My Drift One Assessment

Q: Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)

A: One situation that was very aggravating during my first drift was the amount of wind there was in my drift area. The microphones picked up the wind and it was difficult to edit this out in the editing stages of this project. Another situation that was difficult during drift one was trying to capture a specific sound with not too much background noise. I recorded in a public space and there were always people talking or other things happening during my sound recording. I just had to accept this and record to the best of my ability.

Q: Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.

A: One situation where I felt unusually peaceful was when I was recording a cricket sound. I had gone under a large tree to get this sound at its best and felt a sense of calmness. I recorded for a prolonged amount of time and felt that this may have been my best sound recorded. Another peaceful moment was when I was recording the waterfall sound. I think that many people find the sound of water calming and that is what it did for me. I know that waterfalls are somewhat generic sounds, but this one stood out to me and I enjoyed it.

Q: Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)

A: One unexpected situation that I had during drift one dealt with a wedding. I had gone to a landscape arboretum expecting to capture only nature sounds, but when I got there I found that there were multiple weddings there that day. I got to record some of the sounds of the weddings being set up. This was unexpected, but it led to some good sounds that I recorded. Another unexpected situation was the recording of the geese sounds. I had almost finished capturing all of my sounds, when I came across a large field full of geese. I had to record these sounds, and they came out okay despite the loud wind sounds in the background. One more unanticipated situation during my drift one was the time and patience it took to accomplish this drift. I really had to spend time not only recording the sounds, but also really looking for good sounds to record. It requires a high level of patience to find the perfect sounds for this project.

Q: Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.

A: My favorite experience from drift one was when I recorded the sound of geese in a field. It was a much unexpected moment as I was almost finished recording and came across this large field full of geese. I placed the microphone very close to the geese and just let it record the natural sounds of the birds. My family was with me and we watched the geese as they flew away and made loud noises. Although it was not my best quality recording, the moment was exciting and was a good end to my day of recording.