jackbinswitch.btc

Aug 164 min read

Stacks Feature: She Saw in Color

"I would dare to say that some of the most important stories go untold" - Kailani

Childhood trauma forms much of our dysfunction into adulthood. The whole thing is pretty sinister, parts of what you believe are essential components of your personality wind up being lies that you believe about yourself. I conceptualize them as a sort of spiritual wound that never heals; and how could it when the wounded aren't fully aware of said wounds existence? This trauma is often unintentionally afflicted by adults who carry wounds of their own. This can be exacerbated in really serious cases that socially we have termed mental illness. There are many types of mental illness, they can range from personality disorders to full blown schizophrenia. We have a poor understanding of mental health, and no one benefits from this. In terms of medicine, this is an area that is least understood (and poorly funded). So when I met Kailani, and discovered her project: The Untold Story Project I knew that I had to learn more.

I had occasion to speak with Kailani on August 1st 2022. My immediate impression was that this young woman is kind, compassionate, intelligent, creative, and tasked with a mission to empower people to express their own struggles with the wounds inflicted upon them. Since then I can add industrious to the list as I watch her project grow daily. The Untold Discord is truly a special place. Not only has it proven to be a hotbed of creativity, but it also serves as a safe place for people to find support in their own struggles. This is by design of course, as Kailani's mission is the result of her own childhood experiences. As she walked her own path and found people with similar stories, she not only realized that she wasn't alone, but recognized the benefit of being able to talk with kindred spirits.

Part of the Untold Story project is Kailani's own artistic pursuits. Kailani has written a novel ""She Saw in Color" as well as an album "The Soundtrack of Color". The central theme being the experience of growing up in a household that forbade art/creativity. During her own creative process Kailani had the opportunity to collaborate with talented producers and editors that helped her speak her truth. This spirit of collaboration was passed onto the community members of the Untold Story, as she challenged the community to build art around a lyrical sneak peek. The winning submission would then serve as the background to the lyric and published as an NFT. In this way community members find themselves not only united in shared experiences, but also sharing in the production and distribution of Kailani's art.

To say that the community rose to the occasion is an understatement. The contest received over 30 submissions, and I highly recommend going to check them out. The massive success of the competition inspired yet another cool idea to come from this amazing community. Twelve pieces from the submissions will be turned into an NFT collection aptly titled "What You Say is What You Are". The deep meaning put into this art has done exactly what art is supposed to do, inspired more beauty in the world. In the spirit of Web 3 Kailani is providing her platform as a way to elevate and build other artist, and creating opportunity where none existed before. I love this space.

The beauty of the Untold Story project cannot easily be defined, as it encompasses so many aspects of the human experience and the Truth of existence. The utility of such an undertaking is another thing entirely. So much of the pain in the world is misunderstood, and often suffered silently by its victims. This process only creates more victims as the injured become the perpetrators, and thus the cycle continues. Outlets such as this can make a dent in this cycle that creates the pain in the world that we just erroneously take for granted. For we all have suffered in one way or the other, and the truth is that this suffering can be healed; the cycle can be slowed. This benefits us all, and that; dear reader, is the true beauty of The Untold.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. A like/follow on Twitter goes a long way, and on your way out I wouldn't hate it if you gave me a follow on Sigle. Thanks for reading as always. Until next time, Jack.

The NFT featured is by JennyAL, member of the Untold community

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