To me, life is just one big experiment. I’m a creative person, so experimenting comes naturally. Writers and painters and other creative types do it all the time. We’re always wondering: What would happen if I did this? We tweak, we stretch our creative muscles and challenge ourselves to try new things, whether it’s a point of view character we’ve never tried or a new medium.
I also believe that for those of us who create it’s important to know that we’re not alone. There are others out there living quiet and creative lives who are doing some pretty awesome things. Sometimes just knowing others are out there helps us be more creative, too. We can also learn a lot from them and be inspired.
With that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to a new feature on my blog and my latest experiment. It’s called:
From the Front Porch: Creativity Interviews
Starting next week, I will begin a new feature where (via email) I interview people I admire and respect regarding their creativity. The interview consists of a series of questions I came up with, as well as some I borrowed from other interviewers. Here’s a small sampling of the questions:
What inspires you?
When do you feel the most creative? When do you feel the least?
What is one of your favorite quotes?
There’s even a question that asks: Name a song/band/type of music you’d risk wreck & injury to turn off when it comes on the radio?
…and much more!
So tune in next week to see more of the questions and how my first special guest answered them.
If you want to make a suggestion of someone for me to interview, please email me at susan@susangabriel.com. This is not about being famous. It’s about people who are creative and really alive, whatever they do in the world. They don’t have to be a writer or other type of artist.
In the meantime, I’ll wish you a healthy and soulful week and leave you with a quote by one of my favorite creative women of all time, Maya Angelou.
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
— Maya Angelou
xo
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Susan Gabriel is the acclaimed southern author of The Secret Sense of Wildflower (named a Best Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews) and other southern novels, including Temple Secrets, Grace, Grits and Ghosts: Southern Short Stories and others. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina.
