What Stories Are You Telling Yourself?
Created in Canva by Nancy Blackman
I don’t consider myself a hero, but this book reminds me of some people who have been heroes in my life. I think about my eldest aunt on my mother’s side (이모 – imo – pronounced “eemo”). For the longest time, Korean women were not allowed to get an education beyond 8th grade, but my 이모 changed “herstory” by becoming the first woman in South Korea to get a law degree in the 1950s. She then went on to become the Speaker of the House. Then, there’s my grandfather, who, during World War II and the Korean War was part of the Korean Independence Movement that eventually helped bring freedom for South Koreans.
Apparently, my paternal grandmother was an integral part of the Suffrage Movement and I think of her as a hero because without those women I would not have the right to vote today.
When I think about how the heroes in my family have intersected with mine, I think of how Campbell breaks down the hero’s journey in stages. This was created in Chat GPT, but I can see how the stages create a path — the call, challenges, transformation, return, myth as metaphor, cultural universality, spiritual dimensions, and the hero in each of us.
And I think about the heroes of my NPO (to create a safe, inclusive, interfaith community for artists and writers to explore their spirituality).
A little backstory
My NPO stems from an 18-month journey of writing on Medium. During that time, I opened a publication—Refresh the Soul—where I invited writers of all faiths to gather and share their spiritual journeys.
The beautiful thing about the Medium platform is that there are approximately 100 million monthly visitors each month, with 60 million of those being readers. Once I had Refresh the Soul up and running with a regular flow of submissions, I began to see something even more wonderful happening. The Hindu writer was commenting on the Christian writer’s blog (and vice versa), each of them learning from each other.
Last semester when I met with my stakeholders, most of them were writers from the Medium publication. One stakeholder said, “When I submitted my first writing to Refresh the Soul I didn’t know if it was going to be too woo-woo for the publication, but Nancy not only published my piece she left me a very encouraging note, which made me feel seen and I knew I had found a spiritual home for my writing.” I was so touched by her comment as I also heard the Spirit showing me that this is what is needed.
In my book, writers and artists are heroes. Every day they sit down to write or create beautiful art. Eventually, they get the confidence to show their words and art to the world, putting a piece of themselves out for people to read and see. For the writers of Refresh the Soul, they did it every week, week after week. Such bravery.
Campbell asks, “Why do we tell the stories that we do about whatever it is that is out there?”[1] What creates fear within you that stops you from being the hero of your own life? And, we all need to be reminded (I’m guessing) that as we enter our own monomyth journey, we will also have a higher capacity to be more present, encouraging, and loving to those in our community.
Question
What do you need to step into your invitation from God to go forth and conquer whatever God is leading you to?
Yes, there will be challenges. No journey is ever without a challenge. Each of us knows that though the challenge is hard, transformation will happen. And that transformation brings beauty within you and your community.
Personal Story
I had a devastating situation occur in college because of a Dean who told me I would never be allowed to attend an accredited university. In my story, he will always be referred to as “the ogre.” After trudging through 5 years, I received a letter one Summer telling me not to return. I would no longer be considered a student because my GPA dropped to a ghastly 1.9. Yes, this once 4.0 student had failed miserably. And, if you know anything about the honor/shame culture, that also brought shame to my family. And the story I told myself for many years was that I was too stupid.
And then one morning I saw a class advertised at my local community college—Career Planning. I enrolled, and by the time I was done with that class, healing was beginning. Part of it was due to the instructor—another hero in my life.
“In the absence of an effective general mythology, each of us has his private, unrecognized, rudimentary, yet secretly potent pantheon of dream.”[2]
It was because of her that I was encouraged to take an Introduction to Graphic Design class. Yes, me, the person who had, up until that point, never taken an art class. After one semester, I quit my job, moved back in with my parents, and finished an Associate’s Degree in Advertising Design. That set me up for a successful 25+ year career as a graphic designer and Art Director.
Campbell’s final paragraph is powerful: Today’s hero is a person who grabs the invitation to be transformed without waiting for their supporters to give a nod.
““Live,” Nietzsche says, “as though the day were here. It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse. And so every one of us shares the supreme ordeal — carries the cross of the redeemer — not in the bright moments of his tribe’s great victories, but in the silences of his personal despair.””[3]
Again, what do you need to step into your hero journey?
Sidenote: I absolutely LOVED this book and will re-read this.
