website

www.capturingconfidenceproject.com

BOOK IS UPLOADED!

...it's finally on its way!

Capturing Confidence by Carly Grafstein | BOOK INFO

weekly Blog Post 3/26/10

We're really getting down to the wire!!

What I did:

Worked on book (cover,writing, making changes to spreads) (around 15 hours)

Thought about presentation in gallery and started sketching out plan (3 hours)

What I discovered/accomplished/encountered:

I'm really starting to feel good about my book and think I will be able to have it ready to send to blurb.com early next week (as scheduled).

I worked on a new cover, and got positive feedback about it in small groups. I also spent so much time coming up with the subtitle to the book (thanks Erica!) and finally feel comfortable with:

Capturing Confidence: women's reflections on their preteen years. Before that I had: Capturing Confidence: from exclusion to acceptance: women's reflections on their preteens years. However, today in small group we agreed that was a bit too wordy.

I also came up with a device that would tell people when each reflection ended to allow them to understand which girl they were following in case they got confused (a small star).

I am meeting with Hannah again tomorrow before I send the book out next week.

front cover

back cover

star device

I sketched up an idea of how I want the gallery to look, however this is where I will be focusing all of my time once the book is sent out. This is just a brief sketch. I want to incorporate typography which states quotes from the workshops about the girl's explaining certain photos. I also need to list the adjectives. I really want to have the capturing confidence letters which are made out of the photos from the girls in large letters and vinyl. Today Claire gave me a name of a place that prints and installs this, but I hear it is quite costly. Lastly, we spoke about not having the photos go down to the floor, which I think is a good idea. I really need to speak to Mark about the space I might have- it's so hard to plan not knowing this.

What's next:

Figuring out the presentation in the gallery, printing photos, etc...

sending out book and praying that it comes out ok!

website!

Weekly Blog Post 3/11/10

What I did:

Worked on book (20+hours)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

I now feel SO much better about the direction my book is taking and how it is starting to look. In both content and design, it is starting to make a lot more sense.

I am not going to post images since there are too many pages to post, but I finally have a complete iteration of the book (even though many changes need to be made)

Today in small group we talked about using color even more than I am already using it to link the reflections together and make it easy for the reader to know which reflection is linked to which person.

I know I have a lot to do with the book in the next week or so, but I now really enjoy working on it so I am excited about it.

Today I met with Hannah, and she was so helpful (as always). We talked about many small details that need to be worked out, and she brought my attention to several things that I had looked over and missed. This gives me a good amount to work with this weekend and into next week.

I now also have to really start thinking about the cover of the book (which I want to be lines of handwriting from each reflection colaged together)

What do you think of this for the title of the book? :

Capturing Confidence: women reflecting on their elementary and middle school experiences.

My goal today in small groups for next week is to really have my book flushed out (cover, intro, intro page, etc...) and to also have a layout for how I want the wall in the gallery to look. Lot's to do!

What's Next:

-last workshop tomorrow!

-book (I want to send it to the printer by April 1st-ish or earlier)

-cover of book, intro, intro page

-presentation in gallery

Weekly Blog Post 3/11/10

What I did:

(not sure about the hours since this has been over a longer period of time)

Workshop with Girl Scout Troop #1

Working on Book

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

With less than a month to go, I need to stay FOCUSED! It is helpful for me to only focus on my book now and rid myself of other distractions (sound recordings from workshop, final presentation, etc...) I also haven't been feeling 100% lately so that has been a struggle, but I am pushing through it!

On Tuesday, I led a workshop with my first group of Girl Scouts. It was so great to have this right after break because it got me feeling really enthusiastic about where this project has come. The girls were just so into it, and really excited and eager to talk about the photos. I have found that it is also a helpful experience for me to tell my story to these girls. The girls are also excited about the website/blog and some of them want to keep sending me more photos!

Today I had a really helpful talk with Hannah. We not only discussed the design and layout of the book, but we also discussed the content and the way I was presenting and wording certain things. These were really great things to think about, and especially helpful since I have been so close to the context in the book. In terms of layout, we talked about using white space more and breaking up the rhythm of the book. I totally agree with all of this! I was having a lot of trouble since I have been finding it time consuming to work with the handwriting on photoshop and then bringing it into illustrator, so Hannah also suggested I work on paper and then translate it onto the computer. Today, I only had time to do that for one of the girl's responses, and I can already see a huge difference. This is definitely the way to work from now on! Here is what I have done after translating my sketches onto the computer:

I think it is going to be strong to sporadically include full bleed photos, as they can be used as a pause for the viewer to digest the reflection before they move onto the next part.

