The Heroes Journey
Reflection
In the beginning of this project, we started reading books like "Siddhartha" and "The Alchemist" to get to know storytelling. Then we actually started the bulk of the project, telling our own personal growth story. I told a story about how scared I was when diving in the Bahamas, in a hole that is 200 feet deep. I told my fear of the ocean, what fish and marine life I didn’t want to encounter. I also told what was supposed to be there when I actually went into the hole. Also I told about the beauty and overwhelming size of the hole. How when I actually got into the hole, all of my fears paused. I also in this project helped stage design, I helped build and create ideas for a “fire”. We used plastic wood, strong strobe lights, and tissue paper for a fiery effect. During the exhibition I was really proud of my team and how the fire turned out.
During this project, I really grew when it came to stagefright and my public speaking skills, usually I talk way faster than I should. When I speak fast I end up mumbling stumbling and falling over my words. But, during this project I was able to calm down, and thus slow down. I also grew as a writer, slowing down because my mind works so much faster than my fingers and hands. I slowly tore parts of my past away, like my speed, and learned to put the torn mess back together. I learned to put it back into a clean and neat process, but with cleaner clearer, better pieces. Like when I first told my story to my peers, even I noticed I was way too fast to understand. So the next time I focused on slowing down and not the details, I would focus on them when I got my speed to a better pace. When I finally went up in front of my class, somehow I was much calmer and I was able to keep a steady pace.
Probably the biggest understanding I will take away from this project is that everyone has their own story, be it about pain, love, fear, sorrow, greed, patience, backstabbing, or just a day in the life. Everyone has that one part of them that shines, that part of me is also my biggest fear, public speaking. During this project I slowly found out the passion and fire it started in my heart. Now that is the biggest problem, I fear public speaking because this “voice” in the back of my head. I need to lock these gates in my mind of my “other side”, my “man in the mirror”. He constantly tells me “you can’t” “you won’t” but I battle him saying “watch me, I can, and I will”. “I control you”, “I control me”. That is probably the biggest understanding I will take away. The biggest example of this is when I run, he is always nagging me saying “stop”, “you’re too tired”, “look, you just hurt yourself”. But throughout this year I’ve learned to control him in many cases in my life, be it running, and now in my fears, like public speaking, heights, and pain in general.
During this project, I really grew when it came to stagefright and my public speaking skills, usually I talk way faster than I should. When I speak fast I end up mumbling stumbling and falling over my words. But, during this project I was able to calm down, and thus slow down. I also grew as a writer, slowing down because my mind works so much faster than my fingers and hands. I slowly tore parts of my past away, like my speed, and learned to put the torn mess back together. I learned to put it back into a clean and neat process, but with cleaner clearer, better pieces. Like when I first told my story to my peers, even I noticed I was way too fast to understand. So the next time I focused on slowing down and not the details, I would focus on them when I got my speed to a better pace. When I finally went up in front of my class, somehow I was much calmer and I was able to keep a steady pace.
Probably the biggest understanding I will take away from this project is that everyone has their own story, be it about pain, love, fear, sorrow, greed, patience, backstabbing, or just a day in the life. Everyone has that one part of them that shines, that part of me is also my biggest fear, public speaking. During this project I slowly found out the passion and fire it started in my heart. Now that is the biggest problem, I fear public speaking because this “voice” in the back of my head. I need to lock these gates in my mind of my “other side”, my “man in the mirror”. He constantly tells me “you can’t” “you won’t” but I battle him saying “watch me, I can, and I will”. “I control you”, “I control me”. That is probably the biggest understanding I will take away. The biggest example of this is when I run, he is always nagging me saying “stop”, “you’re too tired”, “look, you just hurt yourself”. But throughout this year I’ve learned to control him in many cases in my life, be it running, and now in my fears, like public speaking, heights, and pain in general.