What I learned from making 365 videos

by Steph

Here is a 5 minute version of my 365 videos :)

​What?
A year ago I bought a new iPhone and challenged myself to make one short video each day. It didn’t matter what it was about, it just had to be shot on my iPhone 6 and edited all in one day. As the year progressed, I allowed myself to miss some days but I continued to keep up with the challenge. 

Why?
I have loved video production ever since I took a TV Production class in high school. My parents saw the passion and potential I had and invested in equipment for me. Since that time I have done freelance production, worked for numerous organizations, and earned a BA in TV Production in college. It has always been a big part of my life. In the last couple years I found myself not getting the joy I once did. Production started to just be a job and brought stress and pressure.

My hope for this challenge was to get back to my roots. Years ago, I started by recording and documenting the world around me. I wanted to allow myself to make a fun video (that I would not have to show anyone) and didn’t have to be a big production. 

​Results?
I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this. I thought it would be too much pressure. As time went on I told a few family members and would sometimes ask what they thought I should make a video about. My nephews were always a big help too! I started having fun with the challenge and would feel my day was not complete until I made a video. Even if I was tired and couldn’t think of something, I always ended up with some type of video.

In the end, I have 280 videos (I missed 85 days but I’m ok with that). All together 3 hours and 50 minutes worth of chunks of my life, for a year. From the gender announcement and birth of my niece, to my cat passing away and all the emotions in-between. On day 140, everything changed. I didn’t know it at the time and I’m just starting to understand now. 

My mom and I re-screened my porch and found it to be really easy. Mom jokingly said we should make a how-to video about it. I laughingly said no and we continued our project. The next day I thought about it some more and realized it might be a good idea to make a video. I thought, "people might not realize how easy this project is and it might give them the confidence to try it themselves." With my niece on the way, it would also be cool to show her our projects one day. We decided to make our first how-to video, and since it was my video for that day, I worked hard to get it edited that night. From that one video upload, MotherDaughterProjects was born. We had already been doing projects together for years, so now I would record them (since I needed to make a video everyday) and we started to share them. 

Take Away?
A year later, a lot has happened. I can see that through my videos. Most profoundly, MotherDaughterProjects happened. It was never planned, but it seems like it was always meant to be.

Reflecting on my year, I think this video challenge allowed me to fall in love with video again and gave me the confidence to start MDP. As I look back I am reminded of how important my family is to me and how quickly my nephews and niece grow up. I am blessed to be able to live close by and see them anytime I want!

Now What?
The year long challenge is over and I feel proud that I stayed with it. It has given me the drive and excitement to make more MDP videos and grow our blog.