Final Assignment Cassidy Davis

FINAL PHILOSOPHY OF STORYTELLING: I believe stories hold an important role in our society. We share them to teach people, to make people laugh, to bond with people, and to remember people. The stories of our life, and the stories we hear along the way, make up who we are as unique individuals. Every person in this world has a different story. We might have similar stories if we have shared similar experiences, but the opinions and memories we have from our own stories makes us individual. I am an actor, so personally I love the art of storytelling. I do it all the time. I get to tell stories, usually other people’s stories, while at the same time getting to share a bit of myself. That’s why I believe stories are so important because of the effect they can have on people. People watch movies all the time to do just that- listen to other people’s stories. Whether they are fictional or not, we love getting lost in the stories of others. I love the art of storytelling because I love getting to know other people, to be inside their world for a little, to walk in their shoes, to understand them on a deeper level. Stories also start important conversations. Telling a story about a societal problem can start a very important conversation that can possibly make a change and push us forward as a society. Telling a story can inspire someone to make a change in their life. Telling a story can bring people closer together, and push people farther apart. Storytelling is a circle. We hear other stories, and as a result are impacted by them, either negatively or positively, and then in turn, we incorporate that into our lives and tell other stories, other lived experiences, other life lessons, and the circle keeps going. Storytelling is important to me as an actor, but I believe it’s also important to us all as individuals, because it makes us who we are. No two stories are the same just like no two people are the same. And I think that’s important to remember. FINAL REFLECTION: This process has been a huge learning experience for me. I never knew how to use Adobe Premier prior to this class, and now I feel that I have a much better understanding of that program and of visual mediums in general. Documenting storytelling through a visual medium can be somewhat difficult because it can lack the exact emotional connection that exists when telling the story in the moment, or in person. It’s like the difference between watching a movie or going to a play. Although watching a movie can be exhilarating, there is just something extra exciting about going to see a play. It is a completely different experience. You get to be in the theater with the actors, the performers, and the rest of the audience and experience the entire emotional journey together. For me personally, I am usually more emotionally affected by plays as opposed to movies just because there is an extra layer that comes with experiencing it all in person. I experienced similar challenges when trying to document my story through visual elements. No matter how hard I looked for archival footage, or no matter how hard I tried to capture footage on my own, I struggled to really capture the exact images/emotions of what that night was like for me. There is something exciting about using visual elements within the art of storytelling, but I wonder if something is lost within that as well. This process was also a learning experience for me, personally, because I was able to share a very personal experience with a whole class, and not only get over that fear, but be able to put it in a visual way so as to connect to the class in a completely different way. I wanted them to not only be able to understand the experience I had and how scared I was, but I also wanted to be able to put them in my shoes, I wanted to recreate the experience for them, in a way, so they could experience it with me. Because I think that is a really cool part of storytelling- getting to connect with people in a significant way. Although I was scared to tell this story at first, I am really glad I did because I think in a way it helped me cope with the whole experience. It doesn’t take away from how scary that night was for me, but it helps to get it off my chest a little and share it with a room of what initially were strangers. The class in general reminded me of how important and rewarding storytelling can be, and I’m extremely glad that I got to be a part of it and see so many different interpretations of the art of storytelling, and get to learn about everyone as a result.