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Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things
A Working
Storyteller © 1996 by Papa
Joe
published in L.A.N.E.S. The Museletter Volume 9, No. 1 - April
1996 for the ‘steady work’ theme.
I hope this isn’t about making money as a storyteller.
Making money is easy. Take all the money you can get a hold of
(all your savings, sell everything you own, sell your spouse
& kids into slavery {you might as well – you won’t
see them anymore anyway}, lie to the banks, lie to the IRS
{they’ll expect it}, borrow from everyone you know) and hire
the best promoter available. Simple.
If you want to be a storyteller, that’s easy too. Just tell
stories. Let people know you have stories to share and
you’ll be invited to tell them. Making a living as a
storyteller isn’t about making money. It is a lifestyle. If
you are thinking about giving up a $35,000 a year job,
maintaining your old lifestyle, and making money to support that
lifestyle, then forget it. It won’t happen. You won’t
even make it through the first year.
I remember a visit to a fellow teller who lives near me. She
owned her own home, a simple cabin with no running water or flush
toilets. I didn’t even have to ask her why. She must have
answered the question a million times, "I knew if I wanted
to be able to afford being an artist, I’d have to cut back
on the luxuries."
I lived in a big blue box in the back of my truck, in the attic
of a friend’s house, and in more cellars than I care to
remember. I bathed in ponds and streams. I even gathered
fiddleheads and wild roots for suppers. I gave up my old safe
life and lived as a full time storyteller. It wasn’t easy.
If I couldn’t find any paying jobs, I’d fix roofs or
mow grass. I’d do what I could to pay the phone bill (very
important) and pay for gasoline. The rest of the time, I told
stories where ever I was invited. Well not anywhere, but
I’ll tell about that later.
What do you want out of life? Please say you want to share
stories. We need more tellers. Just don’t feel you have to
be a full time storyteller to do it. You can maintain most of
your current lifestyle by inventorying what you currently do with
your time, eliminate the things that are less important and use
that time to share your tales. That way you won’t need the
money. There are very few tellers living on what they make
telling stories. Most tellers live off teaching or healing,
directing or managing something else (like their retirement
funds).
If you really want to tell full time, then start by planning your
lifestyle. Build a support system to keep you alive when
you’re cold and hungry. You’ll be no good to the world
if you’re sick and needy. No one wants to hire a beggar. I
can’t begin to tell how important my support system is.
Without it, no one gets far.
Once you no longer need money, then determine who your tales are
for. It is always easier to generalize at first and specialize
later. Are your tales for young children (daycares), older
children (schools, youth groups), families (libraries, fairs),
adults (coffee houses, inns, jails), or seniors (homes,
hospices). I believe if you really want to be a full time teller,
then you must have a mission. What is yours? Sell your mission to
the people who bring in the entertainment for the people you want
to reach. You’ll never lack programs.
About setting fees. Remember, you need to make enough money to
support your lifestyle. You need gas or bus fare to get to the
show. You need to pay your phone bill (No one can ask you to tell
if they can’t reach you. And all the time you spent getting
your name and number to them is wasted if you change that
number.). You also want to be taken seriously. Set a standard fee
in the range of other artist at your level, in your venue. Raise
it as you grow. People expect you to do that. But never let the
fee stop you from living your mission. If you do, you’ll
lose your support, you’ll lose your respect, you’ll
just plain lose.
I don’t mean accepting $50.00 for telling at the Mall. I
mean that if you want to help the young children, whose families
are poor, then maybe you have to tell at the Head Start Programs
for what ever they can pay, even if that is nothing. Understand
that the more you invest in your mission, the more others will
want to invest in you. This does not mean always giving out free
shows. I keep a list of underfunded programs that I provide when
I can afford to do it. If someone really needs a show, they will
wait for you. If you really have a mission, people will support
it.
Good luck and keep on sharing stories whether it be full time or
when you can. We really need you. Remember: you only have to tell
stories to be a storyteller. And the more you tell stories, the
better teller you’ll be.
Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things
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