OC art professor creates video series on inspiration and it’s not just for artists

Marie Weichman found inspiration hiking a catwalk trail high above a Spanish canyon, visiting the Alhambra and swimming with sharks in the Maldives. Weichman, an Olympic College art professor, returned from sabbatical this fall with a souvenir to share: a video blog series on finding inspiration and it’s not just for artists.

Among those she interviewed: a master potter in Greece, an L.A.-based special effects designer, and a former NASA scientist whose company trains people of all disciplines for careers in the space industry (haute cuisine, anyone?).

“The goal was, inspiration isn’t just for artists,” Weichman said. “It’s for absolutely everyone who wants to succeed in life no matter what they’re doing.”

“My teaching has permanently changed”

Weichman’s sabbatical also served as a crash course in video production. Like educators everywhere, she and her colleagues were thrown into the technological deep end when COVID closed classrooms and learning went online. Weichman’s no digital dummy. She got the basics of making instructional videos for her students, but the results were less than stellar.

She knew she had to do better, because digitally-enhanced instruction is here to stay.

“My teaching has permanently changed,” she said. “It’s just not the same world. And it wasn’t going to be anyway, but the pandemic fast-forwarded all of this, and so now, I have web-enhanced on-ground classes.”

Now she can produce a short demo video for students to view on their own, giving them more time to practice hands-on skills in the studio.

Technology boot camp

Weichman’s video series “A Road to Inspiration” explores themes like risk-taking, collaboration and past experiences. But first, she needed the right tools and techniques. “Exploring Technology” was her second vlog of three published so far, with more to come by the end of 2022. 

Weichman’s “tech guru” is her nephew Wren Weichman, a digital director at Corridor Digital in Los Angeles. The studio produces short-form videos and web series heavy on special effects. Its second channel Corridor Crew offers behind-the-scenes content including the popular VFX Artist Reveals, hosted by Wren.

Wren is the perfect example of a calculated risk-taker, Weichman said. “Of all the people I’ve known in my life, he is one of the most skilled at self-initiating a project for which he should have no reason to expect a successful outcome, and yet that’s what he gets.”

Even with a professional at her back, Weichman’s had her share of “freakout” moments. Like when she interviewed the master potter… with the video recording set to “time-lapse.” Ugh!

Making “lemonade out of lemons,” she used still clips and B-roll layered over the audio interview. Whew! Problem solved.

Change-makers and world travelers

Weichman got to interview Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya, founder and CEO of AstroHub. The company introduces “astropreneurship,” to workers — from welders, to cooks to designers — so they, too, can reap rewards from the emerging global space economy.

She also interviewed award-winning Pakistani artist and educator Anila Agha, whose installation “Intersections” was inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The 9th Century castle fortress reconstructed in later centuries by the Muslim dynasty in Spain, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Weichman traveled with husband Mark Crickmore, a Kirkland fire lieutenant, to experience the Alhambra and gather B-roll. While in Spain, they hiked El Caminito del Rey, formerly one of the world’s most dangerous hikes. Now, with its catwalks restored, it’s just one of the scariest.

The couple stopped over in Dubai to film open-air markets. In the Maldives, they snorkeled with black-tipped sharks that were only a couple of feet long but appear large and ferocious thanks to an underwater, 360-degree camera. Video magic!

Weichman hopes her video series encourages students to seek inspiration for pursuing their passions and achieving their goals. “When you pull back and look at the overall message, it’s about success,” she said.

Blog post by Christina Henry