This week kicked off with the Beyond Words Studio workshop. We’re creating a storyboard for a one-minute animation using a dataset about… squirrels in New York. Yes, you read that right. It turns out that there are people so passionate about squirrels that they’ve logged thousands of lines of data on their activities. Wild.

Beyond Words had been presented earlier in the course, but this time it was incredible to get a deeper look into how they design animations specifically for social media, something that’s super relevant for my final project. They walked us through their full process: from data and concept to execution and delivery. I’ll definitely be stealing (ahem, borrowing) their framework, it’s a game-changer for taking a simple query and turning it into a fleshed-out creative idea. Honestly, it’s helped me feel less lost when thinking about how to approach social media with my work.

Now, switching gears, we also had our first attempt at stand-up comedy. I prepped a five-minute set on things I love and hate, and a short intro. Got a few laughs at the start… then slowly watched the room drift off. 😅

Afterward, we learned some techniques to improve. One of the most valuable lessons? Start with the known to introduce the unknown. Begin with what’s obvious: how you look, how tall you are, your celebrity doppelgänger, anything visual or relatable that gets an easy laugh and builds trust. Once you’ve got people on your side, then you can teach them something new. That part really stuck with me, and it actually applies far beyond comedy.