Personal stories, and taking feedback personally

From November 19 memos:

Part of what Benjamin loves about Carapace is that you can be yourself:

You get to be yourself,

you get to tell stories.

And if they connect, then

there’s nothing better.

When tellers are sharing personal stories, and it is understood that the audience will be receptive and supportive that is going to have the effect of making people feel that not only their stories, but they themselves are being accepted.

The flip side of this is that when artists are judged, they often take it personally because their art is an extension of their self. This is even more true with personal stories. The stories are literally about the individual.

I have experienced this when at events that include judging. Storytellers rarely know for certain why they received a low score. However, I have suspected once or twice that my story wasn’t bad or poorly told, but that my perspective wasn’t totally welcome. For me, this didn’t have the effect of hurting my feelings so much as making me feel like I am unwelcome. I don’t have to attend an event that does not value my life experiences.