channel your
story to
activate your
superpower
We all take different paths to learn our craft so you may have the odd gap in information, or pressure to be further along than you are...but in this course, we work from where you are today.
Whether I’m guiding you through your first steps of telling your story or helping you elevate your skills, I provide a structured process in a shame-free, inquisitive, and open-minded environment so you can focus your energy on what matters most...expressing your story.
THE PARALLAX METHOD
a transformative storytelling approach
Find Your Story
STORY MINE
- Study 9 archetypal story arcs using Enneagram
- Analyze films and tv to elevate your technique
- Create a 24 beat story outline of your own original story
Fictionalize Your Story
STORY MEDIUM
- Learn research techniques to give your story a believable fictional setting
- Analyze design and symbols to develop a look and feel
- Create visual subtext through major locations, props, & character concepts
Rewrite Your Narrative
STORY MAGICK
- Leverage your story to create strategies that empower your life and work
- Reverse engineer successful presentations to elevate your approach
- Create a custom sustainable process to encourage flow state
As an educator for entertainment industry students and professionals, I found and filled a void in story & design education. I gathered a team to create a book, co-taught History of Fashion at Art Center College of Design, and created mentorships to break down story, design, and worldbuilding questions to empower the goals behind each project.
Now I'm sharing my techniques, strategies, and templates to help you identify a void and use your story to make real impact on your life.
“Talking Threads is a costume designer’s treasure chest, an overflowing trove of precious information, golden rules, and pearls of wisdom.’”
IAIN MCCAIG (Star Wars Artist)
STORY MINE
find your story
Transform personal experiences into authentic thematic arcs and believable fictional worlds. Using Dan Harmon's Story Circle (based on the Hero’s Journey) and Enneagram as a guide, we will refine your ability to form clear character’s arcs, and build a strong relationship between characters and their world.
By the end of the mentorship, you will have created:
- 9 archetypal stories that explore a variety of shame, fear, and anger motivations
- A 24 beat outline of one chosen tale
Along the way you will learn
- Efficiency tactics for using Enneagram resources
- Story analysis tips to improve your use of the story circle
- Research tips to improve your creation of fictional worlds
- New ways to reset your mindset to encourage flow state
You may have grown up with limited resources...you may be a chronic overthinker...or you may just feel like you aren’t interesting enough to have a story to tell.
I can relate.
And I can guide you through the process that finally helped me overcome those limitations, all while customizing it to suit your needs as they arise.
STORY MEDIUM
fictionalize your story
Set an art direction for your project that will compliment and amplify your story's theme. Moving forward with your 24 beat outline, we will combine Enneagram with visual research techniques with to discover your story's visual tone and style. Using costume and interior design concepts we will refine your your character's emotional evolution through visual insights.
By the end of the workshop you will have created:
- Refined visual research boards
- Breakdowns of characters, locations, and props
- Loose concepts for your background characters
- A style guide to present your art direction concept
By the end of the workshop you will have created:
- How to pull from art history, fashion history, current events, and conceptual inspiration to clarify your vision.
- Research tips to improve your speed
- Tactics for curating visual reference
- New ways to reset your mindset to encourage flow state
Madeline Abatemarco
Character Designer
"I've never actually had a class that guided me through the very beginning of stumbling upon and developing an idea to the ending portions where things become more and more refined, and it's more about just adding the little finishing touches. To me, that has been so, so, SO very valuable and cherished, and it's showed me not only how to actually conceptualize costume, but environments, characters, painting methods, color, and so much more."
STORY MAGICK
rewrite your narrative
Share and amplify your creative voice with the world in ways that are healthy and sustainable. Strategize and focus on leveraging what you’ve created to achieve your personal goals.
By the end of the mentorship you will have:
- More in depth feedback workshopping your project's story, visual direction, and positioning.
- A custom process so you are equipped to continue your project or create new stories with stability and flow.
- A personal brand story for use in social media, websites, and presentation.
- A mission-driven strategy for sharing your project with the world.
Along the way you will learn:
- How to analyze pitches and visual branding for inspiration
- Purpose-driven time management tactics & tactics for finishing what you start
- How to revise strategies quickly when life throws you curveballs
- How to turn your home and closet into a source of creative energy
- New ways to reset your mindset to encourage flow state
Would you believe me if I told you I moved more than 20 times in my life? Growing up, my dad was self-employed and we moved, a lot. To this day I am constantly flummoxed when I need to remember an old address for any reason. On the bright side, it made me pretty resilient, recovering from curveballs in life.
And along the way, my education ranged from unschooling, homeschool, public school, community college, university, online courses and teaching myself...all before youtube was a convenient option. I learned to be resourceful, approaching problems from many different angles, learning how to learn, and customizing approaches on the fly to adapt to new needs. And now I'm using those skills to help you as well!
DISCOVERY CALL
I’ll get to know you a little better in an informal interview. We'll discuss a bit of your history, strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Then we’ll explore an aha moment in your life that you can use to form your signature narrative.
After our chat, if the mentorship seems like a good fit on both ends, we’ll set up your one on one meeting times. Once you confirm your times and pay your tuition, I’ll give you access to the class hub.
1:1 MEETINGS
Over the course of the mentorship, you will have 6 one on one Feedback sessions. In these, I'll help you workshop your story, discuss your progress on assignments, and troubleshoot your unique struggles. Sessions last 45 Mins each.
Group Calls
6 Group Meetings to practice presenting your work to the group for feedback and confidence building. Sessions last 45 Mins each. Each group is limited to 3 mentees to allow for ample feedback time.
You’ll also be added to the class discord where you can introduce yourself and meet past alumni. You can also participate in scheduled Chat Q&As with the instructor.
PLAN OF ACTION
Once the 12 weeks are up, we’ll meet in our last one on one to discuss your progress over the course and update any refreshed goals so I can help you finesse your plan of action moving forward.
PATHWALKER MENTORSHIPS
free mentoring for underrepresented author/artists
If you fall into one of more of the following categories...
BIPOC - NEURODIVERGANT - FEMALE - NON-BINARY - INTERNATIONAL - NONTRADITIONALLY EDUCATED
Every term I offer one 12 week mentorship slot to an underrepresented storyteller who plans to draw from their personal experiences to create original stories or educational content for animation, games, or comics.
I'd love to hear your story and find a way to help you share it!
PATHWALKER MENTEES
SUMMER 2022 MENTEE
Julia Helou - Storyboard Revisionist
Project: Growing up as an Arab in Lebanon, now living in London, Julia is passionate about creating clearer paths for foreign artists to work in animation. Drawing from her challenges applying for work, and the struggle to communicate her unique voice as a culturally complex artist, Julia chose to create a comic strip "N/A" to help raise awareness to the challenges foreign creatives face when bringing their work to the US.
SPRING 2022 MENTEE
Lauren Gregorio - Visual Development Artist
Project: Capturing her mixed Italian and Filipino heritage, Lauren chose to tell the story of a young girl caught between two worlds. Bringing her nuanced experiences to the story, she was able to integrate relatable moments for others like her to feel seen and understood.
Check out Story Mine!
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