——
[1] John Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Third ed. (Novato: New World Library, 2008), 11. Kindle Edition.
[2] Ibid., 25.
[3] Ibid., 527.
About the Author
Nancy Blackman
16 responses to “What Stories Are You Telling Yourself?”
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Hi Nancy,
Thanks for your insightful post. Campbell’s book is compelling and powerful and I appreciate the way you have synthesized it into your NPO and passion. I think you are a hero! Someone who has, and will continue, to overcome the ogres inside and outside to be transformed and to allow that transformation to create a safe place for others to transform as well.
If I may ask: where is it in your NPO and doctoral studies that you need to give yourself permission to “Live” and step into the transformation that is occuring?
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your question … I think 🤣.
As you might have surmised, I struggle with seeing myself in my own hero journey, but I’m learning. I can see a topic for therapy and Spiritual Direction coming up.
One of my interviews was with a woman who is a professor of theopoetics and one statement she made stopped me in my tracks. She said, “I tell my students that they are the brilliance in the room… and then I remembered that I am also in the same room.”
I recognize that I need to live into my own monomyth journey as a creative person. One of my fears in being a leader is that I will not give myself permission to be creative. Often, as you might resonate with, we tend to keep the “leader” hat on too long and what makes us stale is that we forget to “live,” as you say.
Once I step back into my role as editor and publisher of other writers, I want to set aside one day (at least) to live out of my own creative tendencies because, for me, that is where life is. It is where I encounter the Triune God and where joy rises within me. Thank you very much for reminding me.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply and I applaud and affirm your awareness and self talk. I love the idea of commitment to your own creativity and expression. It will undoubtedly make you an even better leader than I’m sure you already are! Leaders live on!
Yes! Leaders live on! 🙂
Nancy, every interaction with you brings new depth to my appreciation of getting to know you a little more each time. You have such a gift for getting to the heart of things and expressing them artfully. You are truly a blessing to me with your candor and questions. One of the things that I learned from you came not necessarily from this post but from a conversation about listening for God’s word. It inspired me to listen more to what God is saying to me. The medium might be different but the time spent listening is precious. Thank you.
How does your art continue to empower you in your journey? I am glad you have a history of heroes in your life.
Diane,
You are too kind. Thank you.
When I connect with anything creative (cooking, painting, drawing, knitting, photography, writing, etc.) I sense a deep presence of God and that alone empowers me.
Nancy,
It sounds like you have had an interesting journey, full of expectations, struggles, passing through a difficult season and then coming out of the season with a fresh perspective, an enlightenment if you will. I wonder how you passed through the threshold of a low GPA and moving back in with your parents and then developing into an editor and artist? You mentioned your NPO in connection to this journey and I am wondering what it currently is as stated?
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your comments and questions.
The writer came first, then the artist, and a few years ago, on a crazy whim, I took an editing certification class. I didn’t much like it at first, but now it has become second-nature to me.
I have been writing since I was a kid — outside of reading books, poetry became a way for me to escape the chaos in my house. Then, came short stories. I never thought I would do much more than poetry and short stories, but throughout my life, I have always dropped into a writing class from time to time and the most recent writing class I took was Creative Nonfiction with a focus on Memoir writing. That’s when a new voice emerged within me.
But the artist that emerged when I moved back in with my parents was a surprise to the entire family. No one saw that one coming. My father said, “you’re taking to art like a duck in water.” And so it was, and I never looked back.
My NPO statement is: Creatives need sacred, safe, inclusive space to explore their spirituality within community that welcomes, validates, celebrates, and empowers when they are unsupported, isolated, and undervalued.
Nancy! I am going to send your words right back to you and ask what do YOU need to step into your hero journey?
You started off this post by saying you don’t see yourself as a hero and yet later noted that “today’s hero is a person who grabs the invitation to be transformed without waiting for their supporters to give a nod” — my friend, this sound like you! 😉
So let me ask again, what do you need to step into your hero story?
Also, seeing that you really enjoyed this book AND that your project is around writing for BIPOC folks of faith I wonder how you might use the Hero’s Journey framework in whatever you build. Not sure if you’ve thought of that yet…
Akwése,
I knew someone would do that… 🙂 ask me my own question.
I need less fear and more gumption in order to step into my hero journey. A woman I befriended a couple of years ago, after hearing me talk about my doctorate journey, got a bit flustered with me and said, “Ok, I’ve known you long enough now I think I can say this.” I said, “Give it to me.” She said, “You live in a state of fear.”
