Creator/Consumer
“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”
— Muriel Rukeyser
Stories… We absorb them like oxygen. They fuel our curiosity, feed our upsets and our favored outrage. They form the substrate, the superstructure, even the skin of our lives. Often, they tell us who we are.
Because, (most of us, the vast majority), are Consumers of stories, not Creators.
We read, we watch, we receive, we check in, we listen. And our Story Consumption Habits are now monitored, recorded, monetized and then subtly shaped and re-routed back to us in an infinite (repetitive) loop for re-consumption. It’s a business. There are cultural, national, generational, regional stories (filed and cross-indexed by sex, age, ethnicity, politics and geography…) The process becomes momentarily more visible when, every so-often, a classic story is sold to a new production house and re-issued for a younger audience – complete with modern, virtual-reality violence, a more gender-diverse and politically-correct cast and a few inside jokes.
Nations, governments, companies and political parties are in the business of creating, telling, selling and re-selling stories to their audiences because, obviously, it’s profitable. (There may be actual power involved…) The only thing missing is new, novel, more uplifting content…
Which is why there’s more to be accomplished.
In our experience, most people stop short of the line between mere Consumption and actual Creation of Stories. They may be thinking, “My Parents were the Executive Producers. My Teachers were the Director(s). My Coaches were the Script Consultants. My University Career Track set the trajectory of my work life, and now, I’m relying on my Doctor, my Insurance and Financial institutions to guide “My” Retirement. So, all I have to do is stay in my niche and follow the imaginary lines into Oblivion/Heaven/Hell/Nirvana/Purgatory/the Bardo.” (Insert your chosen story here…)
Stories. More than mere entertainment, they are the internal, imaginary and spiritual “structures” which guide our lives, our relationships and our aspirations. Whole industries are dedicated to creating them for us.
But, what if YOU decide to cross the invisible line, to become a Creator, perhaps the Creator, Author, Producer, Director and Star of your own Life Story? (Maybe even those of others.) It’s possible. Others have done it, and created entertainment franchises, literary disciplines, whole sciences, even countries. Universes are waiting to be created.
As it happens, the skills required to source your own stories are near at hand.
1. Establish an Objective
2. Analyze the Target Audience and
3. Formulate and Structure an Argument
These simple steps can Create, Tailor and Deliver powerful, evocative and timeless Stories. Sound familiar? They work for business to build and package presentations, but put them to new uses as you create and manage your internal culture and your Life, at Work, at Home and around the World.
As you create a story, you also create a Universe.
Dessert:
Apple Campus
Cornerstones: Now on hiatus.
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