Baha’i Basics with Aria – A New Video Series!

I’m very excited to share with you some behind-the-scenes details of another initiative from Baha’i Inspired!! Baha’i Inspired is Baha’i Blog’s sister YouTube channel which focuses on video content with an American flavour.

I’ve already chatted with Naysan about Baha’i Inspired’s incredible Hip Hop Sessions and in this post, I’d love for you to get to know Aria, the radiant and cheerful host of Baha’i Basics with Aria, a vibrant and joyful video series that explores questions like: What is the Baha’i Faith? Who do we believe in? How do we pray? And what do Baha’is do?

Let’s get into it!

Hi Aria!! Can you please tell us a little about Baha’i Basics with Aria?

Baha’i Basics is a new online series on the Baha’i Inspired YouTube channel centring on Baha’i principles and concepts, expressed as simply and basically as possible. 

It is meant to share the Baha’i Faith with the world, especially curious young people who are more inclined to learning through video storytelling. The Baha’i Faith is a new religion of profound concepts and transformative ideas. To grow one’s understanding, it can be a helpful reminder to all of us to get back to basics. 

Why do you think it’s important to have something like this out there?

I realize with the Baha’i Faith being new to many segments of society, and participating actively in improving social dynamics, it’s imperative we all can easily access carefully crafted content that meaningfully contributes to our understanding of the Faith. 

I hope Baha’i Basics can be of service to meet the intellectual and spiritual needs of the young (and young-at-heart) generation. 

What are some of the challenges in creating this series/episodes?

There’s been a few! It’s been an interesting challenge working remotely. The whole team is spread all over the world, sometimes on different continents. For someone like me who also enjoys in-person collaboration, I do miss the engagement of working alongside colleagues over a cuppa in a hypothetical break room. 

During shoots, it can be tricky as I record alone in my tiny bedroom turned studio. I’ve learned to acquaint myself with having big energy squished into a small space, on top of repeating the same lines animatedly to myself. Anyone peeking into the window would have cause for concern.

Then there is the infusion of a comedic element to the storytelling. I like to try injecting personality and humour into the script, but it’s equally important to remain reverent, honouring the spiritual intent of these efforts. 

It’s been a huge learning curve and I’m astounded how much depth there is to even the most basic Baha’i concept.

What’s something unique behind-the-scenes in this series you can share that people might not know?

I guess it could be the fact that I do all the animations. I majored in illustration, but never thought I could find a way to make use of my drawings in videography. The trick is to create the animations as simply as possible, to keep up with production deadlines. I love that I can use animation to aid in storytelling while remaining true to my preferred style of “sketch-bookiness”.  

What do you hope viewers will walk away with after watching an episode? How do you hope the series would affect the viewer? 

I certainly hope whoever is watching feels a sense of joy and growing interest in the Baha’i Faith with every video. If it helps answer a question or even just introduces the Faith to someone new, then wow! What a precious gift. 

I know these videos are far from perfect and cannot satisfy all the expectations we may have. It can also be tough as a creator to feel whatever we have put forward is good enough. With every video, I hope to hone my capacity and creativity, while never forgetting the beauty in basics. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us, Aria!

Find all episodes of Baha’i Basics with Aria on Baha’i Inspired’s YouTube channel!

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.