BY
TAMIKA GOUNDEN
My name is Tamika Gounden and I am a South African rooted, multimedia student. I let every drop of my creative urges ooze into all pieces I produce. I have channeled the mantra " SADCITANANDA " in my honors year, it means " truth, consciousness and bliss. As an aspiring journalist I have found it dire to ground myself within the practices and values I believe in the most. Every piece of work presented falls in place as a part of myself, almost like additional ligaments.
Here are 6 rules and values I live by as a journalist :
As a journalist my values, ethics and morals I feel are all directly tied to the work I produce and how I tell the stories I tell. To be a storyteller is to respectfully display your beliefs in correlation with the foundation of a story. I believe in order for me to give my all to a piece of production I have to stand by the type organization, group or persons beliefs and truth
MY WORK IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF ME:
GEOGRAPHICAL BORDERS DON'T EXIST ON ONLINE MEDIA
SMILE! IT DOESN'T ALL HAVE TO BE SERIOUS
As goes my mantra for the year, I try to apply truth, consciousness and bliss to every aspect of my life and work. Work doesn't only have to be serious, you can SMILE anytime you want! It is so important to include your home/self practices to your work life as well. As much as you would care for yourself at home care for your self at work. Make yourself as comfortable as you can. I find it most satisfying when I can treat myself in the most minimal energy ways. Listen to your favorite song/playlist, go get your favorite jungle oats bar, don't wait to feel good. Life and work can feel deep and serious a lot of the time since we are surrounded in environments that relay that energy. So I always remind myself to smile, it is work, it is hard, but i can also smile for free!
Globalized media has taken over traditional journalism, it comes with pro's and cons but the advantages are stacked up in our favor. To be apart of a global platform is to find relatability, connection and belonging across the planet with no limits. I believe now thanks to globalization communities can expand beyond the media of their own countries. I believe globalization is the foundation that set media as a tool the public can now use for expansion, learning and growing. Geographical borders do not have to exist in media anymore, there doesn't have to be a North or South online. Whether you are from Africa or Asia, a commonality of belonging can be found online.
PRESENCE LIES AT THE HEART OF ALL I DO:
To be present is one of the minimal energy ways I can award myself. I pull myself towards my center present self in times
of chaos, stress and tension. To inhale universal light and exhale all tension in times like these rewards me the most. It's like that saying that you learn the most
through suffering. I truly believe this to be true for myself, to breathe into the present moment shows me how much power I have over the moment and thoughts. Connecting with my
presence I feel allows me to reach a state of clarity through breathwork. I believe that from presence, my most stressful work and life decisions have been made with ease and trust.
JOURNALISM IS NOT DEAD
In starting my Journalism degree, rumors were flying around that print is dead, journalism is dying don't do it. In completing 4 years of a Journalism degree i came to find the exact opposite. Journalism by traditional definition has definitely changed but it is in no way dead. It has expanded into the digital realm, adapted to new technology and is flourishing and bouncing between nations at a magnificent scale. I am so grateful to be apart of an industry that is growing with the times. To constantly learn and expand through the medium i am skilled in is a blessing in this modern day and age.
COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY
The media industry goes hand in hand with comparison. Whether it be comparing media houses, articles or writing styles, it is a tightly knit community of watching and opinions. To be vulnerable and produce work from your cores purpose is to put your art out there in the public. Art is not made to be glorified it is made to express and release. In being apart of the journalism community I have learnt that comparison is the thief of your own joy. If I am working my hardest I will be proud of my results regardless what everyone else has done.