Already second-guessing…

Already second guessing my thesis topic. I looked online, and there are already a number of Maine sites about storytelling – the best of which is the Maine Memory Network. I love how you can search for photos, and then leave comments about them. I think that is a fantastic feature. You can also create your own album of images and even upload some of your own to be included in the directory. The project idea that I had in mind very closely resembles what this site is already doing. I suppose I could build up on this site and make it even better… but I was really hoping to do something that wasn’t already done. I feel like I have to brainstorm more (and better) ideas.

Finally… a thesis statement

I’ve been able to put those notes together to form a thesis statement. Here’s what I have:

Storytelling is a uniquely human trait, no other species on Earth tells stories. Throughout history, the act of storytelling has changed in response to the development of new technologies – from cave paintings to sculpture (and other art forms) to the printing press to photography to TV & film to the Internet (just to name a few). Besides changing the delivery method, these technological advances have changed the nature of storytelling.
In face-to-face storytelling, stories are as much about the content as they are with the environment. Stories can change as they are told among generations of listeners. However, as stories are increasingly delivered via fixed mediums – such as books, TV & film, the element of change is lost.

Photography is one technology that storytellers use to tell stories. The word “photography” is derived from the Greek words for “light” and “writing”. Since the first photograph, taken over 150 years ago, cameras have become ubiquitous in our society; in one minute, over 5,000 photographs are uploaded to Flickr, an online photo gallery.

What role does photography play in storytelling? Furthermore, can it be enhanced in order to preserve some of the original elements of the art of storytelling? What impact does the Internet and other computer technologies have regarding photography & storytelling? These questions are just a few of what will be explored in my Capstone project.

Thesis Statement – context

In the broad sense, I have narrowed my topic to establish that I want to explore storytelling through visual audible information. In order to formulate a decent thesis statement, I did some research to obtain some context in order to frame my project.

First, I looked into storytelling. A few quick notes:
- storytelling is uniquely human, no other species on earth tells stories
- the storytelling medium has changed throughout human history in response to new technologies – from cave paintings to oral histories to the printing press to TV & film to the Internet (just to name a few).
- the medium of storytelling transmission impacts the story. For instance, oral storytelling can morph as generations of individuals interpret and tell the stories to younger generations. The ability for change is limited in printed formats and for TV & film, with the production of fixed mediums.
-What does the internet hold for the future of storytelling? Will it support/increase the migration of storytelling to fixed mediums, or not?

Then I looked into photography:
-the term “photography” comes from the Greek words for “light” and “writing”
- the first photo taken required an exposure of 8 hours in 1826
-photography was available to the mass market in 1901
-as of the writing of these notes, roughly 15,000 images were uploaded to Flickr (5,000 per minute per average)

Brainstorming Topics

When thinking about a topic, I immediately came up with some general restrictions.  Perhaps restrictions isn’t the right term, but I needed to come up with some broad parameters that I could then use to help define some specific topics.  For me, the open ended thesis that allows students to  choose their own topic is terrifying.  I find the freedom overwhelming.

There’s just so much I could do!  

However, defining some restrictions first is what gave me some control over the hysteria.  For me, it made sense to start general and then get more and more selective in my topic decisions.

So, here’s my list of parameters:

1.  Topic must represent an actual project that could completed in 6 months.

This may seem obvious, but, really, it’s very easy to lose sight of the time commitment.  For instance, I’ve always wanted to create my own documentary.  However, given the work involved (research, finding a suitable subject, filming, editing, presentaion) I knew I couldn’t actually complete a documentary film from start to finish in 6 months.  Although something I definitely want to pursue at a later date, not something I can feasibly do for my thesis.

2.  Topic must relate to New Media.

My thesis is doing double duty as my New Media capstone.  Therefore, a documentary, in the traditional sense, isn’t possible.  It may be possible to explore HOW to create a new media documentary, which could be interesting.  However, this isn’t something I’m interested in…

3.  Topic must reflect something I am interested in doing.

Another no-brainer parameter, but, it’s easy to lose sight of self interest when doing what is, realistically, a school-related project.

So, where to go from here?

I started a list of topics that hold my interest, they include:

Visual storytelling (building off of the documentary theme), filmmaking, photography, graphic design, marketing, social networking, art, art history, art theory, new media theory, and internet technology.

I then tried to draw connections between these topics – it was easy to do this on a piece of paper with bubbles.  The first connection made was with visual storytelling and photography.  For me, this was a pretty obvious connection.  Naturally, I then started trying to connect other topics with visual storytelling and photography.  

I ended up with the topics of visual storytelling, photography, filmmaking, art history, art theory and new media theory in a group.

The filmmaking element, though something that interests me, just didn’t fit in with the time commitment parameter.  So, I ended up with a very general, but workable topic of, exploring storytelling through photography.  But, looking at parameter #2, how is this New Media???  Hmmm….

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this blog is to document my thesis journey – from the initial brainstorming of topics, to the research, to the final project.  Besides the nitty gritty of just documenting my journey, this blog will, hopefully, provide me with a constant reminder of my goal – to finish my thesis!  I am writing now after taking a 3 year hiatus from my thesis.  

So, why finish now?

Well, personally, I was extremely disappointed with myself for not finishing.  Every day after deciding to not finish my thesis, it took on a life of it’s own.  It nagged at me, and I felt guilt for letting myself down.  But, with that said, I want to make clear that the goal of this project isn’t for inner peace.  I’ve finally started seeing the thesis as a unique opportunity to explore something in an academic context, with amazing resources, that I would… dare I say it… enjoy doing.  The thesis, to me, isn’t some lame requirement requiring endless hours of dull research that, once completed, I hope to never encounter again.  Rather, the thesis is an opportunity.  Ultimately, this new approach and attitude is why I have faith that I will finish my thesis this year.

So, fasten your seat belts (ha!) and enjoy the ride on my thesis journey.