Actor Ben Curtis started his career playing Steve the Dell Dude (as in, “Dude you’re getting a Dell!”) in Dell Computer commercials from 2000-2003. The height of his fame as the Dell Dude coincided with his experience of 9/11, which he witnessed from his apartment in Manhattan. Ben has been on a healing journey ever since, believing that connection is more important than anything.
Read MoreAlissa Barthel is a microbiologist and entrepreneur in addition to being a brilliant cheesemaker. A former biomedical researcher with 30 years of experience in the food industry, Alissa draws inspiration from 8,000 years of cheesemaking history and the power of the microbiome to create cheese that supports human health and well-being.
Read MoreIt was so much fun to interview Carleton Whaley for this week’s Q&A because experimentation and discovery are at the heart of his creative process. Carleton’s fiction has been nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology and longlisted for Wigleaf’s Top 50. He’s been published in Paper Darts, Occulum, New South Journal, Five: 2: One, and so much more.
Read MoreArtist Hannah Drossman understands the importance of spontaneity in the fight against perfectionism. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Buzzfeed, FiveThirtyEight, and more. She talked with me about the joy of working in mediums she can’t control, making choices in the moment, and letting the subconscious flow.
Read MoreIfrah Mansour is a Somali refugee multimedia artist in the Twin Cities. Recently named a 2021-2022 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, Ifrah’s artistic activities include playwriting, acting, puppets, installations, and so much more. Her play How to Have Fun in a Civil War, which explores the Somali Civil War from a child’s perspective, premiered at the Guthrie Theater in 2018.
Read MoreDr. Tiffany Jackson is a singer, voice teacher, bodybuilder, certified personal trainer, and sports nutrition specialist. (Really, what isn’t she?) After honing her craft with the Houston Grand Opera, she sang with orchestras all over the world, including making her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2005. For Tiffany, everything is about connecting with people.
Read MoreLisa and Laura Bunbury are a sister screenwriting/producing team who write multicultural young adult and teen/family dramas. They were recently selected as fellows and Team Leads of the Blackmagic Collective’s Breakthrough Initiative, a fellowship that champions BIPOC TV directors and writers, and they’re mentees in the #StartWith8Hollywood program.
Read MoreWhen I think about creative process in music, David Chang is the first person who comes to mind. A Steinway Educational Partner and one of the most in-demand piano teachers in the country, David has created unique methodologies that detail how to efficiently learn and memorize music.
Read MoreI’m super excited to feature Los Angeles-based designer and illustrator Jane Gardner for the inaugural Q&A of Wild Minds! In addition to being, you know, my sister, Jane is a Senior Graphic Designer at Mattel, where she designs packaging for games including Rock’em Sock’em Robots, The Magic 8-Ball, UNO, and more.
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