Changement

Convergence is not simple. You’ve to deal with a lot of variable and make things fit together. It’s like reorganizing an old computer, you’ve to change the organic structure of the cables, memory cards and chips before a complete reboot. It can be painful, time consuming and you can end up with a big mess instead of something good. But ultimately, it worth it.
The last couple of month I had to make things converge in my professional life. I had to add up three different activities and rethink how I wanted to practice them.

The last couple of month I had to make things converge in my professional life. I had to sum up three different activities and rethink how I wanted to practice them. My love for photography is still strong, and the last trip to New York reminded me that I’ll always be a photojournalist. I went to NY for “business”, trying to catch peoples who might be interested in my transmedia documentary project, professionals in the transmedia community who would be willing to share feed-backs, advises or more than that. I ended up covering the #occupywallstreet movement with my friend and partner Jean Nicholas Guillo. I must confess that I was like a kid playing with the toys I love. News is something really captivating, and once you’ve got the virus, it seems it’ll be in your bloodstream forever.

The two other activities – or field of work – I’m interested in, are transmedia storytelling and interactive documentary (i-docs). Catching up with these two was a really a challenge when I started to look at it more than 2 years ago. Coming from the editorial field, having no “official” background in what seems to be the preeminent art in these domains  (documentary), I had to learn a lot… but at the end of day, again, it was worth it. I litteraly discovered a new frontier, a new space where I could use my knowledge in photography and journalism to create more compelling work.

It was also a revelation to me. I always felt like a patchwork. As a child and later, as a teenager, I was creating games, inventing stuffs, designing shoes or making short films. As a student, I was more interested in art than in law, working in a local radio time to time, writing novels and taking photos. I’ve never been interested in one field or in one medium and was really tempted to pursue all this different careers at the same time. I was told it was humanly impossible of course.

Well, it seems that transmedia storytelling and interactive documentaries are the answers to my multitasking “problem”.
So here’s how I’ve reorganized the way I will work from now on.

Bulb becomes the central blog of my two activities which are Photography (including photojournalism & corporate photography) and Behavioral storytelling (I’ll write more about that, but basically it’s transmedia storytelling and Interactive documentaries) . These two poles are respectively on two different platforms (www.gholubowicz.com & www.o2creation.org) but share the same identity.

I’ve launched a new website – still to be completed – which is the online presence of “Chewbahat, storytelling lab” a company I’ve created with Jean Nicholas. I will communicate more about this new adventure later, but in one word, it’s all about fun, creativity and storytelling.

As you can see, change takes time and a lot of thinking. It took me more than I thought to rewire my brain and accept these new challenges. But I think I’m now ready to go full throttle ahead.

Cheers

Repenser une pratique, regrouper les competences, les centres d’interet, ce n’est jamais simple. Il faut faire en sorte de marier differentes variables pour produire un ensemble coherent et eviter la cacophonie. C’est comme reorganiser l’ensemble du cablage d’un ordinateur. Ca prends du temps et de l’energie, mais au bout du compte, ca vaut la peine de s’y pencher. Ces derniers mois, j’ai du faire converger un certain nombre de choses dans ma vie pro. J’ai du additioner des activitees assez differentes et repenser completement la facon dont je les pratiquais.

Mon amour pour la photo est encore fort, et mon dernier passage a New York m’a rappelle qu’au fond je serai toujours photojournaliste. Je suis alle a New York pour business, pour rencontrer des partenaires potentiels qui seraient interesses par mon project de documentaire transmedia. J’y suis alle egalement pour voir et revoir les professionels de la communaute transmedia avec laquelle je suis en contact depuis maintenant pres de deux ans, avoir quelques retours qualitatifs, quelques analyses de ce projet. J’ai fini par couvrir le mouvement #occupywallstreet qui en etait encore a ses debuts, avec mon ami et partenaire  Jean Nicholas Guillo. Je dois avouer que me retrouver a NY, c’etait un peu comme etre dans un magasin de jouets. Le news est vraiment quelque chose de captivant, d’exitant, et une fois qu’on en a le virus, il est impossible de s’en defaire.

Les autres activitees dans lesquelles j’ai decide de m’investir sont la narration transmedia et le documentaire interactif  (i-docs). C’etait un veritable challenge il y a deux ans de se pencher sur ces nouvelles formes narratives et racrocher les wagons. En plongeant dans toutes les publications trouvables sur le net traitant du sujet – des livres aux blogs en passant par les heures et les heures de video – j’ai decouvert un nouvel univers aux possibilitees illimitees, ou  mon experience de journaliste va, je pense, trouver une place de choix.

It was also a revelation to me. I always felt like a patchwork. As a child and later, as a teenager, I was creating games, inventing stuffs, designing shoes or making short films. As a student, I was more interested in art than in law, working in a local radio time to time, writing novels and taking photos. I’ve never been interested in one field or in one medium and was really tempted to pursue all this different careers at the same time. I was told it was humanly impossible of course.

Il apparait donc que la narration transmedia et le documentaire interactif repondent parfaitement a mon probleme de choix que j’evoquais ici. Du coup j’ai du reorganiser pas mal de choses.
Bulb deviens le blog convergent de mes deux activitees que sont la Photographie (photojournalisme et photo corporate) et les nouvelles formes de narration (transmedia et documentaires interactifs) . Ces deux poles se retrouvent respectivement sur ces deux plateformes (www.gholubowicz.com & www.o2creation.org) mais partagent la meme identitee.

J’ai egalement lance un nouveau site – qui doit etre encore largement complete – qui sera la presence online de “Chewbahat, storytelling lab” une structure que nous avons cree  Jean Nicholas et moi. J’en parlerai plus amplement dans un autre post, mais cette aventure tourne grosso modo autour de valeurs funs, de l’envie de creer et de raconter des histoires.

Comme vous pouvez le voir, le changement prends du temps et beuacoup d’energie. Cette reflexion a pris certainement plus de temps que je n’aurai pense, plus d’energie pour accepter de changer tant de choses, mais je pense etre pret maintenant a aller de nouveau plein pot en avant.

Cheers