Some see storytelling as a skill or form of expression. Others view it as a craft or an art. For Mid-Pacific senior Kailey Holbrook, it’s a passion shaped by her travels, personal growth, and desire to move audiences.
Holbrook’s storytelling began when she first discovered it through writing, initially believing it was the only way to tell stories. That changed when she explored creating stories and films on iMovie.
“I’ve been telling stories ever since I was a kid. I did a lot of writing when I was a kid, and eventually, I found iMovie and just started exploring visual elements,” Holbrook said.
Growing up in a military family and immersed in different lifestyles influenced her storytelling.
“During my travels, where I live and my friends influence me a lot. My teachers, strangers – just personal experience in general – travel culture, everything influences me as a person, as a storyteller,” Holbrook said.
With such personal influence, storytelling has also played a key role in her personal growth—not only as a person but in her creative work.
“I feel like the more I grow, the better my stories become, and the better my stories become, the more fluid, and the more I know what I want to tell. It comes down to who I am as a person, connecting straight to the value of my stories and the connection I can have with other people because I know more about myself,” Holbrook said.
As an intensely visual person, Holbrook draws inspiration from everything around her. She enters what she calls “sparkle mode,” a state allowing life to hit and inspire bigger work.
“I sort of have sprints now and then. I carry around a little notebook, and I sort of jot down ideas for films and books and everything. But I see a lot of my life through films and writing. I sort of process things that way,” Holbrook said.
However, Holbrook sometimes faces creative blocks, often influenced by her personal and academic life as a full International Baccalaureate (IB) student.
“I have had month-long blocks where I couldn’t make a film, I couldn’t tell any story,” Holbrook said.
For Holbrook, rather than limiting her, these challenges fuel and improve her creative process, as she sees everything as interconnected for her.
“I have a lot of work, but I feel like I get energy from creating. In the end, it’s all very much connected. I’m in [IB] Diploma to get into film schools and enhance my writing. [IB] Global Politics feeds into the political themes of writing. [IB] English is immensely [helpful with learning] how to structure sentences and what other authors are doing,” Holbrook said.
Through her intense passion for storytelling, Holbrook strives to create impactful work that resonates with her audiences.
“I love my works to be both entertaining and impactful. There’s a balance between wanting readers and audiences to enjoy watching or reading my book, but I want them to take something away from it,” Holbrook said.
Holbrook has learned many lessons through her storytelling, ones she holds close to her day-to-day.
“The most important thing to do is keep telling stories. You can’t go back in your progress. You’re just going to learn more lessons, and then you’re going to get something that’s good and that’s your best, and then it’s just going to keep improving from there,” Holbrook said.
Looking ahead, Holbrook has carved out many plans and hopes for her future, including a possible second novel.
“I always have ideas. I’m always practicing and I’m always writing. I am finding new stuff. I think in the next few years, I’m definitely gonna maybe have another novel, definitely more films, but just more work in general,” Holbrook said.
