Friendly Dragon
This project includes a children’s story, illustration, book cover and layout design and also board game design. I started writing this story for an open call in Iran with the goal of empowering and raising awareness among children. A problem in our society is that parents and the educational system encourage one specific type of personality and career. The definition of an ideal student is a quiet, hardworking person who concentrates only on school lessons and has the least social activity. Even university majors are ranked by the society and the top there are medicine, law and engineering. In this defined, limited variety there is no place for creative and technical majors. A well educated person who has a routine job, is the image of a successful person and everybody is measured by this scale. Consequently, children grow up with this very definition of “good student” and “successful person” and try to become someone who they’re not, which leads to depression, disappointment and anxiety. I believe that our society and school system needs fundamental changes in order to accept a wider variety of personalities and talents. Schools need to change from a lecture oriented system to a system more focused experience and skills.
The story is about a dragon that is not appreciated in his own society because of being different and he is sent to the humans’ land. He wants to be helpful in his new home and starts looking for a job. After a few unsuccessful experiences in different jobs, he finally finds one job that he’s good at. What I was trying to imply here, was that there is always a suitable place for everyone. I intentionally chose a dragon, an unusual, imaginary animal to emphasize on being different from the others and to point out that no matter how different and abnormal a person might be, they still can be a part of society and in a relationship with others. I think one of the important factors of a healthy society is the ability to accept differences, especially in Iran with different ethnicities and minorities.
