Feast of Flowers

My first attempt at blogging and adventuring around the internet. 

[feastoflowers]

Final Storytelling Portfolio: Graphic Storytelling; The Super Sister Stories

THE INTRODUCTION: These four-panel comics are based on my childhood with my younger brother. I am the oldest sibling, and so I was always taking care of him and watching out for him. During my childhood, there was a T.V. show called Sailor Moon; an anime import from Japan. The show was about a young teenage girl who fought supernatural crimes and watched over the people of Earth. Her mantra was, "I stand for true love and justice! And I will triumph over evil, and that means you!" I lived, breathed, and pretend that I was a Sailor Scout, a support team member to Sailor Moon, so it's safe to say that I tried to emulate her whenever I saw something wrong or when my brother was in danger. And so, in these comics, I am Super Sister, the protector of the young Ethan! 

THE STORY:

Super Sister Begins:

Super Sister and the Sand Dunes

THE COMMENTARY:

What I learned about myself as a storyteller from this medium was how small, almost insignificant memories, can make for amazing little stories. My past stories have been slightly serious in tone, and so this time I wanted to take a comical approach to this story, and its very easy because my drawings themselves are comically bad. Otherwise, I learned that it is very difficult to come up with panels that are concise and can communicate my ideas. 

What I enjoyed the most about this approach was the research we did on taptastic.com and other comic sights like hyperbole and a half. Seeing how others drew and created stories was very helpful in creating my own style (the four panel comic) and finding examples of facial expressions. 

The thing that was most challenging about this medium was the length and ideas. I originally made a 15 panel comic that was stressful, confusing and very poorly drawn, so during the revising process, I decided to divide my stories into shorter sets, 3 stories told through 4-panel comics. This helped in being concise with my story, and also minimized the stress I felt to complete a long comic. 

Making comics mentions that when creating a comic, the panels of course have to make sense with one another, and that you should use body language over text to convey ideas. But, because I am not a very good drawer, despite all my attempts, I found that using body language over text was very difficult. I guess this can sort of relate to my constant challenge of telling something vs. showing something. 

My last advice to a new storyteller working on their graphic story is to look at a lot of other comics and collect facial expressions, body expressions, and format choices. I found a lot of four panel comics that inspired me to try out the four panel approach, and in the end I found that it was the perfect graphic storytelling medium for me. Explore, explore, explore, and be inspired by those who know what they're really doing. 

THE STORYTELLER BIO:

Amberly Pitts is a Junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying Chinese Language and Civilization, Asian Studies, is pursuing a Business Minor, and a certificate in Technology, Arts and Media. Amberly loves to travel and learn languages, and is especially interested in using media tools to document her travels. So far, she has traveled to Mexico, Greece, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. In the near future, she plans on traveling to Japan and China. 

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Final Storytelling Portfolio: Cinematic Storytelling; Grandma's Night in the Hospital

THE INTRODUCTION: This screenplay is about the night my Grandma was sent to the hospital because of a heart problem. It was a sudden event for me and my whole family because we are all very healthy, and my Grandma and none of her siblings have exhibited heart problems before. We all felt that we might lose her, and so my drive up to the hospital to see her was spent reflecting on all the amazing moments I've shared with my grandma. We've done more than travel together, but because my grandma and even my mother were so dirt poor when they were growing up, traveling is a passion that we all share. I thought about all the places I had gone with grandma, and how much more memorable the trip was because she was there. This screenplay is meant to reflect my surprise, silent anguish and fear of losing my grandma. 

THE STORY: 

Grandma's Night in the Hospital

THE STORYBOARD:

THE COMMENTARY:

As a storyteller, I continue to learn how difficult it is to write and talk about personal stories. This story was especially challenging because I had to show vs. tell what was happening to me. This was difficult for a couple reasons; one being that we don't often notice what mannerisms we have and how we can describe and use those mannerisms to talk about what I'm doing in a story. 

The thing that I enjoyed the most during this project was the amount of artistic freedom I had to create the story. Many of the conversations in the script are a bit dramatized because when you're in a grim and strange situation as we were in, there isn't a lot of time for bravado. We saw our grandma immediately and assured her that she would be okay. My grandma is a feisty one, so the things she says are mostly true. But, like I said, an amount of artistic freedom is needed in order to make this story come alive. 

