Did you know that the words “your” and “my” are classified as possessive adjectives or possessive determiners? It essentially means that these words are used to show WHO owns a noun, in this case, Story Bag.
Often people call us “StoryBag”, or refer to me as ‘Rituparna Story Bag’. I suspect that’s how my name is saved on most phones. I wish I could go into your phone and correct it! But then, I can’t, yet! I will wait for that piece of technology in this lifetime!
Being the grammar nazi that I am, I politely add “Your” whenever someone goes wrong. I have been introduced in events as Rituparna from ‘My Story Bag’ & I have politely corrected them, ‘It’s Yours. Always Yours. Never mine.’
That’s true.
This company is called “Your Story Bag” and NOT “My Story Bag.” Not mine, because its really not about me and my stories. It is about YOU, the listener, my audience, my client, my mentee and YOUR stories.
For the sake of this exercise, I want you to look at our logo more closely for a moment. It’s an open sack with a few frills & stars popping out. The bag has a story of its own & it stems from the story of HOW & WHY we are called Your Story Bag.
8 years back when we were designing the visual identity of the brand, I spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of bag that I wanted to use. My graphic designer went mad trying to find the perfect bag for me. It went to a point where he said, ‘Why don’t you draw it for me!’ Go and Google the word BAG, see what the image directory shows up. From laptop bags, to totes, duffle, a punch, a carry all, a shopping back, there are all kinds out there in the world that you can buy for all your personal needs? But do you see a ‘story bag’? Well, no, because that’s not a bag that you really want. However, it is the kind of bag that we all carry in our lives.
And so I sat down to draw this bag. I imagined the story bag as an open sack, a small indigenous potli of kinds that is swelling at the bottom and difficult to tie-up. It’s a sack that’s obviously full, and is tough to contain. It is bottomless or limitless in its capacity. It is forever open to all kinds of stories. It contains stories that you have lived & experienced in your life. It contains stories that have happened to you. It contains your memories and your experiences, the lessons learnt and the wisdom gained. The bag contains stories that sum up your personal beliefs, your values, your thoughts & ideas that matter to you. The bag contains stories of people you have met, the one’s who have influenced & shaped you, the ones you have only heard, watched or read about. There are stories of people who you have touched or impacted. There are stories from your personal life, the private stories that matter to you, the ones you would want to remember all your life. There are stories from your professional life that have scripted your career, your business and your place in the world. There are stories of the intent, impact & influence. There are stories that others tell about you and life’s work. There are stories that you will leave behind…
The bag that you see is YOURS.
We believe that each one of us carries a bag of stories. Our bags are a sum of our lives, we begin with a fair share of inheritance, then we gather precious artifacts from our life, assets that we build in our lifetime, so we have heirlooms to leave behind. Each story in our lives is worth something, it is valuable and immensely powerful. A story has the power to change and impact someone, move them, take them to action.
A story has the power to change any equation. Between a teacher & a student, between a parent & a child, between adults who are on opposite sides of the table, or people who want a common ground to come together. A story can tell the BIG picture, the one that is missing, overlooked or ignored. A story can make people aware, bring them to connect and support an idea, a message, a movement. A story can create a community. You can choose which is a better option. A story can humanise or demonise something / someone. A story can elevate people’s consciousness, educate, demonstrate and illustrate what is unknown.
I am a Storyteller
In the beginning, I imagined a world without stories. That’s really where it all began. One night, I saw a dream, a nightmare that the world is devoid of stories. We become a Land of No Stories where an evil dictator banishes stories in all its forms. You cannot read, watch, tell & listen to stories anywhere in any form! The dictator wants to control the narrative. He believes that storytelling is a waste of time & resources. Stories give rise to emotions that are beyond his control or manipulation. He extracts stories from people’s lives, their minds and their bodies. What happens to this land of no stories? I woke up in the middle of the night to write the story that I dreamed about. This went on to be my first original story! I have performed & told this story in storytelling festivals, workshops, training, to mixed audiences between young & old. The story has intrigued people, humoured & threatened them. It has made them imagine, question & ponder about a world where you are NOT allowed to tell or consume stories. It has made people innovate & solve the conflict of how they can and must bring back stories in their lives.
For us at Your Story Bag, stories are the products & services we offer. We don’t want you to consume or buy from us because it is our business! We want you to consider the power of a story to transform your own life, work or business. It has transformed our life, and the lives of our stakeholders, children, educators, parents, businesses, managers, professionals and corporate. The impact of our work & fuelled us with a sense of purpose as a storytelling organisation, it has made us tenacious & optimist that storytelling is here to stay!
If you think you’re living in a land of no stories, all you need is a storyteller to spark your life and bring back the colour of storytelling! One day, the storyteller will leave you behind, with your story bag.
So it is really about YOUR STORY BAG.
Your stories. These are stories that you rightfully own! It’s time to exercise your right & ownership over your stories.
I want you to picture this bag in your hands & tell me what’s in it?
What’s in Your Story Bag?
What stories do you have in ‘your story bag’? What are the stories that you would like to add in ‘your story bag’?
What would you like your stories to do for you?
Remember, it can do anything that you want! Ask us HOW!
P.S: This is an example of how your brand, its icon, its name, its values, its mission can have a story to tell. Like, Comment & Share if you liked this!
Hashtags:
#storytelling #businesstorytelling #howtotellstories #learnstorytelling #storiesintheclassroom #storiesatwork #importanceofstorytelling #storycoach #storytrainer #storycoachindia #storytellerinindia #storytrainerinIndia #StoryConsultantinIndia #StorytellingPrograms #BusinessStories #StorytellingforBusiness #PersonalStorytelling #StorytellingTeacher #CareersinStorytelling #StorytellingforCommunication #StoriestoTell #YourStoryBag #brandstory #storytellingforbranding
