"I want to be more open to experiencing people. It's easy to put blinders on."
When I first spoke with Christopher Kelly, I was mildly surprised by his willingness to share what some would think of as vulnerabilities. Yet, the more I listened to details of his personal and professional life, it became clear that he has experienced a transformation from uncertainty to one of clarity.
As a young man growing up in Cheshire, CT, Christopher experienced life in a small town, stifled environment where one of his pastimes was meandering around the nearby graveyards. This helped to shape his interest in things that go bump in the night.
Living with dyslexia, Christopher experienced anxiety in school as a result of "being placed in a small classroom with other students who didn't fit into the normal bubble." Despite tests revealing an above average IQ, the uncertainty of the effects of the labels and the quality of his education propelled an interest in, and commitment to, education reform. "Nothing is concrete when placed in a situation with contradictions." says Kelly.
Fast forward to art school in New Haven, CT where he became "growth directed" (Kelly) and which provided "the most formative, important time of my life." It was in this environment that he learned that he really wanted to tell stories and "create and distribute views of the world." Christopher describes this period of transformation as being like "a bubble popped and I was suddenly standing there with no security." It was at that point when he moved and decided to attend film school. He took the initiative to change the uncertainty to certainty. The clarity was to come later.
When Christopher attended Full Sail University for his undergrad degree in Film, he wanted to be able to learn the technology that would enable him to merge his interest in things unknown with his ability to craft stories. His thesis project provided the perfect opportunity to bridge his own struggles with the responses of others to his dyslexia to the dark, spookiness of his childhood memories in the graveyards to his need to display compassion and empathy for those whose lives were unknown. His documentary project featured Covenant House Florida, which, as it turns out, helps restart and reshape the lives of teens and others as they transition from uncertainty to clarity. How fitting.
Working in Austin, Texas at a company that produces web commercials, Christopher yearns for more substantive work that will allow him to merge his passion for storytelling with things that go bump in the night, while still maintaining a socially relevant focus to help others.
For those struggling with uncertainty in their lives, Christopher suggests "Instead of being overwhelmed by the fears, take a moment and take a few breaths and try to explore and come to your own conclusions."
That certainly will help lead to the kind of clarity that Christopher Kelly has found. He is currently working on his masters degree in New Media Journalism at Full Sail University.