The most challenging part of this story was showing how something was happening verses telling what was happening. I do really well describing scenes, but I still don't do well with noting the direction of the scene, with considering the camera angles (evidenced by my storyboards), or even what other characters might be doing to convey their feelings in physical and vocal weighs. Yes, showing what was going on was the most difficult thing for me. 

What I learned from writing this screenplay was to value the time that I have with my loved ones. I think in Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect, the author called this kind of story 'The Discovery'. I "discovered" how much my grandma meant to me though the remembrance of shared interest and laughs. It also revealed to me how "wooden" I become in tense and sensitive situations. I don't cry and wail, I clench my jaw and bite my tongue. I don't say a lot, just enough to assure everyone that it's going to be okay. I'm a very open person in normal life, but when a situation like this arises, I might as well be a robot. 

My advice for a new storyteller writing a screenplay would be to read all the sample screenplays, or do the reverse screenplay activity Amy gave us. It will help so much when it comes to telling vs. showing what is happening in your screenplay. Thinking about those mannerisms and just all the elements that go into a screenplay is tough, so having a template and example available is really helpful. 

STORYTELLER BIO:

Amberly Pitts is a Junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying Chinese Language and Civilization, Asian Studies, is pursuing a Business Minor, and a certificate in Technology, Arts and Media. Amberly loves to travel and learn languages, and is especially interested in using media tools to document her travels. So far, she has traveled to Mexico, Greece, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. In the near future, she plans on traveling to Japan and China. 

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Final Storytelling Portfolio: Verbal Story

Introduction: 

This story is about my internal struggle with living abroad or with staying in Colorado for this next school year. I have lived abroad before, and it was one of the best experiences of my life, but now I have a life here that is somewhat established and regular. So, my struggle is deciding what to do. Do I leave everything behind, especially my boyfriend, for a whole year? Or do I wait? These are the questions I ask myself in this short essay. 

Story: 

http://cowbird.com/story/105800/

Commentary: 

What I learned about myself as a storyteller from writing this story was that it is very difficult to talk about yourself. I really enjoy writing fiction for pleasure, but delving into your own stories and personal thoughts is not very enjoyable. But, after hashing out a couple drafts, I felt obligated to tell articulate my story as best I could so that I could do myself justice as a character in my story.

What I liked most about this approach was the option to attach a picture. I included a picture of Boulder and Taiwan to juxtapose my struggle of deciding to stay or go. By including that image, I had a base point for my story, so that if I ever got off track, I could just look back at the picture and remember why I'm doing this and where I want to go with it. A picture is a powerful thing, especially if it is extremely relative to the story being told.

This final version reveals my shimmering image of Taiwan. It's always on my mind, I'm always thinking about the people, the atmosphere, the food, of course the food. Those memories stand out in my mind like diamonds in a mine, and so by writing this story, I was able to bring up those images and share them with everyone else.

The advice that I would give to a new storyteller trying to write a verbal story is think of a moment or memory that was really important to you, or that had a huge influence on you. If its is a vague or, pardon the word, shallow memory, it will make for a crummy story. Look inside yourself and find a big idea, a big story, to tell, because then you will feel the obligation to tell that story right, and you will be proud of your finished project. 

Storyteller Bio:

Amberly Pitts is a Junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying Chinese Language and Civilization, Asian Studies, is pursuing a Business Minor, and a certificate in Technology, Arts and Media. Amberly loves to travel and learn languages, and is especially interested in using media tools to document her travels. So far, she has traveled to Mexico, Greece, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. In the near future, she plans on traveling to Japan and China. 

[feastoflowers]

Reading Response WK 11 Sunday Assignment

Introduction: By looking for/ recognizing underlying emotions, I began to understand the importance of human connection when telling my personal story. As Johnson said, drama and surface events are the waves of a story, but the emotions that people can relate with and connect to are the underwater current that brings them along for the ride. While writing my mood change scene, I thought about other people who might have been in a similar, if not the same situation I was in (hearing that my grandma was in the hospital for heart surgery.) So with that in mind, I wrote the scene so that everyone could see the inner turmoil I began to face just by hearing that my grandma was in the hospital.

