The more I think about it, the more I start to believe that the whole of human culture is based on one thing: Beer.
But under that, there is something older, something simultaneously more primal and sophisticated: Story.
Storytelling is our second oldest art form, but it’s more than just art. For thousands of years, it was how we passed on information, be it the old shaman at the campfire, or the hunter teaching his son the proper way to fell a mammoth, the whole of human collective knowledge owes it’s success to being able to tell a story.
In this day and age, the skills of storytelling have mutated and changed, often becoming specialized within the artist’s medium of choice. Not that this is a bad thing, in fact it’s a very, very good thing, but rarely will you find a storytelling generalist competent to move through all the mediums.
For example, you rarely find anyone who has successfully managed to become a Writer/Director/Musician/Painter/Scuplter/Public Speaker. In fact, it’s this divergent story telling specialties that give us the glorious storytelling culture as it is today.
Now, I know what you are thinking. “What do you mean painter? That’s not story telling.” Well, there is a simple answer to that: Bullshit.
All art tells a story. Art, be it music, paintings, comics/graphic novels, etc., they are made to convey an idea or emotion and to illicit a response, e.g. telling a story. Take this for example.
Pic courtesy of Robyn Glass
In this picture you can see not only the woman as she is now, but the woman she was when she was young. Her beauty shows through the pain of the wound, and, I don’t know about you, but it gets my mind wondering what happened, what could mar the beauty of this woman? Was it an accident? A moment of passion? Crime? Vampire? Or, god forbid, something more hideous?
Yet her beauty shines through whatever tragedy that caused this pain and, in the end, leaves me with a sense of hope. That is the mark of good storytelling. So what if Robyn’s medium is pencil and ink and paint? In this single picture, she’s told a story of such depth that would take me several thousand words to convey with the same intensity.
So yeah, it’s all story telling, and, when you think about it even more, so are technical manuals, corporate training, teaching, campaigning, sales, customer service…
I can go on, but I think I’ve given enough background. Now, time for the point.
Point is, for thousand of years, story telling itself has changed and changed the way we live. Now, in the 21st Century, technology is making the arts of storytelling easier and more accessible.
baD kARmA INk is dedicated to discussing, developing, deconstructing and disseminating storytelling for a new era. We are dedicated to providing essays, reviews, and yes, stories in all their forms, to the masses. For we, as a people, are the sum of our knowledge, the sum of our emotions, and the sum of thousands of years of refining our second oldest art form, and it is our duty to add to the Commons of Man. baD kARmA INk is our little way of doing it.
We are also looking for contributors, both regular and guest, interviewers and interviewees, writers and critics, and people who just want to discuss the stories that they like. If this sounds like you, feel free to submit something or contact us.
