Storytelling festivals and major conferences come in all shapes and sizes.If you have had the fun of attending one, you might be wondering "what now?" I have some suggestions that I think might help you explore the art of oral storytelling just a bit more. Below the picture are some notes and then a few specific items that might apply to you as a future "pro," should you be interested in exploring that option.
You can also listen to this post by the link at the end of the article.
As the director of Storyteller.net, I can usually tell when an
event with a large attendance has completed and the audience has started to
arrive home. How? I start to get Emails. Folks search the internet, find
Storyteller.net and want to learn more about storytelling. Many times the
questions in the Email are a variation of "How come there isn't (more
about some subject) on Storyteller.net?"
I've been a featured teller at many gatherings and festivals.
I have produced both large and small events. I can tell you this for sure:
every event has its unique flavor, its own unspoken (usually) way of understanding the
world. No matter how intently the event bills itself as "international,"
"national" or "fill in the name of the state or region,"
the event you were just at was driven entirely by the audience that attended
the event. Everything about the event was planned for that audience. The festival
or conference served those people- and you were one of them. Fantastic! Thank
you for supporting the art form!
There's nothing wrong with this audience-based focus. It
creates an invitation for you: go to more events! You just dove in, you took the plunge and you
found something new and exciting. Now, go find more. Travel, listen, tune in to
the many and undeniably diverse expressions of oral storytelling in gatherings
large and small. Attend the events that gather professionals that you will sit
and watch. Attend events where everyone gets to be the teller and you (yes,
you!) might have a chance to tell. You will be amazed at how much you will
learn about yourself and the world around you when you open your mind to the
breadth of oral-storytelling events.
2. Explore the variety of tellers that make up the oral
storytelling world.
Many other Emails I receive contain a thought that is something
similar to, "Your site doesn't feature Teller XYZ on the front page, the
greatest storyteller on the planet!"
While we at Storyteller.net have featured many storytellers
and have hundreds of articles, stories, podcasts and more from these tellers,
it's important to remember that storytelling takes on many forms and sounds
throughout the world. While one listener might believe that Teller XYZ is the
source and summit of all things storytelling, there are thousands of other people
who have not heard of Teller XYZ but yet are very much inspired by any of the
other gifted and talented storytellers in their own city, state, region or
country. The oral-storytelling world is still very much composed of many big
fish in various little ponds. You'll
find that most of the big fish are actually very gracious and humble about
their own work and would also encourage you to go about exploring other ponds.
So,
go do that. Dig around; find out just how much talent and craftsmanship there
really is. Travel some distance in both mileage and philosophy. Be comforted
and discomforted. Take some risks; hear
someone new across the city or across the country.
3. Support storytellers you like via events and products.
When you find storytellers you like, engage with them as
much as you can. Join their newsletters, buy their books and CDs, and attend
their workshops. It's not easy to make a living as an artist but yet you can
give energy, love and support back to the artists you enjoy. Visit their website, join their Email lists.
Just engage. As an artist with many books, workshops and recordings, I am truly
grateful for every bit of support given by my audience. Please know that even just sending an
encouraging Email (or posting an online review of their book or event) to the
teller means much, too. You'll find that most oral storytellers are very accessible
people, just like you.
However, maybe you have been inspired to pick up the mantle
of "storyteller." If you are
looking to tell more stories in any setting, then here are a few more thoughts:
1. Read books and blogs. Go to workshops.
Immerse yourself in learning. Find the great books and
training (if I say so myself) that can help you become a better storyteller. Here is a good start.
Here is another. Here is a tips book. Here is another tips book.
Never stop learning. I've been at this art form since 1986.
I still go to workshops and webinars, looking for at least one nugget of wisdom
in each that will make me say, "That is why I came to this."
Invariably, I find that nugget in every event. Imagine how much knowledge you
can gain if you are just starting out!
2. Support other performers.
You will learn the most about storytelling at the events of other
storytellers. Is there a local event happening and you aren't a performer? Go to that event. Sit in the audience. Listen
and enjoy. Be polite. Support the arts. If you are on the program at an event,
stay for the entire program. Sit in the audience, don't hide backstage.
3. Gradually ramp into your professional status.
Good professional storytelling looks very easy to do. It's
not. It's a craft and an art, perfected over time and practice. Before you
launch into a new business of being a "professional" teller, be sure
you have spent a good amount of time honing your craft in smaller events and
venues. Get coaching- real coaching that gives you honest and clear feedback. Learn
the Five B's of professional storytelling on any stage: Be prepared. Be good. Be
heard. Be gracious. Be done.
You've been to a storytelling festival. That is wonderful.
Now, keep on growing!
******The is the official blog for K. Sean Buvala, storyteller and storytelling coach. Picture from Library of Congress.
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