Chapter 1:  My favorite part of this section was when Johnson talked about what other writers and directors look for in scripts, one of the answers being "angry big! sad big!" To me, the word big means that the emotion needs to jump off the page and get in your face. By channeling big emotions that we all feel in a variety of situations, I think I will be able to better relate to my audience. While I wrote the mood change scene, I tried to write in emotions that everyone knew of and could imagine themselves feeling. The scene I wrote is not about being loud and fighting for yourself, but about being serious and understanding of the circumstances. However, If this was a short film, I can see how an actor would be able to pull of a "big" emotion just by using their face, and so this is how I would be able to reach the audience. 

Chapter 2: Most often, I came up with a family story. My family and I have traveled to many places, weathered many storms, and celebrated many milestones together, so it was really no surprise that everything I wrote down was in some way connected to the bigger picture that is my family. 

What I found to be very helpful and interesting was the expert from Barry Jenkins about creating his characters as Arab-American's, even though he himself was not an Arab-American. This section was interesting because it shows that even though Jenkins is not Arab-American, he pushed himself to better understand them and relate to them so that overall, his audience could relate to himself and his characters. 

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

[feastoflowers]

Mood Change Exercise WK 11 Sunday Assignment

I’m sitting in my room doing homework and listening to music. My head bobs with the music and I pull at my lower lip as I think about the questions on the page in front of me. It’s not a hard assignment, so once I finish a problem, I sit back in my chair and sigh. I stretch my arms over my head and roll my shoulders, loosening myself up for the problem. I pick up my pencil and lean over the desk, my shoulders hunched and my chin tucked into my free hand. My eyes often wander, as I would rather be doing anything but this work right now.

Suddenly, my phone rings. I look over and an amused smile comes over my face. It’s my mommy. I answer the fun with a happy hello, setting down my pencil as I lean back in the chair. My mom’s voice is a little more serious than normal, something has to be up.

(Prefer no dialogue, but will put here)

Mom: Lu, its grandma. Her heart rate got really high today, so we had to take her to the hospital today. She’s in the emergency room right now.

Amber: Should I come right now.

Mom: She’s doing better, and is resting now, but I think you should come.

Amber: Okay, I’m on my way.

(End dialogue)

As the conversation goes on, my brow deepens and my mouth starts to frown. My jaw is clenched tight as I listen to my mom explain grandma’s condition. When I answer her, my words are short, clipped and strained. This can’t be happening. My grandma is so young, she has to be okay. When I hang up the phone, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, my elbows resting on the desk and my hands clenched together. I'm not crying, but I am afraid and stunned. Not my grandma, please not my grandma. 

Pulling myself out of the chair, I find my street clothes and change. After slipping my shoes on, I pick up my car keys and purse, and without a word to my roommate, head out the door.

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Story Ideas

We have a couple story mediums left, and these are a couple of ideas that I came up with over the past few days. 

CDS-style

For this form of storytelling, I'm thinking of talking about the process and the moment that I said "yes" to studying abroad. The free write that I did about it was rather long, but I think that I can condense it to the panic, nervousness, confidence, and concern that I felt in the two days that I spent interviewing for the study abroad scholarship. I think giving a dialogue of how I felt on the inside while interview in comparison to how I appeared and answered questions on the outside would be an interesting story that I can compliment with pictures. 

Graphic Memoir

With this form of storytelling, I would like to use the story of my struggle with math and how it effected when I was able to get into the business minor program. Putting it in a graphic form would lend some comedy to the whole matter. 

Animation Style

I've had a fear of public speaking for as long as I can remember. Whenever I've had to give a speech, my voice would shake,  I would talk really fast, and stumble over my words. This past summer, I started working as a tour guide at the Celestial Seasonings factory, and everyday I gave at least two tours to 45 people It took a while, but I eventually got over my fear of public speaking and started giving tours that I really enjoyed. I don't know if this would fit well with animation, but I can try!

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Week 5 story reflections

This week we read a lot of stories, all of which we needed to look for the heart in. 

