Breaking3Glasses by Mikael Fernstrom on Freesound.org is licensed under Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0 Deed)
The sound of breaking glass often brings up a conflict of interests in the minds of those that hear it. I chose Broken Window Large by Tomas Castelazo because it reminded me of the first time I ever had to add audio and visuals to a digital story telling assignment for a class. I chose Break3Glasses by Mikael Fernstrom, because it matched the first audio file I ever used and it seemed to match the photo.
But I also chose this picture and sound for another reason. In my own personal life I have finally “broken” free of what has seemed to hold me back and hold me down for most of my life: my job. I officially ended 7 years of teaching last Friday. Though my love for children is still strong, the system itself has become unbearable for me, like for many teachers; but many are forced to stay because of their situations. I was given a unique opportunity to leave the stress and I took it. And though some might scoff at my aspirations to become a librarian or to be a stay at home mom for my new step son, I have no regrets. I have finally broken through the glass ceiling of my life and the sky seems like the limit to me.
My License Deed: Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed
Sarah, thanks for sharing this image! I love the title you’ve paired with it, and it conveys a lot of emotions; I experienced feelings of risk, tension, and resilience while I looked at the photo by itself. Your story about leaving your teaching job is inspirational and I am proud that you can seize this new opportunity for your life. You’ve already given 7 years of service as a teacher; now you get to do something else that calls to you!
Unfortunately, I was not able to hear the audio within this blog post – I don’t think it was embedded in the post, but I was able to click your hyperlink and listen to it separately. The breaking glass sound perfectly captures the image’s depiction, although I think the sound is a bit “literal.” It’s also quite short, so when put alongside the image, its meaning doesn’t seem to go much deeper besides representing glass breaking.
I would suggest pairing the image with music instead of a sound effect, so it can reflect the depth of your story more completely and enhance the overall meaning and mood of the image; perhaps something uplifting and building in energy, to signal that the breaking glass is a new beginning!
Hi Sarah!
Firstly, congratulations on such a big life move! I’m glad you were able to take a step towards what keeps you passionate.
I like this image–it’s very eerie, but paired with your story, it makes me think of escape to a better place, beyond the window. While the audio does go well with the image, I felt like choosing a sound of glass breaking didn’t bring out a new meaning from the image. I really liked the additional meaning that your personal story brought to the table; lean into that!