Content Strategy

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Content Strategy

TITLE

Peace Is An Inside Job

CLIENT

Yoga Behind Bars

ROLE

Content Producer, Interviewer, Writer, Director, Camera Operator, Audio, Edit

Background

I had done “run and gun” advocacy work before so I thought a quick pro bono project would be easy and effective. I reached out to Yoga Behind Bars to do an outreach video because I was interested in their work. Little did I how much effort this one project would take.

Background

I had done “run and gun” advocacy work before so I thought a quick pro bono project would be easy and effective. I reached out to Yoga Behind Bars to do an outreach video because I was interested in their work. Little did I how much effort this one project would take.

Summary

I saw a flyer on a bulletin board after a yoga class for Yoga Behind Bars. I approached them to do a outreach and fundraising campaign. I knew little about equity work but knew I wanted to learn more through this organization.

Challenge

To get approval from the Washington State Department of Corrections to allow me into Clallam Bay Correctional center to film and interview a yoga and meditation teacher serving a life sentence to make a fund raising video.

Methods

Enthnographic inquiry, Literature review, Subject matter expert interviews, storyboarding

Outcomes

Results

I turned the few hours with Greg into four edits and an image library for YBB. Images were used for the YBB Annual Report, printed materials and website. The four videos were:

It’s in our Core
It’s the Path of Yoga
It’s Called a Practice
It’s Within Us All

The outreach campaign I designed helped Yoga Behind Bars significantly expand its individual giving efforts and assisted in Yoga Behind Bars being nationally recognized as a leader in Trauma Informed Yoga Training.

IMPACT

LEssons

Improvisation and humility. Constraints are good to foster creative solutions, but I was unable to shoot the way I had planned. I was humbled by how much I fumbled trying to get the shot. I tried too hard rather than just connect with Greg and have him guide the shots by the conversation. The series lacked the intimacy and directness of the experience. So next time I’ll let my preconceived ideas take a seat and go with the flow. I’d ask more about Greg’s lived experience and what people on the outside should know about life on the inside. I’d ask him about more about growth, dignity, and being human.

OUtcomes

At the same while this project fell short of my hopes, it still showed promise which lead to paid work with a fundraising campaign called “Skin in the Game”.

REFLECTION

This project clarified that I’d like to make bigger impacts with human centered design. I want to explore big questions like: How might we design for human dignity, and growth?

One risks something by leaving a comfort zone. To me this is where the good work starts. When I’m a little scared and out of my depth, I tend to be more open, curious, and listen better.