Echoes and Paws - My New Puppet Project
I have started working on the Echoes and Paws puppet show that I’ve been building toward talking about on here... and I am finally at the point where I can share a little.
A big part of this puppet show will feature my puppy, Barleigh, and she is my biggest motivation. I spent time working through what I want this show to be about and the why behind doing it. One reason is simply that I love puppets—I had so much fun doing puppet work in the past that I wanted to keep going with it. Another reason is that I wanted a way to create content on YouTube without it being tied directly to my personal identity. As I've noted in past blogs, working through some social challenges brought me back to a healthy respect for strong boundaries, privacy, and keeping my inner circle small. Less exposure lets me protect my inner light - which is my most valuable source of inspiration, my way of building a loving relationship with the world, and what keeps life feeling so special and precious.
This puppet show is about that light (Paws/Barleigh) meeting the dark (Echoes the bat) and finding union, fusion, and maturation... courage, strength, and wisdom. The show is really about my own journey, subversively tucked underneath a sweet storyline. It reflects the full evolution of the psyche from fear to feeling empowered and brave. While it’s meant for children, it will be just as easy for adults to find joy, cuteness, and deeper esoteric truths within it.
I already have the backdrop and the puppets, and I have been working with Barleigh day in and day out this past month to help her build impulse control and follow simple cues - including holding a stay (just for a very short moment right now, but that will grow as she does!).
Tonight will be a test run for the first episode: setting up the scene, testing camera angles, and seeing if our current gear works or if we need to pick up a few things. The story is outlined, I am currently working on the script, and Barleigh has been doing some warm-up practice between naps today.
The way I envision it opening is with an intro made on the computer, cutting to the main scene with the puppy sitting in the lower right corner and Echoes perched up to the left on a branch (with a little nod to Charlotte’s Web). The backdrop is a night porch gently lit by a low lantern, with wisteria draping over the awning and railings. I’ll film Barleigh sitting still and turning her head up to the left (following a treat in hand), then edit and cut that together with the puppet footage of Echoes. From there, I’ll add sweet voiceovers for both Echoes and Paws, using some AI video tools to animate their mouth movements.
The dialogue centers on Paws being afraid of the dark. She feels scared and wants to go inside, but her curiosity keeps her on the porch watching this bat. Echoes speaks to her, and their friendship begins. Echoes explains that as a creature of the night, she can see things Paws can't, and together they would make a great team. She takes Paws under her wing, so to speak, deciding to teach the pup all about the nighttime world.
Every episode will share this cozy setting, but as Echoes asks Paws about her day, real-life clips of Barleigh’s daytime adventures will appear - almost like we’re peeking directly into Paws’s memories. We'll see her doing typical puppy things (and eventually big-dog things), both sweet and mischievous. Paws will share what she was thinking or ask why things happened the way they did—like, "Why did they take that away from me? I just wanted to chew on it!" Echoes will share her thoughts, ask deeper questions, and gently pass along little bits of wisdom.
Echoes might also tell a short story - the way parables and allegories are shared by spiritual teachers, or how a mentor uses personal experience to illustrate a point. Those can be filmed separately and woven into the episode alongside Paws’s daily memories.
Anyway, that is the heart of this creative project! I love that it brings my sweet pup into my creative sphere, that it captures a keepsake of Barleigh’s puppyhood to look back on as she grows, and that it has the potential to bring others joy while weaving together puppetry, playfulness, and esoteric ideas. This is what I’ve been pouring time into and will keep working on over the weekends.
Consider this my update on where the creative fires are burning and what’s getting sparked next. <3
Check out the early Echoes and Paws Youtube.
With warm love and joy,
Patience