‘You go down, down past the Talk of the Town….’
My heart is pumping. I’m excited but nervous. I’m going to watch the hottest band in London film their new video… in front of an invited audience – including me! You know that feeling you get when you know you’re in THE place to be? That’s how I’m feeling right now…
‘You go down Greek Street then it’s underground…’
I know there are going to be some ‘faces’ here… They probably won’t speak to me because I’m not really one of the gang. Being a music journalist, I’m a somewhat unwelcome observer… But the band – they’re my mates. I’ve just been on an amazing trip to New York with them…
‘Well it’s Soho life for this mobile knife – it’s the place to shoot, Friday night Beat Route…’
Ah yes, Le Beat Route – the nightclub where the Blitz Kids hang out, the crowd they now call the New Romantics. This is where Spandau Ballet are filming the video for their new single, Chant No 1 – which I absolutely love. I’m going to be hearing it over and over again as they get the camera angles right… I wonder if I’ll be in shot? Maybe I should hang back… Yes, I’ll hang back… try to be inconspicuous…
My God, it’s hot down here… but I don’t want to take off my black PVC jacket, the only thing I’m wearing that’s vaguely fashionable…
Oh wow – here come guitarist Gary Kemp and his drop-dead gorgeous brother … I’m so chuffed they’ve come to speak to me… Does that mean I’ve been accepted now? Am I in with the in crowd? Hmmm… I doubt it… After all, I’m an outsider here. I don’t really belong, and I know it… I wish I could find my tribe…
This story took place in the summer of 1981. I was 24 years old, a writer for the music paper Sounds, and firmly associated with the New Romantic scene. I was thrilled to be invited on to that video set – and even more thrilled that the Kemp brothers took time out to chat.
It took me a while longer to find my tribe – but after having that experience of being the outsider, community and belonging have become really important to me. That’s why I feel so strongly about Trailblazer Tribe – our Facebook group and forthcoming London community for creatives.
I have no recollection of this moment being captured for posterity and it was only in the past month that the photographer (Justin Thomas) contacted me to let me know it was appearing in a photo book he was publishing about Spandau Ballet.
But there I am, with my crimped hair and oversized specs, looking pleased as punch that I’m speaking to the two handsome Spandau boys. So I thought I’d use the photo as the starting point for a story – a story about a moment in time, in a Soho that no longer exists, but also a story that makes a wider point about belonging. Because my brand is about storytelling, and one of my USPs is that I was a music journalist in the 80s, it’s a story that will be worth sharing with my audience.
Now I know not everyone will have a photo that features famous bands from the 80s, but I do believe that photos – especially old ones – can inspire stories that you can use in your marketing.
Compelling content needs equally compelling visuals – so if you start with an image, then a story can spring from there.
Last week Nicky wrote about finding stories in the everyday. A photo is just another gateway to finding stories that will engage your audience – one that will create fascination because you can marry words and visuals.
Idea 1: A photograph of your work – maybe something you created early in your career that would link to a story about where you are now.
Idea 2: A photograph of a significant object – something that’s meaningful to you and says something about you and your work.
Idea 3: A photograph of a painting or other piece of visual art that has inspired you – one that tells a story about why you do what you do.
Idea 4: A photograph of you in action – as an artist, musician, designer – that can give rise to a narrative about you and your work.
The reason I often suggest using photographs in this way is to bypass any objections people have about not having any interesting stories to tell. There is something undeniable about an image that helps to ground us as a storyteller in that moment – and also connect our audience to us in that moment.
They say every picture tells a story – so why not share it?
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