Storytelling RSS

Being creative isn’t the same as being imaginative. A comment artists will often hear goes along the lines of “I wish I could be this creative” or “you’re so talented”. Personally, I believe creativity is triggered by curiosity in an artistic field and it then becomes something that needs to be practiced to achieve a certain level or mastery. It’s the same curiosity that will direct other people towards sciences, literature or a vocational career. One’s creativity can definitely serve as a gateway for others to unlock the power of their own imagination. Being imaginative is something that lives inside...

Finding inspiration for the tabletop adventures we create is not always as straightforward as we would hope. This is just as true for game masters as it is for players. Depending on the game we play or the genres we like, we often take cues from popular culture references such as movies, series, books or songs. Lately, I have been taking a journey back to the tales that are at the origin of many of the contemporary stories we entertain ourselves with in modern times. Myth is at the heart of many cultures and has always played a very important...

Growing up, the houses we lived in always had a fireplace where you could hear the wood cracking. It would warm the entire living room for hours, from sundown until bedtime. Years later, I lived in an apartment but one of my best friends had a place in the mountains where we’d go on the weekends. There as well, the hearth was where we would gather. It was more than just a way of keeping yourself warm. It was part of everyday life. Walking into a cold chalet covered in snow, the first thing we would do after dropping our bags...

It is almost mid-day and so far, it has been a quiet morning. In fact, the last few months have been rather slow. Winter is at the doorstep as the festival of golds, reds, ochres and bright greens came to an abrupt end a little while back. In the workshop, wood gently crackles in the fireplace. At his drafting table, the voyager reflects on journeys past, as he takes a sip of lukewarm tea. For the first time this week, the sun pierces through the clouds and the diamond shaped windows of his modest workplace. An instant later, as the...

After last month’s epic Tabletop Summer Camp at Home post, I will keep this one slightly shorter. It has been a weird and challenging time for me lately. Doubt can be one’s worst enemy, and when your livelihood rests on creativity, it can mess up your day quite a bit. To fight my own lizard brain, I find it useful to remind myself of why I strive to continue on this crazy adventure. I thought it would be useful to reflect on a few things that make The Voyager’s Workshop the worthwhile endeavour that it is. The Art Life As a...