2020 has been a wild year, to say the least. We are fortunate to have been able to adjust how we tell your stories to keep you, our friends, family and clients, and our team as safe as possible. We’ve changed from in-person team meetings to virtual meetings where, if we’re lucky, Brian’s dog makes a guest appearance. We’ve utilized our Sling Studio to facilitate a lot of live-streamed events. And we’re getting really good at live-streaming because of it. Our in-person shoots and client meetings are full of masks, social distancing, elbow bumps, and a lot of creativity (thankfully, that’s one of the things we specialize in).
One thing that 2020 has taught us is that there’s no time like the present to learn. We talked about our desire to continue learning in a recent post, and that desire is what drives this post. On a recent team meeting call, we were discussing our branded hashtag #StoryMatters. We first introduced it last year and it made sense. It’s what we do and it’s what we believe – you have a story and that story matters. But we got to thinking about what that means in today’s world.
Do stories still matter?
Do your stories still matter? Absolutely. Do we still believe in our original brand idea that #StoryMatters? Of course! But could we be detracting from a very important social topic right now by using that hashtag? We very well might be. And that needs to change. Our community, and our nation, is hurting. This isn’t an opportunity for change – this is a need for change. To be better for our community; for you, our family, friends and neighbors. We need to change how we market ourselves so that we are not pulling the focus and attention away from the things that matter. So that those voices that have long been silent can find their place to express themselves. So that our stories don’t overshadow all stories.
There are other stories right now that need to be told. They don’t matter more than the ones we’re telling, but they matter. It’s important that we know and understand that, sometimes, it’s best to stand back and re-evaluate what we’re doing and change it for the greater good. Right now, it’s important that we stand firm in our belief that others’ stories are being muted and we should do everything possible to not only help amplify their stories, but to ensure that we are not inadvertently standing in the way of those stories being heard.
Your story counts
It may seem like such a small, insignificant act in the greater scheme, but if we all did something small to stand up for what we believe in, we could change the world. So, in a small attempt to change our world for the better, we are changing our branded hashtag to #StoryCounts. Because we still believe in the power of stories, and we know everyone has a story to tell. As 2020 begins to wind down, we will continue to count our blessings and stand strong to tell your stories, because your stories count and so do you.
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Mahatma Gandhi