I have been thinking a lot about the responsibilities of storytellers. We are all storytellers. Some are better than others. Some, like me, can’t help themselves. Some believe they are above storytelling. Some use stories to connect. Others weaponize them. Stories can heal and stories can do harm. Stories can hold truths and stories can perpetuate unthruths. Storytelling can be a gift and a curse.
I am trying to figure out what kind of storyteller I want to be moving forward. I am a multidisciplinary storyteller. I make pictures and write and sculpt and gather and display treasures. I record sounds. I take photographs. I used to curate my feed on Instagram like a storyboard before the algorithm killed my groove. It’s all about connection for me. I am bad with people. I don’t connect easily with other humans. I try to be kind. I listen and watch and try to share. I overshare. I talk too much. Did I mention that people are hard for me? Ha! So, I make things, I display things, I share my stories and leave them out like treats for birds and hope that someone comes along and nibbles.
I like a little something weird in my stories. I like people to walk away scratching their heads. I like a little mystery in my stories. I like a dark corner and a question. I like a story that makes folks think twice about the way they move through this world and the way they treat other people. I think this part of my work has been pushed aside or lost in translation over the past couple of years. I have been drowning in grief and anger. I have been a little disgusted by the world and not sure what to do with that disgust and anger. I have tried making monsters but I always fall in love with my monsters and they never come across very monstery by the time I share them. My monsters are like me, damaged by the world and in need of a kind word and a cuddle. Sigh.
There are real monsters in the back of my brain. The world is full of them right now. I have NEVER been able to make work about those monsters though. I won’t feed them that way. I will keep feeding the wonderfully weird creatures though. I have endless love for the weird beats and weird stories.