Finding vs Creating in Storytelling

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This Week’s Episode:

“You have to see this.” That’s the message I see alongside a link sent to me by a friend. “Umm… I’m kind of busy, you know? I’m in the middle of things, working and I don’t have time for links.” I fire back. He insists, “No, you really need to see this.”

So I open up the link and see... an inkblot. An inkblot?!? Big deal! Then he tells me to play the video, and I do. I find myself completely enthralled as this inkblot suddenly becomes a creature that turns into an adorable monster. Oh, and the artist creating it is drawing it upside-down and backward!

From white pages to inkblots to monsters, this art comes to life before my eyes. And each monster clearly has its own story behind it. I have to know who the artist is. I want to talk to him and find out everything I can because anyone with the talent to turn inkblots into monsters has won me over.

How do you organically create something from nothing like that? Find out in this episode as I sit down with that incredible artist, Stefan G. Bucher. We discuss why starting your story in the middle helps you overcome resistance and why doing things for yourself without an audience might be the better way for you to go.

You’ll also hear about the role of storytelling in highlighting the common experience, how you can do things to feel less alone in the world, and Stefan’s incredibly amusing technique to help you uplevel your storytelling game.

What you will learn in this episode:

  • Why your task is to find something, not create something
  • Why connection is such an essential part of great storytelling
  • How different mediums can unlock new ways to approach storytelling

Who is Stefan G. Bucher?

Stefan G. Bucher is a writer, graphic designer, illustrator, and all-around bookaholic. Born in Germany, he came to California and studied at the Art Center College of Design. His first introduction to book design happened as a child when he poured over the catalogs of the Wilhelm Busch Museum in Hannover. That early access began a lifelong journey to design and produce books in the same delightful and fascinating fashion that those early catalogs did for him.

Stefan has received awards, features, and recognition from design books and magazines and prestigious institutions in the literary world. He won the Yellow Pencil Award for Book Design from British Design and the Art Direction and the Art Directors Club of New York. Numerous book design exhibitions have featured his work such as those hosted by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center, and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

Stefan’s most popular work, however, is the online animation series Daily Monster where he filmed himself drawing a new monster from random inkblots for 100 days. This series has enjoyed millions of views and downloads and inclusion in the Communication Arts Illustration and American Illustration annuals, and even new life in book form. In addition, he has worked with a wide range of entertainment, advertising, educational, and institutional clients and collaborated on projects with big names like Sting, director Tarsem, and The New York Times.

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