Tanya McGinnity

I remember travelling across the border to Boston back in my university days and being subjected to a thorough car search. When a gang of ramshackle youth are headed to Beantown, you want to be on ready. The border guard asked me in a curious way “So what exactly is Jane addicted to?” and it caught me off guard, until I realized that I was wearing a Jane’s Addiction t-shirt. I think I created some glorious Disney-esque story around a girl named Jane who loved life so much that even a simple flower possessed addictive powers. I had a feeling that the 50-ish uniformed man in front of me didn’t know that Jane really was the lead singer’s druggie roommate so I was in the clear.

I’ve always found t-shirts fascinating, as they give a glimpse inside the identity of the wearer. Many conversations have started on the basis of finding someone in a crowd who shares the same interest as I do. I guess you can think of them as the Twitter of the fabric world.

Yup. This one is on my list. Kinda speaks to how I feel.

It’s been a tough road in balancing my online life. I manage 3 twitter accounts and 3 blogs, take Buddhist classes, run the Girl Geek Dinners, coordinate Buddhist events, connect communities and am trying to negotiate what my next career move will be. Unemployment is a bitch but it’s helped me to put a lot into perspective.

These days I’m reworking my participation and consumption in the online sphere. I’m looking to bring back a balance in my life and reduce my digital dependence. As a Buddhist, I’m encouraged to evaluate what’s going on in my mind and examine feelings, attachments and emotions. I’m not doing this effectively these days and it’s time for me to start to cultivate these practices. I thank sites such as The Mindfulist and Zen Habits for being great supports on the path.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Studio XX and the National Film Board for collaborating to deliver a top-notch series of speakers as part of their First Person Digital program. I was fortunate to have captured two of the sessions and felt compelled to post about the last one in the series which featured a virtual presentation by Free Range Studio’s Executive Producer Erica Priggen on the topic of “Creating Content For Change”.

Free Range Studios, are an award-winning creative agency that builds campaigns for social change, many which I’m sure you’re quite familar with such as The Meatrix series and The Story of Stuff. I can’t emphasize enough how they are living my dream of encouraging social change and action via creative efforts. Do check out the “Resources” section on their website for valuable information related to online promotion for social change.

I get chills. Chills from excitement. Excitement at seeing a group be able to elicit positive actions in society.

Erica gave a spirited presentation which hinged on the power of storytelling to encourage social change. She recounted that “We don’t see the world, we see stories. This is our filter.”

I think my main takeaway from the session was that rather than use the traditional fear-based method of screaming “The Sky is Falling and we’re all $%$%-ed” so take action on issue XYZ, she suggested taking a more humorous approach featuring archetypes such as the hero, villain, nemesis and so on. Erica recommended that it’s worth “showing the world you want to see.” It’s much easier to identify with what is presented to us than statistics and hornblowing. She made the point that “it’s hard to motivate people to take action on what they can’t directly perceive.”

Erica noted that it’s important to evaluate the moving issues and values to get people excited about and examine what meaningful action you are seeking to encourage. At the end of each story, consider what the catalyst for action is. This is the core of edutainment and the narrowcast model that the internet presents us with in that we are all co-creators.

Mention was made to how to make stories viral and Erica took the group through the DIY process around storytelling and the manner in which they spread the word about the successful “The Story of Stuff” campaign. I’d say it’s successful in that it’s become a movement for change, rather than just another viral campaign that slipped into obscurity.

It’s heartening to be able to hear the stories of those who are leading the charge and as Free Range Studio’s tagline asserts “Creativity with a Conscience.” These are the stories often overlooked in our society but they are essential to our very survival.

Whoa. I got a bit heavy on you there. Here’s some levity, with a message.