1. I first watched the oral story of "Japanese Mosh Pit" from The Moth. The storyteller recounts the time he went to a Japanese rock concert wherein he became consumed by the crowd. The heart of his story for me was his change in personality from beginning to end. At the beginning of his story, he's in the mosh pit getting tossed around, beaten by elbows and feet, with his glasses being knocked askew. There is sort of a quiet moment when he stoops to pick up his crumbled, crowd stomped glasses, and then he transforms in to a monster befitting a mosh pit. If he gets pushed, he pushes back, if someone tries to climb him like a tree, he peals them off and flings them away like King Kong. Really, his story is about how we have to change depending on the situation, especially if it is to protect ourselves. 

2. Ordinary shoes is the story of a daughter recounting the greatness of her mother's rolling skating skills. The heart of her story is in the idea of lost time. There was a time when her mom was a great skater, but is now a 80 yr old women who has changed over time. The one word I would use to describes 

3. The first hippocampus story I read was a little strange in that there was no central idea going on. It is the story of how a middle aged woman realized her dream to teach on an Native American Indian Reservation. There are highs and lows to teaching, especially with young kids whose first language may not be english, but overall, it was a collection of stories that were difficult to find a commonality between except for teaching. If the author had given more than just a narrative of her time on the reservation teaching, I think readers would be more likely to read her entire piece instead of skimming it when it became apparent that there was no true "beating" heart to the story. 

4. The other story I read on hippocampus was very good, in that it was a great balance of narrative and reflection. Is this a date? was written by a Muslim woman and recounts her first time alone with a guy. The story reveals much about the author's faith and her moral obligation to follow the rules of it, and also how it can be difficult to balance her faith and morality while attending college classes with people who don't share her views, and are completely ignorant of her religion. The story's heart comes in the form of the author standing up for herself and her religion when she realizes that the man is going to far and she if uncomfortable with the situation. Overall, this was my favorite story of whole set.

5. The last story I read, or rather listened to, was the previous student project titled, "my reconciliation with my femininity". This story is extremely personal, and I was actually uncomfortable with listening to it. The heart of the author's story is in the title, "femininity". The combination of narration and reflection was absolutely perfect, and very touchingly revealed. Never in a million years would I reveal that I had been pregnant before starting college. That is a story that stays with me; but then again, I have never denied that I am feminine, or hated being feminine in any way. I don't have to reconcile that part of my self with anything, so I can understand why the author chose to speak her story. This story would be a great message to get to all girls and women who are struggling with accepting a part of themselves that is key part of who we are; Female. Despite my discomfort, I connected with this author and felt for her like she was my own friend. 

Cheers, 

Amberly 

[floralls]

Hiking the Flatirons today! #boulder #colorado #vsco #vscocam (by gracefullady)

[feastoflowers]

That's where I live! Love the flowers! 

[feastoflowers]

Cowbird Story Ideas

This week are planning out stories to publish to cowbird. These stories are meant to be short, insightful, and somewhat revealing about the author, which in this case is me! The story ideas that I came up with for this medium are the following:

1. How hard it is being a mom; a friend of mine recently got engaged to a guy she's known for less than a year. He has a young son, and in marrying this guy, she will also becoming the little boy's step mom. This made me think about how much my mom does for me, how much my friend will have to do for her new step-child, and how I'm really not ready to settle down. The image I would use for this is one of my mom and I when she came to visit me in Taiwan. 

2. Moving abroad; when I was 17-years old, I move to Taipei, Taiwan for a year-long exchange program. I really would like to go on exchange again, but now there are more factors standing in the way, and I'm just not sure if I can go again. The image I would use for this story is maybe one of an airplane, or of someone staring out at the tarmac from the terminal, a sort of last contemplation before getting on the plane. 

Let me know what you think everyone!

