Story follows State…
So far 2025 has felt like an entire year packed into two months. We are under a huge amount of stress, individually, collectively, existentially... Anyone else feel the overwhelm? I know I am. When I feel that overwhelm, that stress, I always come back to my mentors, especially this phrase by Nkem Ndefo: “Story follows state.”
We as artists know the power of story, how it can transform, inspire and create new possibilities. It can increase connection, empathy, and be a catalyst for change. Storytelling is an integral part of our identities as artists and part of our shared humanity. It’s how we make sense of our world.
As storytellers, we gravitate towards it in difficult times. Yet what happens when jumping into story isn’t helping us?
It makes sense why we do this, we’re trying to process what we’re going through, yet stress can make us an unreliable narrator. Stress alters our state, makes our thinking black-and-white, prevents us from seeing other perspectives, makes our thoughts foggy or racy. We can lose our peripheral vision, our hearts may beat faster and harder, our muscles can feel tense or go offline completely. All of that impacts how and what stories we tell.
Just think back to a great audition. We might not have even booked the job, yet what did we feel like the rest of the day? What felt possible in our career? What about our talent? Or the industry in general?
Now think of a time we bombed an audition. What felt possible after? I know for myself, I feel sluggish and down when I perform very poorly. It takes effort for me to believe that that bad audition was just one day and not the culmination of all the other bad days, all the other rejections… Our post-audition state can change our perspective and therefore change the story we tell.
We can also get stuck on a story loop. This is when we are stressed and tell the story over and over again. When we find ourselves needing to tell it, feeling an intense pressure or anxiety to “get through it” or to “just finish this part.” We may even confuse the effort of retelling, that exhaustion we feel when we finish, as catharsis or relief. Yet as soon as we start up the story again, that “relief” disappears and the stress continues.
And look, being an artist is stressful. That is a given circumstance of our work. Performing, auditioning, working in the entertainment industry is and always will be stressful. Yet how we navigate that stress and the stories we tell is up to us.
So how, when stressed, do we become a more reliable narrator?
First off, we can be mindful of when story is helping or hurting our current state. Stories can either be a catalyst for change or they can reinforce the status quo. If after a bad audition, we immediately launch into the “I’m a terrible actor” story, that keeps us in a stressed state. It also zaps a lot of our energy, energy that we could be using for skill building, being present with loved ones, or even pursing other ventures. Let’s build some awareness around when (and which) narratives we tell.
Next, we can pay special attention to the stories we need to tell. That need may be an indication that we’re in a stress response. It is really common (and human) to launch into story right after or during a stressful event. We’re just trying to make sense of what is happening. Yet if we launch into story too soon or when we’re not resourced or safe, we run the risk of getting stuck on a story loop and increasing our stress response.
Instead, let’s build more choice in when and how we tell our story. Cause we all get stuck on a story loop, myself included! It’s very human. Because when we need to tell it, it can be hard to recognize that that’s what’s going on. A good rule of thumb is to first focus on our state rather than story. Often when we shift our state, the pressure or need to tell the story lessens, giving us more agency in the moment.
When we do get on a story loop, let’s get into our bodies. We as storytellers (and living in western dominant culture) put a lot of emphasis on mindset. Change our mindset, change our story. Yet if we’re stuck in a story, we’re also stuck in a mindset. Pushing through when we’re stuck, takes a lot of effort and energy (not to mention the shame we may feel if our efforts fail).
What if we address our state first and then see what that does to story? Try a body-based tool or intervention, shake it out, breathwork, go for a walk, take a shower, etc. Who else has thought more clearly after taking a dance, yoga or movement class? In fact, we already work this way in performance.
When an audition isn’t working for us, when the storytelling becomes murky or stuck, what do we do? We make a physical adjustment. We take a step in the room, we change our focal point, we ground into our feet, our breath, our scene partners. And those small physical adjustments can get us unstuck, opening big creative possibilities. Let’s apply those tools outside of performance and see what happens!
Lastly, we can give ourselves the gift of time. I know that us artists are used to telling stories under enormous time constraints and with limited resources, yet we don’t always have to work at that speed. We don’t need to process everything that happened right away, especially if we’re feeling stuck. More often than not, we will feel differently about that audition or performance the next day, week, month or even year. So, take a break, try a tool, sleep on it, and see how that changes our story.
We are all under a lot of stress right now, stress that is impacting our state and our stories. When we get stuck, sometimes just focusing on our state provides us with enough relief, ease, and clarity to shift the plot.