Immersive Engagement Midterm Report
The Hero’s Journey is a project dedicated to encouraging new-coming students to engage with the virtual world that represents Peninsula College. As Digital Storytellers, our job is to create an ongoing story that connects with past and future ideas that can help students relate to one thing or another. Our intention is not to create something entirely new, but to add onto what has already been done, and transform it through our own interpretations.
That story continues here, in Spring of 2024.
The before (top) and after (bottom) looks of my avatar—a transformation.
Immersive Engagement Object
I created two different engagement objects that have to deal with both the step that I chose, as well as the degree pathway in the J.E.D.I. Hub that I am a part of. I wanted to create things that would help with keeping people engaged with our presentation, as well as represent these areas in a way that I think would make the most sense. One of my initial ideas relating to this step was to create something that represented something of significance to the hero—something that the hero has on them to act as a sort of sense of familiarity to them. This has since been changed to the storybook.
The PreVis and mood board of my first engagement object: the backpack.
The PreVis and mood board of my second engagement object: the storybook.
I have since created those objects for Second Life—one of those being something I modeled and did the textures for myself.
The Steps of the Hero’s Journey
“Personally, I feel as though I am constantly going in a loop of steps in the Hero’s Journey, barely making it to the end without feeling like I truly went through all of the steps in their proper order—sometimes I feel like I even skip steps entirely. Even as I write this message down here, I know for a fact that there are many things left unfinished about this midterm report, and I am not sure how I can continue this as well as catch up with everything else that I need to. My main enemy is the lack of motivation, the fact that I procrastinate way too often, and that I am constantly unsure about what I want to do, where I want to go, and who I really am.
With all of that being said, however, know that, despite my personal struggles, and with the fact that some sacrifices had to be made in the name of getting these things done, I am hoping that I feel proud of the things that I have been able to do by the end of this quarter. I hope I can let go of the things that have caused me more stress than it should have.“
Back when I was creating this report, I was still going through a tough time in which I was struggling to keep myself motivated to finish things in both this class, and another one I was in at that time; this will be explained a little bit early on in step 4 of my personal journey as a Hero. At first, I wanted to delete this because I was embarrassed about how negative I was being when I was writing that. I decided to keep this in, though, because I think it serves as a reminder that anyone, no matter how they might present themselves, can be struggling with something, no matter how small or big it might be. It also shows some progression of where I was at the time of writing this mid-term report, and now, when I am almost done with my spring quarter writing my final report.
It should be stated that my journey is kind of spread non-linearly—as in, what happens at step 7 actually happens a bit earlier in my journey instead of later. It should not be too confusing, as I try to mention the situation I was in during that step, as well as its relation to other steps at different times.
Step 1
“This step refers to the hero’s normal life at the start of the story, before the adventure begins.”
Beginning this class, I was very excited to be trying out a new virtual world filled with almost infinite possibilities of creation and creativity that would most definitely both be an exciting journey for me, as well as challenge me with the new world and new concepts that I would be learning. At this point in my college career, I knew how to work with multiple Adobe programs, with Photoshop being the most familiar, and I had some computer skills. I already knew what I was getting into, and I was ready to take on the challenges that come with this class.
Step 2
“The hero is faced with something that makes them begin their adventure. This might be a problem or a challenge they need to overcome.”
As this was a required class for my degree, I had no issues with taking this class at all. I already knew my professor who would be teaching this class, and I got to see how Second Life worked just a bit beforehand. Th only things that I was worried about was a personal struggle of mine—procrastination, as well as the balancing of another class, and the workload given for this one—and with the getting used to using a new program, which was Second Life (and later on, Blender).
Step 3
“The hero attempts to refuse the adventure because they are afraid. This could be a barrier they fear will hold them back or an actual one they will find solutions for.”
Despite this excitement that I held at the idea of creating things in a virtual world, there were…a few impediments that prevented me from starting these things.
A big, and reoccurring, thing that I continue to struggle with is procrastination. This is something that I have been struggling with for most of my life, and something that I don’t expect to go away anytime soon (or at all, for that matter, though I have hopes that it becomes something that I can handle a bit better); even with accepting that part of myself, I still found myself struggling with the fact that I was a procrastinator, and got frustrated at myself for not starting my homework, or for not finding the willingness to continue what I have started.
Tim Urban describes how procrastination works for me, as well as the majority of other people (though I like to imagine that I have gotten a little bit better since the beginning of the quarter…).
Another thing that I struggled with was a lack of motivation—of agency in myself. For the year that I have been here attending college, I could feel at some points a lack of motivation, but they were always brief moments that didn’t have that big of an impact on my work or my mental health. It wasn’t until near the middle of the quarter that I felt a sudden weight on my mind concerning my efforts, and whether or not this was something that I would be able to finish. I felt like I had drained so much of my creativity for the sake of college, and barely had time to create for myself. I felt like, despite creating things and putting myself and my skills and talents out there, I wasn’t able to do things for myself like I used to (and despite having stopped doing creative hobbies for a while before returning to college, it was like in that moment I wanted to regain that passion, but the lack of time and mental capacity made it hard to think creatively since it was now dedicated to school work).
