Pictures Update!

Hello everyone!

Thanks for your patience in getting more pictures out. We had to hit the ground running when we came home this weekend (probably much like everyone else here!). I just wanted to post one last reminder that when I add photos they are added to this online gallery:

 http://dwayneandaimee.pass.us/advanced-storytelling/

And this online Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qyo60e3ba6tdg99/AAAknWFTNDTfhO5Hv-Uy3_Wva?dl=0

Why two places? Well, the gallery just lets you look at all of the pictures fairly quickly. The Dropbox is actually where you should download your high resolution files from.

Right now everyone in class has 2 photos edited (some have 3) from the in-class storytelling. And everyone that came out for the after class pictures has at least 10. The online gallery is up to date and the Dropbox now has all of the pictures that the online gallery has.

This is how I am going to proceed in editing now that I have these out. I'm first going back through the after-class storytelling pictures to finish editing the best of those. That's for 6 people so I'm just going to finish them one person at a time and if you'd like an e-mail when yours is done please e-mail me to let me know. atrawi@gmail.com is the best e-mail to reach me at.

In the meantime, I'll offer this for the in-class pictures. I am looking for a few things when I'm taking pictures of you storytelling to a group. I am looking for the quality of light in the room. I am looking for the best place to take the pictures. But I am also looking to not make a scene and to be very quiet and selective with when I choose to move or if I choose to move. So when I'm going through to find my favorites I am thinking - Does this picture at all look dynamic or interesting? How does the audience look (if they are in the picture?) Are you making eye contact in an interesting way to someone in the audience? Is the photo flattering? Does the photo's composition look interesting enough?

For all or most of these ideals to be met in a moment, when we're working with limited time, it's kind of an amazing thing to me. Which means it's usually only a few pictures out of each batch of a live performance that I end up really liking or wanting to edit. On the flip side of that, I can understand that you might have a different opinion and would like to see your pictures to pick them out for yourself.

So if you want to make sure that you get to pick which photos I edit for you for the in-class pictures, please e-mail me at atrawi@gmail.com and I will set up a private gallery that you can go through, log into the gallery, and select your favorites. I will be able to see which ones you selected as favorites, and when I finish editing the after class pictures I will go through and edit my favorites as well as your favorites of the in-class pictures. Please be reasonable since I do take many pictures on the off chance hoping to catch something that I might not have seen. If something looks like it might become a good moment to take a picture, I will go ahead and take it. So I end up with lots of pictures that are  either intentional and I like them, or unintentional happy surprises or sometimes unintentionally not so good pictures. If you say you want all of them I will be veeeeeery skeptical that you like all of them. :) And they do take a while to edit! So it is silly for me to edit a photo that you do not want. That is all that I ask, please be selective when picking favorites if you go this route. It doesn't bother me if you want to see all of your pictures. It will be a while before I can get to them since I have many of the after-class pictures to go through first. So if you want to see them while I'm working on the others, I can arrange that.



So thanks again for your patience and that is my very long message to tell you all where I am at with everything. Thanks again for everything and please e-mail me at atrawi@gmail.com if you would like me to e-mail you with updates when I have finished more of your pictures. Also, if you need a photo print release for any reason (it doesn't always come up but if it does, just e-mail me and I'd be happy to send you one) just let me know. Otherwise this will be my last photo-related post to this particular blog. Thanks for reading my post and thanks for a great class! 

Closing Words

Thank you all again for your participation in this course. I encourage you all to continue opening up your presentation skills in order that you may follow through with your Right to Speak, Right to Tell, and Right to Be Heard.

That means

• bringing your full self and size onto the stage
• giving your voice full breath
• allowing your natural playfulness
• picking up the pace and connecting thoughts into longer phrases
• earning the silence
• allowing the listener to feel
• turning off the "wind tunnel"
• filling your voice through the end of your words
• using the sounds of words to their fullest effect
• observing and attending to your listeners
• telling in the spirit of discovery. 

Every one of you has something to say that I benefit from, that I want to hear. Continue telling in the spirit of Giving.

In consideration of our final conversation, you may be interested in some thoughts I put into an article a number of years back for Storytelling World. You will recognize some of the quotes and references I used in class. Perhaps this will help in your own consideration of what it means to be a storyteller in the world today.
http://novateller.com/images/Downloads/The%20Scattered%20Brain.pdf

Finally, please consider my doors open to any concerns you may have. I will do my best to be a resource for you as you grow in our community of storytellers.

At your service,
David

class picture

Here is the picture!
We are such cool group!
Thanks for these wonderful 3 weeks everyone!

We are the oxygen that trees release, let's share it!

Idilio

Storytelling and Listeners

Tzitel's thoughts on the importance of listening in education and in storytelling keep running through my head....along with David Novak's suggestion (three weeks ago, I believe)---that the ability to question---to ask "why" is essential in the development and understanding of any story.

And yes, I do believe that storytelling encourages better listening skills---which not only relates to education---but to any time human beings are engaging in oral conversation. How often, I wonder, do people not really listen to each other---but only wait for the opportunity to "interject their own thoughts."
Joy

Anybody knows Brandon's phone number?!?!

Hey folks,

I seem to have an old number for Brandon. Does anyone have a current-et number? Or if Brandon is watching this could you call us?

We're trying to get his info so we can give him all this lovely refrigerated food we have collected from Cynthia and ourselves.

Thanks!

Dwayne
586-231-4192

Live Through Our Art

The actor, Martin Sheen, said that, "...Anna Deaver Smith offers...a powerful reminder of how we can and should live through our art."

Well, I think that David Novak has presented excellent tools in these classes that each of us can use to advance the storytelling art through our lives and on into the lives of all who listen and perpetuate this art in the retelling.

May you always be blessed with stories,
Wenny

Contact!

Thank you all for a great semester! Please keep in touch with me:
email: david@david-novak.com
website: novateller.com