For my story I wanted to create a podcast that sounded like a bedtime story.

By Manna-Symone Middlebrooks and Aja Wallace

Initially I wanted to create a film with minimal character dialogue – similar to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Seeing as how my quarter three benchmark was an analytical essay focusing on Kubrick's works, I decided I wanted to do something different and step outside of my creative comfort zone. Recently I've developed an appreciation for George Condo's paintings (You can check out some of his work here, here, and here). Through his works I have come to appreciate paintings and illustrations as mediums to tell stories. What I wanted to with this project was tell a story simply through illustration.

I knew facades would be a focus of my story, but I was unsure of what story to tell. I decided that instead of creating a story to illustrate, I would create my story by illustrating. 

I began my story by creating a few rough sketches. First I drew a man who had an eye encompassed in a rectangle. Then a blank bottle. Finally I drew a man of utter absurdity. In these sketches I saw three themes: facades, dependence, and psychopathy. I decided that these themes would be the timeline of my story – beginning with facades, and ending with psychopathy. From there I took my rough sketches and began to give them character.

The man with the eye encompassed in a rectangle became a man of two faces in a tuxedo; the blank bottle became a bottle of bourbon. I didn't realize it at first, but I was taking pieces from Stephen King's The Shining – a film Kubrick directed, and giving it my own twist. 

I really enjoyed this project as it allowed me to push my creative comfort zones. If I were to do this project in the future, I would do a few things a bit differently. I would choose to tell a story through more sketches and color. I feel that I limited my story's potential by sticking to only three sketches – though I believe that if I had created more the quality may have suffered. In the future I would also chose to create my story before illustrating.

My sketches can be found here. My story sketches are Final_Image_1, Final_Image_2, and Final_Image_3, while my rough drafts are labeled "Rough_Draft_x" Enjoy!

Note: Headphones should probably used
 
This video/song tells the story of a person I knew very well at one point and the persons experiences with friendship. Please pay attention the lyrics. The video is set up as me leaving a voice mail on the persons phone.

If you cannot view the embed video please click here.

​Favorite Spot: Center City

About Me: Student, activist

Years in Philly: 18 years

Current Home: North East Philly

Dear Philly,

From your Killadelphia days to the long summers of soccer in the park. You're not half bad. All the way up in the North East and the term, down to South Broad. I love you for the Flyers, and the Phillies too. Hell even the Eagles, no matter how bad they can be at times. Here's to the dogs days riding down Broad causing chaos, or the nights with fellow Flyers fans, and all the times we've talking shit about the Penguins, Pittsburgh the Rangers and the Mets. An amazing ode to Philly. I'll love you always!

Thanks for all the good times.

Favorite Spot: The spot behind Walmart (South Philly)

Neighborhood: South Philly

I am: An artist, an adventurer, a hoodlum 

Years in Philly: 14

Current Home: South Philly 

To that spot behind Walmart,

That spot behind Walmart, you’ve seen more sides to me than most human beings. It’s crazy how I’ve watched you evolve too. Me and Him explored you when you were still uninhabited, still untouched, rough, rugged. You’ve always treated us so good, giving us a place to escape when just a few blocks away would get too much for us to take. I remember hating that they were changing you, making you bare and concreted. I can’t say you were typically beautiful or that you were ever defined as nature, you had your flaws that included more than a few pieces of trash, or burned rubber, and that old car that made me think of you as a place out of some ridiculously cliche movie. You were ugly but I loved you for it. Remember our anniversary when those stupid kids tried to burn down the rest of you and I put out the flames when no one else cared enough to? I ran to you at my weakest plenty of times and you always gave me the pleasure of silence and faint sounds of the river waves against the dock. I’ve always found the lights from Jersey to be our stars. I visited you recently. You’re dying, almost completely exposed now. Every tree that once lined that path they burned on you in the beginning has withered away. The small forest that gave me the excitement of exploration has become not much more than twigs and browned grass. I still love you. It hurts to go back seeing now what you’ve become, what those memories that I have of you have become. Maybe I’ll see you in the spring and we’ll both be flourishing.

- Cheyenne 

Favorite Spot: West Philly 

Neighborhood: West Philly 

I am: A poet from West Philly who has figured out the miracle of here. 

My Love Note: 

Favorite Spot: West Philly 

Neighborhood: West Philly 

I am: A poet from West Philly who has figured out the miracle of here. 

My Love Note: 

I have passion for recognizing where the boiling belly full of love is, 

You have the burnt remains of what used to hold everything beautiful,

You've been my cradle since birth, 

Somewhere that I can always call home, 

All space in your boiling belly for a black girl in need of home, 

Always leaving room for me even after all the struggles people stomp into your skin of soot. 

You are very much appreciated here. 

You are beautiful, 

Home too all the hurting brown boys wearing bullet proof skin, 

And the girls who can't find their way out of the maze in those boys minds, 

You've been my mother my entire life, 

Your street lights always my guide back to broken beauty,

You, 

West Philly always has room, 

Even with the over population of poverty, 

I try to save you with poetry, 

There is always room, 

You are nothing but a beautifully broken mother birthing boiling belly flu of love. 

Sergey Kuznetsov 

Favorite Spot: University city 

About Me: 17 year old kid 

Current Home: West Philly 

Years in Philly: 5 

Dear Philly
I know we might now have been on the best of terms recently, and I appreciate the attempts that you made recently for us to get back together, but I am afraid this isn’t really working out. You see, well, to put it bluntly, there is someone else. Now don’t cry, we have had a good run, but I am afraid that, well, just the way you have been action, how should I put this… well, it isn’t what I am looking for in a relationship. You see, I have applied to universities in other cities. Chicago is my first choice. Now, don’t be mad, I am still applying to Drexel and UPenn, but… I am just not too sure that the whole thing will really work out. We could still be friends, I will come by every now and then and say hello, but… the whole thing won’t be official, if you get what I mean. All right, I won’t take up any more of your time, you bee good now, and… I am sure you’ll find someone else, there are millions of people around you, I am sure you’ll find the right one! This is good-bye. 

Sergey~

Favorite Spot: Kelly Drive

Neighborhood: Boathouse Row to East Falls

About Me: Student, Runner, Avid-Reader, and Donutslinger @ Federal Donuts

Years in Philly: 18 years strong

Current Home: Center City

Dear Kelly Drive, 

  It is difficult for me to display my admiration for you in words, because for so long I have done so through a different medium. Sitting here as I struggle to write this, I find my mind slowly drifting to when we were first introduced to one another. Treading your trails one cold winter day, I was not quite sure what I had gotten myself into. I was told to turn around once I saw the Three Angles. I was confused. Was that a Charlie's Angels reference? To the right of the Schuylkill River I found three pillars with one angel statue on top of each of them. That day I learned that Three Angels were the landmark adjacent to Fountain Green Drive. 

Trekking your trails more often, I began to notice even more about you. I noticed the fish hidden in the trees, only observable from Boathouse Row. I saw the house on top of the hill next to the road, just a little after Columbus Bridge. I even noticed the discreetly hidden Strawberry Mansion Bridge stairs.

I do not remember when exactly, but a point came when I began to understand myself through your trails. I found peace in hearing the pitter-patter of my feet against your roads. I learned what my limits were, and how to overcome them. Through patients and perseverance, I learned that no matter how formidable an obstacle may seem that it is conquerable. 

Thank you for exposing me to running.