(Continued from yesterday)
Why so many people carry the worst of their lives forward is hard to grasp. Sometimes I think it's a fear of letting go. . . or perhaps an issue of scarcity. If you don't have the past to hold to and define the present and the future is completely a mystery, , what do you have?
Well, in my world, that has always been answered with "limitless possibility." One that is not present when the past casts it's shadow over the present. It's soooo like the Vashta Nerada from Dr. Who. Shadows that swarm, consume and grow by feeding on our life force.So I always like to remember the good Doctors words. . . "Stay out of the shadows!"
So the items we sell are extensions of our lives too. The light of them actually. Our creations become part of the story and even in my world, retelling ancient Egyptian tales, sifting through the nostalgic past of my childhood, making up new fables about Fairies, Elves and inventing and sharing worlds that only I know all fit into the story of who I am now. They all, quite simply, make me happy.So why would I not sink into them completely?
They are at the heart of the version of "me" I care to express most of all. And the more I delve into these worlds. The more I allow them to rule my days and my day dreams, the more happiness I find in life. . . the more the shadows receded and lost their power. . . and the more successful my endeavors become.
The world of our human leisure/spare time revolves around, and is immersed in, stories. Travel, TV shows, theater, movies, song lyrics are all about stories. The products you buy, the labels, the name brands, the reputations we believe in. . . all stories. All created. And even hobbies and the skills learned thru them have a legacy and history behind them too. . . more stories. . . all of it is a tome that we are intrinsically a part of. A world that we escape into and through.
And THAT is what people want in the things they spend their hard earned money on.
Take two crafters who make the exact same thing. Same price, same style. If one tells a story around their work and one does not, the storyteller will, all other things being equal, be the more successful of the two.
Tell someone why they want your work. Give them the slightly open door in. It's no different than how we sell ourselves in the "real world" through how we dress, how we speak, how we treat others. . . these are all stories we tell too.
And it's why I believe in the happiness they can and do create.
It's a choice, obviously, and one that each of us has to make.
My point is simply that we are doing it whether we think we are or not.
We ARE storytellers.
And we are all capable.
And we are all deserving.
That's MY story.
Wonderful read Nicolas. Absolutely. Most folks days are spent sedentary and screen infested in comparison to 10-20 years ago which is not very long. It changes how we tell our stories, how we interpret other's stories - and our patience to do that has waned. People respond massively to imagery I have noticed, as it can be read instantly, if you get it right, you're on the money. But like you, I will always have a fascination with the story behind the image, even if I can read it well enough... as there is always more. And one can only 'tell' so much. It's also good to keep some wild cards up your sleeve... :)
ReplyDeleteAgreed Louise. . . and that, I think, makes it even more imperative for stories to be told. There IS a hunger for it and the creative soul is always going to respond to it kindly. I also think (and hope) that technology, though a hungry ghost of sorts for many, is making it easier for more people to tell their stories. Worldwide access for writers and artists is now at OUR fingertips and, even in that overload of visual and instant gratification, I believe the true storytellers will always be rewarded.
DeleteAnd yes, sometimes the very best stories are just a snippet that opens the way for imagination and does not tell all. .
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, your comments always seem to come at the right time i need to hear them.... I have been enjoying catching up on your blog here. I agree, your stories with your pieces, take each one to a higher level, an amazing place in our imaginations. And i love to fall into a story, dwell there awhile, be it mine or someone else's. Sometimes i feel like it's hiding, othertimes a well deserved escape.....
ReplyDeleteBoth are accurate and well deserved. . . the hiding and the escape I mean. I believe in boundaries even within worlds. . . a few minutes spent in solitude and/or escape are the perfect foil for so many day to day ruts.
DeleteAnd stories. . . I'll just add that one of my favorite authors, Maurice Sendak, at the end of his life, commented on how blessed he felt to be able to sit down every day for all those years and disappear into that world he loved. Some would call that escape but I always have. and always shall, call it the truest creation. And in THIS world, I believe every single alternate world of possibility that we can unleash out into it, no matter how small, is desperately needed.