Building a storytelling business in the Borders
Franziska Droll with questions from Anne Hunter
When did your storytelling journey start? I know we first met on the Storytelling Apprenticeship and wonder what prompted you to join the apprenticeship?
When I was 
18 years old I saw a storyteller in Germany on a medieval market. He told the story of the three ugly aunts (a story I still love telling). My friend said to me “you could do that – storytelling” to which I replied “I would love to. But I guess it would always be a hobby, rather then a job, as I can’t imagine it making money.”
Fast forward to 2013.
I am in Scotland on holiday and just met my future husband. When I moved a year later to Scotland, he asked me what jobs I want to do. I told him about always wanting to be a storyteller and he said “you should check out the apprenticeship at Edinburgh High Street”
And that’s how it all started for me, that I actually felt I could take this hobby of casually telling tales to another, more professional level.
How long were you on the storytelling apprenticeship?
From 2014- 2020-ish so roughly 6 years
Were there any highlights during that time or particular things that you felt helped move you forward on your journey?
The 6 month mentorship program facilitated by David Campbell was definitely my highlight. I learned so much, had a lot of fun and met such beautiful minds like Jan Bee Brown.
What steps did you take once you were on the Scottish Directory of Professional storytellers? I wonder if you had a timetable of what you wanted to achieve or did things happen more organically?
Once I joined the directory it actually took only 6 months or so until the pandemic hit. I started working in an elderly care home and there I introduced storytelling as an activity (in group and one to one sessions).
Suddenly I found myself telling stories 3-4 times a day, constantly adapting and changing.
Once the pandemic was over I moved away from the home and had my wee girl Heather. I found myself as a new mum in this wonderful community in the borders and started telling stories and singing songs to babies and kids on playgrounds and community spaces for fun.
Once my girl was older I updated my website, rebranded myself as a Borders storyteller and started offering mostly sensory based storytelling.
So things happened organically in a way. But I also made a choice, after motherhood, to actually make storytelling my business. So I got serious, made a timetable, started applications, put myself out there and set goals for each year.
How has being down in the Borders influenced how you’ve developed? Did it feel like there was a gap that needed to be filled? I’m interested because you’ve done quite a diversity of things down there – i.e. collaborative ceilidhs/open mics/spoken word and music.
Yes, it has definitely helped. The borders is a less “crowded” market for storytellers than Edinburgh. There are only a few of us down here and everyone has a very different approach.
I noticed quite quickly that I love sensory storytelling, which includes a lot of props and actions. I managed to strike a business relationship with ArtLinks, which became one of my main bookers in the beginning. I also started telling in local schools & nurseries, in gardens, at birthday parties etc.
But I also wanted to offer more than just sensory fun and that’s how I started to approach the Eastgate (The Eastgate Theatre and arts venue in the Scottish Borders) to put on a show for an adult, creative audience.
I felt that there is a huge creative potential in the borders, which was untapped. Everything happened in Edinburgh and I wanted to give people a chance to get on stage and shine, without having to run the risk of doing an event. That’s how the open mic/ ceilidhs started.
The spoken word exchange (which I have now expanded to all creative outlets, music etc), are a product that started after my workshops (funded by TASGADH & SSF). Participants asked me for a casual place to exchange stories in an informal way. Having been part of the Burgh Blatherers before, I took their concept and placed it in the Eastgate theatre Cafe.
Has having a website helped or do you get more feedback/ requests via Facebook?
Yes and no. It has definitely helped when applying for jobs. A website automatically looks professional these days and gives possible bookers a better idea of what they could get.
Bookings however I had to start looking for in the beginning – always. However, I slowly started now to built up a “client base” and people spread the word. So bookings find their way to me now, mostly through past work and word of mouth. But everyone always looks at my website first
So I guess, yes, you can say it has helped 🙂
Can you tell us something about developing the workshops you run and getting funding for them?
Yes, both TASGADH & SSF have funded me. Another set of intermediate workshops coming up again in July!
After making the decision of making storytelling my career I basically took every job I could get in the storytelling field (hence the huge repertoire), just to get going. At the end of last year I decided I wanted to do more workshops. Something that I always loved doing and I also studied for (holding a CPD learning & development diploma).
Joanne Urwin (Storytelling Development Officer) has been a great help with that! She suggested the TASGADH application and helped me hugely with it. After that first success, I started offering workshops to ArtLinks (for service users and/or staff), which is now a regular booking. I also held workshops for teachers on how they can integrate storytelling in daily teaching and did private mentoring etc.
Developing workshops is a wonderful thing as it feels like a story. You need a beginning full of promise, a middle full of detail and an end full of success/conclusion.
I structure my workshops with generous timings and mostly aim for 30% theory and 70% hands on practise from participants. That way the workshop can breath, find it’s own path and in many ways the people shape their learning experience and take home with them what they like and/or needed.
Franziska’s website: https://www.bordersstoryteller.com/
