Josh Riebock: Storytelling, Creativity, and Failure

Erik EllefsenInnovation

Introduction:

T.S. Eliot once wrote,

The progress of an artist is a continual self-sacrifice, a continual extinction of personality. […] The more perfect the artist, the more completely separate in him will be the man who suffers and the mind which creates.

This quote and some recent interactions regarding creativity in schools led me to a conversation with my friend, author, poet, and storyteller Josh Riebock who wrote “Heroes and Monsters” and “My Generation”, hosts a podcast called “The Marrow” on which he interviews artists, musicians, and creatives, and regularly speaks at schools. If you haven’t heard Josh speak one of the most meaningful to me over the years has been his telling of the “Good Samaritan”.

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Josh Riebock: 3 Questions on Storytelling, Creativity, and Failure

  1. As someone who travels as a storyteller or in your books, how would you describe the difference between storytelling and preaching/speaking/teaching?
  2. When you interview Creatives for you blog “The Marrow”, what have you learned about creativity and the creative process?
  3. You’ve grown up the son of educators and have spent quite a bit of time in schools, so I’m wondering if you have some thoughts on how to foster and support creativity in a school community?

 

Author

  • Erik Ellefsen

    Erik Ellefsen is a CACE Senior Fellow and the Director of Networks and Improvement at the Baylor University’s Center for School Leadership. He also serves as Senior Fellow for Cardus, hosts Digital Education (a podcast providing engaging conversations with some of the most innovative education leaders), and is a leading collaborator and author of the Mindshift and Future Ready projects.