Perri Greeley (’20) shows us her thesis story, ‘Goliath’
Perri Greeley’s (’20) thesis story, ‘Goliath’ is in the spotlight today!
What is her story about?
When Goliath emerged from her cocoon in Butterfly Village and tried to fly, she was bigger, ganglier, and more awkward than all the other butterflies. Everyone laughed at her, and it didn’t feel good. So she vowed to never be laughed at again, and spent her days in the dirt with her best friend, Lumber the worm. She was pretty happy playing in the dirt, but she wished she could fly without others laughing at her. Then a hanging planter is installed at Butterfly Village and she really wants to go explore it – to play in the new dirt. Even though Lumber urges her to fly, she tries many different options to get there so as not to get laughed at again. None of them work, and finally Lumber jumps off a flower, knowing that Goliath will fly up and save him and, in the process, realize that she would rather fly and do what she wants and get laughed at then stay trapped on the ground her whole life. Goliath feels so free and happy and realizes she that she needs to think about what she wants, not what others think about her.
She says of ‘Goliath’:
Coming into my thesis, I knew I wanted to make a picture book and I knew I wanted it to be about feeling different, good friendships, and learning to love yourself. And since I love butterflies I decided to make it about a big Goliath Birdwing Butterfly who I named Goliath 🙂 But right when I was getting started on my book I got hit by an overuse injury that turned into chronic + myofascial pain. The pain made it hard to draw, which made me lose confidence in my art, and it really took a toll on not just my thesis but on my whole life. But through making my story about Goliath, who’s body is different and doesn’t function like it’s supposed to, I started to work through my pain and find ways to keep going. The book has taken on a new meaning and I hope that Goliath brings you the joy and self-acceptance that she brings to me! These are the iterations of Goliath’s character design that I went through. I’m really happy with the final simple, sketchy design.
You can enjoy her 2019 Digital Short Story, ‘Hope’s Brain Feels Sad’ right here.
