Danyah Miller writes:
I love spontaneous stories and have explored this form of storytelling, making up stories with people of all ages and from various backgrounds, over many years. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to create playful or silly, melancholic or poignant tales, off the cuff together.
What I’ve discovered over time is that by using three key pillars, we’re more able to pull stories out of the air easily and effortlessly. These pillars are the first three secrets in my book ‘Seven Secrets of Spontaneous Storytelling’ published by Hawthorn Press.
The second of these secrets is linked to the senses.
In our fast-paced ‘one-click’ world, many of us suffer from sensory overload. It’s hardly surprising when you consider bulging hypermarket shelves implore us to buy, buy, buy; the cacophony of visual and auditory noise and pervasive, competing smells emanating from our shopping malls as people push past one another; or purchases delivered directly to our door at the touch of a button.
Adults may have learned to block out the majority of this sensory stress, but children, who don’t have the same ability to filter, attempt to release the pressure through what we call their ‘meltdowns’ and ‘tantrums’.
While we can’t, and perhaps don’t want to, stop the modernisation process, it is possible to balance this kind of activity with a homeopathic drop of nature.
When we walk or sit in the garden, park, meadow, or woods, we have the opportunity to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the natural world – rocks, plants and trees, insects, animal and clouds – and most importantly, with ourselves. It’s from this place of stillness that our imagination and creativity can flourish.
As a storyteller, nature is at the heart of my work.
If we imbue a love of and respect for Mother Earth in our children, then when they’re in nature and as part of our regular storytelling, they will make a deep and lasting connection to their environment. It follows that, when they reach maturity, they have a much higher chance of wanting to champion, fight for, and protect our planet.
In my book, the wise woman, Dorothy, shares her ‘secrets’ with Adam and Darinka over a period of a year as they raise their three young children.
Dorothy shares ways for Adam to use his five senses to make up tales with his children.
‘It’s strange how stories help us to relax isn’t it?’ Dorothy spoke quietly. ‘They’re powerful when they emerge from what we see, hear, touch, or smell around us.’
When we spend time with our children in nature, creating stories, their imaginations can flourish, and their love for the natural world will blossom naturally.
The many health benefits of storytelling and being in nature are well documented, so let’s give ourselves the gifts of them both to decompress. From this relaxed state, we can continue with renewed strength and calm.
Danyah Miller is an international storyteller, solo performer, writer and story trainer. Michael Morpurgo calls her ‘one of the great storytellers.’
