If you want to live a more creative life, one of the most helpful suggestions I’ve received is to stop trying to plan for the BIG MOMENT when you’re going to have the time and money to quit your job so you can take award-winning photos while on safari in Kenya, and instead simply turn in the direction of the the little things that capture your attention. If a book title appeals to you, even or especially if it’s not the type of book you’d normally read, read it. Ditto for movies, courses, and experiences of all kinds.
I’ve always appreciated the thinking behind this idea –it’s Joseph Campbell’s concept of following our bliss step by step rather than trying to map it out in a five-year plan.
Unfortunately in the last half-dozen years, I’ve ignored the sage advice of Campbell and others and I have turned a blind eye to almost everything that interests me. Six professional books, two adolescent literacy programs, and an intense travel schedule have meant that I have been impersonating the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, muttering “I’m late, I’m late” as I speed through life while staring at my calendar.
While I’m still writing and speaking (and happy to be doing both), I decided last week that it’s time to turn over a new leaf in the “following your bliss” category and I’m so glad I did. If I hadn’t, I would never have opened the links in the email I received from my friend Freda, and I would have missed learning about something that is doing a great job of capturing my attention and also giving me ideas for future work.
Freda’s son, Lucas, is keenly interested in, and knowledgeable about, transmedia (aka cross-platform storytelling). He blogs about his interests at Silverstring Media, a company “committed to exploring the power of stories…in whatever way best serves the narrative and engages the audience, regardless of media or platform.”
While the word ‘transmedia’ had me cringing a bit with memories of other graduate school terminology, I was hooked by Lucas’s focus on the power of story and, since I know him to be a brilliant and creative young man, I spent a couple of pleasurable hours reading his posts and following links.
If I have captured your attention, here are some differentiated starting points based on your interests and readiness:
If you’ve never seen an example of the art form, try The Time Tribe (a video teaser), Azrael’s Stop (a story for adults), or Inanimate Alice (four episodes, with teaching material).
If you are interested in the possibilities of transmedia in education, check out this virtual roundtable.
If you would like to offer input to a resource guide Lucas is hoping to write for teachers, see Lucas’s March 6th blog “Blueprint for a Transmedia Classroom” or join the twitter group at hashtag #tmlearn.
While I am genuinely interested in transmedia and its’ role in education, I have referenced Lucas’s work for an additional reason. I knew Lucas when he was in grades 4 through 8. Reflecting on the interests he had then and the work he is doing now, I see someone who has stayed curious about the world, who is aware of his own strengths, and who has bravely set out to do the work that captures his attention. It seems to me that helping ourselves and others find and follow their bliss is perhaps a significant need in our society and the highest purpose of 21st century educators. What do you think?
