Stories for Life Virtual Gathering
On June 8th 2021, join us to create new stories through creative culture, arts, activism, new economic design, community action and more.
The converging crises we face are symptoms of a shared root cause: economic designs based on an outdated and harmful narrative – that we are separate from nature and separate from each other.
If we are going to salvage what nature we have left and avoid further societal breakdown, we need to radically transform our economy, which means changing that narrative.
On June 8 we are hosting a 2-hour event to share the Stories for Life project and hear from those working to create new stories through creative culture, arts, activism, new economic design, community action and more. Join us in conversation as we explore what new stories are emerging to bring us toward an economy in service to life.
Brought to you by Stories for Life, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), Green Economy Coalition and the Spaceship Earth.
The Context
How might our stories help design an economy in service to life? The stories we tell in our culture weave a powerful narrative: the ‘narrative of separation’. This narrative shapes the way we think, feel and act every day.
It tells us that we are separate from the natural world that creates and maintains life, and separate from each other. It leads us to design an economy that destroys life, and encourages people to divide and compete. This narrative is dangerously disconnected from reality, and is blocking the new, upgraded economic designs from being chosen.
The latest science – from neuroscience to physics and biology – is catching up with ancient wisdom to powerfully reveal this. A new narrative is emerging, and by creating space for it we can redesign the economy.
As storytellers, it is in our power to do this, with stories that help weave this new ‘narrative of interconnection’, of ‘interbeing’, and help us all design an economy that serves life, rather than destroys it. In these times of converging crises, that great power to influence carries great responsibility.
Together we can use our collective creativity to help a more beautiful world emerge, and help our children and their children and all sentient beings lead more peaceful, meaningful and fulfilling lives.
There is no greater creative challenge. We just need to begin.
The creative challenge: Story-led change
To help this narrative emerge, we see two big story evolutions, based on two fundamental driving forces deeply engrained in our narrative of separation:
- How we view our relationship to nature
- How we measure success
The story that ‘Nature is our slave’, must evolve to the story that ‘Nature is our family.’ The story that ‘productivity is success’ must evolve to the story that ‘wellbeing is success’. From ‘Horror stories’ to ‘Love stories’.
Each forms a creative challenge – how do we encourage these evolutions in our stories? You can explore these shifts in depth in Chapter 5 of the Stories for Life website.
“ When an old culture is dying, the new culture is created by those people who are not afraid to be insecure.”
Getting Started
How can the things we create, as storytellers in culture, carry these story shifts?
We invite you to begin spotting, revealing and dropping the harmful ‘horror’ stories. To begin spotting, sharing, creating and carrying the healthy ‘love’ stories. To begin holding space for marginalised and oppressed voices who already carry these stories. To begin helping each other let go of our deeply ingrained ‘horror’ stories, knowing how hard that is to do. To begin healing the divides to unite us as members of that same natural family.
What could you find, or make and share today? Is it a #lovestory or a #horrorstory? Use the hashtags #storiesforlife #inservicetolife. See them here: https://stories.life/stories/
Open call for submissions
We are seeking to commission original creative work which speaks to these shifts and evolutions in stories. We are open to contributions from anyone – you might be unknown or famous. We are looking for courageous, challenging, beautiful, provocative work that responds to the proposed shift that Stories for Life sets out. Fiction, non fiction, audio and visual art.
1. COP26 Exhibit
We’re looking for: Photos, designs, poems, essays, installations, art. To be displayed at the WEAll/FIIS music and arts festival at COP26 Glasgow, and featured in a printed journal publication
2. Creative concepts
We’re looking for: Concept submissions for film, TV, documentary, audio, music, campaigns posters, experiences…
All work must be your own. When you submit it, please tell us something about who you are, including your previous work and a link to any web presence. In terms of writing we are considering pieces up to 1000 words. If you are submitting artwork, we ask you to upload/send your submission as JPG or PNG files (max 2MB) in the first instance.
To submit your work please fill in and upload your submission to the Google form that can be found here.
We are unable to pay for work that we feature. Though we will reach a new audience for your work. All copyright remains with you the creator, though we ask that you don’t publish accepted work elsewhere before we feature it. Deadline for submissions is August 2nd 2021.
For questions please reach out : hello@stories.life
