So, why stories?

“Heart and music make a song.” - William Finn

Chances are, if you’ve wandered over to my little corner of the internet, you already know why stories are important. You may even have your own list of reasons and experiences. And you’ve no doubt seen the many, many articles about how stories are good for business from sites like Forbes, LinkedIn, and The Harvard Business Review. So while there are many voices and opinions on the subject already, I’d still like to offer up mine. Because, well, you’re here, and, if nothing else, to know what drives and occupies such a large and immensely special place in my heart and mind is to know me a bit better.

As I mentioned before, I do truly believe in the importance and power of stories and their unique ability to make the world a better place. Stories are a primary reason I get up in the morning and often what I look forward to most in my day. They are, in many ways, a celebration of life and make me feel alive. The same joy and satisfaction I get from experiencing a good story are things I try to pay forward with and incorporate into my own work.

“We all need a place so we can go and feel over the rainbow.” - Amos Lee

For as long as I can remember, I have loved stories. Whether through books, music, or movies, they have been a way for me to connect and spend time with the people I love as well as the world around me. Since I was a child, they have been a constant in my life and a central pillar in not only how I spend my time, but also how I process and express various aspects of myself and my life. As a child, I loved being read to. My incredibly active imagination would provide powerful visuals, additional storylines, questions, and commentary that would add to the experience of feeling close to my storyteller (often my parents). Over time this imagination would inevitably lead to acting out stories by playing dress up and performing self-written skits in the basement of my parent’s home. Movie nights and weekends with my family and friends soon followed, as did participating in writing and theater camps. A brief foray into competitive synchronized swimming allowed me to express my creativity in a new and physical way as well as deepen my appreciation for teamwork. School plays and a degree in Theater (with a capital T) really sealed my commitment to a life dedicated to meaningful experiences, curiosity, and storytelling. Over the years, hindsight has given me the amazing perspective that many of the choices, paths, relationships, and work I chose, and have come to be the most meaningful, have revolved around these three things in some form or another. Connecting the personal and professional dots has felt kismet and the pursuit of literally anything else futile. I was and have always tried to remain a sponge.

"They say the fastest way to a man’s heart is with a power saw.” - Christine McConnell

When all is said and done I am most fascinated and fulfilled by stories that hit the right intersection of heart, humanity, and, often, horror. Having grown up on a steady diet of Disney, Pixar, and Jim Henson, I highly value heart, curiosity, friendship, teamwork, and striving to be an open and kind person. Thanks to Stephen King, Tananarive Due, Shirley Jackson, and Tim Burton, I’ve developed a real love affair with emotional, romantic horror set against a rich backdrop that hits you where you’re most vulnerable. Music of all kinds allows me to experience, express, and process emotions in ways I haven’t found anywhere else. History allows me to time travel and learn from the past. And food and travel are where I find joy, adventure, and perspective.

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.” - Anthony Bourdain

More than mere entertainment, stories have given me many gifts. They’ve helped me to connect internally to myself, reflect on and process my thoughts and emotions, and even express those things through a creative outlet. They’ve provided me with much-needed comfort and distraction, tied me to my own culture and traditions as well as to those of others, and often provide me with dreams and purpose. They’ve allowed me to grow and heal in various ways and to move forward a little lighter with renewed hope and new ways of looking at things.

“No human culture is inaccessible to someone who makes the effort to understand, to learn, to inhabit another world.” - Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

And it’s this connection not only to ourselves but our collective humanity as well that really brings it home for me. Stories help us to better understand and relate to one another, the world at large, and our place in it. They help us to feel less alone, build empathy and compassion, learn humility, think bigger, and be inspired. We feel more compelled to contribute to the greater good because when we are exposed to as many voices and ideas as there are human beings, we become better equipped to live among one another, help one another, understand one another. We benefit from ideas, concepts, and solutions never imagined possible, to language never imagined possible. Most simply put, stories allow us to witness and be witnessed.

“A recipe can be many things: a practical document; a piece of social history; an anthropological record; a family legacy; an autobiographical statement; even a literary exercise.” - Nigella Lawson

“I was here.” - Beyoncé

Even greater still, stories, in their many forms and iterations, are imprints of humanity. The tangible and intangible proof that we existed. Of lives that lived, minds that thought, voices that spoke, bodies that created, hearts that loved, souls that yearned. Whether a funny anecdote, a horrifying tale of survival, a grandmother’s recipe, an intricately choreographed dance, a spoken word call for social justice, or a simple song or monologue, all are part of a historic and global contribution to exploring and preserving the human experience. In ways both large and small, good and bad, they are our individual and collective legacy as human beings. And this is perhaps the most basic but profound point of them all. Because there is very real power in whose stories are told, how they are told, and who is missing. When we limit the voices and styles around us, shrinking our world down to a false, narrow monolith, we lose the full, beautiful tapestry of humanity, we lose creativity, we lose our greater sense of self and responsibility, and we lose the truth.

“I believe we could paint a better world if we learned to see it from all perspectives, as many perspectives as we possibly could. Because diversity is strength. Difference is a teacher.” - Hannah Gadsby

So while there is value in pure, unadulterated entertainment, it’s this greater purpose that I feel called to. To explore the full, rich experience of life and being human in an authentic and meaningful way. To appreciate both simplicity and spectacle, but always push to see the bigger picture, understand how the dots are connected, and never forget the importance of truth and context. To cultivate relationships and environments that are safe, proud, and rooted in curiosity, compassion, respect, honesty, celebration, and truth. To keep my feet firmly planted in both magic and reality and the true scope and spirit of humanity, in all that it means, in all that I do.

“Those are still my favorite times in life – the times where you are just creating something and having so much fun doing it that you lose hours. Losing hours is my favorite way to spend time.” - Leeni Ramadan (Prom Queen)

So, for me, stories are a lot of things. Big and small. Grand and simple. Stories are excitement and adventure. Stories are informative and validating. Stories are distracting and comforting. Stories are dignity and truth. Stories are creativity and expression. Stories are connection and collaboration. Stories are life lessons and legacy. Stories are magic. Stories are power. And they matter.

"There are as many ways to be creative as there are Muppets. Creativity is like a puzzle, and people contribute different pieces to create a bigger picture. There’s one other thing that I think every frog or person needs to be creative: and that is friends." - Kermit the Frog