My first real go at stop-motion, this simple story expresses the power that an open mind can result in when we put our trust in new things or new people that enter our lives. The girl is feeling down for unknown reasons but when a new stranger comes along and wants to meet her, she is initially unsure but is ultimately won over when he surprises her with a thoughtful gift. The story depicts her transformation or “blooming” over the course of the story when she becomes open to this new opportunity.

*Notice that the color yellow is a motif throughout the film, as it represents the girl and her change from a lonely, downhearted bud to blooming into an uplifted, open-minded spirit.

I made this film as my final project for my Collage Studio class. With other Digital Media majors in the class, our professor suggested we could make a “digital collage” at the end of the semester. This explains the material approach behind the characters that mirrors stop-motion. I originally had a different concept for the film, but in the end I wrote a light story about two people who meet. I was having difficulty coming up with the title, I just knew I wanted some phrase with the words “bud” and “bloom.” Since I have a hard time making decisions, I asked for the janitor’s opinion explaining my dilemma and he simply answered “to bud and to bloom.” And I knew I had my title, it was perfect.