Storyteller as Yarnspinner: 6 Reasons Why We Weave Sewing Terms in the Art

A storyteller adopts the imagery of weaving stories together whether or not there is a love of sewing fabric.

Why is that exactly?

Let us explore the terms we use to explain our art form inspired by the needle and thread.

First, a personal experience.

I took a sewing class during high school, but piecing together a dress was torture. Instead, I was ready to weave stories during my World Literature class during my senior year.

I anticipated my senior year for many reasons, but one of them being the delving into Greek Mythology. Everyone knew about the Greek projects. We chose areas that interested us most in the culture, though some of us did whatever would be easiest to complete.

Most people created architectural miniatures of Greek homes, temples, or amphitheaters. As for me I was most interested in rhapsodes.

I do not remember how I came upon the word "rhapsode", but when I heard it, I could not let it go from my mind. Through the years, we had studied about Homer and with such epic tales as The Illiad or The Odyssey.

These tellers often sung their whole pieces so I knew I would need to sing the "Eros and Psyche" story to my classmates. I studied Greek music to get a feel for the common rhythms. Much of the tunes and words were improvised so I expected to do the same. However, I committed to memory key phrases and notes that would move the story along. I was dressed in Greek attire--of which I did not sew--and mentioned to everyone that I did not bring my lyre.

Funny enough, a lyre looks like a miniature loom.

The word itself, also known as rhapsoidein, meant in the Classic Greek language "to sew songs together" or "singer of stitched verse" or "sewer of formulas, lines, and scenes to share a performance".

Then, to add to this already visual way to think about storytelling, the rhapsode tended to carry a staff.

The staff was symbolic of the kind of staff a judge may hold. The audience saw this sign and knew that they had "a right to a hearing".

Though I have not seen any specific connection, the staff could even be like an enlarged needle to expand the sewing image.

Athena was a goddess over many things including weaving and sewing. You may recall the story of the weaving contest between Arachne and Athena. The lady Arachne has since been transformed into a spider as punishment for all the "bad" stories she wove onto her tapestries. The images showed each of the Olympian gods at a weak moment and Athena could not have those stories shared.

Besides Athena, Hermes was known for his stories. Interestingly, he carried a staff much like a rhapsode was expected to carry a staff. The staff is also a device used to herd sheep and goats. From these animals we get wool and thus the thread and weaving. Perhaps this was part of the reason he was known for his trickery and the telling of tall tales. He was a sewer of fabrications.

Even the word fabrication has the word fabric in it. Broken down even further, "fabula" is the Latin word for fable, story, or tale. The words themselves mean "the act of making" and has a female gender connected to the word. As women were often the ones sewing, weaving, and making cloth, the gender assignment makes sense.

Consider these other sewing phrases or words used in storytelling:

• Spin a Tale/Weave a Tale/Spinster/Old Wives Tales--The sharing of stories often took place while woman gathered to take care of repetitious and monotonous jobs like spinning, weaving, and quilting. As these stories were often conversational and based on gossip, then the phrase "Old Wives Tales" came about. While a spinster was usually someone unmarried beyond the age expected to be married, then these women had more time to spin and thus more time to tell stories.
  

• Text--Though we are an oral art, often times in history storytellers memorized or shared stories so as to be the text for the listeners. "Text" is short for "Textilis" or "Textiles". These words are Latin for "woven fabric". Robert Bringhurst, a Canadian poet, wrote, "An ancient metaphor: thought is a thread, and the raconteur is a spinner of yarns -- but the true storyteller, the poet, is a weaver. The scribes made this old and audible abstraction into a new and visible fact. After long practice, their work took on such an even, flexible texture that they called the written page a textus, which means cloth."

• Red Thread/Golden Thread--This may be the part of the storytelling that links and weaves all else into something comprehensible and meaningful. In the European middle ages, the color of red is significant for it was once seen as a sign of wealth and status. Sometimes, only royalty could wear this color. The dye itself was hard to get as it had to be dark enough. Curator Rebecca Stevens of the Textile Museum said, "People made their living trading this dye." It could also relate to the pleasing way red threads looked in a tapestry. Then, within the Chinese culture, you find the belief that when a child is born, there are invisible red threads that connect the baby to all the important people in their life of the past, present, and future. As a result, children have red thread tied around their wrists. Sometimes instead of a red thread it is known as a golden thread due to English influences. You may have read many stories of spinning straw into gold.
  

