Moving through 13 childhood homes could make anyone want to stay in one place, but not Abigail Jones. A nomad at heart, she plans on seeing the world and discovering the diversity within for the rest of her life.

Jones, a freshman film major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, said she has a fascination with the human spirit. She moved around the country for her father’s career in the military, experiencing almost every aspect of American culture. Although adjusting to the customs of each community’s individual culture was a challenge, Jones said the key to embracing change is keeping an open mind.

“Each community is different and has its own struggles and benefits,” Jones said. “God is the one who has brought me here and to all of the people I’ve met.”

In the midst of frequent change, Jones’ devotion to her faith and desire to capture the genuine essence of human character remained constant, she said. She decided to share human stories through documentaries because fictional characters could only go so deep in terms of displaying authentic emotion, whereas living subjects are consistently evolving, she said.

One of Jones’ projects highlighted her pilgrimage from classic Midwestern Kansas, slow southern Georgia and metropolitan Washington, D.C., to Southern California and even the Syracuse tundra, she said. After collaborating with San Diego musician, Je’kob, Jones’ film gathered about 1,000 views on Vimeo.

The project’s achievement, and the key to any successful final product, stems from taking time to break away from the work and decompress, Jones said.

“(Creative people) are so invested in our work, which is something beautiful,” Jones said. “However, there is a point where this process can be dangerous and consume you.”

ghhughes@syr.edu

Published on February 15, 2016 at 12:01 am

Contact: ghhughes@syr.edu