Hannah and I also talked about perhaps also making a second book that would just include the girl's photos that I have received. I like this idea and think it will be manageable to do. I want both books to be called: Capturing Confidence, which is what the whole project is called. But the 2 books will both have different subtitles. For example for the one with the girl's photos it would be something like Capturing Confidence: A collection of photographs from a creative workshop intended to build self-esteem.

I have thought about a cover for this, and can also see something like this being used in the gallery displayed in large letters on the wall (this is made using the photos from the girl's):

Also, I received some really positive feedback today from Megan, which made me feel good about where I have come with this project.

What's Next:

For Thursday's Crit, I want to have a full version of my book

Next (and last) workshop...March 19th

Weekly Blog Post 2/26/10

What I did:

*Worked on postcard (spent way too long on something that I didn't end up using) 5 hours

Here's what it ended up looking like:

text: Capturing Confidence: Helping to build confidence in early adolescent girls through a creative workshop, interactive website, and an expressive book.

(Hannah I worked with the traffic light image and got it to look good at the right size, but I felt that this looked like it was taken by one of the girls more, which I wanted)

*Worked on book (6 hours)

*Changed web.mac.com/carly9188 to capturingconfidence.com (yay!)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

This week I started feeling a bit less overwhelmed after talking to Hannah about my book and the sound slideshow portion that I was working on. We discussed that it is not very realistic to create this slideshow with the amount of time I have left, and that it is taking away from the other part of my project that I need to be working on now. To give the viewers a glimpse into my workshops and what the girls were thinking when they took their photographs, I am instead going to have the photos on the wall and use text. I talked to Mark about using vinyl lettering onto the walls as an option to accomplish this. Even though this is really expensive, I think it will look the best. After I receive all the girls images and finish my last 2 workshops (march 9th and march 19th) I will be able to really get into this and lay this out.

I also discovered that the structure I was using for my book was just not working for me. Taking a photo for each reflection was holding me back and restricting me. I was taking images that looked like the girls were taking them, and they were preventing me from letting the type become expressive and being able to work with the spread. Therefore, I tried a new structure that I shared in Crit today with Franc:

(different options for this page)

I am thinking about either intermittently putting in photos that I have taken, or putting a photo in between each reflection. These will be photos that clearly you can tell have been taken my me. They will be more provocative and less direct.

Also each person reflecting will have their own color.

Today, Franc and the class gave me some very helpful feedback. I think we all agreed that this structure is working way better than my past iterations. We also discussed how having an image like this is working well and is very powerful. I now need to really focus on the type and the words and creating a voice and feeling from these words. For example for the first spread: "I always felt left out"- I should put it more like:

I always felt left out.

I find it really exciting to work with spreads and type like this and am looking forward to really pushing this and putting all the reflections in.

Question: Should I have a section in the book with the girls photos that I have taken, and perhaps some of their comments on the website? Or should I keep these 2 separate? This could help link the parts of my project together? Also, I am planning on giving this book to each group that I have worked with, so this could work well in that sense. I might, however, just want to keep this as reflections from girls who have been able to overcome this tough time to show younger girls and older girls alike that they are/were not alone. Also, now that I have a title for my project as a whole and for the workshop, I now need to think of a title for this book!

What's next:

continue to work on book

continue to think about what the gallery wall presentation

prepare for workshop on march 9th!

Weekly Blog Post 2/18/10

What I did:

Met with Megan Levad (30 minutes)

Met with Girl Scout Troop #2 to introduce project (30 minutes)

Worked on Book (5 hours)

Worked on Editing Sound and putting together a rough iMovie presentation (3 hours)

Worked on 2nd Draft of Thesis (8 hours)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

This week I started to get really overwhelmed by everything. I am really enjoying my project and where it has been taking me, but I am starting to get overwhelmed by all of its components. I wish I could just focus on one thing without having another part be comprised (don't know if that makes sense...) I cannot believe that after break, there is only about 1 month until the work is due to the studio- getting really nervous about this! Stephanie suggested I just think about and work on one thing at a time, which is what I need to do. I need to devote a lot of time to my book without worrying about the sound and photo slideshow (even though I hope this will be able to get done with the amount of time left) I also still have 2 workshops to lead and will get more audio from this. I guess basically I'm just really worried about my book and need to get going with that.

On a different note, I think I came up with a title for my project...

Capturing Confidence

To me this title speaks to the photos the girls are taking, as well as the other components of the project. I think I want to change my website to capturingconfidence.com

I am also beginning to think about the postcard that is due next week. I am having trouble thinking of a single image that can represent all aspects of my project. Erica and I just had a conversation about this and we think I should stay away from using the girls images and use an image or images I have taken for the book with perhaps part of a reflection incorporated within the image. This weekend I will be working on this.

