The Unnatural Order of Things

Since I started this blog, I’ve wanted to post this one piece of writing-turned-multi-media-presentation, but I never got around to deciding how to translate it. Now, I’m finally doing so as it’s one cornerstone of what this blog is about, and stems from – the idea it stands on. It’s about loving what you love and being unabashed in it. It may also mention playing a lot of video games, having walls that are too crowded with beloved things, and going to comic con.

“The Unnatural Order of Things” started as a creative non-fiction assignment in university in 2014, about a “Personal Icon” of choice. I chose a favoured family sign inside our home, and between a variety of circumstances, I ended up presenting it at my uni’s undergrad conference. It was the first time I’d done anything like that, so, of course, I invited a bunch of my friends and family! It was a great experience, and I had some great faculty feedback. But anyways.

Here’s my abstract:

“This creative non-fiction piece stems from a sign hanging in my current family home, proudly declaring “Normal is just a setting on the washing machine.” This motto conveys the essence of my family and I, our often unconventional tendencies, and the numerous nerdy activities we enjoy, the latter of which is my focus. Many such enterprises are most commonly associated with adolescents, perhaps considered something to outgrow and move beyond. I do not believe this passion can be so generationally assigned and divided, and would like to erase this line written in the sand. I do so by writing creatively and humourously about my family and our experiences, using many authentic and concise anecdotes. We are geeky and often, subsequently “weird.” We are part of the unnatural order of things.”

IMAG3999 — The inspiration for this project, and my life motto. Basically.

This project was tricky to translate, since it started as a written piece involving many different fonts, moved to being presented audibly, with slides emphasizing said fonts and some pictorial highlights, and now is a blog post. So, here we are! I apologize it’s not as easy to view.

Below is each page of text in JPEGs, including the original fonts I used (which are important!) and a few slides that I thought imperative. (When selecting each photo, there should be an option below to “view full size,” and then you can magnify and scroll to your heart’s delight). Below that is a link to download PDF in its entirety if you prefer that. Enjoy!