1. Journey in the Media Unit:
As time marched on, I discovered something big — more significant than just crafting digital stuff. It’s the power of being there, doing your thing, day in and day out. The power of consistency. This realization hit home when I joined the Media Unit at Living Faith Church, Total Garden. Being consistent in creating digital products for all sorts of church happenings helped me grow big time in content creation, social media vibes, and even a bit of graphic design. The once naïve content writer could finally create digital products worthy of commendation. What can I say helped? Time and consistency.
Thinking back to my first week in the unit, I was no digital wizard. Writing was my comfort zone. A safe place, a hiding place. But, you know what? Curiosity kicked in, and I couldn’t resist diving into the world of graphic design. Maybe the creativity pulled me in or the play with colors and shapes that produced captivating designs. My environment, the Media Unit, encouraged my new-found passion. There was always something to create. A design to invite members and newcomers to church, a design to summarize the service, a design to invite members to concerts or children’s parties etc. Every task I embarked on brought me closer to competence. Fast forward a few months, and I was not just jotting down sentences during sermons; I was diving headfirst into creating cool graphic designs, empowered to create compelling digital products.
Last Sunday was like a highlight reel of how far I’ve come. Two assignments, limited time. But my time management skills, which I’ve been polishing up, kicked in. First, I soaked in the Pastor’s words, capturing those moments that hit deep. After a bit of proofreading, which I did meticulously, I worked my magic with Adobe Photoshop, turning those phrases into eye-catching sermon notes. Posted them on social media with a short caption, and to top it off, a reel on Facebook. Our church activities never looked so vibrant. The likes and comments were testaments.
https://web.facebook.com/reel/367643412612744
For the other service bits, CapCut was my go-to for editing videos, throwing in some tunes, and sharing them online. My digital creations became the life of the party for our church happenings. Nowadays, I use CapCut to create birthday shoutouts for members of my church and to celebrate notable milestones.
2. The 21-Day Writing Challenge:
Ever heard that you can make or break a habit in three weeks? Well, that is what Cmonionline’s 21-day writing challenge was all about. It happened at a time when my phone decided to go on vacation, whether I liked it or not. At the start, I had no clue what I was getting into. Balancing work, writing, and keeping up with online posts was a bit like juggling flaming torches. My writing prowess was taking a hit.
I have had my fair share of disappearing acts — sometimes for a month or a few weeks — usually when life gets a bit too crazy. But this challenge was different. It was a learning rollercoaster, all thanks to the writing community.
In our second meeting, we dug into Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning.” It struck a chord with me. Taking charge of the day in the first 60 minutes — meditating, exercising, jotting down thoughts before the world wakes up. A way of staying consistent as a writer before the crazy day kicks in. It’s become my secret sauce, making me better at tackling the day.
Now, what happens after the 21-day challenge? Can I vanish into thin air forever? That was the ponder as we ended the challenge. Buffer — the secret weapon our convener dropped on us answered my question. It’s a game-changer, linking all my social media, scheduling posts, keeping tabs on engagement. It’s like having a reliable sidekick, making sure I don’t ghost the online world for too long.
I usually say What you don’t know is your older brother.
I was elated and tried my hands on it and within an hour, I made my first post simultaneously to my Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.
On improvement, I would say I am already on my way. Having a faulty phone has helped me realize I could do well without a mobile phone on me at every minute of the day. I would love to cut down more of my social media activity to certain hours of the day and spend my time on productive activities such as getting a certification in creative writing and plot.
In all, I would always thank Cmonionline for his passion for building a writing community not after prize money only but becoming better writers daily. It was three weeks I would not forget in a hurry.
