Who would have guessed I was a “prequel”
Ok – so maybe not a real “prequel”. But I do have something newish to share.
In May 2019 I was able to participate in a training with the folks from Storycenter.org as part of its story collections project as part of California State Library System in California Listens – Digital Storytelling for the 21st Library
This one was held down in lovely Half Moon Bay, in it’s incredibly accessible and high tech new library. For two days, 10 of us, with the help of some incredible folks from the Storycenter.org and the staff of the library mapped out and created our own stories to share.
It was a diverse group of people with a wide range of experiences, genders, orientations, and ethnicities. I knew it was going to be one of those rare opportunities for me to take a risk. Not only by learning some new techniques but by modeling my own place in society.
We spent the first part of the morning discussing the storytelling process. For those of you that read Engage, you know I am a huge fan of the role that stories play as a place of change, healing, growth, and remembrance. We then had time to draft out and share our story draft within the group for feedback.
So what prequel story was I going to tell?
As I have said in the past “sometimes you have to risk sharing who you were, to be who you are“; I decided to tell some of the backstories to my growing up gay as it related to my Summer 2018 TEDxProvincetown talk as my training tool. So with 2019’s Pride Season about to kick off, I thought it was fitting to use it as my celebration to share. Hence my calling it “What You See, Isn’t Always What You Know” my prequel to TEDxPtown’s “What The Bear Could Teach Goldilocks“.
For those of you who think I do this easily or without fear – think again. Even those of us with an external facade of competence, self-reliance, and self-belief get nervous. It’s wasn’t always easy, nor is it without its problems sharing who we are. But making a place for yourself in a world you don’t see yourself reflected in, is better than waiting for others to do it for you.
The TEDx talk was that initial moment for me. You can read more about the talk itself in its Engage post.
Oh and by the way
“What The Bear Could Teach Goldilocks”
has hit 17,359 views!!!
You read on my TEDxProvincetown experience in my blog post at https://MentorSF.com/Engage/tedx or visit the actual talk at Https://youtu.be/8J-gaUgztjs.
