Introduction.

Stories are the essence of connection. They have the power to reflect to us what we need in that moment. They can grant us a window into a world where we feel understood and connected. It gives us a place where we can heal, transform, grow, and feel safe.

Finding solace and stories.

Without reason, since I was a child, I always felt as if there was a force that pulled me into an overwhelming darkness. Stricken with anxiety and a never-ending sadness I tended to navigate the world through violet-tinted glasses. When I was younger, I didn’t understand these emotions but what I could do was recognize them in others or escape into a world I crafted all my own.

I would escape into books, movies, and music— worlds imagined by others but gifted for me to transform in. As a kid, I seemed aloof or fantastical. Always playing make believe and talking to myself, but it was all expression. As I peel back the layers of it all, I realize that the vehicle of storytelling is what captivated me, not only the medium itself.

It’s the idea that you can be transported from the deep hole you’re sitting in, into expansiveness. To me, that is freedom and something I have immense gratitude for. To some, art can seem trivial, but what they’re missing is the validation it can give to someone. That is life changing and why stories are essential for the soul.

The Transformative Power of Storytelling.

One may think that using a character someone created to understand your identity as counterintuitive, but hear me out. As someone who struggled a lot with expressing themselves I was often left with a sense of feeling misunderstood. The reality is that I didn’t “know” who I was. (Really what that means is that I was always too afraid other people wouldn’t like who I was.) Relating to a character can impact you in real life, because if someone, you relate to, can live through a story and come out on the other end then you know it’s safe to be you.

Stories & Connections.

Not only is it safe to be you, but you can feel validated that there are others with similarities. Showing who you are to the world is vulnerable and, albeit, terrifying. However, when you see someone say something you were thinking, doesn’t that feel empowering? Yes, that’s what art is for: connection.

I walked through life feeling like I didn’t have anything to say. Anything to stand for, but all the internal battles we fight aren’t just our own. Other people are fighting them too. That’s when the realization strikes that whatever you have to say, there is probably someone out there who needs to hear it too. Stories aren’t just meant for entertaining, they’re meant for building and strengthening connections. Even if the connections are silent and invisible. They’re still strong.

Welcome to Static Glass.

I’ll be honest. It’s scary to write something or say something for others to interpret, but as we’ve discovered here today, keeping our thoughts to ourselves serves no one. I’m not yet, sure what this all is, but it feels like a step towards my contribution in the world of storytelling.

The only way I seem to be able to understand or comprehend this world is through stories and I figured that would be a good place to start: exploring the world through all the ways we tell stories, but probably mostly movies. Consider this a space where we can explore all those icky and good feelings together and through others.