I teach a class. On paper I teach about what it takes to become famous on the internet. But in actuality I try to inspire my students to want more. Examples in class aren’t always youtube videos, though sometimes they are, usually I show them works by other students or people making it big (read, people doing what they love and getting recognized for it).

I started teaching this course three months ago. I knew that it was going to be a big eye opener for me. “They” say that, teaching is just as much about teaching yourself as it is teaching others. If design is a neurotic process then imagine trying to extract lessons from your own flittering experience.

While coming up with what to teach I began by imagining what I would want to learn. About four weeks in I realized that this was not the best strategy. My interests are a result of my personal experience. Experiences that I can’t exactly share with them to get them interested.

What I realized was what needed to be taught was how to tell stories. We take this simple activity for granted. As designers and creatives we have to go beyond just being conversational story tellers. Sometimes we only have a split second to convey a million thoughts at once. Sometimes we have hours to discuss something that should only take a few seconds.

**RANT ALERT**
At our most basic humans are story tellers. We did it for thousands of years before mass media existed. Religion was spread from person to person by traveling artists. Photography is great at conveying complex thoughts in a single moment. We are one dimensional boxes observing the world from our singular perspective. What makes it all interesting is getting varying perspectives. Other people offering their views, their thoughts, and most importantly their experiences. But these views, thoughts, and experiences are only concepts. The way they are exchanged are just as important.

You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you have no way to describe it to someone else then what does it matter? It’s worth nothing, it is nothing.

The quarter comes to an end on Thursday. I was really nervous at first. I doubted that I had much to teach at my age. It turns out that I have a lot to learn.