Is There a Story in that Bag?

A videographer friend of mine, Rich Tolsma, put out a promotion piece that I know surprised even him in its popularity. It’s an orange tote bag. It’s a bit different than most tote bags. It has a mesh side pocket with an elastic top to hold a water bottle and is a bit slimmer — about the width of the ubiquitous conference binders and give-aways that you get wherever he distributes the bags. But I think what really makes them distinctive is his tagline emblazoned on the side: “What’s your story?”

Rich knows the power of stories. Telling stories is his job.

If you’ve read my piece, “It’s a story about a man named Brady…”, you’ll know that I agree. Stories are what drive people. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Actually, it’s an ancient one that we’ve simply adapted to our new technologies. Think, what are the oldest stories you can recall? Shakespeare? Beowulf? Moses and the Exodus? The Trojan Wars? Telling stories has been with us forever — since humans began to walk the earth. It’s just the devices we use to tell those stories that have changed — from making shadow puppets around a fire as the sun sets, to scrolls on papyrus, to paper books, to high definition videos.

So what’s the career take-away on this? Yes, know your story. Be able to tell where you came from, where you are, and where you’re going. Put in a few short words about why you’re looking for something new. But then think of how you’re telling it. On a resume, in an interview, or maybe on an orange conference tote-bag!