What You Need to Know About Powerful Storytelling
We are Full Sail Students. For the most part, we are all passionate storytellers. How we tell our stories may differ; some of us tell our stories through film, other’s music, and some through any medium available to us.
But is it powerful storytelling?
I attended the panel, “The Power of Storytelling”. Jeff Unay, Troy DeVolld, and Robin Cowie shared their wisdom and ideas about their experiences as storytellers. Their message for the audience was very clear: You MUST be a powerful storyteller.
Sounds easy for a school full of passionate storytellers, right?
For less experienced storytellers like myself, this is not an easy task. After listening to the panel, I have a better understanding of what makes a powerful storyteller. It felt like Jeff Unay was speaking directly to me when he said, “Don’t ask permission, just do it!”
I deal with some version of “permissions” all the time. Mostly this involves getting permission from myself. Questions like “what makes you think you know enough to write this story” and “why would people listen if it’s coming from you?” constantly fill my thoughts.
I think as creatives we often struggle with this. Doubting our abilities and our talent, we then have to negotiate with our egos for permission to do what we love. For me, it often ends with an untold story…untold stories never get the chance to be powerful stories.
DeVolld spoke to this when he shared, “While all great stories stick to the same themes, not all great stories have been told.” Jeff Unay weighed in as well stating , “If all the stories had been told, we wouldn’t still be telling stories.”
Robin Cowie summed up my biggest take away from the panel when he talked about his own creativity. “I found my creative self again when I stepped away from trying to get something specific from it.”
We owe it to our creative selves to explore. Go on an adventure with your creativity. Don’t allow fear to stop you. “Don’t ask permission, just do it!” Tell your stories. Put them out in the world and then tell another one. If there is one central lesson of Hall of Fame it’s this: We are storytellers and we have to simply be confident enough to tell them.
Written By: Tori Taylor