My first impression of using scalar as I was viewing projects created with it is it was a highly visual way of sharing content that could handle non-linear ways of “thinking”. I was particularly taken with how effectively scalar was deployed when reviewing a student research project entitled Sex Trafficking: Exploring Agency because of the searing visuals paired with key text and the implication of cyclicality using the scalar path set-up. I was equally impressed with the “non-linear” personal exploration and creativity deployed in “Daddy Labyrinth” not just for the content itself, but the seamless way it employed interactive images the user could manipulate to embody the writer’s point of view. Scalar sounded exciting because of its flexibility of organization to create a slick looking story with a dynamic foundation.

But, I suppose the flip-side of creating a “non-linear” way of operating means that the intuitiveness of the program requires a lot of tinkering to realize the full range of tools and visualizations! I think with time and free-play I’ll get there; if anything, I have found having space to play and experiment is the best antidote to combating any intimidation with a new tool. But, I have been slow in figuring out how my visuals will actually show-up as I become familiar with the terminology scalar uses. Or, perhaps it is terminology well-utilized on various media publishing tools and I’m still learning the jargon as a budding digital humanist pushing through technical areas.

For my practicum project, I decided to stick with content that I was very familiar with so that I could focus more on navigating scalar without overthinking what the effort would amount to. So, I mixed published content and personal memoirs all centered around the fascinating life-story of my grandmother, Jessie Lichauco, to draw attention to a documentary film I assisted with a few years ago. However, even with total confidence on the content I would be using, jumping into scalar was slowed by the fact that no matter the technology, one has to take a few minutes to think through organization regardless of the medium employed to share that information. What were the key bits of information that I wanted to share that could be organized into a cohesive but succinct narrative? After that process, I had to then translate how that might fit with the tools scalar had available. And, from there, there is no substitute for the arduous task of data input – uploading or linking to media that would be included in the process.

Toward the end of the feature-length film “Curiosity, Adventure, and Love” (which runs about 60 minutes), my grandmother ponders how we can have more forms of communication and yet fail to further relate to one another. I pondered that thought too as I worked my way through scalar, one of many digital tools I have now learned to interact with in my lifetime.