A Summary of 2 Years of Feelings

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June 1, 2013 by Zarba Productions

A HUGE part of my life is coming to an end!!! I will graduate from Seattle Central Creative Academy in 15 days. It’s very surreal… 

As part of our “final” (so to speak), my classmates and I compete for 2 scholarships. For the more recent one, we were to submit our work along with an essay describing a little bit of our journey and why we think we should win. I thought I would post the essay here because I think it sums up a lot of how I’m feeling coming out of this program. It’s been a lot of growth and a lot of (sometimes painful) discovery about myself. But I’m coming out of this program alive. So that’s a plus. Anyway, here it is: 

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Anne Marie Zarba: Personal Statement

Seattle Central Creative Academy has been a whirlwind for me. I am the kind of person that moves openly through life, waiting for something to keep me somewhere.  When my husband and I moved to Seattle 3 years ago, I found out about this really great photo program and applied. I was put on the Seattle Central Commercial Photography waiting list. After a years worth of waiting, they informed me that I was not guaranteed a place in the program yet. My patience was thin by that point and I suggested to my husband that it wasn’t the right time or place for us and that we should move on to a new town. Many long discussions later, we had made the decision to move to San Diego. As I was dialing our landlord’s phone number to give notice that we were leaving, I got a call. It was Seattle Central Creative Academy. There was a spot available and if I could make it to the school by the end of the day to fill out paperwork, I was in. And just like that, within one single day my entire life changed.

I believe that timing is everything. I believe that I am meant to be right where I am at this point in my life. And this path to discovering myself has been a crazy (sometimes terrifying), yet beautiful one. I went through a lot of phases in this program. I’ve spent the last 2 years trying to figure out what kind of photographer I am. Finally, within the last couple of quarters at SCCA I have discovered that I am meant for video.

In this program, we are exposed to video a tiny bit but they are still a bit skeptical to dive right into it. After hearing countless amounts of industry professionals urge my class to learn to shoot video because “that’s where the market is heading”, I decided to focus my time and energy there. I attended film school in Los Angeles a couple of years ago, thinking I wanted to be an actor. In film school, they taught us the very basics of filmmaking, plot development and editing. It’s no wonder I came full circle and found myself back where I started. But this time in different shoes and with a new set of eyes. A photographer’s eyes. I feel like it is a natural transition; moving from still photography to motion. It’s a whole separate beast, sure. But the fundamentals of story telling and capturing something special are all the same.

In order to tell you how I will use my skills and education to give back to the photographic community, I should first tell you a few key traits that I have learned about myself in my time at Seattle Central.

 I have learned that I am a good team player. A lot of times, photography is about a single person completing a shot. Along my path to shoot video, I have discovered that I’m not only good at working in one, but I thrive in a team. Creating video is all about teamwork. I have also learned to trust my gut. I think when I started this photography program I was under the impression that everyone around me knew more than me about everything. It took a lot of failing and self-doubt before I could find who I really wanted to be. And I’m still figuring it out. But what I have figured out is that art can only exist when the one creating it actually cares about it. Creativity needs some kind of selfishness to be impactful. I have learned that I am excellent under pressure. When I have a hard deadline approaching, I will focus all of my energy into a completed piece that I am proud of. I have learned that it’s okay to come out of this program still wanting to learn. There was a time where I was sure that if I didn’t come out of SCCA with a full-blown career that I was a definite failure. This meant me jumping into a brand new business endeavor before I was ready. Then, with the help of my husband’s sensible mind, I realized that a self-owned business is not something to just dive right into without the proper amount of preparation. And part of this self-discovery is knowing that that’s ok.

If I were to win this scholarship, I can honestly say that I would give back to this community. I want to tell people’s stories through my work. I want to be heard through my work. I want to make an impact. I had the pleasure of working with a nonprofit organization in Seattle. Together we created 3 promotional videos for them. Because of the wonderful experience I had, I plan to work with more nonprofit organizations who need help with promotion. I also want to create documentaries about interesting people and what they do for our world. I believe in the impact one individual can have over another.

 I still have a lot to learn when it comes to filmmaking and I plan to further my education forever. This is an ever-evolving world and to stop learning from it is sure to be detrimental. I have learned a great deal in the last two years. This program has taught me how to make something on screen technically and aesthetically pleasing. This process has taught me who I am as a budding professional in this industry. I know that I am hard working and I know that I have a lot to offer. I also know that I have a lot to learn and I am eager to do so. This scholarship would be a catalyst for that.  Thank you for taking the time to review my work. I hope you enjoy.

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I will be posting my final video that I put together in a couple of days when it’s ready to be public. Thanks for readin’ ❤