Eshan Vishwakarma: Outspoken Narrative
Outspoken Narrative
Editor’s Note: The following featured piece was written by the 17-year-old founder of Outspoken Narrative, Eshan Vishwakarma of Virginia, USA. You can follow Outspoken Narrative’s work through Instagram or on their website at www.outspokennarrative.org.
Storytelling is one of those unique things which everyone has the ability to do. Whether it be telling the story of your life or telling the stories of your passions, humans are natural-born storytellers. That being said, the art of telling stories is still a skill that must be mastered. It takes time, patience, understanding, and a unique ability to connect. I have always been interested in the art of storytelling. It is a beautiful thing to be able to connect with someone on a deeper level and to have the ability to share stories of heritage, culture, and backgrounds. I began my endeavors in storytelling around 4 years ago. I started simply with a blog. I was trying to tell my unique stories and find my voice in a world of noise. I mastered my skills and then began to look for ways to tell other people’s stories. To have conversations with complete strangers from all parts of the world and then share their experiences with an audience.
I once again started small. Utilizing the tools of social media, I began sending messages to people with a simple request.
“Can you tell me your life story?”
From there, I would go on to interview authors, musicians, and creators and post their stories on my blog. This was up until 10th grade. In 10th grade like many, I was faced with a reality shift due to the pandemic, but I was also faced with two surgeries. These surgeries would leave me in the hospital and at home for months. It was a time of extreme struggle and the way I coped was by going back to my roots. Going back to the roots of being a storyteller, but this time I wanted to go bigger. Bigger than just my blog.
From that ambition, the Outspoken Narrative was born. A docuseries made by youth across the world. We started with a team of 4 people and slowly grew as the months progressed. Our first episode ever was on the BLM movement. Over zoom, I interviewed photojournalists who had been documenting various protests across the world. This was a whole new experience for me because I had never done zoom interviews and I never knew the possibilities of this new form of communication. I truly feel this pandemic gave me and millions of others across the world a new way to connect and share experiences.
For a few months, I continued working with a small group of 4 other filmmakers, editors, and writers. It wasn’t until I partnered with Zenerations when things began to grow. To this date, we have a team of over 20 incredibly talented youth across the world. We have now made films on major topics such as the Beirut Explosion, CHOP/CHAZ, the education system, and the Arctic Refuge. We have conducted interviews with National Geographic photographers, founders of large nonprofits, activists, creators, and other extraordinary individuals. Our work has been shared by various nonprofits and organizations such as Protect the Arctic and NRDC.
Our films have been able to get international attention and educate people on the issues which matter the most to them. The amount of messages and support I have seen throughout this entire process is incredible. We are reimagining the film industry and what it means for youth to create films.
Looking back on my journey and the journey of this team, all I can say is I am astonished at how far we have come. What was once a small group of kids trying to tell stories has now transformed into a larger mission than I could have ever hoped for. All of our work is possible through building communities. This is done through growing our Instagram and Youtube where we post all our films.
A follow goes a long way for our team. It makes us know that the work we are doing is getting noticed and people are appreciating our films we pour our hearts into. Our mission has always been to tell stories, and any support is greatly appreciated so we can continue telling the stories that need to be heard!!