Helen Kohlmetz

Journey

I hold a love for stories that has been with me for as long as I can remember. My parents encouraged me to read from a young age, and I was captivated by the words that sprawled across the pages of whatever book I could get my hands on. My trips to the library were frequent, and I could go through a book in a day. That love expanded past books, finding a home on screens where the characters came to life in moving pictures. I followed characters on their adventures, celebrating and mourning as they celebrated and mourned, exploring every new world, whether it be an entirely new fantasy setting or merely a different perspective. A character is introduced in all their glory and failings. An adventure is undertaken as the story begins, with goals to reach and setbacks to overcome, until finally, an end is reached. The story is over. The journey is done.

I moved from one story to the next. It was all I did with my time in middle school, and stories became a place of wonder and joy, of meaning and happiness, of triumph and intrigue. It was, also, an escape. I consumed whatever I could get my hands on, ignoring the world around me. I was lonely, but I did not realize my loneliness, not with all the fantastic new friends I could connect to in these stories. Not with all the adventures I could embark upon. I threw myself into the world of stories, but in doing so, they became my world. Why would I want to be present in the moment when I could follow along with a hero who went on a dangerous quest to save those they loved?

This is at the core of my animation. It is a story about stories, and it is a story about escapism. The character's journey is meant to mimic my own. She gets lost in her stories, her heart diving in and leaving reality behind. She follows, at first, before starting to explore on her own. She marvels at the worlds around her, and she forgets that she is lost until she realizes that her heart has vanished. She chases after it and finds her way out, emerging back into reality.

I had written out stories of my own before, but Senior Independent Study presented me with the perfect opportunity to try my hand at animating. Using visuals to tell a story was something entirely different from conveying ideas in words. It was exciting. Instead of thinking of how I might describe an emotion, I did my best to convey the emotion through expression or body language. I had fun drawing different fantasy-based worlds for my character to move through, creating setting for her to marvel at and get lost in.

Ultimately, I created an animation because I wanted to share my love of stories. I wanted to share the wonder and joy I feel, to inspire others like all the stories I have consumed have inspired me. Whether it be the story, the character, or the settings, there is something for everyone. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and allow yourself to be taken on a journey.