exploring the work of writing & creating
When I was a teenager (the nerdy classical pianist kind) my piano teacher repeatedly made it clear that competitions only matter if they help you. I competed in a lot of piano competitions at this time, so it was a little strange to hear that it was possible for them to not matter, but it made sense: if you don’t make it anywhere in a competition, life carries on and you continue on your path.
Read MoreActor 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 MoreLoneliness plays a recurring role in creative work. Feeling lonely can connect us more deeply to our emotions, keep us undistracted by the needs and demands of others, and free us from others’ expectations—plus, our imagination kicks into gear because it works most when it’s needed.
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 MoreI really think that finding this balance between wildness and discipline is key in creativity, which is not only about thinking of ideas and expressing them, but also about developing them into some form of finished project. I don’t know how wild my mind is, but, having grown up a classical pianist, discipline is kind of my jam.
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 MoreIf you’re anything like me, your definition of a good time is doing non-“work”-related work and/or you only feel relaxed if you have a whole day to be productive and/or you are stumped when people ask you what you do for fun, so here’s hoping you are not like me. But if you are, read on!
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 MoreI find myself using my piano training all the time when I’m writing. In the world of screenwriting, there are already musical terms in the jargon—a character might be too “one-note,” for instance, and scripts move in “beats.” For me, sitting through a good movie is virtually the same experience as sitting through a good musical performance.
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.
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