For my project, I decided to remix the poem “Sky and Tree and Hill and All” by Annette Wynne. I remixed this poem by keeping a similar style to the original but changing the words to represent a feeling of “smallness.” I also added a background photo that goes along with the poem. I took a photo of a leaf in my hand and uploaded it to Photoshop where I turned the photo into a hard graphic. I thought that the hard graphic photo would keep my idea simple and be read as “small” because of this simplicity. The remixed poem is written in bold orange text. I wanted the poem to stand out from the background but also fit with the context of the background. The bold orange makes the text stand out and the color makes the text fit with the idea of leaves and “fall.” I wanted “fall” to be an idea present in my remix because I wanted to explore the concept of patience; having patience that a leaf will fall down to you rather than feeling the need to pluck a leaf. I knew that I wanted the background photo to be of holding a leaf on the ground because I wanted to contrast the original poem. The goal of my project is to explore the process of “growing up.”
I had some difficulty with figuring out what I wanted to critique from the original poem. I enjoy the original as-is; it is a lovely children’s poem about growing up. However, as I read the poem over and over again, I felt that I had not lived up to its expectations; even though I am technically an adult, I still feel like a child, I still feel like what I want is “too big” or out of my reach. The only way I could explain this feeling is with the word “small.” So, I decided to change the words of the poem. My remixed poem is centered around the idea of “smallness” and eternal patience. I wanted to showcase that there is no rush to “grow up;” instead of waiting to get older to do something, wait so that you can do that thing. Getting older does not mean automatically gaining new abilities, gaining abilities comes with practice and patience. Merely waiting to “grow up” does not imply knowledge gained automatically, that comes from learning and learning comes with time. I wanted to add this sort of critique because I knew that if part of me felt awkward reading the original, other people would have similar experiences as well. Growing up is different for everyone and thus cannot be shoved into a single poem.
My project is a remix and it is quite easy to tell what the original poem was. I kept the same style that the original had but changed the words to fit a different experience. My remix shows identity which in turn shows originality. Remixing and identity is a way to express originality. That is, remixing an existing work to fit with a different identity that is not expressed in the original. This adds a fresh take and alternative perspective to the original. It could alter a viewer’s relatability to the work and thus alter their appreciation for it. In my project, I made sure to credit the original work by making a note of it. My remix took inspiration from the original in terms of style and general content. The general content is about growing up; however, my remix is more specific to my own feelings and experiences on the topic. This aspect of identity makes the remix seem more unique and further separates it from the original.
Remix can serve as a form of critique by presenting new ideas or perspectives on a topic. Just like critique, a remix is not about passing judgment on something, it is about adding information. This information can be added through the use of the creator’s identity in their work which makes the remix feel more “real” or personal. The viewers are also able to interact with the work, and most likely they would feel more open to interaction if that work is a remix; seeing someone else interact with an original work could inspire others to do the same. These interactions continue to add to the work; there are more and more perspectives and ideas on the topic as more people interact with it. Remix and critique can be molded to fit any scenario; this allows for the original narrative to be changed. It is important that original works constantly get remixed because as time moves on, we learn more about the world and something that seemed fine before could end up feeling awkward or problematic. The remix serves as a critique and shows alternate perspectives that add a new dimension to the original. Critique is about knowledge and new perspectives or approaches contribute to knowledge because it makes way for new opportunities of change to be more clearly visible.
Overall, I am relatively satisfied with how this project turned out. I feel that my idea and perspective on growing up was conveyed for the most part. However, I feel that the specifics of my idea were not conveyed entirely in the remix itself; I think that the commentary provides more information that makes my idea for the project stand out more clearly. If I had more time, I would try to find a way to make my ideas seem more explicit in the remix itself. I usually have a difficult time trying to express my ideas clearly because my ideas make sense in my head but they do not always get expressed the same way I imagine them. This is a problem that I am currently working on and know that I will get better at expressing my ideas in the future as I keep practicing. I plan to apply the ideas of remix and critique to other projects in the future. Remix and critique adds another dimension to an existing work that is extremely beneficial no matter the context.