storyOS

As we continue to unpack the Investigator Storytelling Type, we pull from our latest STORY Round Table conversation with David Paull and Kristina Henkai. In this episode, we hear David share the way he approaches his work utilizing a framework he dubs Behavioral Storytelling. What he shares on this episode is so practical and applicable to every storytelling type and has been an important litmus test for everything we do at STORY. This episode is for more than just the Investigators, and for this reason we always encourage you to listen in on each of the types because it’s a great way to figure out where the holes or gaps exist in what you’re doing.

In this episode, we officially kick off our next type, the Investigator. Investigators are an integral part of the storytelling process because they provide the data, research, and facts that help give stories the depth and roots necessary for momentum to be achieved. Though they are anchored in analytics and statistics, which is how they find the truths to their work, they are also logical, innovative, adaptable, calculated, and always in pursuit of truth. One such Investigator that I have learned so much from over the years is David Paull. Combining storytelling and behavioral science, David is the co-founder and CEO of Lillian Labs, a messaging and research consultancy that helps craft, test, and refine stories and content. A few years back, I sat down with David to break down just what his job entails, and why it matters in the context of storytelling, and let me just say, it was such a brilliant and thoughtful way of understanding not just stories as we know them, but why they have the impact they have on a waiting world.

In this episode, we pulled a clip from our recent Artisan STORY Round Table conversation with none other than our friend, Morgan Harper Nichols. Morgan is a well known artist, poet, and musician and you’ve probably seen her work pinned somewhere on Pinterest, re-posted all over Instagram, or maybe in Target, Anthropologie, Crate and Barrel. This episode is powerful because Morgan shares how she world through her art and reminds us how “trends will comakes sense of her me and go, but people will always be human.” We can chase the latest and greatest fads in our industries, but the stories that we tell are meant to hit deeper than that, because the aptly called, “human condition” doesn’t change. This episode just might be the gut-check you need for yourself.

As we continue our conversation around the Storytelling type, the Artisan, this episode features our friend, wildly talented Nashville fine artist, Ed Nash, alongside our mutual friend, acclaimed photographer, Allen Clark. You’ll hear Ed as he discusses not only HIS connection to the world around him, but to what he’s creating and the story he hopes it tells, but how it’s interpreted by those that experience it. If you haven’t already taken our Storyteller Type Assessment, please do it, it’s quick, and it will help you follow along on these conversations regardless of which type you are, because learning about different types will help you leverage and understand the skills that they bring to the table like you never expected. 

We are moving on to the next Storyteller Type in our 5 part series, and this one is the Artisan. Many in the STORY community will identify as Artisans because they are deeply passionate about their art and the story it tells those who view or interact with it. From paint on canvas, to carefully crafted lines in poetry, to movement of bodies through dance, to notes that seem to float off of sheet music, Artisans use a variety of mediums to intertwine their heart and message. 

This is exactly why we wanted to kick off the Artisan series with Academy Award Winning costume designer, Ruth Carter. She has dreamt up the way her costumes and designs guide and deepen the stories of those that wear them. Her work has been featured in movies such as Selma, Malcolm X, and Black Panther to name a few, and she is not only brilliant, but deeply connected to the way that costumes tell stories of their own. Don’t miss this conversation, and all the wisdom shared that you can apply to the stories you tell, regardless of the way you create.

Story's greatest power is not in its ability to simply convert, but its ability to connect. If you want to play the long game you must lead with connection first. But for a change-maker who wants to make a bigger difference faster, that can be a little bit complicated. It can be difficult to be patient with the long-term value journey when the cause that you are trying to amplify needs attention now. In this episode, we dip into the archives of a recent Round Table conversation with Ben Stewart, co-founder of Louder Agency, Brand Messaging Strategist and Copywriter, Janelle Traister, as well as Artist and Activist and longtime friend of the STORY Community, Benjamin Von Wong. Listen in as they discuss the tension that often comes from honoring your values in the process of amplifying stories worth telling.