I was reminded this morning of the importance of stories, storylines and storytelling.
One of the blogs I subscribe to is Brain Pickings by Maria Popova. In this morning’s newsletter she shared excerpts from an article by the Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe who writes about the Igbo culture and the ritual of mbari, the celebration of the creative spirit embodied through the earth goddess Ala.
This ritual involves ordinary people making art for the celebration. During the time of creating, the people who were chosen to participate in this ritual were exempt from their normal work and duties so they could fully contribute to these acts of creation. Art as a form of citizenship, to be celebrated and valued.
The earth goddess Ala looked like an erect version of this ceramic storytelling figure that I have in pride of place on my now clean bookshelf. This storyteller was made by a friend and presented to me when I left my job as branch librarian of a library in country Victoria some twenty years ago.
During the twelve years that I was the librarian, I introduced regular storytelling sessions for schools, preschoolers and even adults. Each week there was a program devised to bring stories in one form or another to community groups. I became known for storytelling as it was something I loved to do.
The idea that we all can participate in the giving and receiving of stories via cultural rituals, community theatre, festivals and other events, is integral to many cultures. It reinforces the spirit of creativity as an immersive, inclusive act open to anyone and everyone.
When I make a mark or follow a line of ink or stitching in my artworks, I am walking a storyline that reveals its story as I keep working. My daily artworks have helped me understand that a simple line can lead to the unravelling of stories about hope, conflict, nurturing, sunshine and possibility.
The placement of the objects on my bookshelf each have a story as well. The storyteller reminds me of stories, the embroidered mat is from Mexico when we jumped on a bus and went to a papermaking town in San Pablito ( you can read the full story I wrote in Paper Slurry). The lino-cut postcard is also from that same trip to Mexico from the cooperative Mayan papermaking studio in San Cristóbal de las Casas, while the paper lava eruptions are waiting for their time to shine in my exhibition about my experience in Iceland.
Documenting stories in one form or another is a way not only to document your life and thoughts, but to make sense of how and why you are doing it. These form the kernel for artist statements, biographical statements and part of all the written documentation you need to have ready when you apply for exhibitions and grants. When you document your thoughts and actions, you are planning for your own creative success. It might take a while, but you have fun capturing the why, the essence of your work.
You can get my free guide on the 7 steps to Plan Your Creative Success here.
The Hearth. Adding colour to my ink drawing led me to unravel stories of fire, warmth and nurturing.