We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachael Harrington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rachael, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
When my sister led me and a wobbly band of my friends down the stairs to a late night basement improv show as part of my bachelorette party, I’m not sure that she knew she was about to change my life.
I sat there, happy and in awe, as I watched for the first time as a team of full fledged adults created three wild, zany scenes full of characters and plot with no script, no props, no scenery or rehearsal… just a word suggestion from the audience and themselves.
Fast forward a year and some change; I got hitched, started an art teacher job, left said art teacher job, and – remembering that show- signed up for my first improv class.
When I think of how I learned to take risks in my adult life, I think of this class. One of the first things we learned was that in an improv scene, you always say “yes” to your scene partner’s ideas. As the class did an exercise to develop our YES muscles… I very vividly remember realizing how I often said NO in my real life, and how much I wanted to change that.
I also learned a lot about trust, which I think is important in good-risk taking. I learned to trust my instincts and not second guess them (because improv is fast- if you don’t act on your instinct the moment is gone), and as I started working on full scenes with classmates I learned to trust that my ideas were solid and worthy to put out there… because look! I added an idea into the scene, and my partner was able to take it and build on top of it!
Ok, so. Good-risk taking. I think it’s hard to talk about risk taking without noting that there’s good risk and danger risk. My improv experience helped me to understand that that good risk doesn’t mean just saying yes to everything Willy nilly. Risk taking in life or work, just like in improv, needs some ground rules so that you stay safe and are building or creating towards something. I think for me, I feel good-risk in my heart, and danger risk in my gut.
Improv also taught me that risk taking doesn’t always have to be these big huge monumental actions or decisions. In improv, if you are really in synchronized with you scene partner, you can pick up on a little facial twitch and build the next part of the scene off of that one little thing. So, I think I’ve grown the muscle of taking “small” risks; wearing that weird patterned shirt that I really like even though its not trending, visiting a new country and trying my hand at speaking the native language, initiating conversations with new people, or trying a new route to drop my kids off at school.
But there’s been big risks, too. One being the decision to leave the idea of a steady paycheck and health insurance and pursue this strange,little-known profession called “performance storytelling”… especially because my husband is also a freelancer.
As I’ve grown in my storytelling career, I’ve had lots of chances to practice risk-taking. Getting up in front of a group of high schoolers and telling them a fairy tale isn’t risk-free, nor is sending out promo materials and waiting for bookings. But, it’s kinda like a muscle. Every time I take a risk, I discover it either worked and I can do it again or I made a mistake and now I have something to learn from for next time.
There’s two other things that have enabled me to grow my ability to take risks: stories and support.
I grew up with parents who surrounded me with our family histories, and lots of those stories featured people willing to take risks in order to take the next step or find a better way. Before I even took that improv class or made the decision to become a storyteller, I think these stories laid the foundation for me to understand myself as able to take risks, or that risk-taking wasn’t something to shy away from.
I’ve also been able to take the risks I’ve taken because I have supports that have enabled me to see just far enough ahead to take the risky step to try something new, or launch an idea or project. I think risk taking can look different for people based on their particular situations and supports.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
The first time I told a story professionally, I was a young twenty something who had just left teaching and had started taking improv classes. My mom – a school librarian- saw that I was loving performing and so invited me to tell her English Language Learner students some folktales. I didn’t really know what I was doing… but I said yes anyway. When the class period ended, my mom paid me in some over due fine money she had in her desk drawer. She also told me there was a world of people who travel around telling people stories, and that I should look into it. YES!
Since then, my storytelling work has grown into a career that I love and am proud to bring into the world. I work with schools, libraries, museums, parks departments, and corporations to bring folk and fairy tales and storytelling concepts to life for their communities. When I’m collaborating with a group, company, or organization I work with them to understand what topics they are focused on and what their objectives are, and then I create unique storytelling performances and workshops to not only help them address those areas, but create deeper human connection and imagination within their community.
I LOVE the way that storytelling is all about imagination. I believe that imagination is essential in problem solving and creating a better future. Before people can put an idea into action, they have to imagine it- and storytelling is a gym for the imagination muscles!
I’m also passionate about the very unique way that storytelling creates human connection- which we all need a lot more of in our lives and in the world. When I tell a story I am directly looking at my audience, with nothing in between us. We make eye contact, read each others facial expressions and body language, and we build an imaginary world in the air above our heads.
One big project that I launched recently is called The Fairy Tale Art Cart: Draw Along Podcast For Kids. It’s a podcast where kids (and grown ups!) get to become the illustrator of the stories they are hearing. Each episode features one folktale with music and drawing breaks at key moments in the story- it’s 30 minutes of screen-free creativity and new episodes are out every Saturday on Apple & Spotify. I’m REALLY excited about this show, and as it’s been growing, I’ve started also producing live recordings of the show with myself and a live musician and an audience full of families listening and drawing together!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Starting messy. I had a painting professor in collage who told us to “never start with a blank white canvas. That’s overwhelming. Instead, put a wash of color on it so that you can just get started”. I’ve been able to launch a lot of my projects, do a lot of the work that I do, and work with the collaborators that I do because I didn’t wait for the exact right conditions.
Being playful and curious.
Going for a walk. Or rather… disconnecting from “the hustle”. When I started down the road of performing, my dad gave me the advice to “never stop painting. Painting will make you a better performer”. What he meant was that even though I was transitioning to performing, I still loved painting, so I should keep doing that soul-filling thing because it would ultimately make my performances more three-dimentional. Disconnecting from my hustle- or even the work that I do love.. helps me to come back to it more refreshed. And, I usually get my juiciest ideas when I’m doing something completely unrelated to “storytelling time”.
If you’re just starting out in something new, my advice is to stay playful and ask lots of questions- especially the ones you’re not sure you should ask. There’s probably someone else in the room with the same exact question! Also, spend time really reflecting on the value you are adding to the world by what you’re doing, and let that shape how you see and understand your work or journey. Very practically: in-person meetings, events, and networking are still really important- don’t hide behind your screen. Go to the mixer, invite a colleague to coffee. Personal relationships are so important- both in career and in life!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Collaboration is how my work as a storyteller thrives! I am looking to collaborate with communities and groups that are in search of creative programming that boosts social emotional learning, literacy skills, and creative thinking. I can work with organizations to bring folk and fairytale performances to life, or to facilitate workshops that teach storytelling skills and techniques, creative thinking, or that focus on how storytelling bolsters interpersonal dynamics in professional settings. I have worked with companies to bring family programming to their corporate events, as well!
You can connect with my in several ways. On my website, you can go to my contact page and send me a message. You can sign up for my storytelling newsletter, or you can follow me on instagram @rachael_stories and @Fairytale_artcart. You can also subscribe to The Fairy Tale Art on Apple and Spotify.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rachaelharrington.com
- Instagram: @rachael_stories
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-harrington-608a92124
- Youtube: @rachael_stories
- Other: The Fairy Tale Art Cart on Apple and Spotify.
Image Credits
Headshots: Christopher Davis
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
