Illustrator Antonio Starks reads a piece at the ODYSSEY Creative Writing Project celebration. Starks has enjoyed the complexities of the ODYSSEY lifestyle. “While I still like the idealized version of life I created, I realize that the ODYSSEY doesn’t have a singular script because it prepares you for all of the other scripts in life,” Starks said. “And it doesn’t make a clean cut storyline because the ODYSSEY isn’t clean, it’s nuanced and complex. Its dynamics are interesting and raw. And while there is no one protagonist, we, together, are the main characters of this story.” Photos courtesy of Antonio Starks
Viewpoints Staffer and Illustrator Antonio Starks talks about his preconceived notions of the ODYSSEY Media Group and life overall and how they were challenged.
ODYSSEY has had an immense impact on my life and while I’ve always yearned for that high school clique and while I knew it would be different, when I was experiencing it, the feelings weren’t what i’d imagined it to be.
I thought it would be this surreal experience where there’s a pink lens over every scene and there’s an adventure every episode. In reality, I would be disappointed, there’s no clean cut storyline, there’s no script to follow, and there’s no protagonist!
While I still like the idealized version of life I created, I realize that the ODYSSEY doesn’t have a singular script because it prepares you for all of the other scripts in life. And it doesn’t make a clean cut storyline because the ODYSSEY isn’t clean, it’s nuanced and complex. Its dynamics are interesting and raw. And while there is no one protagonist, we, together, are the main characters of this story.
The ODYSSEY has really made me a more observant person. A person who acknowledges my preconceived notions and actively works to challenge them. ODYSSEY is a challenge, a challenge of self, a challenge of others, and a challenge of life.
