Tiny Stories: Steps Not Taken

Steps Not Taken
by Caitlin, Olivia, Cody, Claire, and Hadley

The lightbulb in his ceiling burned out. He contemplated the chore of replacing it and decided he liked living in darkness better anyway.

 
As he sat in the darkness, he realized that he was hungry. So he started to crawl. He kept searching for the door but found himself lost.

 

Content in his solitude, he breathed in deeply... absorbing the rich nutrients of the dark, making his wings stronger and his talons sharper.

He didn't need her, anyway. The games were tomorrow and he was most definitely going to win.

The forecast was cloudy with a chance of crushed dreams as all sporting events were cancelled. 

Artist Statement

Though each of us went to different schools, we all share a collective dread for group projects. The fear that fueled this ranged from doing all the work to not even being heard. The “Tiny Story” assignment allowed us to experience group work in a different way. Instead of picking apart each other’s visions, we were allowed more individual freedom for creativity. Influenced only by a few lines and picture, we made each new addition our own. This form of collaborative art leaves room for a more chaotic form of creativity, which provides a more unique and spontaneous outcome than the Hunger Games of opinions that traditional group work dictates.

A film that immediately comes to mind is Adam Shankman’s Bedtime Stories. While Skeeter attempts to control the outcome of his stories, it is the children’s input that matters. His stories become the basis for their additions that end up coming true. Similarly, we were each given a section of text and one image to influence our own contribution, but it could be taken in any direction we chose. Our stories were created by combining everyone’s different interpretations. This kind of collaboration gives the artist control only over their designated portion. The story is meant to grow like a completely separate entity, similar to the ideas set forth in the “Exquisite Corpse” article.  As the article explores, many works today are collaborative and are affected by works we have previously experienced. The idea of original work has to account for the truth that we cannot escape these influences. Additionally, as we see in both Bedtime Stories and “Exquisite Corpse”, the creators of media must set free their direction and control. They sometimes have to trust that their vision will still be acknowledged, but the path may be altered. We must also accept that our vision might never turn out how we originally plan it.

The twitter account gives a strong example of the Round Robin stories technique in new media form. While the exquisite corpse is the more traditional version of the project we attempted, the twitter account shares short stories with people around the world, and thus receives varying feedback. The public forum in which art is shared today allows for even more creativity and development than was available to generations past. It also speaks to the influence that so few words can have on readers. Short stories are powerful no matter the setting they are shared in, and the Short Stories Twitter Account proves that.

None of these stories concluded the way we originally intended. Once a story began, the original author relinquished all control over the outcome. You can’t guarantee a positive outcome in a group project, but we’ve found that this project had a surprisingly good ending, proving that putting faith in each other’s creativity can pay off in the long run.  

Group Members

Cody Mondale
Claire Nielson
Hadley Scholz
Caitlin Stratton
Olivia Taylor