The portfolio site is here! The new Editing Luke is a .com! I feel like I've written enough about why I created this, the time it took, and what this new site means. Let me just say that my first goal for 2010 is now complete.
1. Click on over to explore Editing Luke: The Portfolio for yourself.
2. Visit my sneak peek for a brief overview of the sites features.
3. Be sure to check out the Archive section for interactive highlights (some never seen before).
4. Leave a comment here or in the comments section of my new portfolio site to let me know what you think (the new comments section on editingluke.com could really use some love).
Thanks for checking out the new venue!
With the finishing details in place and the domain simply being finalized, I thought it would be nice to give a sneak peek right before I officially launch my new portfolio site. Months have been spent designing and re-designing, fixing layouts, and changing themes - much like this blog, I'm not sure the renovation will ever be complete. I certainly have more than enough room to grow now anyway.
My goal with this new site was originally to make it sleek and simple - this eventually evolved into an eclectic concept, a digital scrapbook, not just another site, but a destination to reflect my personality and style. What I've just began to achieve with my new portfolio is an interactivity and flexibility that I think welcomes viewer interaction, feedback, and the ability to discover my work on individual terms. I've tried to make things as clear, fun, and fresh as possible, and setting out on this new chapter I can't wait to see how things go from here.
When visiting my new site you'll first land on the home page:
From here you can access this blog (while seeing what the latest posts are first through the rotating live feed) you can also click over to my portfolio, archive, and bio. When entering my portfolio you can select from 4 genres that I've broken my work down into and scroll the posters to see what you'd like to watch and read about.
In my archive you can scroll through pages of newspaper clippings, photos, links, and videos that highlight moments of my journey so far. All the images and notes can be enlarged and uncovered simply by clicking on them.
Through my bio I've outlined my brief experience thus far over a few pages, and provided more info about my new outlook.
All this is just the beginning. A timeline, virtual theatre, and comments section have also been created to inspire some interaction. There's a lot to explore with the new Editing Luke Portfolio, and a lot of content that will continually revolve and update. Check back within the next couple days, the new site may be posted, linked, and launched as soon as tomorrow . . .
For as arbitrary as the date rolling over really is, I think we can't help but box things up, categorize, reminisce, and measure what made this time meaningful and significant. I remember the end of the nineties, if only because of how overblown Y2K was, but this is the first decade that I can actually say was experienced on my own merit. In many ways, if I were writing a story about my life the 00's would be an introduction, proof of my ambitions, but largely about finding meaning in what I wanted to do and who I was/am now.
In 2000 I was in high school, soon to be 16, and I generally felt like life was sh*t. It didn't help that all my spare time was eaten up by a job I hated and that my social life seemed to be in a continual flux - I just wanted to be independent already. My video work didn't branch too far out of the classroom these days, but I felt like I was on the cusp of big things as digital video cameras appeared (I ended up getting my D8 that summer) and home editing software became readily available.
In 2002 I graduated, the planning for university was over in a flash, and soon I was in film school in Saskatchewan of all places. I thought I was awesome - and maybe I kind of was, haha, but in comparison I really didn't know where I was going. It's still amazing to me how aging makes you see that, even when at the time you thought you were really sharp. The uni route seemed like the only real option and so I went with the flow (out of province albeit) to have some 'real' experiences.
Somewhere between film theory and Keys I pinpointed my love for post-production and knew that editing was worth pursuing. In many ways, it felt relieving, less cliche, to say that I wanted to be an editor over a director or an actor - though technically, I'd still be doing all of those.
Between '05-'07 I hit my stride with my first film festivals and contests, some becoming quite notable achievements for me, and soon began shifting more of my attention to self promotion and making myself known online. I had a simple Windows/MSN blog first in 2005, very casual, followed by a YouTube channel in 2006, and later the debut of this, Editing Luke in 2007 (which was really the push that changed things).
By late 2007 however, I was lost. University didn't make sense to me anymore, I was spending money I didn't have, and I battled with the feeling that my efforts were all for nothing. Debt, stress, and a fear of finding meaningful employment took its toll emotionally. Leaving school and heading back home in 2008 was both the lowest point of my decade, but without question also put me back on track.
Relief came quickly with my first post-uni job. Working with Stream Media became a huge ego boost as I was paid to edit and shoot corporate promotional videos (everything from commercials, highlight reels, and instructional materials). I slowly began repaying my loans, found new motivation in several festivals and contests, and for the first time in years had some money in the bank.
With the economy suffering, 2009 had a rocky start, but I found more permanent work with a website that took interest in my video work. A copywriting position evolved into photography and editing content for them, with Stream Media still sending me projects as they came up. I even had some freelance work coming through.
It hasn't simply been a shift in my mindset or goals that's brought this decade to such an optimistic conclusion, but instead, it's the feeling that the hard work is starting to pay dividends. I'm in a position to take bigger, more calculated risks now, and I'm not sure I'd be nearly as confident were it not for the personal wrestling and failures that I had to confront as my university career evolved and ultimately collapsed. I can now see how university just wasn't for me, despite the years I invested there, it was, however, that cocoon that actually made me search out my personal ambitions, submit my work abroad, and shake my apathy to find opportunities that suited my motivations.
If anything I can say I don't regret going to uni because it would've been a bigger regret to miss out on some of those experiences, the lifestyle, and the time I needed to grow up - I only regret staying too long.
As this decade comes to a close I'm left with a sense of gratitude and relief for what's now behind me and simply chalked up to my personal experience. The road ahead seems just as risky and even more trying, but in 10 years I've learned a lot about myself, and perhaps most importantly, how to make myself happy. I think some people spend a lifetime trying to figure that one out.
Yes, things are changing pretty fast these days, but it feels like I'm finally riding the wave instead of drowning in it. Show me what you've got 2010!
