Documentary Reflection

    I chose my topic because mental health is something I am very passionate about. I knew I would enjoy writing, discussing, and creating on the topic of mental health. The process of creating the documentary itself did not come naturally. I knew what I wanted to say and the things I wanted to discuss, but the visual aspect was difficult for me. I had never done a project like this before so I had no idea where to start. I can write essays all day long but I am not the best creatively. I struggled with what imagery to use, but even when I had ideas, I didn’t know how to implement them due to my lack of video editing skills. Writing the storyboard came easily to me because writing is something I did a ton in high school. I have formed successful writing habits. I know exactly where to start and it is much easier for me to dive right into a paper than it is for me to do something creative like this. As you could probably tell, my documentary was not particularly creative or technically sound, but I think I did a good job getting my message across. Doing research was also extremely easy due to mental health being a heavily discussed and researched topic, and I knew exactly what questions I wanted to look up. I had a clear direction of what I wanted to say, and the message I wanted the words to portray.

    I learned a lot from doing this project. After researching statistics on college students' mental health, I realized how many people my age truly struggle with their mental health. I learned how much bigger of an issue it is than I originally thought. I knew that not many people my age seek mental health help, but didn’t realize how low the number was. I was shocked by how few resources college campuses across the country have when it comes to mental health. I think it is ridiculous universities spend so many resources on sports, and other areas, and not on mental health. Every university claims to care about their student’s well-being, but do their actions show it?

    I chose this topic because I know a lot of people around me, along with myself, have struggled with mental health. I wanted to work with a topic that meant something and could possibly help someone. Seeing the jaw-dropping statistics on mental health in my age group changed how judgmental I can be, and made me much more forgiving and understanding. It also helped me come to terms with the fact that some days are not gonna be great. Some days I am gonna feel down for no reason at all, but that’s ok. I always knew it was ok to ask for help, but I never do. I hate asking people for help. But this project helped me get out of that. It helped me realize that people around me want to help me. Whether it's with something small like math homework, or something big like a breakup or loss.