Introducing, Ten Questions With . . .
When I decided to return to blogging, I sat down and asked myself some tough questions. Why did I wanted to invest time and energy into this, when those are my most precious resources? What did I hope to achieve? In a super-saturated online universe, what could I possibly offer that would have value for others?
One thing I kept coming back to was that I didn’t want it to be all about me. I wanted to create opportunities to bring in other voices, other experiences. I am so lucky to have so many creative people in my life, and I wanted to mine that resource in order to create content that is insightful and interesting.
Another goal I had for the re-launch was to shift the focus to be more centered on my identity as a writer. So, I thought, I know! I’ll interview other writers! I’ll ask them about their process, how they structure their time, how they promote their work, etc. etc.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized what I wanted in my heart of hearts was to talk to people doing different kinds of creative work. I am deeply interested in the lives of other authors, but I am just as curious about how our work compares that of people in other fields. I want to explore how everything from childcare, to geography, to branding, to time-manage, to community-building, impacts the way people structure and think about their work.
I started making a list of people I would want to talk to. The list grew and grew. There were lots of writers, but also painters, illustrators, musicians, gardeners, dancers, hair stylists, architects, teachers, software developers, and social media influencers. Most were women, but not all. I stared at the list for a full week before I finally worked up the courage to ask a few of them if they would be interested. I can’t tell you how excited I was when they all said ‘yes!’
After my first interview, with the founder an innovative online gardening retailer called Leevo, I am more convinced than ever that creatives in diverse industries have more in common than we think. You might assume that a picture book writer and an entrepreneur would share little common ground, but listening to her talk about the challenges she faced building a business from scratch, I found myself relating to almost everything she shared.
No matter what it is we do, all creatives face the daunting task of figuring out how to build a career around our passion. We must hone and grow our particular craft, but we must also figure out how to make a living, and how to share our work with others in a meaningful way. Setting out to be writers, artists, gardeners, and makers, we quickly understand that we must also be social media experts, web designers, teachers, and business owners. We are constantly learning in 97 directions at once. Could there be a more interesting group of people to talk to?
I have no idea where this series will take me, but I am so excited to find out.
