Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.

-Robert McKee

Our lives, individually and collectively, are a collection of stories. Storytelling is a way of making sense of the world around us, giving us an identity. Stories can be shared in words, photography, arts, music and film shedding light on cultural, social and environmental issues. A story can transport us in time and place, create a deepened understanding or division, spread messages, shape behavior, and even inspire

Who shares a story, what is told, how often it is told and how the story starts are all factors in how stories impact our lives and behavior.

Memory and Imagination

Studies indicate that the sharing of family stories and narratives may actually increase memory, and that our earliest memories vary according to the values of our cultures.

There’s been some brain research between the past and the future, showing that the same regions of the brain are activated when people are asked to remember something and when they’re asked to imagine an event that hasn’t happened yet.

Essential Questions:

How does culture shape the lens through which we see the world?

Who are you? What is your role in your family, school, and community?

Who are you now and who do you want to become? What is your story?

What is your heart song- what passion is an expression of your heart and gift to the world that only you can bring?

What essential values do we all share? What stories/songs reflect that?

What stories have shaped your understanding of life?

“When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way no other reading in your life does.” - Kathleen Kelly

“Elders off the gift of stewardship to the next generation. They are the wise storytellers and cultural weavers, weaving the tales and threads of connection, coherence, creativity, community, and continuity into a story of meaning and belonging.” -Stephanie Pace Marshall

“The question of what it means to be human is has now become inextricable from the question of who we are to each other.” -Kristen Tippett

Gallery from same topic years ago… stay tuned for new artwork soon!