Single Frame Stories
No horror movie has ever scared me more than the moment I realize the spider I’m stomping isn’t under my shoe.
Carrie Lexington and Botgirl Questi both have excellent posts about art, artists and creativity. What’s really art, and who can call themselves an artist? They both said it better than I ever could, so I won’t rehash it here.
I have no issue calling my work art. It’s created in much the same way my best writing is created- from a place in me that feels rather than sees. While I’ve always turned those feelings into words quite easily, creating a visual just takes the process a step further. I like to think that the image enriches the story I’m telling, and offers a dimension that words don’t always reach. And for me personally, there are times when the feelings I want to express are too difficult to share with words. Words are too stark sometimes. A visual can help me express those feelings without the need to explain more than I’m willing or able.
Not all visual stories are deep or full of hidden meaning, of course.
I think Botgirl is spot on:
…the same psychological barriers that prevent people from expressing themselves in technical and business communication also stand in the way of personal artistic expression. That’s a damn shame. But there’s something we can do about it.
One Frame Storytelling is a good way to get started. Common examples are the meme and the one panel comic. I’ve been having a good time with visual tweets, which start with a text-based social network post and then add an image.
What they all have in common is the combination of one image and a short line of text. The image can be a snapshot, a screenshot from a virtual world a simple sketch or a detailed drawing. The text can be in a comic ballon, integrated into the image or just used as a title.
Botgirl and I are hosting a weekly photo challenge starting next week. Single Frame Stories will work much like Crap’s 100 Word Stories challenge. We’ll offer a topic each week, and unveil the work in a few different places. Details soon here, and at Botgirl’s site, as we flesh them out.
Carrie said it best:
To me, that is what art and creative expression is all about, the Process, the journey that leads us to our completed work. Every one of us, even me and you, has it in us to follow the path, create something beautiful and meaningful and call it Art.
Brilliant Whiskey! You have always been an artist to me, regardless of the medium. I’m looking forward to your photo challenges <3
Thanks for mentioning my blog post!
“And for me personally, there are times when the feelings I want to express are too difficult to share with words. Words are too stark sometimes. A visual can help me express those feelings without the need to explain more than I’m willing or able.”
I definitely relate to what you said here. I’m not a therapist, but in the place that I work there are counsellors who do Art Therapy and what you said is exactly the reason why this form of therapy works for those who are open and receptive to it. Sometimes rehashing things in words, like in talk therapy, keeps people trapped in their problems. Or sometimes they don’t even have the words to express what they are going through. Expressing that in imagery often feels safer for a person who has been through trauma or is going through a difficult time in their lives.
I totally just sounded like a Social Worker there! lol
I’m really excited about your One Frame Stories challenges!
Totally agree, like dreams the image opens up the subconscious in a very different way to the word. Melding them together is a great challenge.
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