Drown the Goldfish: Why I Became a Corporate Storyteller
I became a Corporate Storyteller because corporate communications are the worst. You know what I mean. The corny jokes. The drab presentations. The ugly, ugly stock photography. It didn't work for me then; it doesn't work for me now. So my mission became clear. To bastardize Emily Dickinson, I knew that if I could stop one more bad joke from being told, delete one use of "dynamic" or "innovative," or stop one more presentation from using that stock photo of a goldfish jumping from one bowl into another a bowl, I should not live in vain. Ten years later, I'm still on that mission. And I want all of you to join me.
If you think I'm being satirical, I'm not. As a creative professional, I take the collective forfeiting of imagination very seriously. You should too. Think about it: Americans today work an average of 47 hours a week, the equivalent of almost six days a week. So considering this is where we spend most of our time, doesn't it depress you that 90% of your laughs in a day will be courtesy laughs, at least until you can get home and binge watch Broad City? Does it not poison your soul just a little every day to read another colorless corporate brochure? Isn't all that stock art making you a little sadder and colder? If not, you probably just have Stockholm Syn-ahahahahahh, stoppppp. Now see, THAT was funny.
Used correctly, content is so powerful. Gorgeous visuals and bold, electric copy have the power to inspire in ways you can't imagine. Meetings go from hum-drum to fully charged. Change Project 1943B to Operation Magenta Sunflower and see the inspiration levels go up before your eyes. Take a group of people, name them the Outcast Squirrels, and watch a group of strangers become a united team. Take another old Linkedin article, title it "Drown the Goldfish," and watch a movement form. I hope you'll join mine.
Where we spend most of our time becomes our world. Communication is the pulse of that existence. Therefore, when we elevate content, we elevate our quality of life. I know a lot of people believe that they aren't creative, but I don't believe that. Anyone can be creative; they just have to try harder. So think deeper. Dream bigger. Use some content inspiration tools to spice up that next presentation. Give yourself a little more time. Write a couple more drafts. Learn a few more amazing free and fantastic art sites. It's easier than you think; and if it adds a little more sparkle, humor, and spice to the place you spend most of your time, isn't it worth the effort?