It is a skill we learn early, the art of inventing stories to explain away the fearful scared strangeness of the world. Storytelling and make-believe, like war and agriculture, are among the arts of self-defense, and all of them are ways of enclosing otherness and claiming ownership.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the human inclination to use storytelling as a means to make sense of the world and alleviate fear.
William Kittredge's quote emphasizes the innate human ability to create narratives that help us cope with the uncertainties and fears we face in life. Storytelling serves not only as a creative outlet but also as a fundamental method of understanding our surroundings, framing our experiences, and exerting control over the unfamiliar aspects of existence. Just as war and agriculture can be seen as means of defense and control, so too can storytelling act as a powerful tool for personal empowerment and understanding.
In practice
In a motivational speech about creativity, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of storytelling in overcoming challenges.
We tell stories to talk out the trouble in our lives, trouble otherwise so often so unspeakable. It is one of our main ways of making our lives sensible. Trying to live without stories can make us crazy. They help us recognize what we believe to be most valuable in the world, and help us identify what we hold demonic.
When I first started out in this music industry, I was most concerned with freedom. Freedom to produce, freedom to play all the instruments on my records, freedom to say anything I wanted to.
I wanted pretty pictures of older women - women who are trying too hard but succeeding - pulling off an extreme look. What I didn't know would creep into the portraits was a vulnerability behind the strong facade that most of them wear.
I just hate to be in one corner. I hate to be put as only a guitar player, or either only as a songwriter, or only as a tap dancer. I like to move around.
I think the way the audience takes the Indian film-star is a little different from the way the audience takes the Western star there. We are considered like demi-gods here, and the reason is not because we are better or good, but because there is no other mode of entertainment in India.
No translation can possibly be perfect. Every production and every performance is a different path up the mountain, and nobody ever makes it all the way to the summit.
Music can speak louder than words, and I will use my music to speak out on behalf of children everywhere.
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