Introducing The Telling Life

As any regular follower of this blog knows, I like to try different things here. For awhile I had a regular photography offering that returns from time to time and I recently wrapped up the Ask the Storyteller column (largely because interest seemed to have dried up, I wasn't getting questions). I like having regular features, in particular about storytelling, so today I am launching The Telling Life.

This weekly column will take a look at what it means to be a working storyteller, full-time or not, and how the art impacts life and vice versa. I've lined up some stellar guest bloggers and hope this column will be of interest to everyone, teller or not, because it's looking at the intersections of art and life, something everyone experiences. Storytelling is particularly ripe for this kind of exploration because it is such an intimate art form. With a minimal fourth wall, the necessity for the teller to consider what a given story means to them so they can perform it well and the current drive towards personal narrative, good storytellers connect with the audience in a personal way.

My mentor, Brother Blue, was the pinnacle of the telling life. He ate, slept, dreamt, lived storytelling relentlessly. When Kevin and I first became romantically involved we started teasing each other about living the life of a storyteller, whenever things became particularly absurd or intense. How could we not live that life? We are storytellers and everything we experience directly impacts our art.

Equally, our art impacts our lives. When I work on a story I am changed by it. When I stand in front of an audience I see their reaction in real time and dance with them. When I coach someone I learn something new, every single time.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this column reveals. There is a lot to this #tellinglife. I'd love to hear your thoughts about how storytelling has affected your life. Let's play, let's listen to one another. Together we can change the world.

(c)2015 Laura S. Packer