Blooming Gloom is an original short animated film created in collaboration with Kathryn Huff for our senior capstone project.

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For this creative project, I developed the story concept, the characters, and the sound. I also wrote and performed the driving poetry/narration and musical accompaniment. I was heavily inspired by my own experiences battling depression and anxiety when planning this project. The story follows a restless mushroom who sprouts arms and legs. Even with this newfound mobility, he doesn’t feel truly fulfilled. Along his journey, he befriends a snail and together they figure out that happiness must start within oneself. Characters designed in Adobe Illustrator and animated in Adobe After Effects. Sound recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered with ProTools. Video composited in Adobe Premiere.

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Blooming Gloom

by Aurora Snyder

 

Every new moon brings fresh opportunity  

Thoughts converge under a lunar silhouette

The blossoming energy can disturb our behavior

Notice any changes in mood or mindset  

 

Finally unrooted but still full of fear

Setting intentions to someday fulfill

Tragedy strikes somewhere inside of me

Contagious apathy is eager to spill

 

I blame myself for my nonstop misery

A prisoner to these unshakable blues

Half of me believes this feeling will end

The other half is expecting to lose

 

Try to escape from a woeful abyss

Boost momentum to face the unknown

Rediscover the lost spirit of expression

I’m finally feeling a little less alone

 

Spiraling into vast curiosity

Caution blinded by the full moon

Hurtling wildly into adventure

Totally shattering my cozy cocoon

 

The road to prosperity is hardly linear

Anticipate overwhelming frustration

Without failure there is no recovery    

Spark improvement with solid motivation

 

Dare to reclaim a tenacious mind

Strive to transcend beyond just okay  

Build a reservoir of independence

Remind yourself to savor today

 

Set aside time to entertain gratitude

Kick back to welcome humility

Ground yourself and embrace your roots

Treat love as a responsibility

 

Ponder results and start again new

Careful to quench any leftover gloom  

A journey beyond metamorphosis awaits

If you harvest the potential to bloom