'You're surrounded by stories, aren't you?'

How a new Instagram friend inspired me

A new Instagram friend shared a photo of a drawing she was working on this week.

“I’m doing some sketching too!” I responded, explaining that it was an illustration idea for a friend’s book… and this was her reply:

“You're surrounded by stories, aren't you? Your life is filled with stories that you read, write and draw. It's like your life revolves around creation, and somehow you managed to find people like you” - @sincerely_corvoraz on Instagram

Reading it, I felt as though a magic spell had been cast, opening my eyes to the heart of what I do.

I’ve never been able to choose just one creative hobby to follow, because I love so many equally - but in the space of three sentences, this united them. I realised, properly, that recording audiobooks, drawing illustrations, editing manuscripts, writing novels, making films, taking photos… they’re all storytelling.

I remember the excitement of thinking up tales when I was little, writing them out and sticking pages together to make a ‘book’. I would draw illustrations on each page, then dress up in costumes to make ‘films’ of my stories. When my parents read to me, I would imagine the scene unfolding, and join in to do the characters’ voices.

(Thought I’d include this photo of me at 18 months old in a duck towel reading Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy upside down - I had the right idea…)

The magic of stories has always compelled me, whether it’s one read in a corner by lamplight, or another told onstage to an audience. Through them, we find like-minded people, as Corvoraz said. So, to find a creative community of people who are drawn to those things too, has been inspiring and fundamental for me in pursuing those passions. It’s allowed me to connect with writers, artists, musicians, photographers, videographers, models, actors, dancers, poets - creators who have introduced me to their stories and inspired me further. Through them, I’ve been able to discover and rediscover what I love most, and build on what I hope to keep doing. That is why sharing your own creativity is so important. It all links up, like an enchanted web.

I know it can often feel like a chore, or a climb, or a struggle to share your creativity - but every story I’ve encountered in my life has been a stepping-stone to somewhere.

So thank you, Corvoraz, for sharing your art and your words, because it reminded me that I’m doing what I love to do most, and to appreciate even more just how special that is.

As it happened, Corvoraz and I initially found each other’s accounts because of a book series (Lockwood & Co). Isn’t it wonderful how stories connect us?

See @sincerely_corvoraz’s art on Instagram

What stories are around you? Who has inspired you with their story?