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Finding Your Voice Through Storytelling: The Creative Journey with Brian Perry
We’re writing a story we live. We’re living a story we write.
What a joy it was to have a chance to sit down and chat with Brian Perry. He is such an inspirational creative with valuable insights into storytelling and how we can learn and grow through our story.
Whether you’re an aspiring author, songwriter, speaker or simply someone looking to live a more creative life, the path to self-expression and fulfillment often lies in the stories we tell. In a recent episode of The Author’s Way podcast, host Jennifer Wright sat down with Brian Perry – a Singer-songwriter, authentic communication coach, copywriter, speaker and author – to discuss the transformative power of storytelling and how to embark on your own creative journey.
For Perry, creativity has been a lifelong pursuit and outlet, though he didn’t always feel he quite fit in. “I felt like I didn’t make sense in most places…I was too sensitive, I felt too deeply,” he recalls of his youth. It was music that first provided an entry point, allowing him to channel those intense emotions.
On stage or through song, Perry’s “too much” personality was no longer seen as too much – it was exactly what people craved. “I rapidly found this is where I can be who I am and people don’t look at me like a freak. They look at me like ‘oh yeah, this is what I came here for.'”From music, Perry’s creative exploration expanded to other mediums like speaking and writing books. But no matter the format, he recognizes a core through-line: helping people share and inhabit their own authentic stories. “I’m passionate about…helping people get out of their own way and into their own way – to be living their true story.”
Somewhere in the intersection of the music and words, I started to find a way to express myself.
The Courage to Share Your Story
For many, the idea of boldly sharing one’s truth can be daunting, even scary. We all have elements of drama, struggle or shame tucked away that we fear exposing to the light. Perry’s advice? Be brave and share it anyway.
It is very courageous to authentically live in your truth and share that truth with the world. Sharing your story can be daunting and scary. Brian says, “The more deeply honest I am in a song…the more universal I become.” That honesty can come with a lot of fear. His advice? Be brave and share it anyway.
People don’t actually want writers to hold back or omit the difficult narratives, because “we’re longing to feel seen in the dark corners of our lives.”
He recalls a conversation with a therapist years ago where he agonized over revealing something deeply personal, only for the therapist to respond with an anti-climactic “Is that it? Is that all?” The anticipation of sharing our secrets is often far worse than the reality. “What’s really liberating is the more I show up fully and share those stories that feel scary, the less scary they become.”
By being vulnerable to openly share your struggles and imperfections, you create connection with your audience. These are connections that may not necessarily be created without that vulnerability. Those you have the chance to to hear your story will often see themselves in your story even if they don’t have similar experiences. By sharing our own story, we can also create an environment that makes it safe for others to share theirs.
Making Space for Creativity
So how does one go about actually mining these honest, resonant stories? According to Brian, it starts with making space – both internally and externally – for creativity and self-expression to bloom.
A method that Brian uses to bring out his creative self includes taking a short 5-10 minutes per day to simply write stream-of-consciousness. In using this method the writer will simply write what comes to the mind – moving from one idea or image to another without judgment of filter. Over time, themes will begin to emerge. He shares that this is how he wrote his most recent book: The Myth of Certainty.
“It’s simpler than you think, closer than you think,” he says of creative practice. “It doesn’t have to be done in large pieces, it’s done in small bits and with practice, that’s how it’s done.”
During the actual process of creation, Brian tries to approach it with a spirit of curiosity and receptiveness. When an artistic spark arises, he makes a conscious effort to “listen deeply” and essentially ask the universe: “What is this story that’s pulling at me? What are you trying to say?”
He cites a line from the musical Sunday in the Park with George: “Whatever you do, let it come from you, then it will be true.” By creating space, we ultimately give voice to our own deepest, most authentic selves.
The Journey Over the Destination
A common stumbling block many face on the creative path is falling into the mindset of chasing some future dream of being a bestselling author, celebrated songwriter, etc. We put immense pressure on ourselves to produce some shiny, perfectly-polished work worthy of massive public acclaim.
But as Brian sees it, getting caught up in the success-oriented mentality actually may stifle creativity. He recalls wise words from songwriter Dave Wilcox: “It never gets better than when it’s you and your guitar writing a song. If that’s enough, then it will be enough. If that’s not enough, then it won’t [be enough].”
In other words, the joy should come from the act of creation itself, not from any imagined destination or external reward. Brian encourages a mindset shift to view writing a book, for example, as an enriching journey to be savored – not a tedious hurdle to simply overcome.
To illustrate his point, draws a parallel to taking a road trip from Atlanta to Portland. If you end up in Nashville you don’t fret over it and say “doggone, why am I in Nashville.” Instead you realize that being in Nashville is part of the journey. You can then immerse yourself in the experience of the adventure as it unfolds. You can savor the roadside attractions, the bizarre highway signs, the diners and motels peppered along the way. Each unexpected detour and unplanned stop becomes part of the joy of the journey..
Throughout his career he has had opportunities with acting. He reflected on these experiences and drew some comparisons to his other creative pursuits. In acting so much of the actual work is confined to the circular rat-race of endless auditions and rejections. With musical pursuits like songwriting, however, the real “prize” is getting to spend more and more time doing the thing you actually want to do: write songs.
The way you get to the point where you can spend your time writing more songs is to write more songs.
Let Your Uniqueness Shine
In perhaps his most impactful piece of advice in the interview, Brian shares only you can tell your story. There is an intrinsic value and richness imbued in your particular perspective and life experience that is invaluable to the world.
As he puts it, “There is something that is uniquely yours to say.” You alone can view the world through that distinctly personal lens shaped by your background, relationships, influences, struggles and successes. Don’t be afraid to let that one-of-a-kind voice shine through.
At its core, this message is about showing up authentically – giving yourself full permission to be seen without inhibition or apology. Because when you commit to that level of vulnerability and truth-telling through your art, something magical occurs: your story becomes a prism through which others can perceive their own narratives more clearly.
In the end, Perry’s advice is both simple yet profound: “Give us more to see.” Share your unvarnished tale so that we all might experience life’s awe, pain and beauty in fuller color. Use your words, your melodies, your voice to hold up a mirror so that we can all feel a little less alone on this perplexing,wondrous journey.
If you’d like to learn more about Brian you can you can visit his website at: www.yesbrianperry.com
You can can also connect with him on Facebook, IG or LinkedIn @yesbrianperry
His most recent book is available on Amazon: The Myth Of Certainty…And Other Great News
To find his latest album visit: https://yesbrianperry.hearnow.com/
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