To me, currently, writing this report after going through this only a few weeks ago, this all seems very silly to me, because I know in hindsight that I was always going to be able to find something to get me back on my feet. To the me that was struggling hard to find a way to regain that passion for creating, I definitely needed some assistance.
Step 4
“The hero encounters someone who can give them advice and ready them for the journey ahead. They gather resources for the journey ahead and learn from experienced heroes and allies who want you to succeed.”
I was very grateful that I had reached out to talk to my professor about what I was struggling with. She was very helpful and patient with me as I tried my best to explain myself—tears in my eyes and all. While it was not my proudest moment to suddenly break down in front of my teacher, there were definitely thoughts and feelings that I needed to express, and I don’t regret letting them out. My moment of vulnerability helped my professor to guide me through this, and we were able to collaboratively come up with a side quest for me to work on while I would be attending her classes.
Since I had expressed that I felt burnt out from not being able to create for myself, and how I had an interest in writing and storytelling, I would be able to add more story to the Hero’s Journey…except, this time, I would be the one to tell the story of that journey.
One of my engagement objects listed at the beginning of this report was a storybook—that storybook will eventually hold the story of the Hero’s Journey, and hopefully be something that people will enjoy reading and looking through once it is finished.
Step 5
“The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure in the extraordinary world.”
As this was a step that I resonated deeply with, this was the step that I wanted to work on the most. The act of stepping into a whole new world is a terrifying thing to do, even if it’s something you have heard of and, possibly, have prepared for ahead of time. Having a backpack full of supplies is an amazing way to ensure that you are prepared for some of the elements that come your way, and a good tool to have for anything that you might pick up on the way out.
Step 5 is, I believe, a big turning point in the Hero’s Journey. It’s the part of the story where the hero begins their time in this new world, which comes with their own problems and issues that are unfamiliar in their ordinary life. As stated, it can be scary to endure, but, just like starting anything and making progress, it’s needed to take that first step, otherwise the hero gets stuck in limbo of not being able to continue forward because they’re scared, but feeling guilty or bad about not going forward. It’s important to recognize that, in an unfamiliar situation, being able to adapt as you go (perhaps get rid of some of the things in your backpack that isn’t needed) is important, and can help you further along your journey as the hero.
This was a step that I encountered multiple times in smaller increments. For every new things I would try, it was like a new small world on its own that I had to overcome to be able to achieve my goals. It may be an exaggeration to call these things “worlds”, but they are new concepts that take time to learn and at a least a little bit of preparedness to achieve it.
Step 6
“The hero learns the rules of their new world. During this time, they endure tests of strength of will, meet friends, and come face to face with foes. Special abilities and superpowers are discovered and challenges abound while building bonds and trusted teams.”
It was at this step that I realized that I was good at some things, not good at others, and still struggling with old habits that seem to not want to go away.
When we first heard that we would be creating 3D objects to place into Second Life, I was excited to try something new, as well as nervous about making 3D objects since this was something that I had never done before. We were given the options of either creating our own and figure out how to texture them properly ourselves (the more difficult option, and one that would take time to make), or find them on the Second Life Marketplace and use the texture templates that comes with those objects to texture ourselves (the easier option that most people should go for with little experience in 3D model making).
Following the influence I had given myself the last time I had a project like this—Fall of 2023, where I thought it would be a wonderful idea to create a website through HTML coding…from scratch—I decided to make at least one of my objects, and then make another if I had the time.
One strength that I have for myself that comes with learning something new is that I can catch on quickly to a new task if I am given instructions on how to do it. Thankfully, through watching tutorials on how to work with Blender, I had a better understanding of how 3D modeling works, as well as how absolutely tedious it can get. Successfully, though, I was able to create a basic model for one of my engagement objects; I even figured out how to convert each shape on there to a flat template to texture them properly!
Of course, I procrastinated on creating this object, so I ended up only creating that one object and used a premade object as my other.
Step 7
“Setbacks occur, sometimes causing the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas. Making an effort to achieve a different perspective uncovers and brings into focus clear solutions for complicated obstacles.”
This was something that had been talked about in step 4, when I was meeting with my mentor (aka, my professor). Within this meeting, we were discussing about what exactly was making me feel so demotivated to continue with classes, and why I was struggling to keep up when I have normally been decent about it. We were able to talk and have a nice conversation that sparked idea for me for a side quest that would continue over the course of multiple classes that would require me to work in Second Life.
Step 8
“The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, such as a life or death crisis. During this difficult time, it appears the journey might be over and end in failure. This is when resources and inner strengths are revealed and applied.”
As talked about in step 3, I was struggling with motivation and procrastination. This would eventually lead to that discussion with my professor, where we would incorporate my love for writing and storytelling into that side quest, where I would be able to regain my motivation to create, with the expectation that I would achieve what I needed for class.
Step 9
“After surviving death, the hero earns their reward or accomplishes their goal. Often this reward is different than what they originally sought and they are far richer because of it.”