I have to say that I love it when my friends call me out and keep me accountable. I know that those friends are gold and care about me. She wasn’t mean or confrontational because that’s not her style.
As far as my NPO and the hero journey, I think all artists and writers are heroes. Some are more heroic than others, and I think alot of that has to do with their village of supporters, which is why my NPO is steeped in providing support for those of us who hit those moments in life when we seem to lose our way, and need a fellow creative person to poke them in the ribs, give them a hug and send them back into their creative expression.
Omgsh I love ALL of this! We certainly all need that kind of pushback to call us up and into who God’s made us to be. I also couldn’t agree more with how you’re looking at/thinking about your NPO. Writing is about voicing which is a form of liberation and when we’re breaking the chains of what has once bound us, community, as you said is soooo HUGE ❤️
Btw ( take what’s helpful, leave what’s not) something that has helped me navigate the fear in my life has been looking at it as a spiritual attack. I mean God said ” I have not given you a spirit of fear” literally meaning it is a spirit that has come upon me, so tackling it from a place of understanding the rules of the spirit realm and warfare has made a huge difference 🙏🏾
Nancy, I greatly appreciated your post and reading more of your story. You have some very inspirational family stories. I can relate a bit to your education journey. I was dismissed from community college for poor grades, and it really distorted the way I felt about myself for years. When I think about being in a doctoral program I think, “How did this happen?”
It definitely sounds like the artworld is your sweet spot, and you have facilitated an amazing platform for people to express themselves. I look forward to seeing how your project portfolio progresses. I am curious to know if there is a specific piece or pieces of art that inspire you to ‘answer the call’? Art that makes your realize that you have a purpose much bigger than yourself.
Hi Elysse,
I’m sorry you went through a similar journey, and yet … here we are. 🤗
Makoto Fujimura is an art theologian who has some of his work hanging in the Bible Museum here in Washington D.C. When I got to the room where his paintings were hanging, I knew I had to sit down. The rest of my group went on, but I sat there taking in all of what he had done and still does. He beautifully weaves in words of the Gospel into his paintings. It was that day that God. whispered into my heart the words, “art theologian.”
Now … how I envision that being executed into the world is still yet to be discovered. My writing often sweeps me away into a place of neverland and does, as you say, give me a sense of “a purpose much bigger than” myself, but I’m always deeply aware of God’s presence when I paint or create graphic design pieces, or add graphic pieces to my blog posts.
Thanks for asking such a meaningful question, Elysse.
Nancy, thank you for introducing me to Makoto Fujimura. His work is beautiful! I also love the idea of art theologian.
Nancy, I enjoyed reading your blog. I appreciate your writing and see that you have spent significant time honing your craft. You mentioned that artists and writers are heroes. What are the strongest similarities you find between Campbell’s outline of the Hero’s Journey and the writing process?
Chad,
Thank you.
The different stages that Campbell mentions of the hero coincide with the journey of an artist and/or writer in the following ways:
1. Call to Adventure: the artist/writer knows they are meant to be creative and heed the call. They can refuse the call, but they will find themselves splashing around in the deep end of the water without a life jacket.
2. Initiation: They decide to venture out as the artist/writer and hit bumps in the road (staring at a blank canvas or page or getting one rejection after another or not having the funds to live out their creative expression — think about all the actors and actresses who become servers while they’re waiting for their big moment. But every time a creative person connects with their particular creative expression, they are changed. Each word or drop or paint or spoken word in front of an audience reignites the Light within them. They can never turn back.
3. Return: When they return home to their village, they are forever changed. My parents mentioned this when they witnessed my transformation in art school. My friends, even now, will tell me when I talk about something creative I’m working on that my body language changes (I lean forward more) and my face lights up.
This also reminds me of a time when Chris and I went to an Introduction day at the Seattle School of Psychology and Theology. I was sitting off to the side and a gentleman came and sat down next to me. On a break, we began to talk. I didn’t realize he was the newly appointed President. I shared my call to be an Art Theologian. He turned to me and said, “That is a tough road to take, but the Church needs you.”
And, just as Campbell mentions in the Epilogue, the artist/writer becomes shaped by their art and/or writing and also shapes their community by their creative expression.
In my book, all the artists and writers who stay with their journey, canvas after canvas, page after page, are heroes. They know not everyone will like their work and yet they stay rooted in their call to adventure.