Story Catching
If you are interested in the stories we are telling about the now and the future, the first step is to capture those stories. Story Catching is a narrative process I developed over 20 years in a variety of creative and community settings that does exactly that, but so much more. In its latest iteration, the Story Catching process is deeply influenced by human developmental theory.
The Story Catching process in the collective realm begins with convening stakeholders and capturing the stories they think are part of the now and future map of human innovation. The dynamic inquiry field created by the Story Catching process is designed to identify what cultural and personal narratives the participants are currently living into. These narratives influence some version of how the participants think they are going to transition from where they are now to a more generative future. Their stories shape their economic, political, social, technological and spiritual choices. They communicate their thoughts, feelings and actions to others. They express their individual and collective gifts and talents.
The Story Catching process does not generate solutions per say, but rather identifies and maps the stories that are driving participant’s individual and collective imaginations towards potential solutions. It provides clues to the qualities of the integrated future narrative. Its intention is to influence enough of the culture to lean into a more generative way of being and doing. It also illuminates the likelihood that once identified, how soon these stories will find acceptance in a meaningful percentage of the population.
Below are examples of story catching sessions and interviews with artists exploring the trans-media realms.
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What Next Conference - Future Story Catching
At the What Next Conference we facilitated the audience in exploring films we are creating about the future. We wanted to identify what we were imagining. This video is of the morning session setting up the themes of the films about the future and the afternoon of audience engagement. The three meta themes that emerged that are covered in this session are: apocalyptic, dystopian, and transformational.
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Nickolas Alcala - Transmedia Artist
My exploration into what was going on at indie VR labs led to me to Nickolas Alcala. It is true that Nickolas is at the forefront of the indie VR movement, but as this interview will reveal, he is part of a new generation of trans-media artists that explore their immersive storytelling concepts across multiple disciplines. As far as I can see his work is one type of now and future of storytelling.