A bonus fun thought: A popular brand of sewing machine is known as "Singer". It seems we have rhapsodes still.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Within Grasp: 3 Effects and 11 Trends of Art Audiences for Storytellers to Reach

Oftentimes the audience sets the trends more so than the artists. Applause and attendance inspire what is shared with the rest of the world, especially when funding is concerned.

Artists either adapt these trends into the way they present or the art itself may fade.

Storytellers usually are the last to embrace newfangled ideas such as technology or philosophies. Yet, storytellers could lead the way for other artists this time through the three forces and eleven trends reflective of art audiences. Kelly J. Barsdate, from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, presented these forces and trends at the Mountain West Conference on the Arts on May 7, 2009. I have applied them to storytelling with permission from Barsdate.

Three Forces:

1. Effects of a Digital Age
2. Explosion of Choice
3. K-12 Education Gaps

Barsdate said, "These three forces equal profound changes in cultural participation norms." Though positive changes have occurred, Barsdate worried over the headline in newspapers that said people spend more time with their computer than with their spouse. She also discovered that driving while distracted was on the rise. At least there was a rise in visual IQ for people.

"Customization is now common place," stated Barsdate. She mentioned that people are looking to buy an experience rather than a product. Besides the performance or the exhibit, people notice the physical and emotional experiences. Even the ease or difficulty of parking or the structure of intermission could make the difference.

When it comes to schools, sometimes it seems like there is a never-ending "intermission" of art within its walls. Children who see arts are more willing to become artists or audience members. As youth graduate from high school, employers cannot find employees who are creative enough in the workplace. From a national survey, 97% of employers said that creativity was important while 85% of employers could not find these people from those they interview.

Eleven Trends:

1. Aging Arts Audiences
2. Digital Natives as Creators
3. "The Curatorial Me"
4. Time-Shifting
5. Virtual Experiences
6. Audience as Actor
7. Participation at Home
8. Crowd-Sourcing
9. Distinguishing Design
10. Blending of Science & Marketing
11. Mega-Impact of Micro-Trends
    

Aging Arts Audiences
Across the nation, the media age of adults is 44. The median age is at least 3-10 years higher when compared to the typical audience for opera, classical music, theatre, musicals, ballet, and other events.

Many storytellers are concerned by the generation gap. Out of 300 storytellers at a conference, perhaps 10 to 15 are from the 18-35-year-old range. Yet, it is from the audience from which many storytellers are born. After hearing stories, someone often thinks or says aloud, "I could be a storyteller, too."

The National Storytelling Festival has had the Youthful Voices tent since 1997 with two years as the exception. These youth range from elementary to high school ages. Over twenty national tellers headline this festival, but again there is a gap of featured tellers involving 18-35-year-olds.

To combat this harmful trend, the Weber State University Storytelling Festival will create marketing materials geared specifically for college students to audition for the event. Existing venues as well as new venues could make room so that all generations experience storytelling and promote its growth for decades to come.

Digital Natives as Creators
With free and relatively inexpensive ways to record CDs and DVDs, there is no excuse for storytellers to lack in CDs and DVDs to share with their fans. Products made from home may not be as high-quality than if it was done through a film and duplication company, but that result could be pursued for future projects.

Storyteller Karl Behling uses Dexster, editing software for audio. He only had to pay a one-time fee of $40.00. He now can have back-of-the-room sales. Another storyteller, Carol Esterreicher, burns a single story on a CD as a giveaway at each of her performances.

"The Curatorial Me"
Libraries and museums will always be grand places to gather and collect boundless information. Lately, we as individuals have taken on this curatorial role as we buy individual songs and stories rather than whole albums or our iPods and mp3 players. Websites like iTunes.com and iTales.com are places to build collections.

Most of the time, the storyteller chooses what stories will be experienced on the CD or DVD. The latest trend is to give customers the power on the outlook of the final product.

