Stories Are Our Superpower

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Rodrigo: storytelling is everything. You know, storytelling is a way of seeing the world is a way of, understanding how life works is a way of putting content in context and bring ups and downs and bring truth and bring core values and beliefs and a mission, you know?

[00:00:24] Isotta: This is Art Is… a podcast for artists where we visualize the future of the art world and the creative industries. This season, we are revisiting the topics and ideas introduced in season one through conversations with emerging artists, creative change-makers and leaders from beyond the art realm and the tech industry design world and startup space.

[00:00:49] Isotta: The mission of art is, has been to encourage emerging artists, students, and early career creatives to seek out possible futures for the art world. One where our creative ambitions and professional needs are met. Part of this is recognizing the power and value of our stories and experiences. not only for our own creative and professional growth, but for our collective community development today, I'm speaking with Rodrigo a storytelling. He is a university professor and has experience working across the startup space, the corporate world and the film and television sector.

[00:01:23] Isotta: Rodrigo spent eight years at a consulting firm, but left to pursue his true passion as a storyteller, partnering with Robert McKee, the mind behind Pixar's toy story and countless Oscar and golden globe winning project. Rodrigo has helped over 500 companies craft their stories and has personally written over 300 scripts for film and television.

[00:01:44] Isotta: I met Rodrigo during the On-Deck podcasting fellowship, where he walked me through Aristotle's narrative structure And helped me start to understand what it means to create and tell a meaningful story. Okay.

[00:01:55] Isotta: Our conversation delves into all aspects of storytelling, explaining its relevance and business, life and art. And as the glue that binds communities together, Rodrigo roots, everything and examples from real life to cinema And sheds light on the importance of truthfulness and authenticity, criticizing old school branding mechanisms and Instagram. In the process we discuss how tapping into our emotions and bringing our vulnerabilities to online communities. Through honest storytelling

[00:02:24] Rodrigo: Will help boost a value and mission-driven creative economy That supports a burgeoning middle-class of creatives and fights back against institutionally dominated top-down platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Controlling creators, access, reach, and financial compensation. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do too.

[00:02:42] Rodrigo: my name is Rodrigo Portato. I am from San Paolo Brazil I consider myself, I story telling expert

[00:02:50] Rodrigo: I believe that our stories, personal stories are our superpowers. everybody has a superpower that is your own story, you know, your own struggles, your own vulnerabilities or, something like that. everybody's in a mission of finding purpose, you know, finding meaning.

[00:03:08] Rodrigo: Or finding a good job or a partner we are also wondering what is the best way to do that and stories help us to understand how, so when I see a movie and I see a characterdesire. Something that I also desire or wanting something that I also want.

[00:03:28] Rodrigo: And I see him or her is struggling to get there and facing the forces of antagonism that are, trying to keep them away from that desire. I can learn with them. without the need of leaving the, the story, right? stories are equipment for livingthinking that way. So when I see people artists and trying to, to.

[00:03:54] Rodrigo: To understand how to do their work and how to show that work, work to the world or something like that. I usuallytalk to people to, to think. What is your story? You know, not, it's not your history is your story. What story you have to tell to, to make people to understand what you are doing

[00:04:18] Rodrigo: So this is, this is what brands also should do, you know? but they, they. They lie, then that brands, brands, and executives from the old era, you know, the era that brought, brought us to today, they, they don't want to tell the truth. they, they want to seduce. They want to, to, you know, sell, they want to sell something to us.

[00:04:46] Rodrigo: And this is not what. Talking about when I'm talking about telling stories, I'm talking about telling the truth. You know, this is the most important premise of storytelling. This is most important principle of storytelling. Tell the truth because if people do do get that you're not telling the truth or the whole truth they will create a barrier.

[00:05:09] Rodrigo: Between you and damn, that is so hard to, to break, you know, so always tell the true for most. Sometimes it's really difficult to, to tell the truth, but we should tell the truth. your enthusiasm about storytelling.

[00:05:26] Isotta: Rodrigo inspired me a few months ago, it's been fuelling me and it's been one of the inspirations for this podcast, which is all about artists embracing the value of their stories. Not only just for their personal growth and professional development, but also for the establishment of a wider, more supportive artists network. as artists and creators working across disciplines, how do you think we can embrace storytelling and our work and in our professional practice, but also as a community building tool. storytelling is everything. You know, storytelling is a way of seeing the world is a way of, understanding how life works is a way of, showing Complex life is, you know, is a way of putting content in context and bring ups and downs and bring truth and bring core values and beliefs and a mission, you know?

[00:06:26]Rodrigo: it's, it's, it's a powerful way of thinking and. dreaming as well, you know I don't know if you notice it, but we, when we dream we, we dream and. withour dreams working, I story for them, you know, something happened and then something happened in a crazy way, but it's, it's in a story form.

[00:06:46] Rodrigo: when we think it's in a story form, you know, or if it, if I don't do that something will happen and then something will happen. And so Giving that why artists should bring storytelling to their work. It's simple. It's to bring meaning to people, you know, to your work and people you'll notice that that has meaning that has they, they will understand what values you care what beliefs you have, what is your mission, why you are doing what you are doing and people you relate to them.

[00:07:21] Rodrigo: if, if they, if they are connected to the same values and beliefs. So if you want to people caring about your work it's not everybody that wants that, but for those who want to, to bring people and create a relationship between them, them in your work, you should tell, tell great stories. you asked about the community as well, right?

[00:07:46] Rodrigo: people are not , exploring community as, as a way of building a, a new kind of society, you know? let's compare a group on Facebook and a Jewish community for. You know, Jewish community is not a community because they have a group on a WhatsApp or telegram or or on Facebook, you know, they, they, they share the same stories.

[00:08:13] Rodrigo: They share values, they share beliefs, they share the typical food they share the same coin, you know, the currency, right. they are community because of many stories that they lived in the past and they will leave in the future as well. So I, I think stories are intrinsic to community building.

[00:08:33] how do you see, a digital platform being a vehicle to build authentic community where people are, are actually meaningfully engaging with each other and openly sharing stories to.

[00:08:45] Rodrigo: that's a tricky question, because I don't actually believe that that is only in the online world that we can build the, the. Deep and profound relationships, but you, you, we can do that in a certain level of, right. So it it's possible to create connection like us.

[00:09:08] Isotta: we never met each other in real life. only , uh, online world and we have a connection and we understand each other. We know what we believe, but if we expand more, more time to togetherlaunching or going to a concert, you know, or something like that, our relationship could be even more.

[00:09:31] Rodrigo: Profound and powerful. So I believe that building community should not be only online. Right. So, but how to do that online people people relate or create empathy for others that, that are people that are similar to them. Right. So. Let's say that let's, let's bring the movies too, to help us. All right.

[00:09:56] Rodrigo: So let's take toy story one. we have a protagonist that is Woody and he's a. And we are not toy. Right. So why should I create empathy fora toy, you know, a cowboy? I don't know. I don't know how, when Pixar created Woody they. Gave Woody life, you know, they gave human characteristics to, to him.

[00:10:21] Rodrigo: And he's not the the possibility I speaking now is not that, that grading empathy as well, what creates, what, Pixar gave to Woody that are capable to create empathy to us is the universal value. That's what he cares about. So what are the, core value that wood is worried about and the toy story one.

[00:10:45] Rodrigo: the possibility of losing the, the preference of your honor, you know that is Andy, right? and I have no meaning as a toy if I don't have a an owner, you know, a child, right. we can relate to. Because we are also afraid of losing our sons or our, our parents or our I know, I don't know, friends or partners or et cetera.

[00:11:13] Rodrigo: So we know that feeling of losing someone, we know that feeling of Not having meaning to our life and nobody likes that. And when we see Woody leaving that situation, we can relate to him. So in a, in a digital world, we, we should be capable of showing our fears or our vulnerability. Our truth, you know, and peoplerelate to that.

[00:11:43] Rodrigo: Nobody will relate to someone that is perfect and everything is awesome. Like Instagram, you know, when we, we see people on Instagram, everybody's rich, everybody's happy. Everybody's has a perfect life. And. this is cool, but is this, this is not the way of creating meaningful relationships and meaningful work, you know, so the best way of using the digitalsoftwares and you know the digital world to create community, to keep create relationships is to creating this space and.

[00:12:19] Rodrigo: The goals and projects and excuses to bring people together and shared their stories, share the truth, shared the vulnerabilities and et cetera. I, I believe that the future for not only art creators in general, you know, artists and storytellers and entertainers, I think Customers or people in general they want to relate to a person. and not more with a brand without authenticity, withouttruth, you know?

[00:12:54] Rodrigo: I really believe that people should have the courage to tell their stories. It's not easy to tell the stories and being vulnerable now, you know, I'm not telling, oh, go there and tell your story. Yeah. Everything you will be fine. No, it's not. It's not like that. It, maybe you tell your story and people will say you're crazy, you know, to tell the truth and maybe it will be, bring some problems, but everybody I can regret of not trying.

[00:13:28] Rodrigo: To tell, but it's difficult to regret if you, if you were honest with yourself, you know, in a long-term. so I, I believe that people should have the courage to tell their stories. the point of this podcast is really to start thinking and brainstorming of possible futures for the art world and the creative industries.

[00:13:49] Isotta: So what sort of changes would you like to see? coming from the top, but also coming from the bottom and from us individual creatives, first of all just, just a note comparisons are so, are so bad. You know, when I compare myself to another, another person this is I lose vision ofactually comparing something, you know, people are, are different and are living different context. They know different people. They are, you know, in different places.

[00:14:20] Rodrigo: When I compare myself to someone, this is a illusion. So a piece of advice for everybody is. Try not to compare yourself with another people, you know you, you need to understand you and be connected with yourself. You're you're so who you are, you know, and and the body, our body is the Oracle, you know, is we, we can, we can feel it.

[00:14:45] Rodrigo: If you are doing something that is connected to us or not connected to us we can feel it if we are doing something right. against our values, for example, even if it is not in our mind is if, if, even if it's not rational we can feel it. So pay attention to your feelings and be truthful with yourself.

[00:15:08] but the change that I went to see in the creative industry are really. related toLee gene do, you know, Legion is is a investor. she wrote an article. talking about.

[00:15:22] Rodrigo: The need of creating a middle-class for creators and artists, because what internet did to us and platforms like YouTube for, for example they, they give so much power for a few people. Like two, one, 3% of people are creators that became famous and rich and et cetera. But 97%, 98% of people are.

[00:15:48] Rodrigo: In in, in, in internet now, you know, so I believe that people should build platforms to, to give more power for those 97%, you know? And it's not fair that platform the terms how much an artist should be. I am a creator and I know what is the value or I imagine the value of my work and I should determine this value, you know, and people should pay if they think that that has the value that I'm saying.

[00:16:24] Rodrigo: It has, you know, so I don't want anyone determining how, how should I be paid? so I believe that the future of for creators in this digital world is trying to have more ownership. people should own their origins, you know, should the cause. Oh, I have our agents in YouTube. Bullshit.

[00:16:46] Rodrigo: You know, you don't have the telephone, you had the WhatsApp, you don't have their email. You have nothing. contacts are from YouTube or Instagram is the same. Facebook is the same. So you don't have ownership of an audience on those platforms. So you shouldfind a. That is already there like Patrion, for example, or like sub stack for writers or something like that, that you start to own your own audience.

[00:17:16] Rodrigo: You have an, an assets, you know, so you, you start, you need to start to, to understand how. how to become more like an entrepreneur and how to build our agents because our agents is your district distribution and how to choose the ideas to work on and what you want from your life. You know, you need to start to understand, to think about all those kinds of questions and and become more.

[00:17:46] the owner of your own fate, you know, something like that we are living in an era that it is possible now, you know, all a little bit more of your own future and build your own future.

[00:17:59] Isotta:

[00:17:59] Isotta: how do you recommend early career creatives working across art disciplines, working across the creative sphere, start thinking about building their business and understanding the principles that are integral to, to being successful and moving forward.

[00:18:14] Rodrigo: This is a, an awesome question. I have been thinking a lot about it and. my point of view is based on the principle that everybody here are wanting to, to be successful, whatever that means, you know Or thrive and grow or something like that. So that's why we are trying, we are talking about the business, you know, we, we want to go somewhere and, you know, so with this point of view, and I believe that most successful people in the road are acting by principles, you know?

[00:18:51] Rodrigo: So the most basic and most important presuppose. what what I call life principles. So what is the difference between greed and ambition? For example, if we do not pay attention, how we are acting in our life with greed or ambition for example We, we can be at risk, you know do not have conscience about about that.

[00:19:16] Rodrigo: It's, it's a risk but there is so many life presuppose. there is a great book on that. That is from Ray Daleo he's investor and he wrote A book, call it principles. So how many people that we know and how many times.

[00:19:33] Rodrigo: Saw ourselves not dealing with the reality, you know putting our ego to answer something and point out the excuses you know, so this is basic, but it's so hard to pay attention. The day-to-day work, you know there is something that we can put our work and our goals and our dreams at risk.

[00:19:57] Rodrigo: If we don't. Deal with reality. So this is A highlight another one is the radically open-minded and work with transparency, for example. we should be transparent with people around us that are working with us. so this is related to storytelling being vulnerable and creating meaningful relationships and meaningful work.

[00:20:21] and being open-minded to what is different, you knowsometimes we see artists saying, oh I don't want to become an entrepreneur because you know, I'm not doing what I do for profit or something like that. And that's okay. You know, and also that's okay if someone is trying to do it, you know, so be open-minded and try to see their point of view of life.

[00:20:45] Rodrigo: And maybe you learn something or realize something that you didn't realize before. So there is so many life presuppose that we can pay attention. That is so powerful. but also presuppose. Business like I love Y Combinator is a Sellerator in in in Silicon valley and I like the way they think business

[00:21:09] Rodrigo: So let's sayme and youwe struggle to choose which idea to work on. and many people as artists are struggling as well because we have so many right. So how to choose the right idea, what is the right idea? So do depends on what you want. So if you want that your art go global.