My meeting with Megan Levad was really helpful- she is just so great! I am excited that I will be perfecting the introduction to my book, since this is my opportunity to tell my story, etc.

As far as my book goes, I need to really focus on this! The part that is giving me the most trouble and holding me back in a way is taking the photos and having them relate to the reflections. I am finding this so frustrating! Erica and I talked about using more age-neutral images (not crayons!) I am working with incorporating the spread a bit more and breaking up the handwriting in the reflections. This definitely allows the reflections to be read easier and clearer. I created a new iteration of the book for small group crit this week, but it is too hard to post all the jpgs and spreads...

This week I also worked on creating a slideshow in iMovie that would show the girl's photos with their voices explaining and reflecting on their photos. Erica and I talked about choosing the sound clips that are more reflective than descriptive, and I think this is important. Hopefully I will have a lot of clips to choose from after all the workshops are completed. I am also going to try and get better sound quality for the next 2 workshops. Since I am new to working with sound clips and editing, it unfortunately takes me a lot longer than it should to edit the clips and still I am finding it difficult.

I also found it helpful to work on my 2nd draft of my thesis. It was great to see how much more confident I am with this project and how far it has come since I wrote it in December!

What's next:

my parents are coming into town this week so I am nervous that I won't be as productive as I should be, but I am going to try as hard as I can!

-postcard

-book and photos

-(taking a pause with the sound)

Weekly Blog Post 2/11/10

What I did:

I feel as though I was not as productive this week as I have been in recent weeks past. I think I also needed this week to take a moment to breathe and take in and reflect on everything that is going on with my project. Like Hannah and Stephanie were saying in class today, I really do think I am starting to own this project and that it is really becoming my own. With that said, I still LOVE receiving the extremely helpful feedback that I have been getting all semester and I of course continue to welcome it!

-Went on a walk and took new possible photos for book

-Finalized writing of introduction to book to send to Megan

-tried to figure out and teach myself audacity and work with the sound clips

-Worked on pages of book (need to really focus on this now!)

-Have been updating website with images that I am receiving (so many comments coming in!!)

What I encountered/discovered/accomplished:

-Here are some photos from the walk I took that I think could be interesting in the book:

I was trying to make these look more natural and less posed, but it is hard for me...I think once I clean them up they might be really interesting in the book.

-Here are 2 new pages from the book- not resolved! I spent some time working with the words and working with line breaks. Still needs more work, but it looks so much better than just chunks of writing. I was also working with breaking up the flow of the book a bit more. With my last iteration, it was too boring how everything was the same and so expected. Lastly, I am asking each person to give me a short statement of how they see themselves today to include in each section on how they overcame their adversity. It is much more powerful coming from the person themselves rather than me making it up.

Time is really ticking and I need to get moving with this book.

-This week I also spent (and wasted) a lot of time trying to figure out audacity (something was wrong with my download). Today Stephanie showed me how to use Garageband, which I was having trouble with because it is so hard to get an mp3 file from it, so after fidgeting with it for a while, I re-downloaded a different version of garageband and taught myself how to use that. I like it SO much better. I edited out some clips from the workshop that I found the strongest. To me, these clips really make the workshop come to life. I also really like the juxtaposition of the images with the girls voices. I want to try to incorporate this in the gallery. Today Stephanie and I were thinking perhaps having 2 laptops- one with my website for people to view, and one having an imovie type of slide show with headphones for people to view/listen to. Lastly, I am curious as to whether or not I should have my voice in the clips or not? Again, I just feel like it allows the workshops to come to life. These sound clips are totally not edited completely, just roughly. I'm not sure how much time I want to spend editing these. I also kind of like their rough nature and being able to hear the girls giggle, etc... They are only from the 5th grade group at King Elementary. My other 2 workshops with the Girl Scout Troops are in March.

Also- check out the website- there are now a bunch of comments! I keep thinking how I would find this website so helpful when I was this age. A lot of the girls are writing the same things, and I hope it is helpful for them to see they are not alone!

web.mac.com/carly9188

What's Next:

-introducing my project to Girl Scout Troop #2 tomorrow

-Meeting with Megan Levad tomorrow to go over writing

-BOOK

-TITLE!

