[Creativity] Why are stories so important?

I’ve been challenged lately by the concept of ‘story’.

Stories have long been a part of who we are as human beings. Stories are used to tell of the past and to paint the future. They are more effective at teaching a value or lesson than a dissertation (Aesop’s Fables anyone?). Stories help us to identify and enter a situation we might never experience. Stories allow us to dream, to be challenged, and sometimes to escape.

Before we entered the age of logical, rational thought, we were a people who told stories. The focus wasn’t the facts or the deep explanation, but the character, environment, and development of the story. Entire cultures have been built upon and carried forward by the power of story, and storytellers were highly respected. Think of people you know who tell a good story. Don’t you enjoy hearing them talk?

What is it about story that can make it is so much more powerful than a mere recitation of facts or a speech about abstract concepts?

Is it because a good story engages our emotions, imagination, experience, will, and dreams in addition to the facts and concepts it might convey?

Is it because stories involve characters that we might identify with?

Is it because a good story disarms us so we can move beyond surface issues to deeper truth?

Is it because it is hard to walk away from a well-told story?

While good stories have structure and there must be certain elements present, stories are hardly formulaic. If every story followed the same sequence of events with the same characters doing the same things in the same way, there would be no mystery, suspense, emotion, or adventure.

Think about good stories you have read or seen. Ever been lost in a good book that you can’t put down? What about the movie that you’ve watched repeatedly because the story is complex? What about that story you repeatedly go to because it is like comfort food to your soul. Author and filmmaker Craig Detweiler of Pepperdine University has taught that the best stories have thee important elements: head (what is seen, known, and experienced), heart (the emotional connection), and gut (the thrills and chills).

Jesus understood the importance of story. He told stories often as He spoke of the kingdom of God. The parts of the Old Testament that are more often taught (and remembered) are the stories of God using ordinary people to do amazing things. The Bible, before it was ‘organized’ into chapters and verses was viewed and read as a whole story. For centuries, stories have been a vital part of powerful sermons that people remember. The stories of our church friends and family are what we often use to proclaim the glory of God.

So, what does all this mean for someone who creates and develops weekly services of worship? I sometimes wonder how well we do in engaging people, as we gather to worship, in the story of God. Both in what He has done through Christ and what our place is in the ongoing story. I wonder if what we do has become routine and formulaic to the point that the living and active story of God isn’t so obvious. At the very least, should not the songs, readings, videos, prayers, scriptures, sermons, and visuals that are put together for a given Sunday clearly remind people of Christ, what He has done, and why living in that is so amazing?

The challenge is that often, instead of developing a good story, we take a ‘less than engaging’ story and try to ‘enhance’ it. We see this in movies where the focus is more on special effects and the star, than the actual story and character development. And we see it in worship services that also depend more on special effects and the latest ‘whatever’ instead of proclaiming and engaging people with God’s story. Or the tendency to include the token humorous story in a rather lackluster sermon.

I think it is vital for us to understand story as creatives. What it is, and how to craft them. How to tell them and draw people in to experience unchanging truth, whether the “story” is being told through music, word, visual, painting, or any other means.

Fortunately, there are many resources available to us. The writings of Len Wilson of Midnight Oil Productions have been meaningful to me. He has a series of posts on his blog called The Story Book exploring what story is and its components.

Understanding and using story well is challenging. In order to tell story well through our art, we first need to understand the greatest Story, and then understand our place in the story. Maybe sometimes our art doesn’t work because the story we’re trying to tell doesn’t come from a place of truth, understanding, or acceptance. Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas talked about this in a 2011 TEDx talk called Finding Your Place in the Story.

Let’s not ignore the power of story. Not only the story of what God has done, but also the ongoing stories of what He is doing. The story of our life, and the stories of others.

Great stories don’t tell us what to think, instead they do the much harder thing which is getting us to believe in something.
Blaine Hogan. Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process (Kindle Locations 668-669). Hillcrest Media Group.

For Discussion:
How are you telling a story through the art your create?