My plan is to use this as a place to do 2 things:
Ruminate on storytelling
Flesh out my thoughts
Ive been blessed to sit on the metaphorical knee of many a natural storyteller throughout my life. My brain sparks when I hear about actions and ideas that transcend the mundane - it’s a two-fold urge to understand the motives of individuals who find themselves in exceptional situations, and a drive to discover new things.
There’s infinite levels of detail, complexity and art in every single aspect of existence. Look around, pick up a nearby object. One could spend several lifetimes researching, honing and perfecting your pursuit of creating the perfect version of said object. The journey people go on - that’s the source of fascination for me.
So, whether I’m talking to an artisanal elderberry jam maker, or a neural network doctorate student helping machines see like humans, there was a starting point somewhere in their histories that pushed them down time’s byways to their current places today. That starting point - that individual (or series of) events - gave them the motivation to embark on a journey of discovery.
Sure, this motivation might not even be truly understood in an overt way. But it’s there. This drive to create. To change the environment in some small way. To improve one’s condition - and the condition of others.
A story is a journey. And like a journey, it has a road to follow - sandwiched by a starting point and a final destination. The best stories continue onwards, with the mythical promised land just out of sight in the misty future. Step by step, progress is made towards this land every day.
I believe there is a concrete, structured path one can follow to unearth your story. no matter if you are an individual, a company, a non -profit organisation, or something else, there are steps you can take to build something that grounds your purpose in the lives of others. I work with clients every day to achieve this.
My journey isn’t over yet - not by a long shot. This blog will act as my diary, as I sketch out the landmarks, discoveries and progress I make towards my final destination. I’ll learn some stuff, make some mistakes, veer off path, and rediscover firm ground. Time to set off.