Storytelling for Growing Our Imaginations
"Stories are the narratives of life, spanning the centuries and connecting the generations. They are the vessels in which we carry our shared adventures and most precious memories."
- International Storytelling Center
Since its inception, Imagine Chicago has drawn upon the power of stories and storytelling for creating new possibilities for the future. Stories, like the ones told throughout this book, have not only stimulated our imaginations, but also strengthened our senses of self and community. Understanding why stories are important and how to improve our capacities for storytelling is vital to any effort to nurture hope and imagination.
Why Are Stories and Storytelling So Powerful for a Movement of Imagination?
Stories are fundamentally different from the abstract and fragmented info-knowledge of much of what we learn in school. Stories bridge the Cartesian divide between feeling and reason. Stories connect to us emotionally, experientially and naturally; they are intimate and often contain deep, holistic truths about our purpose and meaning in life. Unlike textbook knowledge, stories do not purport to be universal, standardized, or replicable for everyone. Rather, they validate and celebrate the specificity of experience and context.
As a form of oral communication, storytelling opens up a space for building relationships, in a way that does not happen with text or visual images. Storytelling improves our skills for articulating our own — and listening for others’ —experiences and ideas. We become more sensitive to each other and to our unique and diverse contexts. By sharing our stories, we are sharing our lives and meaning-making. Stories thus bond us to one another, and lead us in the direction of generative dialogue rather than divisive debate.
Stories are interpretations of experience. Embedded in storytelling is the opportunity for co-creation. Where we are, when we are, how we are, who we are — as tellers and listeners — makes the stories what they are. We co-create our stories and we mutually determine the impact and the value of our stories. The medium really is the message! In this way, storytelling has the potential to spark creativity, energy and hope, the heart of Imagine work.
Storytelling Tips on the Web