So... here we are. The end of the first full semester affected by COVID-19. There were plenty of high points, and plenty of low points, but we've managed to make it this far. That alone should be celebrated.
But, how did Sadler's Selections do this semester? Today, I'll be taking some time to express and reflect on my accomplishments and challenges from this semester, and see if I can plan anything for next semester. There's gonna be quite a bit of text ahead, so grab some snacks and get comfortable.
Starting with the positives, there were a couple of very high points this semester, one of my most cherished episodes being the developer interview with Cyreides, lead developer of Zera: Myths Awaken. I loved talking with him, and he seemed to love being on the show. Not only that, but the interview itself was the first developer interview done on WOCR (at least, to my knowledge), so that definitely raised my spirits. Another positive was that we got to experiment with new formats for the show. Between more video-centric elements and making the show more malleable in regards to segments, I feel that the show has been very adaptive to the rapidly changing conditions that we currently live in.
Now, for the negatives. It may not have been apparent while the show was playing, but there were definitely some low points this semester. One of those low points was the aforementioned changes in format. I know I said that we were able to experiment with new things, but at the same time, each attempt I made seemed to be riddled with problems. In one episode, the audio quality was bad, only it for to be improved and for the video quality to drop in the next episode. It was a massive rollercoaster of trying to get everything to work all at once, and it felt like I was juggling knives the entire time. Another negative was not on the show itself, but something on a more personal level, that being a low level of self-esteem. Now, I get it, COVID-19 has affected us all mentally in one way or another. But this was something I felt that was not affected by COVID at all. I always felt like my show wasn't good enough, didn't live up to my own standards, or that nobody was interested. I felt like I was getting nowhere by doing the show in the first place, and the fact that everything just seemed to be going wrong whenever I tried something new seemed to make that fact more and more painfully apparent. This semester, while having its definite high points, mentally brought me to my knees. Some days I was proud of what I had created, while on every other day I questioned if anything I did was worth anything. It truly was a strange semester.
As for what I plan on doing next semester... This is where things get a little messy. I honestly don't know. I'm unsure if I'll change things up or if things will remain the same as they've always been. I suppose only time will tell if the show will remain the same, or if something will have to change. I'll keep you all posted.
Well, after that long wall of text, that's all I've got. This semester has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and I couldn't have done it without all of you listeners out there. So, until we meet again, try to stay positive my friends.