Weekly Blog Post 2/5/10

What I did:

Workshop on Friday with King Elementary (45 minutes)

Worked on Book (6 hours)

Took images for Book (2 hours)

Went back to King Elementary on Thursday to complete workshop (45 minutes)

What I accomplished/encountered/discovered:

Having my first workshop was a really great experience! It was so great to actually work with the girls and hear what they had to say. It pretty much went how it envisioned it to go, which was really lucky. I recorded both sessions (I am currently in the process of editing the clips that are really strong) and I will put those up soon. Each girl spoke about what she was thinking when she took her picture and other girls chimed in. Great conversation arose, and we really focused on what we do to make ourselves feel confident (reading, singing, playing sports, etc..). I also shared part of my story with them as the conversation went on- I felt it was really pertinent during the moment. It was so great how the girls were talking about feelings associated with relational aggression through the objects in the photos and not themselves. This made them feel comfortable to talk about them, and this is what I was hoping for to happen. We also got into the formal elements of the photographs at times, and it was clear that the girls were very excited about composing the photographs, the focus of them, etc. etc...

Some of the sound clips are so strong (what the girls were saying, NOT the quality of the sound- but I knew this would be the case)

- I think I want to somehow juxtapose their voices with their photos for the show.

The girls are also commenting a bit on the website!!

I asked the girls about a title for the activity and all they said was:

Express Yourself

Picture Expressions

Expressing Your Emotions

Peace Love Pictures

I need to listen to the recordings more and see if anything that came up would be title worthy.

In addition, I have been working a lot on my book. I have several spreads, not going to post them all but here are a few:

I got some really helpful criticism this week on the book format and layout and I am going to try a bunch of different things this weekend and week on the book. I am going to try to break up the sentences a bit more to form more breaks, etc... I also need to mix up the layouts and they are all too similar. Additionally, I am going to focus on taking less "staged" photographs. I am going to just take my camera on walks this week and see what I find. There is a lot of work to do on this book, but I am excited about it.

What's Next:

Work on Book and taking images

Edit Recordings for Workshop

Introducing project to second girl scout troop next Friday

Weekly Blog Post 1/29/10

What I Did:

-Worked on book (5 hours)

-Visited Girl Scout Troop #1 to introduce activity (30 minutes)

-Got materials together for workshop with King Elementary 5th grade girls (2 hours)

-Worked on website (2 hours)

-Figured out how to use a Zoom H2 Recorder to record workshop (30 minutes)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

-I worked on a new format for my book. I tried to take different advice from both Chris Pullman and the 3rd Coast Festival directors, Julie Shapiro and Johanna Zorn while thinking about this new design and content. First of all, Chris made me think about creating an introduction for this book, which is what I wrote out. He also got me thinking about giving these people who are reflecting identities (name and age) When meeting with the 3rd Coast Festival directors, they gave me the idea of using these reflections to interact more with the reader and to create characters that the reader would follow throughout the book. I tried to explore this idea- it gets me to connect and interact with the reader more, I believe. I really need to focus on the images that I will include in the book. (The first one was taken from the person who is reflecting, and the second one I took). I want to then show what these women are like today and what they have accomplished, and provide how they overcame their adversity...more to come.

I REALLY enjoyed meeting with Julie Shapiro and Johanna Zorn. They really motivated me and inspired me. I also took a lot of great ideas from them, and I felt that I finally was confident when presenting my project to them.

This week I also visited the first Girl Scout Troop that I will be working with and introduced the project to them. It was so rewarding to see the looks and enthusiasm in these girls faces! They have until February 9th to take the photos and I am not meeting with them again until March 9th to do the workshop. I will be meeting with the 2nd Girl Scout Troop on February 13th. I revamped my handout, which I gave to each girl (the colors look clearer printed out):

The girls were so welcoming and excited, it was great.

Also, my main contact at the Girl Scouts sent my project idea along to a blog writer for annarbor.com, and she is very interested in the project and will be featuring it in an upcoming blog post- this seems interesting...

Tomorrow (Friday) I have my first real workshop with King Elementary School. This will take place during lunch time, and I am trying not to get nervous for it. I have spent some time preparing all my materials and making myself a detailed outline of everything. I am going to see what comes from it, and feel I can't plan what exactly will take place. I am going to record it (thanks to Stephanie's help) (and the teacher said it is fine, as long as I never use names). Perhaps I will be able to use some of the girl's explanations of their photos in my final presentation in the gallery...going to see how this plays out.

I also made little cards that have the website address on them and detailed steps on how to comment.

I am still dealing with the title for this whole thing- the Third Coast Festival directors think that I might be able to pull a title from a conversation that the girls have tomorrow...I am going to see what happens. This could be interesting.

I also now have a component on the website that will allow the girls to continue to send me photos through the website if they want to continue this activity of taking photos of any of the adjectives. This will only allow them to continue the creative process.

web.mac.com/carly9188

I finally feel like everything is starting to fall into place...I am anxious to see how tomorrow goes!

What's next:

-workshop with King

-reviewing the recording

-BOOK and photos for book- I want to create a mock-up of the book (printed) for tuesday

-continue to work on website