“I truly enjoyed my experience volunteering with Smarty Arty, I found the students to be engaging, innovative thinkers and just an all around joy!” Mrs. Davis stated she was inspired to work with Smarty Arty because “I used to live in New York and Joy Jones had done this program for years and years. Since it is virtual she came up with a good way to keep it going. It was something I could still be in LA and still be a part of to get people interested in what I do which is editing and filmmaking.” 

Mrs. Davis expressed her enjoyment as a facilitator even though it was a virtual experience. Shannon Davis explained how access to certain resources as well as representation of not only women but women of color is of the utmost importance. Davis claims “The voices of creators are becoming more diverse although the post-production end is not becoming as diverse. It is not keeping up with the writing, actors and a lot of the content is about people of color or women. But the editors are often not from those backgrounds and I do believe it makes a difference.” 

While the program was a learning experience for the students, Shannon Davis had not taught a structured class before participating in Smarty Arty. She explained that she felt she learned a new transferable skill about how to teach a new subject matter to a group of people. The generation of today is very savvy in technology and media and Davis proclaimed that already popular interests amongst teenage groups such as social media, technological advances to forge a career. “Part of the project was organizing yourself, choosing your own producer, editor, deadlines that are transferable to whatever you choose to go into.” Davis’s lesson taught students self-management and that skill is extremely important in any profession you choose to pursue. Ms. Davis described Smarty Arty as “abundant in work, bright, and the children of the future”. 

Written by Milani Hudson