Community, Connection and the Art of Storytelling | Vanessa Thomas | TEDxEmeraldGlenPark

When will you take your turn? Exploring the stories we tell ourselves and how they impact our actions and the paths we take through the personal journey of a mixed race South African expat with a love of flowers and writing who learned to TAP - Think, Act, Persevere. Vanessa Thomas is a South African-born Freelance Journalist with a scientific and research background now living in California. She views herself as a catalyst for connecting people and is co-founder of the non-profit Dublin Arts Collective. Her volunteer work in the arts community led her to be nominated for Citizen of the Year 2017. With a passion for inspiring stories and hyperlocal news she currently volunteers as Patch Mayor for the Dublin Patch and is participating in the Bulletin from Google project. Her involvement in community-based projects began in her teenage years in South Africa and has continued ever since. Vanessa also volunteered for Uckfield News while based in the United Kingdom. Her fascination with flowers led her to floral photography and she has exhibited in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She shares her uplifting and colorful images on the popular floral photography Facebook Page, ‘Fables and Flora’. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx