Introduce Yourself : The Story... by David M. Treadway

Hello, fellow storytellers. I just made the plunge into Stage32 and can't get enough! My motivation for starting this discussion is not only to introduce myself but to drop my philosophy about why I tell stories on ya. I'd like to know what drives you tell stories as well. I've been an actor for some time now and several years ago I began working in production as well. Over the last couple of years I've been coming back to this question: "Why do I do what I do?" I mean, God gave me some talent, I don't seem to be able to do anything else and I make sacrifices in my life (monetarily and otherwise) that most people would never consider practical. So...why? Why don't I just do this as a hobby? Why don't I just do it when it's convenient? My belief: Storytelling is my calling. This is actually what I was made to do. I was conceived to communicate truth through stories. It's kind of funny, there isn't a time in my life that I can remember when that truth hasn't haunted me. I've tried to do other things. However, it doesn't last long. And the truth of the matter is, if I'm not doing this I actually begin to die inside. Not the artist's lament about being forced into societal expectations, not the "woe-is-me, nobody understands my genius" rant. None of that. I decay internally when I'm not being honest about what I'm supposed to be doing with my time here. My father is a musician. All of my growing up all he talked about was music. I've known from the day I could comprehend words that my dad was meant to play music. For him, myself and many of you it's nearly impossible for us to make sense of people who can't understand a calling that clear. We don't have the ability to live any other way. And it's just as difficult for many of our friends and family to understand why we have to do what we do. Be patient with them. They're seeing through a different lens. I tell stories because it's what I'm made for. I do it for money because I'm not good at anything else. So, I'd better make some money at it so I can pay the bills. Lastly, I do it because I believe the most effective way to communicate anything is through a story. I have had the privilege of learning profound truths because someone sat down at the typewriter, computer, piano, or sketch-pad and began to pour their life-blood out onto that medium. It is my firm belief that our world is richer because of what you and I can't help but do.