process
The Laughing Heart
A poem by Charles Bukowski
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
I interpreted this poem as a message to someone struggling with depression, encouraging them to keep going and letting them know that there's always a way forward. This poem centers around the themes of resilience and learning to find a way to keep going even when it feels like there's nothing left. Through this lens, I wanted the style frames to depict a hand helping struggling plants grow and bloom until they are strong.
Animatic for an animation based on the poem "The Laughing Heart." The animatic includes both storyboards and style frames to indicate what the style of the final piece would be.