Revised Philosophy of Storytelling-Andrew Moul

A story is a picture; although instead of using pixels or paints, we use words to convey a message, meaning, or happening. From the moment we learn to talk, until the day we take our final breath, we all tell stories. But let’s not forget the listener. They are just as important, if not more than the teller of the story itself. For the story has already had a chance to leave an impression on the teller, but with every listener, the story has a new opportunity to leave an impression, good or bad, on someone else.

In kindergarten, we are taken to the computer lab, to create a fridge worthy masterpiece in MS Paint. We may be asked to create our favorite thing or place, or we may be asked to show our family members and pets. In this simple case, we can now share a piece of ourselves with our classmates. Through this digital medium, by using our limited range of skills, we can find similarities or differences, and build friendships and connections by illustrating a story. Our story.

In high school, we enter the computer lab with a set of new experiences and lessons. In assignment one, we are asked to create a drawing in Illustrator to express a thought, or a feeling towards something. Once completed, these drawings can be posted on blogs so the others may share in our passions. Through this more complex software, we can more deeply communicate our ideas. Our story.

Once we become members of the workforce, we have spare time which we occupy with visits to movies or museums. At the movies, we get to see stories of science fiction or romance, and at museum we see beautiful works of art. These movies and pieces afford us a glimpse into someone else’s story. We get a chance to listen and learn from their experiences. Their story.

After a life of work, we have seen many pictures. Some of which are ours, and some of which belong to others. We are given a choice of whether we share these pictures with others, or if we keep them to ourselves. Do we allow them to impact the life of someone else? Do we open our albums and old home videos to share our pictures? For remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Our story.