Sunday, November 30, 2008

closing statements.

I am a storyteller. I am a creator. I am a designer.

One of the most consistent themes that run throughout my writing is that humans are meant to relate to each other in a realm of story. Furthermore, Story itself is a powerful entity that permeates every facet of life in this world, including design. In my investigation into cinema I skimmed the surface of the cultural importance of storytelling, as it relates to the history of a certain product, the movie projector. We have developed new and more complex ways to tell stories. They are often times the same stories, told in a new way, or shown through a different medium. As far as the projector goes, it is one small piece in the timeline of how stories have been visually told using light. Campfires, signal lights, candles, shadow plays, photography, film, etc. Story at its basest form has prompted the design and development of products intended to be used exclusively for the purpose of storytelling. I think that’s cool. That said, it’s something that I think is often overlooked, considering that Story is at the heart of every human being…

In my mid-semester essay, I went on to assert that humans are relational creatures. To go even farther still, I would say that I believe Story is one of the largest factors in making humans so relational. It is “the hook” that prompts us to investigate. Investigate ourselves, each other, the world around us, everything. I also made a point of saying that storytelling is uniquely human. I truly believe in that. There so many things that are unique h to humans in this world, including creation and design. The act of designing something through a process, for a process, for a function, to function, and then creating it—is human at its best. This is how humans live—not survive, but truly live. Storytelling and creation make us what we are.

I have also been interested in how humans relate to products and garments, and what that translates to in our relation to each other. Physical interaction, direct contact, seamless interface—these are all things that excite me in the realm of design and creation. These things taken into account with storytelling make for an incredible synthesis of physical need, emotional desire, and primal history and experience. Design is truly sensual.

My own path lies before me. I am not sure as to where it will ultimately take me, though I know the direction. It is my desire to tell stories through design. I want to create for the film industry. Cinema is the premium mode for telling stories in this day and age, and I need to be a part of it. That said, I also hope to create in ways that are not limited to a specific medium. My dream would be that all of the Story that permeates my creations would penetrate into other areas of human life in this age and would last far beyond the mode of cinema. My dream would be to leave a legacy of Story.

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