Some day soon it will be common practice for storytellers to work alongside third-party companies so that the fans could create on-demand CDs or DVDs. For example, the CD or DVD titles could be something like "My Favorites of Bill Harley" or "My Favorites of Elizabeth Ellis", etc. The storyteller would have already-submitted artwork so that when the third-party company burns and mails the professional copy to the fan, then it still looks as slick as if it was bought from a store.

Time-Shifting
The idea of on-demand burning of CDs and DVDs relates to being able o hear or watch the stories when it suits you. Obviously, storytelling is best experienced by the audience live. Yet, with our busy lives, we need to make it easier for storytelling fans to enjoy stories.

The trend of time-shifting will only make the idea of audio or video recording as necessities rather than luxuries.

Besides performances, some storytellers have grasped onto the power of podcasting. These shows can be downloaded whether it be 2:00pm or at 2:00am. Some of the most note-worthy podcasts: The Art of Storytelling with Children hosted by Brother Wolf; Timeless Tale Podcast hosted by Djeliba Baba the Storyteller; and The Amphitheater Series hosted by Sean Buvala.

Virtual Experiences
We love to enjoy storytelling in a live setting, but sometimes it is not possible if you want to gather many listeners together from different countries. As the Internet is not a place of boundaries, then people can "gather" at their computer screens and enjoy virtual experiences.

Kids have jumped into this world through programs like Disney's Club Penguin where you are told to "waddle around and meet new friends. Over 30 million 11-12-year-olds have joined this crazy adventure complete with a penguin avatar/character to interact with other penguins through filtered chats and live moderators.

For adults, the most popular program is Second Life (SL), a 3-D virtual world found on the Internet for social and business purposes. At least 20 million people registered are over the age of 30. Once there, you could join the Storytelling Guild of Second Life headed by storyteller Dale Gilbert Jarvis. Several storytellers have told in this setting complete with earphones hooked to the computer. You can read about my own experience here.

Audience as Actor
If us storytellers love to be on stage, then imagine all of the audience members who secretly--or not so secretly--wish to be on the stage, too.

Some of my most precious memories are when I ask for volunteers from the audience to play different parts in a folktale I am about to tell. Instead of the original "Three Aunties" Norwegian story, it became "Two Uncles and an Auntie" due to the people who volunteered. We all had a laugh and the story became more meaningful. I still had the audience learn a part so that they did not feel left out of the fun.

Storytelling in and of itself is an interactive art form. Whether or not audience participation is used, storytellers look into the eyes of the audience and are willing to adapt their stories to match the feedback they sense from them. Of all the art audience trends, storytelling excels in this category.

Yet, there are ways to increase this strength.

Take, for example, the video game Guitar Hero. Although a controller shaped like a guitar is used, the sales of "real" guitars soared. Perhaps such a boost would happen if there was a "Storyteller Hero"-type game geared specifically for kids and youth. Since storytelling games are popular, perhaps it could be translated into a computer game where kids could play with other friends on the screen or even play with kids halfway around the world. If we can do it for Wii, then we could do it for us.

Participation at Home
Musicians and comedians have held House Concerts, and suddenly this venue-in-the-backyard has reached the hearts of storytellers. Rivka Willick, Dan Keding, and Priscilla Howe are all experienced storytellers in this arena.

The Utah Storytelling Guild became intrigued with the idea and will launch House Concerts as a guild-sponsored "professional development series" in Fall 2009. This program was designed to provide a place for storyteller to share material for older audiences.

With such terms as "staycation" creeping into our vocabulary, then perhaps "house concerts" will become as well known and revered.

Crowdsourcing
American Idol is certainly one of the most popular forms of crowdsourcing where feedback from the audience determines the results. These types of shows and entertainments believe in "the wisdom of the crowds". However, as popularity tends to trump quality, sometimes new or unknown artists are overlooked.

Every so often, creating the event is full of chaos. Parameters, therefore, need to be set so expectations can be met by both the creators and the participants of the events. For example, Voromator.com had a design contest where anyone could create original art from eight shapes posted online.

A similar activity could involve eight items that need to be in a story that was submitted by audio or video means online. People could vote on their favorite stories.

In the storytelling community, the tall tale or liars contests are prevalent. Professional storytellers and/or community tellers could sign-up to share a story within a certain time frame and allow the live audience to decide on who was best.