[floralls]

(by ♫muxu)

[isabelalma]

[dreamtravelsblog]

isabelalma:

#travel #japan #kyoto #kiyomizudera #memories #2009

For more Dream Travel Destinations, go to: http://dreamtravelsblog.tumblr.com

[wetravelandblog]

[dreamtravelsblog]

wetravelandblog:

Sunset in Monument Valley, Utah by JimSeith - Lets take a trip up to the sky

For more Dream Travel Destinations, go to: http://dreamtravelsblog.tumblr.com

[pripri-blogs-blog]

After reading the stories on Brevity and Cowbird, I finally understood what Lisa Norton meant by focusing on a single story and keeping it simple. Writing stories about myself and things that have happened to me seems daunting but knowing that I can express a moment in a simple and casual way...

[feastoflowers]

I agree with you about your audio Cowbird story. I felt like I was there with the author, sympathizing with a struggle I've never had to understand or overcome. 

[storytellingwithalyssa-blog]

Websites like Brevity and Cowbird will be the downfall of all human productivity. Or just mine. I can already tell. Brevity’s catalog platform and Cowbird’s open publication forum are full of the stories, emotions and little giggles that I desperately wanted to see on my Tumblr dashboard when I...

[feastoflowers]

I definitely enjoyed the cowbird story, His silence was always at full volume! I felt that it was beautifully written, and it did raise a lot of memories for me, especially of the first love, break-up and crushes variety. I definitely found a shimmering image within that story. Thanks for sharing :) 

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DS: Week 3 Reflections

This week we were asked to view a couple personal story and memoir platforms, and here are just a couple thoughts I had while reading some stories. 

Cowbird

This site is interesting in how it is laid out, it sort of gives me the feeling of informality, which I guess is fine in these very simple, but revealing stories (at least the ones I read were). I read Daddy by Summer Puente first, and it happened to be an audio story. This one was pretty close to my heart, just being adopted by my step-dad and everything. I can see the Shimmering Image in this story for this author; her father is given the thankless job of taking care of his daughter, but never does he complain. The photo is of the father and daughter he cares for asleep on the couch, a moment of shared love and peace that might come rarely for both of them. This was the shimmering image for me, or it set off memories of me and my stepdad. That the story was an audio story lent more to the reality of this father and daughter story. You always hear about how hard someone else's life is, but when someone voices it, it all becomes clear. 

The next story I read on cowbird was What is life? by Alex Smith. This was the story of the author's grandfather, his life, and ultimately his passing away. The whole shimmering image behind the story for me was how life can be measured in "width", not just length. Though the grandfather lived to be 90, his life was more than years; it was the peoples' lives he touched, the strangers he said hello to on his way to work, and in his offerings of inedible food to family members. This reminded me a lot of my year abroad and how much love and compassion we poured into each other's lives, we exchange students I mean. I made a photo album for one french friend that I put a lot of time and thought and love into, and I think about it now because even though we didn't know each other for a long "length" of time, we love each other as if we had been friends for years. This is "width", touching other people's lives in ways that time can not. 

Brevity

The first story I read was Thank You by Sejal Shah. This story struck me as exactly what a memoir is; revealing something about yourself as the author through a story or memory. This story brought up the memory of feelings of loneliness, of not being a big enough part of someone's life. I've been in that position. I know that shimmering image, but more as a shimmering emotion. I remember feeling alone and that maybe it was time to find someone who had time for me and wanted me to be the center of the universe, even if it was for a short time. This is definitely a story I can relate too and can draw on for a story. 

I next read Wide Open Spaces by Kathryn Miller. This story was harder to connect with, but felt like a memoir to me nonetheless. In this story, the author seems to come to terms with the suicide of the lady who shot her when she was a child. She doesn't hold onto anger or hate or questions of why, but rather thinks about how the shooter was released from her own hate by her suicide. This is just so personal, I can't imagine it not being true in some part. The shimmering image I am trying to see here is that sometimes you can't control what happens to you in life, so it does you know good to bear animosity or hate or bitterness, because in the end, it will only hurt you. Now that I've typed it out, that is something I can relate to. 

Overall, I learned that stories can be less than a full fledged memory. It can an emotion or a feeling, and revealing about how that made you feel or what memories it brings forth is enough to be a personal story. 

[feastoflowers]

Ooo la la 

http://apps.warnerbros.com/greatgatsby/avatarcreator/us/

[feastoflowers]

Meet Oliver, the truest love of my life :)