It's All About the Story

As an artist my work has been focused on visuals....the image. Sure there was a story behind it. What was the context of the subject matter and how had I selected it but that story was not front and center. It was the gesture and form that captivated my attention and got pencil to paper or carving tools to wood.

This woodcut of plants in water in and of itself doesn't tell the back story of my brother Nelson's visit to my home in Central Virginia and the few days we spent digging a large hole and turning it into a water garden. It was a special time with my brother and I cherish the memories now. That water garden was the focus for my artwork for over 10 years.

Now I am using animated films to expand the scope of the stories my art can tell and putting the narrative front and center. The story is becoming the focus supported by the artwork.

 I am in production on CityTREES, the second in a series of animated short films about my transition from Central Virginia to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. As I write the script and create the storyboards I realize how important it is for us to tell our stories. I want to write stories that resonate with readers/viewers as expressions of our common experiences as humans and inhabitants of planet Earth. I have been aided in this quest by my friends at GetStoried.

The New About Me is a free online course by GetStoried. I heartily recommend this conversation with Michael Margolis.

Michael Margolis is the CEO of GetStoried. I had taken a course with him a few years ago. That exercise helped me think about some important aspects of my work in new ways. So I was already a fan when I got the invitation for this new free course. The New About Me is specifically about writing a bio, but that's not why I found it so enlightening. Sure I have to write bios like everyone else but it was Michael's spin on the importance of story and new ways of looking at your life and work that I continue to explore. I really appreciate the idea that you want to write your story (bio) with intention to make it easy for your audience to connect, ie find themselves in your story.

What stories are you telling?

@anim8nature www.KristinHarrisDesign.com www.Anim8Nature

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