The Art of Visual Storytelling

So you’ve written your very first story, or perhaps you’ve recorded an inspiring and heartfelt song. Why stop there when the possibilities are endless? You’ve already taken the brave step of sharing a story, but have you considered telling it again in an entirely new and creative way? Not everyone absorbs content or learns in the same manner, so by expanding the methods in which you present your story, you can effectively help diversify your audience. In doing so, you can enhance your influence and reach, simply by reimagining and re-telling your story through various mediums and formats.

Why do so many books turn into movies when you hear so many people say, “The book is better than the movie”? Why do movies have so many artists write songs specifically for their film? We all see art differently and by using multiple forms of art to tell a story you are able to give a much clearer story to your audience. Everyone in the creative industry uses this strategy whether they realize it of not.

Not everyone can enjoy a book. They look for the visualizations of the story. They want to see the action and the plot play out in front of them. This is why visual storytelling can be so important as a form of storytelling. We as humans are extremely visual people. We are creative and see things in creative ways. Our brains are very advanced and able to process a lot of information quickly and as time has gone on become very distracted as well. We seek for information to hit us quickly and loose interest if we are not being stimulated enough.

By giving your fans a means they can visualize can actually help your audience better connect with the work you are putting out into the world as well. The time and effort that is put into creating a multi layered piece of work is inspiring and impressive to others. Why stop at the original idea? Let it grow into something even bigger than you. Don’t let your story not reach it’s full potential because you are scared of the unknown or the uncomfortable.

By pushing yourself to bravely explore and try out new ways of expression, you can actually facilitate and encourage your creativity to grow significantly by engaging different parts of your mind while you are creating. By experimenting with a variety of new things, you may find yourself being profoundly inspired by these unfamiliar paths you are beginning to take, awakening a desire within you to create even more than you were doing before. This continual exploration can serve to push your boundaries and genuinely enhance and expand both your work and your expressions. After all, you certainly do not want to become stagnant in life and creativity. You always want to be actively moving forward and experiencing personal growth.

Can visuals really help you?

Have you ever heard of the saying don’t judge a book by it’s cover? Well unfortunately most people don’t listen to this advice. The cover art of your project is the very first thing people see when presented with your art. It can determine whether or not someone decides to listen to your song or open up your book. You spend how many hours working on your craft dialing it in so it says precisely the correct thing. Why not put the same amount of effort into the part of your work that will be people’s very first impression?

This week, my exciting challenge for you is to try adding a new and unique creative outlet to the story or project you are currently working on. Take a moment to find one innovative new way to tell your story and give it a try, even if it feels a bit uncomfortable at first. It doesn’t have to be perfectly executed, which is absolutely fine and, in fact, completely normal. Remember, nobody accomplishes anything perfectly the first time around, but how will you ever get to the place you aspire to be if you never take the initiative to start? Embrace the process!