Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. ~ Hannah Arendt
I think of my self as a story-teller in the making. The ability to use a narrative in a story to explore the human agency and the domain of ‘action’ is what attracts me to looking at what tools I can use to create these webs of storytelling.
In my opinion, this also allows me to traverse the fine line between the oikos and the polis (the private and the public) that are the domains of the experiential category of action which can be the subject matter of the story. Through story telling I can bridge the boundaries of empathy without making those that are different symmetrical and opening up discursive opportunities. This in turn allows for interpretive activity of meaning creation to result in experiential knowledge which allows us to transcend contexts that we may be unfamiliar with but yet are able to articulate a collective identity around. In a narrative or allegorical process, one operates with evocative representations of “reality,” in which a community can assign different meaning to the same thing on different occasions, and evolve a clearer sense of symbolic interest.
So telling stories in a manner that narratavizes implicit forms of knowledge to encourage participation in the interpretative process and enhance learning through greater engagement with the subject matter of the story is exciting for me! And any risk that may arise from the personalized nature of a story is mitigated by collective personalization that takes place for the community of actors or the audience.
Over the last year I have had the opportunity to not only better tell stories by incorporating the most appropriate communication technology that will allow people to share more but also learn the art of ‘editing’ videos better. Doing it well is of course a LONG way off for me, but one of my most recent videos is weaving the story of a leader in a conversational manner without taking away the power of her story.
Some of the past ones are: