A story archive is nothing more than a journal dedicated to stories, anecdotes, and interesting facts you learn.
It can be stored on programs like Notion or Obsidian, or it can be a physical journal.
Every artist should keep one. Here are 10 reasons why.
- You create an endless source of ideas for your creations.
- The biofeedback you create while writing these stories strengthens your brain and helps them stay longer in your memory.
- You connect ideas and knowledge, creating what many people call a second brain.
- If you have one, you can easily integrate this archive with the Zettlekasten process to process fleeting and literary notes, making everything more personal and deep.
- Every story, anecdote, and fact you learn will provide you with more insights, deepening your understanding of the world.
- It will help you find your own storytelling style and the elements in your stories that make you tick.
- You will appreciate every small event in your life more.
- You will feel like you lived an interesting life. Most people, even if they have an objectively interesting life, are unable to appreciate everything that happened to them because they look outside and compare themselves to people who, apparently, have it better than them.
- You will improve your writing skills by simply reporting what happened to you.
- It will give you ideas for new adventures, things to learn and people to meet.
- BONUS: You will always have tons of stories to tell every time you talk with people.
Having a story archive is a discipline that every artist should have.
If you’ve never had one, don’t worry. You can start today by recording your most recent stories.