[BLOG] September 11th: How Its Shaped Me As A Storyteller and As an Artist.
Twelve years ago today America and the world as we know it was knocked on its ass by the terrorist attack that shook the nation. This post isn’t to kick up the devastation of all the blood shed and the crashing of the economy that soon followed, but to share some insight on how it helped me grow as a storyteller and as an artist.
I was eleven years old when those planes crashed into the Twin Towers and at that time I honestly didn’t get the hype surrounding it. I thought planes crashed all the time so I didn’t understand why I was being taken out of class, why things were being closed down, or why my parents were panicking about the whereabouts of my other siblings. It wasn’t until I sat and watched news report after news report until it started to sink into my brain that America was under attack. I suddenly became afraid to leave the safety net of my mother’s arms, but I knew what to do to make me feel better.
I went into my bedroom and I grabbed my journal (A Michael Jackson folder with loose leaf paper twined to the binds) and began to write. I made up stories and finished stories that I had started long before. September 11th made me think…think deeply about my life of video games, candy, and Michael Jackson. If i were to die today, what would I have to show the world that I was once here?
It changed my way of thinking and writing. I wanted to write true stories. Stories that people could relate to. Turning on the television and seeing those people frantically running around the streets with dirt, blood, and dust all over them made me want to tell a story of tragedy…their story of tragedy. So I wrote many drafts of a short story that I then turned into my English class. The story earned me extra credit and a candy bar. (Yes it was that good)
That tragedy transitioned my mindset into wanting to tell the best stories I can while I’m here on Earth. That mindset continues to help me grow as an artist and as a storyteller.
Put passion into your stories and give the audience an in depth look at what you’re trying to portray to them. Much like what those newscaster did for me on that horrible day 12years ago, they made this 11year old kid feel pain…so much pain it helped shape a storyteller and an artist.
How has 9/11 changed you? Share in the comment box below.
-Shaun