Your Story Matters
My senses come alert, adrenaline pumps and I get giddy to hear, capture and share stories of people. I guess that is what defines being a filmmaker. It's what drives my passion for this art. Through years of interviewing people from football heroes, to architects, to a grandmother, each person has value and a story to tell. They have a world view to share and experiences we can learn and grow from.
It's typically a struggle to convince anyone to sit in front of the camera, to believe his or her words have value. And I find great joy to see them discover value in their own story and feel appreciated to be alive and know their stories now will be available for others to hear in years to come. How lucky we are to live in such a day that we can gather valuable stories so easily.
"In God's world the individual counts. Therefore, Christian art should deal with the individual." - Francis A. Shaeffer
As a pastor's wife, I often hear stories of people from all over, from all walks of life and culture. One of my favorite projects was the "Kingdom Come" series of The Hill Church. This featured people of our church and had them discuss their craft of cultivation and how they worship Christ through doing these works, including painting, carpentry and farming. It made me desire to turn the camera around on myself and ask myself, "Why do I do what I do?" As I meditated on that question, the power of the story came to the forefront. We are created in the image of Christ, so of course God would want our stories to be shared and celebrated. Because they are His stories. How blessed am I to draw those narratives out of the people I meet in a form of art, to connect and inspire others.
"We seek an enlargement of our being... We want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own... We demand windows... [Story] experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality... In [experiencing stories] I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do." - C.S. Lewis
In recent months, I learned from my husband the power of the question, "What is it like to be you?" There is power and beauty in learning about other people, and sharing those stories. Film allows us to step into another world, another culture, or perhaps simply just deeper into a business or neighbor, and we get to discover a little more of the "why" behind who they are and what they do in their lives. We get to connect and create relationships, all through telling our stories.
Perhaps your story is up next?