It’s gotta be obvious that language is important to me. It gets my goat a little when creators say their mission is “making people happy.” I get what they’re saying, but I want to correct their language so that it’s more clear. Happiness is an emotion and emotions are transitory. We also don’t control people’s emotions, so it’s a rough goal.
What we can actually do with entertainment might not sound so cheery, but it’s awesome…
- Gain permission to lead the audience
- Set up a new narrative
- Lead them into that narrative
It’s beautiful because narratives stick. Narratives can be used by the individual to motivate the feelings they want. Narratives are memorable. Narratives can be recalled. Narratives can be reapplied to new situations.
One narrative I love and produce in my “work” is resilience. Things go wrong. I point them out. I deal with them. I use obstacles to my advantage. I would love for people to take this narrative with them so they can see hurdles as opportunities too. I would love for people to get the relief of knowing that things don’t have to go right for them to go great.