[00:21:31] need to, to choose an idea to work on that is that people around the world are interested in it. So you start to think about the market, you know, so what is the market and what people want, how to create a as a team, you know, how to build a team, how to manage a project, how to monetize your work, how to reduce risk, how to talk with investors, how to split equity, you know, if I'm working alone and, you know okay. It's easy. But when you bring someone to work with you, how to do it, Equity, you know, I, should I open a company? those kinds oflearnings help us to build something sustainable in a long term.

[00:22:14] Rodrigo: So those are kind of lifebusiness principles. All right. And then we have the third pillar that is uh, storytelling principles. So tell the truth is a principleall stories are about someone is not about something. So your story is not about. a thing, you know, a physical thing or something like that.

[00:22:36] you need to, talk about someone, you know can be the, the costumers can be yourself, you know, but your stories should be about someone. this character has desires. This is another principle. There is no one in life. that has no desires, even the desire of not having desires or desire.

[00:22:55] this is another principle. So we have presuppose or flight business and storytelling, in my opinion, that help artists, storytellers, entertainers, and creators to, to leave their life and evolve in the. The game of life, you know, because I truly believe that projects and I companies and ideas andthey, they help us to, to evolve as human beings.

[00:23:23] Rodrigo: Yeah. You know, so here in Brazil we have a guy call it Amir plink, and he's he this guy across the Atlantic ocean by himself in like 30 years ago, you know, something like that without GPS, you know? So it's a crazy guy and. We asked him, why, why did you do that? You know and what is the purpose of that?

[00:23:49] Rodrigo: And he say, I don't have a purpose. I have a project. And I like to think that the projects are my, are my purpose. So I have a project. I try to do it. I when I done it, I create another project and that's how I live, you know, and I truly believe that. there is some fundamental things on that, so that's it.

[00:24:13] first of all, everybody who went to belong to a community of creators and artists and storytellers go to www dot. E C H O a.as oh, and register yourself there. we are launching soon a community of creators. So that's my main project today. And we, we are creating the creators land. So we are imagined, how is the creators land?

[00:24:46] Rodrigo: You know what are the rules of this land and who populates. That land and how this land is physically, you know, something like that. We are creating this universe to, to bring those principles of life of a business and storytelling, and we are going to teach those principlesputting people together in live events.

[00:25:08] Rodrigo: We are putting people together in many different forms. two people meet each other and help each other and create a spirit of community based on. Those values and beliefs that we are designing with the story. So in the future, we have ambitious goals. we want to make this land become a society like a country or something like that.

[00:25:33] Rodrigo: That is based on not only the beliefs and values, but also with the same. we want to create a crypto to this community. We want to create events around food, around music, around art. we want to create um, sanctuary for people to practice their faith or create a temple with shows a place to celebrate our art, our work.

[00:26:00] we want to invest in artists, investing in projects and ideas that are tied to these principles that are, we are starting to teach. So this is our project for at least three to five years to, to start to see thatgrowing, but we are lounging the, our MVP minimal value product in a month or two months from now.

[00:26:26] oh, you can register that and I will be really glad to talk to you. and no, everybody that went there, we are doing interviews in the beginning to really meet people and understand and see what is valuable to them and their staff understand what they are seeking there or they desire and what are their project.

[00:26:50] Rodrigo: So go there and register. And for sure, we are going to meet you.

[00:26:55] Isotta: Amazing. You heard it here first. you.

[00:26:57] Isotta: know, this is going to take over the world,

[00:27:00] Rodrigo: Yeah. Yeah. This is exclusive and was actually,

[00:27:03] Isotta: yeah. exactly.

[00:27:05] Isotta: Thank you for listening to art is season two, episode seven, this is a podcast for artists and I get to make this show freely and independently because of your support without anyone telling me what to do or. I make it because I too, I'm an emerging artist and care about the future of our industry and want to work hard to make it better.

[00:27:24] Isotta: So if you want to support the work I do here at the show, you can donate through the link in the episode description. Thanks. I really appreciate it. you can also see that I linked to the art is book.

[00:27:34] Isotta: Check it out for a selection of creative and professional development resources.

[00:27:39] Apologies for my voice being so raspy today, yesterday was the Euro cup, final and as an Italian, I was very excited to cheer on my team.

[00:27:47]Isotta: this episode, I'd like to thank our guest Rodrigo. Portato. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

[00:27:52] Isotta: I'm incredibly excited about a Echoa, a community whose mission is so aligned with ours here at Art Is… a podcast for artists brainstorming the future of the art world collaboratively and breaking down barriers between creative disciplines and empowering artists and creators to own their stories and share their value with the world. check out the episode description to register with a Koa. Now, before you go, I'd like to ask a favor. If you could, please leave Art Is… a podcast for artists a rating and review in apple podcasts. It really helps us reach more creatives. Thanks so much and see you soon.