Thursday, March 7, 2013

pecha kucha #2

Well, Pecha Kucha was Tuesday night, and I have to say, it was a fun and exciting experience once again! There were eight presenters in all (seven visual artists and one author) speaking in front of the crowded theater at Frontier Cafe in Brunswick. I was up second, which I was relieved about...I didn't have to go first (which seems to me like a tough slot), and I got to get my presentation out of the way so I could relax and enjoy the others.

I did Pecha Kucha once before, back in August 2010, so I knew what I was getting into. Having this previous experience made preparing a bit easier. Of course, I still had to choose twenty pieces to talk about, make sure I had good photos of those pieces, and figure out what I wanted to say about each one, so it's not like it was a walk in the park or anything. Plus, I was still really nervous. Speaking in front of a large group isn't exactly comfortable or easy for me. I prepared the best way I knew how: I wrote (and timed) my entire presentation, and then I practiced, practiced, practiced. Twenty seconds may not seem like a long time, but it can be painfully long if you have nothing to say, or ridiculously short if you have too much to say. Throw in a room full of people staring at you, and you've got the makings of a nightmare on your hands.

Thankfully, my six minutes and forty seconds went smoothly. I managed not to talk too fast or too slow or stumble over my words. No one I spoke to afterwards seemed to realize that I was nervous while I was up there, which is a good thing! I got some wonderful feedback, including several kind compliments from a woman who I'd never met before.  She came to talk to me during the halftime break, and she said the funniest thing: "I thought artists had to be tortured!"


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