The rewards that I have reaped through this quarter have been similar to my original goals. I was able to expand my skills just a little bit more with each assignment that we were given, as well as the ones that enabled us to learn a new program to get them done. With every new program that we were able to learn, or continue using for assignments, it was a chance for me to expand my personal skills and become a bit more versatile with the way I worked, as well as become more familiar with different types of digital mediums. I personally found myself using Adobe Photoshop most of the time, but that program is itself a versatile one, and one that I quite enjoy using.
One new thing that I had learned about—one that I was fully expecting—was just how in-depth virtual worlds can get, especially when it comes to Second Life, and how much it means to people to be able to live another life within these virtual spaces. I myself find myself sucked within virtual worlds and the wonderful things that can happen within them, but it’s even more rewarding to see other people get involved as well.
Step 10
“The hero begins their journey back to their ordinary life. This is where their transformation is revealed demonstrating how the journey changed them. They are often rejected or conflicted by this metamorphosis because they cannot return to their previous viewpoint or identity.”
I would consider this metamorphosis to be a good one for me. I know that I will always continue to struggle with some level of procrastination, motivation, and will always be faced with learning curves as I continue to learn new programs, concepts, or go over things I already know. I can say, though, with a little bit of confidence, that I will be prepared to ask questions sooner next time, and perhaps let myself be rid of some burdens that I carry on myself, since these are things that will weigh me down quite a bit if not taken care of the proper way. I also feel more confident about my skill in the things that I already know, as well as when it comes to learning new concepts and adapting to them!
It’s always scary learning new things about oneself, but it’s always rewarding when you are able to become a better person for it.
Step 11
“The hero faces a final test where everything is at stake and they must use everything they have learned. This final challenge, conflict, or evaluation generates opportunities to demonstrate superpowers while shedding light on their next quest or true path to take.”
With everything mostly ready to go, as well as the hurdles I have gone over to get to this point, I was ready to present everything that I had made in this project. If we ignore the fact that I was late to my own presentation, I would like to say that everything seemed to go smoothly with how I was able to present myself, as well as the ideas and stories that I thought about while creating my objects. It was nice being able to showcase something that I had made, even if it was a work in progress—I feel proud to be part of an ongoing project like this, and it was definitely a wonderful experience to present to everyone. If I have another chance to do something like this again, I am definitely taking it. There is still room for me to work on things, and I plan on expanding what I have already done.
Step 12
“The hero brings their knowledge or the “elixir” back to the ordinary world, where they apply it to help all who remain there. They become the mentor for the next hero on their journey. Their experience and conviction demonstrate they are an important part of a bigger story.”
I, in no way, consider myself a mentor worth being able to teach someone what I have learned—not in the traditional sense, at least. Something about myself that I have come to realize is that I am a little bit of a performer; shy as I might be about the work that I create, and intimidated at the prospect of being judged, I still find myself wanting to show people what I can do and what I am capable of. This part of me must have been built when I was more musical in my grade school years; every presentation I have done could be considered a performance as well, looking at how well I have talked to the audience, how well I showcased everything, and how well I have presented myself.
I carry these experiences and knowledge with me in the hopes that they can be utilized later for my own benefits, as well as someone else’s. I still consider myself a student who is endlessly learning more as I continue with my own journey with the hope of being able to create a new story with new things that I learn. I don’t believe that I will ever stop learning and telling my story, no matter what subject that may be in, or the circumstances that I find myself in. I just hope that I am able to continue telling stories through the things that I create, and with the things that I do.
J.E.D.I. Hub
This is a small island that is part of the Hero’s Journey that takes the hero through the different resources that are found at Peninsula College. The staff that are a part of these areas are here to help any student that is in need, and provide resources for things outside of the college for anyone interested. The J.E.D.I. Hub is an area for new students to familiarize themselves with each resource, and to remember each area as they navigate through their college career.
The area that I had worked on throughout the duration of the quarter, Academic Advising, was the area I was most familiar with (I work at the area that Academic Advising is hosted in IRL at the college). I was able to add onto the objects and stories that were here before, which was a fun experience after working through some of the stages of my person hero journey.
If someone needs to discuss their classes, or needs to talk about their pathway and where they want to go, this is the place to go. Academic Advisors are mentors at the college that provide help to students in regard to their classes; they help each student prepare every quarter to sign up for their classes, as well as make adjustments that help fit the student’s needs the most.
The campfire represents a sense of warmth and welcoming to new students who may be intimidated by everything that is new. It allows them to sit face to face with their assigned advisor and feel like they are conversing with them, rather than to them.
I don’t believe that jellyfish have a personal relation to what Academic Advising is about, but as this was the animal that I had chosen for this quarter, it still definitely deserved its own story and meaning that could be beneficial for future students.
The jellyfish can teach us about letting go of our burdens, and allowing ourselves to move along if we feel that we are overwhelmed with what is on our plate. With the environment that the jellyfish lives in, it needs to maintain a certain body weight to keep it afloat; otherwise, if anymore weight is added based on what it eats, or other outside factors, it could potentially sink.
Story gathered from: What is My Spirit Animal?