I wasn't a kid with my head in a book. Instead, I was climbing trees, and playing dress-ups and make believe. I was acting out stories and creating elaborate worlds. I was sticking my head over the back fence and chatting to our wrinkled neighbour while he passed us veggies from his garden and told us stories from his life. I was chasing cowboys, performing surgeries, escaping from dragons and conquering beasts. No, I wasn't reading books. I was part of one. 

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Stories for me have always been about play. And adventure. And fun. They're transformative and exciting. They take us to new places and let us see new things. But most importantly, they give us agency to act as if. What if, we slayed the monster? What if we stood up to the bully? What if we saved the planet?

 

Stories plant little seeds of thought that can change how we see the world, and how empowered we feel to be in it. 

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My career to date has not been a regular one. I've jumped around on the floor and entertained thousands of children as a giant frog (hey that acting degree needed to come in handy, somewhere, right?) I've wrestled the words of acclaimed playwrights as a dramaturg and directed plays as varied as the classics through to fringe dwelling comedy. I've won awards as a documentary photographer and written plays that played to hundreds and some that played to none (maybe I need to get those off the Harddrive). I used to think this made me unfocused. But now I realise I've always been doing the same thing. Telling stories. Seeing people. Asking people to think. Inviting them to feel.

 

And now as the words pour through me in picture book form - I'm heeding the call. I'm honouring my younger self and planting my own seeds. So children can feel validated. So they can feel empowered. And most importantly, so they can embrace imagination.

 

Stories give us the ability to imagine as if. And when we imagine - we give ourselves permission to do anything. 

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