Personal Kaupapa

My personal Kaupapa has been constantly evolving and reshaped as I experience new people and events throughout my life. However, the last year and a half specifically, have allowed me to mature and develop a Kaupapa that I can see myself subscribing to for a long period of time. To me I’ve found the most important valuable idea to live by is that I should live life moment to moment and always be the most concerned about what is happening in the present. Focusing too much on what has already happened in the past and what could happen in the future has at times caused me to lose sight as to what is happening in the now and in turn led to a future that I was not fully satisfied with. If I take each decision and choice as it is and think about what the best thing would be to do for myself at that time, then it allows me to better myself right then and there instead of promising myself it will pay off later since potentially I could regret that option. In terms of my creative work specifically here at Unitec in the editing department I am far more successful when I try things immediately to see if it works or not. Postponing it can lead me to disappointment as I build up an idea in my head of what I think something will turn out to be and when it isn’t exactly how I imagined it can negatively influence my later work. Not only is it important for me to be more immediate and focus on the present but also to try not let past mistakes affect me as nothing positive can come from that. Also, to not create too much of an idea of a finished product in my creative work, it is far more rewarding and impactful to let the work kind of take me where it wants to go and it’s my job as an editor to help the work, I’ve been given reach its full potential.

Methods of Taking Ownership

In order to ensure I am successful in working professionally and keeping mindful of myself I must give myself methods and ideals to abide by. Most important for me is to make sure that my work does not interfere with my personal life. As much I enjoy the work that I do, when I’m not doing it, I need to be able to put it in the back of my mind. It is vital that I give my work time to stew in my sub conscious in order to allow myself to come back to it later and view it with a new perspective. Similarly, I can’t have it control me and have it at the forefront of my mind when out socialising or doing other activities with family etc. The two elements can work off each other and I can gather information from the world around me when I’m outside my work but ultimately, I can’t let my work control me or dominant the forefront of my mind and conscious. Rest and mindfulness in my thinking is of utmost importance to make sure my work is as good as it can be because when I am not healthy neither is what I produce creatively. Also, since I am constantly engaging with video footage and creating stories, I think the best way for me to improve my skills in that area when not just doing it is to see and experience as much as possible. Watching a film is such a simple task but I can learn so much from them and open me up to new perspective and techniques that I can utilise can make manifest in my work. Especially I find it important to constantly look back at work I’ve done in the past in order to think about what I would do differently now and put that into practice. I know the mindset I was in when creating previous works so it can be liberating to think about how I’ve changed for the better or perhaps for the worse and rectify that.

Code of Practice

I will ensure my wellbeing, whether it be physical or mental, above all else will always be prioritised. To sacrifice that for work or someone else will only be detrimental to my health and creative work, as not being in a fully capable and stable state of mind will lead to clouded judgement and sub optimal output of work.

I will consistently focus on the present in order to better prepare myself for the future and to prevent myself from dwelling too much on the past. Making sure I am always putting a large majority of my thought process into what is happening currently means that I can tackle decisions and experiences with a more straight forward and logical thought process. I could get distracted by the past and future and in turn cause me to lose focus on what I want to achieve.

I will keep a healthy balance between my personal social and family life and my creative work practice. For me personally I need time to myself where I do not have to have my work in the fore front of my mind. As an editor it is important for me to distract myself from my work in order to allow myself to come back to it later and view it with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Also going out into the world and taking in new experiences is valuable as I can potentially have them influence my work positively and I can work them into what I am trying to accomplish.

I will try my best to abide by the guidelines, goals and morals I have stated above in order to better myself professionally and creatively, however, if need be, if some flexibility is needed in order to get where I want to go I will allow myself to make a judgment call and consider whether it may be worth doing something I wouldn’t usually do.