A collage including a certificate, a photograph of a graduate, gymnasts, a cartoon frame, and the text 'Growth is a journey'
Berättelse

Stories and journeys

Exploring the definition of journey through the lense of personal experience

In May-July 2024, thirteen participants took part in the second edition of the Online Creative Residency from Europeana’s Digital Storytelling Festival. Farah Almazouni فرح المازوني created social media carousels to reflect on what journey means to her.

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Farah Almazouni فرح المازوني

Exploring the theme of 'journey',participants worked with mentors in animation, social media, collage art, storytelling with 3D, and creative writing.

About the author

Who am I?

I'm a storyteller at heart and a communications professional by experience and education. I enjoy experimenting with various formats and media to tell stories, whether for work or personal projects. I work for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) as a Communications Officer. I was born in Syria but have lived in the US for the past decade, though I currently call the Netherlands home.

What is my project about?

Through my work for the creative residency, I explore the definition of a journey through various lenses in a series of reflections based on some of my own journeys — stories and paths that have often connected me to others throughout my life based on similar experiences and shared commonalities among human beings regardless of their background and what languages they speak.

Why did I apply to the Digital Storytelling Festival Online Creative Residency?

I was extremely interested in this year’s theme. The theme of journey simply spoke to me and I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to advance my digital storytelling skills, especially in the areas of social media and creative writing to support my professional and personal growth within the communications field and as a creative living and working in Europe.

What have I got out of the residency?

Aside from gaining first-hand knowledge of how to navigate Europeana’s collections directly from the Europeana pros (thank you!), I’ve certainly advanced my skills during this residency programme and pushed my limits in bringing a vague idea that I started with into reality with enough planning and mapping of ideas.

What will I do next?

I look forward to seeing how the audience interacts with this work. I hope it inspires them to initiate conversations about their journeys or sparks a curiosity to ask those around about how their journey has been so far.

Image credits

Intro

Migration

Healing

Growth

Life

Outro
Photo by https://unsplash.com/@farahalmazouni