Story Slams would qualify as having one of the highest levels of crowdsourcing while the National Youth Storytelling Showcase would be at a more moderate level.

Distinguishing Design
People could be attracted sophisticated marketing through the use of visual art. Most people make judgments about people, places, and things within 90 seconds. Though many factors are involved, the artist's attire, body language, and demeanor are key elements.

Some storytellers have unique garb to have them stand out from others. Donald Davis is known for wearing bow-ties while I am known from wearing my Dutch cap. Some storytellers, like Dianne de Las Casas, have logos that people could recognize hundreds of feet away.

If color is involved in the branding, then brand recognition jumps to 80%.

Art audiences notice these details; us storytellers would benefit to keep this in mind as we design posters, fliers, websites, and even in what we wear on stage.

Blending of Science and Marketing
We know that storytelling has great power, but unless we have some of the "facts" to back it up, some people are not interested in hiring artists. Some people may consider what we do "fluff". However, if you can prove that there are socio-developmental needs or that enzymes in the brain respond in positive manners, then you will be heard and respected that much faster.

Kendall Haven has published many books with quantifiable statistics such as STORY PROOF: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story. You may also find these kinds of academic articles in Storytelling, Self, Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Storytelling Studies published by Taylor and Francis, Inc.

Proof is not the only needs. Scientists have discussed the power of "sensory branding" in that what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch add to our experiences. With our events, what are the emotions and associations that are appealed to in a positive manner? Could there be some changes to enhance these sensations?

Mega-Impact of Micro-Trends
The world permeates with specialized groups or micro-trends. Yes, we can say that we are all human beings, but there we have the people who are the:

• Working Retired
• Native American Language Speakers
• Young Knitters (over 6 million as teens and in 20s)
• Video Game Grown-ups (Average age of 33 to the 50+)
• New Luddites (also known as "America's great unrushed" or the "Tech-NOs"
• And many more

For every trend, there is always a counter-trend.

Any artist could explore the places they tend to share their craft and discover what groups are living amongst them.

Storytellers could gear programs for these niche groups.

As you consider the current art audience trends, remember that anyone could be a trend-setter. It may be one of those timeless roles that the storyteller has always had.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/rachelfans
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Storytelling Lessons for Kids: 5 Ways to Go Beyond What Piano Can Give Them

Thanks to my nephew, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law for allowing permission to post the pictures.

Throughout all ages of time, parents have encouraged and sometimes "forced" their children to receive piano lessons.

I was one of those kids who took piano lessons.

Currently, I do not have a piano in my home, which I plan to rectify soon. A home is not complete without a piano.

In the meantime, much of my piano skills have gone by the wayside, though the memories sustain me.

Despite the moments when I would rather do chores than practice the piano, I also had moments when I played and played and could not wait for the recitals.

I always was a child who enjoyed the spotlight.

Walking onto that stage was glorious, but once I got to the piano bench, I had to turn my back or side to the audience. Even if the piano was turned in such a way so that I could look at the audience, the piano was too tall to truly connect with the people out there.

Sure, I heard the applause after I played a number, but I missed the continuous reactions from the audience.

Then came high school.

I was a sophomore when my theatre friends encouraged me to look into the National Forensics League, which had several categories in public speaking contests.

One of those categories was storytelling.

Finally, I had an art form that would allow me to look at the audience the whole time.

Nowadays, most children are in front of the computer or television so often that sometimes they forget the joy of looking at the people around them.

They can comfortably interact with a video game or "talk" to online characters through virtual realities.

Then they stutter and stumble in front of real people.

While playing the piano improves creativity and develops a type of work ethic and commitment in the child, there is one art form that can easily adapt and apply to whatever the child pursues in life: storytelling.

Parents celebrate as they see their youth tellers have more sophisticated research skills and the ability to speak smoothly in front of a crowd due to the boost of confidence. Parents and teachers perhaps love the improvement of listening skills the best.

As the child becomes a young adult and must find work, the child will exemplify these skills, which are exactly what employers desire and request.

So where can youth turn for storytelling guidance?

