Happy Friday Reader, Welcome to the fall and cooler weather. When the seasons change, I like to check in and see what I want to change in my life. Metaphorically, what leaves am I ready to drop? Which new experiences do I want to try? I hugely value the people in my life who make me feel energized to lean into new experiences. This week's guest, Gabrielle, not only helped me learn to be an excellent AD, but she mentors and encourages all those around her to try the new thing. She's great at...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, Sometimes you're in the hard part. Right now, I'm watching a CrossFit competition where Kyle and other friends from our gym are competing in 6 really intense workouts over 3 days. They are doing great, and it's so inspiring and intense to see people push themselves to their limits. But as much as it inspiring to watch from the sideline, when you're in the thick of it, life can feel gnarly. People here have bust up their hands already and are choosing to carry on, patching...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, Ever see someone and just know they look familiar but you don't know why? It's one of those things that gets me in funny situations in LA. Do I know that person? I'll go say hi - Oh wait, I just saw them on TV, abort abort! No, wait! I did, but I directed them 8 years ago and have their personal email. It's fine, not weird. Say hi! But with Jerome it was true - I saw him years before I knew him. Though Jerome is primarily a composer, writer, and director, his face is the...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, Perspective is funny. You know when someone looks at the same thing but sees something different? Sometimes it's frustrating, often it's funny (6 vs 9), but every once in a while its inspiring. My guest Clara is a master of possibility. She looks at moths circling a light, and where I might be tempted to find a citronella candle, as a visual and textile artist Clara sees shape and texture to costume her next "Shoot Naked" photography session. Where I see plain shapes, she...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, Growing up, my friends all had posters of movie stars, TV stars, and pop stars covering their walls. I had one poster of the night sky's constellations and one of a blue whale out in the deep ocean. I grew up on a dairy farm in PA, so while I might have to wake up early to put on overalls and scoop manure (suuuper fun as a teenage girl), movies and TV brought people and places from all over the world to my living room. Though I obviously love the work people create in...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, There once was a creator named Jess Who had Covid and was such a mess her writing so sick it comes out in limerick to send you these links, thank you, bless! Just kidding (kind of). But though I'm back at it, I've been reflecting on the transparency my guest Rachel Lee brings to everything she does. If you see a few seconds of a clip of her, you might think she's this badass creative who's curated an off the charts nerdy-cool-girl aesthetic. And you're right. But it's not...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Happy Friday Reader, Welcome back to the cafe! I am so delighted to join you again for Season 2. Just like a comfy old friendship *cough cough guest Jacob Smith,* an ongoing creative project needs to bend with the curves of our life. This season the first change you'll see is that I'm hosting a virtual version of my cafe, so that I can start to branch out to creators in different cities (and countries!). And hopefully I'll continue to grow as a human and artist as I keep experimenting with...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Filmmaker Carolina Alvarez on creating her first feature film Happy Friday Reader, It's new to me. Whether it's something familiar with new people (a meetup, a play reading, day trips, Disney!) or a new twist in a familiar place (algorithms but on TikTok, filming but with teleprompters! takeout but make it DTown Pizzeria!) it's always exciting, but I'm still surprised at how much energy it takes to do the new thing. And sometimes I fall in to focusing on what might not work instead of getting...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
Happy Friday Reader, "I'm trying hard to be easier on myself." Trying hard to be easy. Hmmm... I've heard this four times this week (I was two of them) . This pushing comes up a lot when you are a passionate and committed creative "trying hard" to make everything work. But often the harder we try the harder everything is. Maybe"trying hard" doesn't need to be the default action? Candace is one of the "hardest workers" I know, but she is joyful and playful and light, which makes her more...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
