Asking For Help

This week I ran into a bit of a challenge at work. I was given a new project to edit but was overwhelmed by the amount at the start. The project was a little tricky but because not only did I have to cut, add subtitles, add graphics as well as animation, I had to synchronize a separate recording for each video. There were a total of about 20 RAW files but I was able to review them one by one and see that it amounted to about just 15 videos to edit. The task would have been easily finished in time for the deadline had I only done one thing; asked for help.

At the moment upon going over the tasks, I had found myself a little anxious on how to go about starting the project when it felt like there was a lot more to do than just start editing. So I tried to organize everything but it only made the process of completing the project longer. My head editor noticed the submissions of videos were taking too long so he set up a meeting to check up on my progress. It was there he gave me a hand and advised me on how to go about the work. It was there I was able to ask for his suggestions on how to work more efficiently. He shared his process with me and told me that next time if I was running into some trouble I could have asked him about it right away.

I look back at it and I could see that it was my worry of inconveniencing my superior that draw me to the conclusion of “I can solve it myself”. If only I didn’t let fear become my deciding factor, I would have been able to get help right from the start. Because of that, I inconvenienced another editor of mine to help me out in finishing the project. This experience reminded me how important it is to communicate and that there’s nothing wrong with over-communicating, especially if things are done online. I’m taking this as another lesson that it’s okay to ask questions and not to let my insecurities become a factor when I make decisions.