For me, storytelling is survival.
A theatrical only child with a wild imagination, I started making up stories as soon as I could talk.
Somewhere in my parents' dark garage on the other side of the country sits plenty of evidence: a giant cardboard box filled with rows of VHS tapes containing hours upon hours of fabricated stories told in song and dance. Not to mention the last living memory of my favorite purple crushed velvet overalls and 1980s bowl haircut - even my outward aesthetic told a story, albeit a sad, sort of troubling one.
Slowly but surely, the budding troubadour spirit within me blossomed on a steady diet of musical theatre and public performance. I'm from one of those families that gathered around a piano at holiday time (and by God, you'd better know your part and pitch).
By the age of nine, I could sing any Broadway score by heart. This was life in the Southern Baptist Bible Belt of America. The perfect setting for a wide range of character studies and colorful creative narratives fed by my own pre-teen romantic angst and whirlwind emotion.
But my story wasn't quite like everyone else's...
Because in the conservative culture of my football-crazed, church-every-Sunday-and-most-Wednesdays hometown, I couldn't exactly be open about my unique family situation. A gay father and tough-as-nails mother trying to make a marriage work creates a breeding ground for high-stakes drama. And we three kept that drama pretty close to the vest.
Here was as rich and complex a tale as I could ever make up, and I got a front-row perspective as it played out before me. Ever eager to connect with my parents and my familial roots, I knew the only way to know them better - to comprehend the inner struggles that made our communication dynamic so challenging - was to understand their individual stories.
Thankfully, a childhood steeped in story and song laid a strong foundation for such a pursuit. And in the process of studying my family narrative, my eyes were opened to the dramas unfolding all around me in the lives of strangers, teachers, and friends. Great story is literally everywhere, and it explains so much about who we are, how we live, and the choices we make.
We all have a powerful story to tell, and the key to the connection we seek - to ourselves, our communities, and each other - is most often found in the telling. There is pure magic to be found in understanding the unique origin and experiences that guide your journey.
When you share that authentic story with others, you find freedom and connection to your place within a larger Human Story that began long before we were born. You create community among those who find pieces of themselves in your lived narrative; a sense of relief that they are not alone.
For the longest time, I had no clue how to make sense of my upbringing. As I zipped off to college, painfully peeled back (some of) my entitled only-child ways, and started my "real life," I viewed my origin story as a weird blip on the radar. Just a strange launchpad that felt entirely separate from everything that came afterward.
As I studied advanced interpersonal communication and fell into a lucrative copywriting career, I began to understand how every early experience shaped and contributed to my journey. I was gifted an amazing childhood that taught me how every person around me is living out a complex story worth telling.
And as I worked with dozens of creators and brands, I discovered how those stories are all deeply connected to who we become. If you look closely, they hold important keys to our greater purpose and calling - the ultimate role we were born to play in this great Human drama.
It's been my honor to work with musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs of every type, gathering up the pieces of their lived experiences and weaving them together in a beautifully authentic reflection. Like them, I want you to see the strengths, purpose, power, and meaning in your narrative and to better understand your place within our larger Human Story.
You aren't here by mistake. Your story matters greatly. And, as we begin to unpack it, we're going to find clues about who you're meant to be - the strengths and passions that are innate to you. Sometimes, your gifts are obvious, highlighted in the way you live your everyday life. Other times, they may have been diminished or discarded as a result of painful life experiences.
Maybe the darker places on your journey led you to believe that your gifts were a mistake or malfunction because they weren't supported or valued by your community. I trust you'll find that your origin story is an invitation to recognize your particular calling and confidently walk the path set just for you.
As your copywriter and story guide, I'm here to:
-
Ask the right questions to shape your powerful narrative
-
Push you beyond your comfort zone to mine valuable story pieces
-
Pinpoint and connect the larger themes that give your story meaning
-
Help you identify how your lived story unveils the impact you're here to make on the world
-
And yes, provide you with powerful brand copy to use as you see fit
The rest is really up to you.