Storytelling was not featured in our original plan for the Creative Later Life project but it has taken us all on a profound journey. It has become a platform for the CAN and the voice of lived experience, but it has also proved to be a progressive tool for sharing learning. In a field where data is often produced to satisfy the need for ‘evidence’, often prioritising academic measurements, it has been refreshing to focus on data that is creative, engaging and ‘meaningful’ to those involved.
The legacy of these stories is obviously within the resources we have developed, and we encourage you to explore and use them. However, the realisation that storytelling can be used in this way is perhaps the most important legacy of this strand of work. It is clear that ‘storytelling’ is taking hold across the NHS, and with local government, and this is welcome, but there is a risk that the ‘most significant change’ approach to measuring impact overshadows the wider opportunity to learn more about the wider context.
For instance, it could well be that one project has the potential to transform
someone’s life but, as our storytelling project shows, it is often the catalyst for
change, not the final destination; focussing on the person, rather than the project, allows the ‘story teller’ to present impact on their own terms, as an ongoing process.
The idea of ‘more is more’ for instance, wouldn’t be captured if the story ended with the first project. As the Creative Later Life project comes to an end, we are keen to share our learning and encourage others to explore the role of storytelling in their practice. But we are also keen to take our experience into future delivery and explore the 9 key themes that emerged in more detail.
Most pressingly, the idea that ‘Creativity comes to all of us at different times, but always at the right time’.
For more resources on this theme, check out our library. Check out the legacy section for more information about how this strand of work of work is developing beyond 2024/5.
creativelaterlife.com 