If someone is telling you a list of facts, more likely than not, you will soon zone out. But if they’re narrating a story, you will be drawn in, and before you know it, you will have absorbed a whole bunch of facts without even realizing. When listening to stories, we are less guarded with our belief systems and more open to new ways of being or thinking. Stories are the primary way we human beings learn from each other.

This project was to be about storytelling through illustration. The dream was to create visual compositions that stir the imagination into stories through characters, light and color. This much was clear. But what story is worth telling? And how does one tell a story well? Conversations and questions lead to several topics that people in my social circle were struggling with. “What do I do with my life?” “Who am I?” “Should I do what I love or should I do what my family wants me to do?” These were some of the questions repeatedly coming up. Finding common ground among these, the topic narrowed to “identity”.

Identity makes for a deeply subjective and philosophical topic, and as it was explored, the questions grew greater and deeper. How do we as humans define ourselves? What makes a person a person? What makes someone unique and what unites us all? What in a person can be changed? To what extent and how? What is transformation? What is healing? How does someone who is feeling lost, disassociated or purposeless find a sense of groundedness and direction again?

Following these questions, certain key insights were found, and an attempt made to incorporate them into as simple a story as possible, told largely through illustrations. The project had much struggle involved as well as learning.

Case Study Download:
• Landing......