A holistic approach to artist development that prioritizes the self as source for unique creative exploration.
Stories sourced from the depths of you…
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Self Excavation
At The Storywell, we believe the story and the teller are inseparable. The most powerful narratives come from within; and we invite and accompany writers in journeying into the depths of their psyches to nourish their creative practice.
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Creative Transmutation
When we write from our depths, we uncover the neglected or hidden parts of ourselves longing for integration. Storytelling becomes a way to transform lived experience into something both healing and creatively generative.
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Narrative Weaving
Writing is more than technique, but craft matters too. The Storywell offers gentle, non-prescriptive guidance for weaving together character, plot, worldbuilding, theme, rhythm, and cadence into a narrative that feels whole.
The Gift of the Spiral
If you’re not at the center of your story, then what is?
As a Festival Programmer and former Artist Development Manager, I’ve spoken to so many early filmmakers who worry they’ll seem self-absorbed if they put too much of themselves into their work. And yes, there’s a line to walk. But the truth is, every story we tell is already a reflection of our worldview and lived experiences. So why not lean in? Easier said than done.
As a writer/director, storytelling has shown me who I am.
The deeper I’ve traveled into my own wounds and wonders, the more alive my stories have become. That path carried me into spaces like the Sundance Writers and Directors Labs, Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, and the SFFILM Rainin Grant, where I realized that so many of us were telling deeply personal stories, even when hidden behind characters or genre.
But no space prepared me for the unraveling that comes with fictionalizing the personal.
How to tend to the jagged pieces of myself that surfaced in the process. How to keep showing up to the page when the story demanded I face my own shadows. Those lessons came slower, through struggle and surrender, and eventually gave shape to the curriculum I’ve built here—a gentler, more intentional way to write from experience, held within community and guided with care.
The stories we tell are not entirely our own. They carry something vital back into the world: a salve, a mirror, a reminder.
In telling them, we practice alchemy — transforming our lived experience into stories that heal, witness, and connect. This is the work of The Storywell.
I hope this offering of my own creative practice can be a supportive resource for your own inward spiral and a gentle roadmap back to the surface.
-Zandashé Brown
Founder, The Storywell
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Nourish
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Circle
Enter The Gathering Well, a subscriber-based community where storytellers gather, share, and witness each other’s work.
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Journey
Explore our live and archived offerings — virtual and in-person workshops that guide you through a holistic storytelling process.
