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Papa Joe  ~  Stuff & Things

A Working Storyteller in 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

Papa  Joe  ~  Telling  Tales

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