The Power of Storytelling 

In this blog, Thadseja reflects on the presence of storytelling throughout her life. From being in front of a camera in her early years, to now using these same skills in her career, she hopes to use storytelling in her future career as a psychologist.  

Written by Thadseja Perinpanesan, iHub Photographer, HBSc Psychology and Neuroscience at University of Toronto Scarborough.  

A Picture Can Speak a Thousand Words 

Photography, defined as the process of capturing images, is a powerful tool that can capture a moment in a story. The art of storytelling is a skill that allows me to convey information and memories through various mediums, such as paint, cameras, and words. Storytelling has been a key part of my life, from my childhood to my time at the Innovation Hub and is a tool I plan to use for the rest of my life.  

My Rise to Storytelling 

Ever since I came into this world, cameras have always been part of my life. My parents always took photos and videos of me as I grew up, capturing milestones and memories of my family and me. As I reflect on these moments and photos, I realize that they show glimpses of my personality developing over the years, making me who I am today. Some of these photos show my creativity and the start of my artistic career. Others show the blooming of many relationships I cherish today, such as those with my cousins and brother. A few photos and videos also display my longtime appreciation for the education I have been through and my dedication towards doing the best in my studies. These memories show me the story of my family, how our bond grew with each other, and the progress of our individual and collaborative successes. Little did I know that this start of storytelling would be carried forward to my first work-study placement at the iHub.  

Pursuing Storytelling at the iHub 

When I first started at the iHub, it became very clear to me that storytelling would be a major asset to being a great photographer. Through some of the projects I completed, such as headshots, team photos, and stock photography, it allowed me to practice storytelling for the first time. Through headshots and team photos, I told stories of different personalities and team dynamics all while assuring that every photo had a professional feel. In stock photography, the use of props, lighting, and facial expressions allowed me to intentionally tell stories through different photo compositions. As a photographer at the iHub, storytelling is crucial in helping viewers understand and relate to photos, especially when used for projects or on the website. I learned that it’s not just about how sharp my photos looked, but rather, how my composition and editing can be used to tell a narrative. Kickstarting storytelling in this role truly allowed me to understand this skill, teaching me how to use it beyond the iHub.  

Carrying Storytelling to the Future 

As my term at the iHub comes to a close, it has gotten me to think about how I want to carry the skill of storytelling in the future, especially in a non-creative field. I aspire to take storytelling into my career as a psychologist, using stories to heal a person and encourage them to better themselves. I also hope to use storytelling when I have a family of my own, so I can capture stories and our family development, like what my parents did for me.  

Storytelling is a vital part of my life, and I believe this skill can be beneficial to many other people. From something that started off with my parents’ desire to capture my milestones, I am now taking the practice of storytelling further into my life. My reflection of storytelling being present throughout my life shows how the skills we learn can be applied to any part of our lives!  

Storytelling for All 

The power of storytelling can be used at any point in anyone’s life! Even you can use storytelling, applying it to school projects to make them more unique, using it in the workforce to complete tasks effectively and even in your personal life to capture key memories. Storytelling is unique to everyone; it’s up to you on how you approach the art of storytelling.