you are a story like a book waiting to be opened, revealing truth, inspiration and wonder

We are story carriers

Yes, we carry stories within us.

From the moment our lives are conceived, we have already perceived what and who came before us. Later in life, we reenact many of their ways of being, embodying echoes of those who came before.

This may explain the inexplicable feelings we trundle around with throughout our lives: the feelings and perceptions about ourselves, how we see ourselves.

When I began my MPhil, using I am Maria! as a site of investigation, transforming the classical singer from interpreter to complete creative artist, messages I had missed previously within I am Maria! emerged, disrupting what I once thought was complete.

I remembered significant moments in my life: seeing my grandmother in Croatia and singing with her, hearing her voice.

Deeper meanings began to surface: intergenerational connections, the feelings and emotions that certain languages stir within. I found myself yearning at times to hear my mother’s voice speaking her mother tongue. I felt the need to explore those sounds myself, through singing, movement and spoken word.

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My Baba all in black
She sings beautifully,
She really does.
When I see her sing, I feel like I’m seeing myself.
Then,
There’s something extra...
LOVE...
That’s what she is.
My Baba, all in black,
Lines on her face that life wrote,
Delicate bones, high cheekbones,
A smile
That makes you hope you started it.
A million and one tales to tell,
A million and one songs to sing.

Poem from I am Maria!
Author: Marina Poša, 2022

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We are carriers of stories.
The beauty of being human is the ability to express these stories through artistic creation, song, art, theatre, film and writing.

The stories we carry and finally share are, in truth, the stories of everyone.
They forge connections of love and community.
They say: “You matter. Your stories matter. So tell them.”

Our stories heal and reveal what it means to be human,
the marvel that we are,
and all that we can become.

Watch the video of poem from I am Maria! Confirmation here