The Story of Now

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Miranda • 329 Comments

Five years ago, at a party following the completion of my masters degree, I sat down next to the most interesting man in the room. He was older than most of my classmates, invited by family member of a graduate, and sat smiling in the corner watching the festivities. What drew my eye was his brilliantly colored, ornate vest.

Intrigued as always by interesting clothing, I sat next to him. We spoke easily, sharing stories and small talk. Little did I know that chatting on the couch with Marshall Ganz at a graduation party was similar to stumbling into a song circle and sitting next to Bob Dylan.

Marshall Ganz is an expert on storytelling for public action. He built his skills working with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. From there, he started to work on political campaigns in California before returning to Harvard to finish his degree and begin to teach.

His approach to public narrative is simple and strong. Start with your own story, the story of self. Connect it to the border community, the story of us. Connect it to the current action, the story of now.

Ganz, whose father was a Rabbi, found the inspiration for his approach in Rabbi Hillel’s famous quote: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?“

This weekend, the Hearth Board of Directors had our first board retreat to celebrate our second full year of service. We gathered at the Beverly Public Library and spent the day focusing on elements of board service that often get overlooked in the day-to-day grind. Things like storytelling, visioning, and the business lifecycle.

For nearly two hours, we explored storytelling and its relation and importance to mission-based work. Each of us walked through Ganz’ three stories, finding a format and a language to discuss why we’re called to do what we do. Each of the board members described coming to the Hearth for a different, if connected reason:

to reconnect art with daily live
to encourage people to acknowledge and grow their innate creativity
to build welcoming places of community
to create a sustainable future for the arts
to make arts accessible and approachable

As we prepare for Election Day tomorrow, its a good moment to step back and consider the stories that we hear and tell every day. How can we clearly communicate what matters to us? How do we motivate ourselves and others in these overwhelming political times?

Marshall Ganz’ framework for public narrative is a resource that any community builder or community member should be familiar with. To learn more and to walk through the process yourself, read his worksheet.

P.S. Interested in helping to reconnect daily life while building professional tools? Inquire more to learn about joining the Hearth Board of Directors! We approach service with creativity and fun.

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The Story of Now

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