The Art of Telling Your Story
December began with the highly anticipated Miami Art Week – my favorite time of the year! As the city bustles with creative individuals from all over the world, our nights are filled with VIP vernissages, and our days exploring art fairs, discovering new street art that covers our city’s walls, and a visit to the behemoth known as Art Basel Miami Beach.
As spectacular as it all was, one of the highlights of this year’s Art Basel experience was a panel discussion I attended presented by the Pratt Institute, entitled “Women of Influence in the Business Art.” Moderated by Stefano Tonchi, editor at W magazine, the panel consisted of renowned visual artists Shirin Neshat and Mickalene Thomas, and the director of the Aspen Art Museum, Heidi Zuckerman.
Being in the presence of these strong successful women, known leaders in the art world, I was truly inspired by a common thread expressed in one way or another by all three. They share stories.
Through her art Thomas said, “I tell the stories of the women in my world.”
In my personal life, it empowered me to create art that isn’t merely decorative, but that says something – tells a personal story. In the world of communications, that is what we do for our clients as well, we share their stories.
And just like Thomas, who tells her stories using an array of colors, paper, glitter, pencils, paints, fabrics and mixed media of all sorts, we as communication professionals use a wide assortment of tools to craft and convey our clients’ stories. Whether it be pitching bylines and features in print and online, securing broadcast coverage, live streaming or launching social media campaigns, each one is tailored to tell an individual story.
Like any successful artist, we need to be creative and selective in our use of communication tools. If you mix all the colors on your palette, you get “mud” every time. So take a page from all the inspiring art and creative minds we had come through Miami during Art Basel and tell your clients’ stories with carefully selected tools, mediums and colors.
By: Teresa Estefan
