have to first say that the video above doesn’t fully capture the quality of the footage taken by the Flip Ultra HD. Youtube downgrades the quality even when watching the high quality version, so the footage I shot is sharper than what you can see. The camera films in 720p, and it comes through amazingly on the uncompressed video.

The quality is high but, as you can see in the video, it is hard to keep smooth and steady. The camera isn’t really solid enough to keep the image stable when freehanding it, and the video gets very jumpy very easily. Once I got used to the lack of weight I managed to get it to work well enough, but it’s a concern I hadn’t thought too much on before purchasing the camera. 

Editing with the Flip was also easy, but limited. Maybe I was spoiled by learning how to edit footage with Final Cut before being subjected to weaker programs like Windows Movie Maker, but the lack of options to edit were irritating. All I could to was alter the starting and end points of each clip, then put them in order with cross fades, with the option to add titles, credits, or music. I really wanted there to be an image stabilizer, or at least different types of transitions between clips. Nonetheless, it is functional and easy if you’ve never edited before. 

Ultimately, the Flip Ultra HD is a relatively cheap(about $200) camera for the quality of footage it yields. The mic onboard isn’t great, but passable for video that you don’t expect to be seen anywhere but youtube and its contemporaries. I’d imagine it wouldn’t work great for recording concerts or live music, but I haven’t tried it myself. For the price I paid, I’m satisfied and look forward to using it in Paris. But that may just be because I’m freakin’ going to Paris.

Now the question is this: do I love her music(Theresa Anderson) or her setup? I think the answer is both.

Found Via Wil Wheaton

Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot. I think the world just reached its awesomeness quota for the year.

Looking back at what I wrote yesterday, I don’t think I really said what I want to say on the subject of the creative process. Instead of trying for hours to better state what I want to say, it makes far more sense to just link to the smart people that inspire my thought process.

First off, the book I was angry with yesterday is called The Gift, by Lewis Hyde. It’s actually a pretty interesting read, aside from the presumption that creativity is bestowed to a blessed few, which was what had me pissed off yesterday.

Brain Crack, by Ze Frank

I came across “The Show” In early ‘07. Not coincidentally, this was around when I started to believe what I do about creativity. Many of the episodes discuss creativity, so I encourage checking out the “Best-Of” episodes for some laughs and inspiration.

Ken Robinson: TED Talk

Ken Robinson argues that schools kill creativity. He says that education puts too much focus on right and wrong, and we begin to fear failure at a young age. As he says “We do not grow into creativity, we grow out of it.”

TED talks are always worth watching, even if you disagree with the conclusions they reach(or if you disagree with releasing mosquitoes on a crowd of people)

Finally, as I mentioned in the comments of the last post, I’m a big believer in the 10,000 hour rule. You can read about it here. This is the closest to scientific data I can present of my beliefs, and it’s food for thought if nothing else.

I’m taking a class right now about the creative process. We’re studying various works relating to the idea of creativity, and I’m gradually coming to one conclusion: I hate people who write about creativity.

(Admittedly, this blog post means I must hate myself, but my cycle of self-loathing already allows for that.)

It seems like to many writers perceive creativity as some sort of magic. You’re either born with the gift or you are not, and if you have it your abilities will almost inevitably manifest themselves through your uncontrollable need to create. This definition bothers me to no end, yet it seems to be echoed by almost anyone who says anything about creativity.

A lot of people try at least once in their lives to pick up some sort of creative venture. Some may pick up painting, try out for a play, or start writing a novel. Ultimately, most people do not manage to be successful, either telling themselves(or even being told by others) that they just don’t have that natural talent that it takes to be successful. “Talent” becomes an excuse for failure, and a reason to give up even when you’d rather keep trying.

Most creative mediums are based around physical skills and the ability to articulate your thoughts. Maybe music, writing, or painting come easier to some, but those are ultimately physical skills that a majority of the population could learn if enough work were invested in them. Millions of people can play guitar, many of which are probably far more skilled than any of your favorite musicians.

Creativity is moving beyond that basic physical skill, and learning how to craft that skill in a way that expresses what you wish to express. But most people don’t even scratch the surface of that physical stage. If there is any sort of intangible, magical gift, it lies far beyond the point where most people give up, long before they would even know if such a gift exists.

I’ve been playing guitar for about three years, and songwriting for about a year and a half. I’ve probably invested over a thousand hours into these skills. Some people hear me play and comment that I must have some sort of “talent” to do what I do. I encourage those people to hear how I played two years ago. Trust me, I sucked pretty hard back then. The modicum of skill I have comes almost exclusively from hours of practice and critical evaluation of my style in an attempt to improve. There was no serendipitous moment where I suddenly became good. If there is such thing as “talent,” I’d say I don’t have it, and I’m doing relatively well. Maybe I’ll never be Bob Dylan, but I could still make some solid music.

So to those who sit around and muse about the origins of creativity, I encourage you to pick up a pen or a guitar, learn to do create something worth listening to, and stop perpetuating an idea that has probably cost the world more creative output than any other concept in human consciousness.