Portfolio
-
Why Your Altruism Is Fake and How We Can Create a World Where It Is Real
By Sadaf Ayaz When I asked Neha Aamir, a mental health therapist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, why people volunteer, she turned the tables on me. “When you engage in altruistic behavior, why do you?” It took me an hour to come to an answer. I thought back to some of my recent “acts of altruism” and asked why? But really, why? I told her I did it because I learned to be altruistic from my parents who often go out of their way to help others. Aamir shut this explanation down quick, she said that’s an example of social responsibility—my parents are altruistic because it’s the responsible or…
-
Solo Flights of Freedom
By Sadaf Ayaz Fatima Shafi pulls on her tailored black blazer adorned with golden wings and stripes. She places her polished black pilot’s hat over her dark hair, which is pulled into a tight bun in the back. In a few hours she’ll be flying a commercial jet from New York to Los Angeles. At 35, Fatima is one of the youngest female captains in the Delta Airlines fleet. A decade ago, she was the first woman in history of the Pakistani Air Force to fly an F16 fighter jet. Today, Fatima lives on the 23rd floor of a modern highrise on the Upper East Side. Her view is just…
-
REV 21 Media: What it looks like to run a small media company in today’s data and algorithm-driven structure.
Sadaf Ayaz Media 332 Final Paper ACCOMPANIED PRESENTATION: REV 21 Media is a platform made especially by minority youth to share their opinions on the cultures, religions, and identities that define them. It was made to build bridges between different people with different ideas through positive conversations and enticing engagement of audiences which were unlikely to search for the content with a trendy and fun appearance. Built as a business, REV 21 was made to provide a seat at the table for all those who felt voiceless. One of the reasons why I thought this was something I could do was because of my own background in writing. I had…
-
MED 160, park v square
In our final project for this course, my partner Jor and I created a montage piece which compared the two of the most important, yet unique pieces of NYC. Central Park, a place where many New Yorkers find a few moments of solace and peace and Times Square, where the party’s at! We tried to share our experiences at both locations with a mixture of framing and filming techniques with special attention to the meanings of shapes and the way angles can tell a story. Moreover, my partner Jor, enhanced the experience with music to add texture to our scenes.
-
Med 160, Jor Audio Interview
In this project, I interviewed my classmate, Jor, on his journey to coming back to education in his late 30s after almost a 15-year break and how his life as a gay man who belongs to a religious Christian family impacted his view of life and the importance of education within it.
-
Med 160, Forbidden Stair – Portrait of a Space
In this project, we tried to capture the forbidden staircase of the 14th floor of Hunter North. Through the images and scribbles, you’ll find stories untold of students and faculty who found moments of solace in the eerily serene steps. Their emotions and passions expressed through the art and words they put together.
-
Med 160, Assignment #2
For my sound assignment, I went to the DUMBO area and took a stroll through the residential area before finally seating myself in front of the water overlooking the city at sunset. It’s been a while since I walked somewhere like that alone and without my headphones in my ears, I felt even more vulnerable than normal. However, I immediately felt present in the space I was experiencing in that moment because all the tiny noises called my attention from the wind to car doors opening and shutting in a the quiet and solemn neighborhood. As I walked through the brownstones, I didn’t miss the tiny animals that roamed through…
-
Med 160, Creative Statement
Nothing fascinates me more than the human experience and being able to communicate it in a way that incites an emotional response from someone who never went through it. I hope to create art of every form that can move others in ways they never thought they could before. When I look at the works of art that I connected with the most, the ones that left deep indents in my idea of what it meant to tell a story, I find those storytellers pulled me in and overwhelmed me with a connection of emotion. That’s what I want my work to be about. Regardless of being small or big,…
-
Vox Presentation – History of a Media Company
Sadaf Ayaz MedPl 294 – Magazine Journalism
-
The Transformation of Pakistani Dramas
Sadaf Ayaz Magazine Journalism Final Review Article Growing up, I watched way too many superficial Pakistani dramas with repetitive, cliche plot lines of innocent, perfect girls who met perfect guys and the terrible family members and friends that ruined their lives. At first, I watched with my emotions on the table, lost in the sorrows of the main characters, drenched in tears for their struggling romance. It took me longer than it should’ve to realize the silliness and lack of substance within the stories. Even when I did come to the realization, I continued with the guilty pleasure, occasionally rolling my eyes, but deep, deep down relishing in every bit…