Here are some ways:
1. Clubs
2. Camps
3. Festivals
4. Contest and Showcase Events
5. One-on-One or Small Group Lessons

Clubs
I wish there was a storytelling club during my elementary, middle, or high school days. At least I had the storytelling category through Forensics. In some ways, the other people in my category were part of a "club".

Fortunately, the creation of storytelling clubs for youth is on the rise across the nation.

The best book is Raising Voices: Creating Youth Storytelling Groups and Troupes co-authored by Kevin Cordi and Judy Sima. Youth clubs with a focus on fun and games will have the most success, and Raising Voices has plenty of games to choose that work from Kindergarten to high school students.

As an adult, you will be tempted to play these games, too. Go ahead and give yourself permission.

Members of storytelling guilds could be pro-active to encourage more youth clubs. The Utah Storytelling Guild is considering a youth chapter where kids across the state could gather and meet each other at least once a quarter.

Camps
The strongest states in youth storytelling usually have some form of camp dedicated to the art in order to satisfy the hunger that kids have to tell stories.

The Florida Storytelling Association organizes the most famous Story Camp. The event is mainly attended by adults and workshops are led by national tellers. Five youth are selected as scholarship recipients as a result of the Youthful Voices Storytelling Contest. Each youth has an adult storytelling mentor.

In Nebraska, the guild endorses a camp limited to 15 youth led by a national teller. For 2009, the theme is "In Our Own Voices" geared for 4th to 9th grade students and taught by award-winning singer-songwriter and storyteller Andy Offutt Irwin.

Utah has also had a surge of week-long Story Camps organized by professional storytellers Cherie Davis, Debi Richan, and Nannette Watts. They provide one type of camp for ages 8-12 and another for ages 12-18. They are able to give reduced rates to residents of Orem and Highland due to some generous grants.

Usually these camps are scheduled in the summer time when children may not have as many extra curricular activities and homework.

Festivals
There are always fetivals looking for youth performers on a local, regional or national basis.

These festivals tend to first think of dancers, musicians, and singers, but many are making way for youth tellers. It may be up to you to hint at the storytelling possiblities.

Many cities and towns have art festivals. Contact the director. Have the youth teller share stories for them. Then watch as the director schedules a slot or two for them.

Though some artists volunteer, the festival may offer to pay for the storytelling services of your youth. It does not hurt to ask.

Contest and Showcase Events
Nothing tends to motivate a child more than when it comes to a contest. In the storytelling arena, usually the word "showcase" is put in place of "contest" to indicate that each child is a winner.

The most popular kinds are tall tale and liar contests.

Perhaps parents are not as keen to these kinds as to what they imply, but as these tales are hilarious and high-energy, kids love them. In fact, if given the chance, kids like ot create their own stories rather than telling the classic tales of Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill.

Then there is the National Youth Storytelling Showcase. Dr. Flora Joy, one of the founders, said, "Tomorrow's storytelling lies in the talents, interests, and motivations of today's youth."

Each state has a representative that forwards videotapes of their top five youth tellers to the Headquarters in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Of the thousands of entries, about 15-20 youth are invited to tell in connection with the Smoky Mountain Storytelling Festival. All youth are celebrated as finalists, though one is chosen as the Grand Torchbearer of Youth Storytelling for the year.

One-on-One or Small Group Lessons
Since you are familiar with how weekly piano lessons work, then the same format could work for storytelling lessons.

From a 2008 survey of 300 parents, 209 said they would be willing to pay for lessons or after-school programs in the arts reported by the Helicon Collaborative, a New York City-based arts nonprofit consulting group. Economy may be rough but parents want their art.

Most likely the parents first think of piano or dance, but there is a demand of life-skills that storytellers could pursue.

With many schools slashing out the arts, it is sometimes up to the parents to make sure art is experienced. Connect with a professional storyteller and ask if they would be willing to coach your child.

In fact, I will offer storytelling lessons to youth starting Fall 2oo9. I am considering in-person as well as e-lessons in combination of webinars so that location is not a factor. A workbook will be available for the participants.

As for piano lessons, I fully support them. I had piano lessons and continue to be glad I had them.

Remember that it is not always possible to have a piano on the journey of life.

Stories, especially the ones your youth tell, are for forever.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller