Recently saw the documentary film, My Kid Could Paint That, about Marla Olmstead, who in 2004 was 4 years old and commanding thousands of dollars for her abstract paintings. The Binghamton, NY, reporter, Elizabeth Cohen, who initially broke the Marla story in the Binghamton Sun and Press Bulletin, noted in … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: May 2008
God Endorses Storytelling
OK, I don’t mean to be irreverent here, but I read some good news for storytelling fans who believe the Bible is the word of God and even for agnostics like me who aren’t sure. This comes from “Guest Author” at Impact, a blog for Southern Baptists: There is a … Continue reading
Entrepreneurial Stories
The blogger at the blog seclater (and I am unable to determine who this blogger is) extols storytelling as a marketing tool in a way that is not new to me. But he (or she) offers an “if-I-can-do-it-anyone-can” story of entrepreneurial success: I had quit my full-time job without any … Continue reading
Models for What I’d Like to Do with Storytelling
One of my long-term ambitions is to create and put on workshops that help people change their lives and careers through story: Change the Story, Change Your Life (or Career). I’ve come across a couple of models for what I’d like to do. One comes from The Story Lady, Ronda … Continue reading
Stories to Socialize Organizational Newcomers
Just a postscript to an earlier entry about storytelling at Procter and Gamble: P&G also has a digital story in which a Martian appears before a group of six composite characters representing various organizations within P&G. The Martian wants to know who’s responsible for innovation at P&G. As Linda Coffman, … Continue reading
About My Issues with Games
Two commenters, Corvus and Liz, expressed curiosity about my statement that I loathe and detest games in this post. For me, this issue is a tantalizing look at the question of nature vs. nurture. I believe it is possible that I was genetically programmed to hate games. It seems that … Continue reading
A “Stroke of Insight” Story
The World’s Greatest Yoga Instructor, Emma Tranter, turned me onto this fascinating video presentation, from “TED,” Technology, Entertainment, Design, which “started (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Taylor tells an amazing story that takes on special meaning because of her role as a neuroanatomist. … Continue reading
Job Interviews in the Storytelling World of Second Life
For someone who prides herself on keeping up with trends, I have been quite slow on the uptake with Multi-User Virtual Environments, such as Second Life. I don’t fully grasp this concept, and I haven’t yet become a full participant, but I’m attempting to learn more and expect to post … Continue reading
Storytelling Class Trivialized?
In her blog Soulbride’s Kitchen, Kamalla Rose Kaur tells of what sounds like a wonderful storytelling class at Western Washington University (where the class is a General Education Requirement) taught by Rosemary Vohs. Commenters to Kaur’s blog affirm Vohs’s exceptional teaching ability and credit her with significant influence on their … Continue reading
Story Prompts about Parents and Siblings
In a recent newsletter, Terrence Gargiulio offered some great “trigger questions” for eliciting stories about parents and siblings: What stories do you know about your parents’ childhood? What things did you do with your parents? Do you have any memories of shopping for food or clothing with your parents? Were … Continue reading