Storytelling
It used to be that “Storytelling” was a term that scared me. I thought it meant you have to “be a writer”, and to me there was nothing more boring than sitting at a keyboard and writing in silence. All the rules of writing, the outlining and rough drafting, having other people who “know better” demolish your every word with the dreaded red pen… honestly all it did was piss me off. I blame the American education system, but THAT’S a topic for a different blog.
But… maybe it isn’t?
I was taught that writer was the same as an author because that's the only context I was given for both. They were natural and interchangeable synonyms in my education; and while that’s true for ONE definition of the word, another definition for author is “an originator or creator of something, especially a plan or idea.”
CUE: (insert lighting bolt and thunder clap)
STORIES START WITH AUTHORS.
Before I go any further with that, let me be clear: Every story NEEDS a writer to record it for accurate telling in future generations and to communicate it with others involved in the storytelling process, no matter the medium. They are the most imperative part of your team and need to be involved from beginning to end. Anyone who thinks or teaches otherwise is producing sub-par work. The writer is the primary communicator of the story but not necessarily originating it.
You are an author, by definition of living. You author stories every second of the day. Your life is the story and everything you’re a part of, is part of that story. By extension, no matter the level of your involvement, your company is a story and you are ONE of the authors of that. Every breath you take, every thought you have and every action you make is a furthering of your authorship.
The tricky part is TELLING it. What’s your medium?
I fell in love with storytelling when I connected that it could be visual.
That said, I’m a terrible illustrator. My perspective is all kinds of wrong when I freehand. I swear if I try to draw fins on a fish they come out looking like fingers and the fingers I draw on people look like eagle feathers.
So.. how did I become a professional visual storyteller?
Preparation, studies and finding opportunities to apply what I learned.
I found jobs with companies who’s primary product was story.
I connected with people who were better than me at everything I wanted to do.
I learned what visually makes people “tick”, through a lot of “getting it wrong”.
I learned how to lead, though a lot of “getting it wrong”.
I learned how to speak in professional settings, through A LOT of “getting it wrong”.
In other words, I authored it.
(This entry is an excerpt from a forthcoming book Chris is co-writing on the topic of Storytelling and its affects on a company’s bottom line. Expected Spring 2021.)
