John Cheever

"The need to write comes from the need to make sense of one's life and discover one's usefulness."

— John Cheever

American Novelist

1912 - 1982

We all have a need to understand our lives and the things that happen to us.  Some turn to religion.  Others turn to history or politics or science.  Creative leaders turn to their art.  The stories we tell help us to make sense of who we are and why we are here.  And often we change the facts of our lives to tell a better story.  What stories are you telling in your artistic works?  How have you altered the facts of your stories to tell a greater truth?  




John Cheever is a perfect example of a writer who rewrote his life in his short stories and novels.  Born on May 27, 1912, John Cheever was the unwanted second child.  His father tried to convince his mother to have an abortion.  A storyteller from a young age, Cheever read Proust's In Search of Lost Time at the age of fourteen.  He dropped out of high school and never went to college.  He sold his first story to The New Republic at age 18.  For more than twenty years he published only short stories.  His first novel was not published until he was in his mid-forties.  In 1979 three years before his death, he won a Pulitzer Prize for a collection of his short stories that I highly recommend all creative leaders read.

Jim Trelease

"Story is the vehicle we use to make sense of our lives in a world that often defies logic."

— James Trelease

American Author, Speaker, Artist

1941 -

Often the world we live in does not seem to make sense.  Sure we have scientific explanations of how the universe was made.  And we have made great strides in understanding genetics.  But in the end it is the emotional side of life that is chaotic.  People still hate and kill each other and justify it for the dumbest of reasons.  People steal from others whether at the local convenience store or at the gas pump or on Wall Street.  People take drugs to hide their pain and to avoid dealing with the emotional causes of the pain.  Even artists, musicians, actors and writers are often caught in the trap.  They pour their heart and soul into their work and have nothing left over for their families and friends.  They create beautiful works of art and leave their spouses and children crying in the dark.

One of the ways we can make sense of this wild and crazy world we inhabit is to share our stories.  By telling our stories we can impose some structure to the chaos and randomness of the world around us.  Story gives a sense of who we are and where we came from.  Story links us to our past and points the way into the future.

Robin Moore

"To truly own a story, you must fashion it and shape it, as you would a garment, to fit your frame."

— Robin Moore

American Storyteller, Writer

1950 - 

 

Do you own the stories you tell with your art?  Do the stories you tell touch your heart?  Do they bring tears to your eyes?  Art is about communicating emotion through the stories we tell.  Reach deep inside your soul and touch the power of who you are.  Show us the love you feel.

During the last thirty years there has been a rebirth of oral storytelling in the United States.  Robin Moore has been one of the leaders of this storytelling movement.  For me, there is a lot to be said about the oral tradition.  Prior to the invention of the printing press, storytelling was how people shared information and entertained each other.  And while I love the printed word and average reading about two books a month, I find something exciting about listening to a well told story that makes me laugh and cry.

In the final analysis when we look back across our lives all we have are our memories and our stories.  The jobs we hold and the money we make have little value when our days on the planet are coming to a close.  As a creative leader, you should mine your experiences for stories to share in your paintings, your poetry and your novels. 

Here is Robin Moore talking about story and community.

Salman Rushdie

"Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts."

— Salman Rushdie

Indian Novelist

1947 - 

Are you revisiting the stories that you tell about your life?  Are you able to change the stories that you tell about your life?  Are you able to think new thoughts about your talents and your capabilities?

We all face challenges in life -- challenges that impact the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our lives.  How we tell the story either gives us power over the events or makes us powerless.

In 2006 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had robotic surgery.  I chose not to be a cancer victim.  Within a month of the diagnosis, I decided that the cancer was a gift that would open up new worlds and give me opportunities to meet new people.  I do not see myself as a cancer survivor.  I am very lucky to have received such a gift for what it has taught me.  I am a life-long learner and the cancer was just another experience in my life.

What challenges in your life do you need to reframe -- to retell?  We are all here to learn lessons.  What lessons are you learning from the challenges you face.  How are you retelling your stories to give you more power over the challenges?

John Cheever

"Art is the triumph over chaos."

— John Cheever

American Novelist / Short Story Writer

1912 - 1982

Human beings are constantly looking for the meaning of life.  Why are we here?  What is our purpose for being born?  The world can appear to be very chaotic and without meaning so most of us have a philosophical or religious lens through which we view the chaos and give it meaning.  Writers, storytellers and artists use their art to find the meaning of life.  The stories we tell about ourselves help us to give shape and purpose to our lives.  The stories we express in our art help to shape our view of the world.  The stories we share are the lens through which we see the world.  Art is a way of taking control of the chaos and for a short time believing we have won.

Muriel Rukeyser

"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."

— Muriel Rukeyser

American Poet

1913 - 1980

The universe is alive with story.  Without story, much of what we as humans know would be meaningless.  Through story we understand the world around us.  Through story we understand our lives and why we have lived the way we lived.  Story provides meaning to the events that have happened and the sorrows we have experienced.  As creative leaders, we are driven to share our story whether that be through a poem, a painting, a novel, a song, a sculpture, a film or a dance.  What stories are you telling in your art?  What stories are you telling that define who you are?  Our lives are filled with story.  Share yours today.

Theodore Roethke

"May my silences become more accurate."

— Theodore Roethke

American Poet

1908 - 1963

Many of us are afraid of silence.  We have a need to fill the the air waves with noise — television, radio, music.  And for those living in cities there are the sounds of cars, trucks, sirens, airplanes and neighbors fighting.  I enjoy external silence because it allows me to think, but I rarely experience internal silence.  My thoughts are always bubbling to the surface, brandishing their weapons.  Can you hear the silence when you are painting?  Do you listen to the silences between the words that you utter?  When I teach people to speak in public, I talk to them about the importance of silence — of learning the pregnant pause, of giving your audience the time to catch up with your words.  Storytellers understand the power of silence.  We must learn to appreciate silence, to enjoy its many flavors.  Sometimes we can learn more from silence than all the words ever spoken or written.

Isaac Bashevis Singer

"Two important things are to have a genuine interest in people and to be kind to them.  Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life."

— Isaac Bashevis Singer

Polish Novelist

1902 - 1991

Are you curious about people?  Are you interested in their stories?  Novelists and storytellers need to have a strong interest in people.  To tell a great story, a novelist has to understand people and their motives.  I think the same is true of a portrait artist?  In order to paint someone, an artist needs to see inside the person.  An artist is painting more than the surface.  An artist must paint the heart and soul of a person.  So again, my question:  Do you seek people out and listen to their stories?

The second part of this statement is even more important — being kind to others.  The world is in need of a lot of kindness today.  Kindness must start one person at a time.  I must first be kind before I can expect others to be kind.  Am I kind to those around me?  To family, friends and strangers on the street?  How should I demonstrate my kindness?  How do I show my caring?  Can you be kind without loving the person?  What is the demonstrable difference between love, caring and kindness?  Or are they cut from the same cloth? 

Erica Jong

"Everyone has talent.  What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to the dark place where it leads."

— Erica Jong

American Writer

1942 - 

What is your talent and have you followed where it will lead you?  As a writer, it has happened to me.  When I get close to revealing the darkness within my spirit, I back away.  My mind finds some reason to get up from the writing table.  And I don't follow my talent into the dark cave of my imagination.  As a speaker and storyteller, there are places I don't go because I know others will be uncomfortable.  It takes courage to follow your muse —  to open yourself up and expose your secrets to a world that might laugh and make fun.  Yes, Erica, everyone has talent.