I was invited at Mohammad Ali Jinnah University for guest speaking for one of their courses involving Computer Graphics & Animation.
It is a privilege to begin with to be invited to speak at universities. Pakistan, although known for a lot of wrong reasons around the world, is an untapped territory as far as technology is concerned. There is a lot of talent here. Talent that needs guidance and experience. Knowledge that needs to be transferred. And this was me trying to do just that. (Nope, not trying to come across noble).
Standing up and presenting is definitely not the easiest things on earth. I have always felt scared of it and I cannot tell you how many times I have successfully dodged this bullet. Convincing myself that I don’t ever need to face this terrifying situation, that I can code forever with my headphones on remaining oblivious to the rest of the world. No more.
This is something that has been in my mind for quite some time. That eventually I will have to do this, and express myself like this. That I will have to bite this bullet. Feels like natural progression to me anyway. So how did it go?
Nervous Start
As one would expect. I cannot tell you how nervous I was. Shaking like a leaf. Do you guys ever get that tingly feeling on your spine, or as if your structure is shaking from the inside?
My body was begging me to just run away. Part of me was just hoping that someone would come and tell me this session is not happening today.
Time Flies
But as it turns out, it felt easy as the time went by. And I think the major reason behind it was that the stuff I was presenting was something that I enjoy myself, something I feel strongly about.
I love animations. The EaseIns and EaseOuts (and EaseInOuts). I can look at “movements” whole day. I think this is the key.
Felt Like I Could Go On
And in no time, 45 minutes just flew past. Yes, 45 minutes it was. But by the end of it, I felt like I could’ve easily spent another 15-20 minutes staying on the last ‘Find Passion‘ slide. This slide is the crux of my whole thing anyway.
Passion is something that cannot be ignited from the outside. It has to be natural. It has to come from within (inception anyone? ;)). But I also believe exploration & experimentations help. That was the message.
Need Feedback Though
I can use some feedback. From students who attended. What mistakes I made and what are my areas of improvement? Was I too loud or too low? Did you get the whole thing? Overloaded or meh?
And I need feedback from industry experts too. How do you find my slides, bit too much to digest? too little? Did I miss anything important? Any tips?
I really need feedback.
Credits
I linked to a few examples from people I admire from around the world. Plus, to actually get students started, there are many options presented to them that I grew fond of over the years. I hope I didn’t offend anyone by linking to their work (or by not linking) as my sole intention is for the students to get inspired.
Slides can be found here. Hopefully more of those to come.
Tahir.
Moving Pixels 