Category: Multi-Media

ORIGINALITY Creating a Fake World People Can Believe In with Grace P Fong

Originality 20: Creating a Fake World People Can Believe In

By:  TempestPodcast

We’re back! In this episode Aleen and I talk about my interview with artist Grace P Fong, an awesome person I met on last year’s Writing Excuses cruise. Grace’s art is so good, and I got a chance to watch her draw many times while we toured around the Baltic Sea. That trip was just a small part of a larger tour throughout the world Grace was on at the time. If you think all my moving around is impressive, you should have seen her itinerary. Months and months, multiple continents, visiting friends and having new experiences. In our interview she talked about how this travel makes for better art, about mind palaces, and about what it takes to create something that isn’t real from studying what is.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

ORIGINALITY logo with image of Marisa McClellan

Originality 19: You Don’t Have to Be an Expert

By:  TempestPodcast

Aleen talks to Marisa McClellan about audience-building in this one and then she and I and ponder the balance between how much an artist really has to engage with their audience in order to keep them interested and keeping yourself safe and sane in the face of the dark side of engagement.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

ORIGINALITY logo next to a picture of Surel's Place

Originality 18: Turn on the Fountain of Words

By:  TempestPodcast

I still have to write a detailed post about my writing residency at Surel’s Place. But if you’re curious about how it went and about artist residencies in general, then listen to this episode. I go into some of the ups and downs I experienced as well as the general benefit of getting away, even for a short while, to concentrate on your art.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

ORIGINALITY episode 17 logo with picture of Jodi Eichelberger

Originality 17: Stuff People in a Couch

By:  TempestPodcast

While I was at Surel’s Place doing my residency I interviewed Jodi Eichelberger, the residency’s program director. Jodi is a fascinating person and I enjoyed getting to know him while I was in Boise. Especially since we have a friend in common!

Jodi’s path to being a local arts superstar does begin in Idaho, but it took him through Portland, OR, New York City, and Reykjavik, Iceland. He’s done musical theater, puppetry, and steampunk coffee delivery by bicycle. Like I said, fascinating.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

Jem and the Holograms comic

Originality #16: Someone Needs Me to Talk About Jem & the Holograms

By:  TempestPodcast

Those of you who were fans of the JEMcast will loooove this episode. In it, I interview and Aleen and I talk about writer Kelly Thompson, who wrote the Jem & the Holograms comics plus several others (including, at this current moment in time, Captain Phasma, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, and Hawkeye). We do go on about Jem-related stuff in this episode, yes, but talk about a bunch more! Such as writing within existing worlds, being a fan who then gets to write for the thing they love, how to organize your day if you’re a freelance writer, and imposter syndrome.

This is a long episode, but I hope well worth it!

Also: JEM. WHO IS TRULY OUTRAGEOUS. Just like Kelly.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

rainy day by nilah macgruder

Originality #15: You Can’t See Them But They Can See You

By:  TempestPodcast

I interview Nilah Magruder, who is a visual artist and a writer. Her two most recent books, a children’s picture book and a graphic novel, were both written and illustrated by her, which I find super impressive. Also, Nilah is amazing and smart. In this episode we talk about how some writers can benefit from thinking like artists and the origin story of Nilah’s book How To Find A Fox.

I also talk passionately about how important it is for young artists to not be told No or You Can’t Do That and what happened to me when I heard that kind of thing.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

(art by Nilah)

BOMB magazine

Originality #14: Interconnected Art

By:  TempestORIGINality

This was the first episode recorded while I was at Surel’s Place. I talk a wee bit about the residency, but the majority of the ep is about how cross-pollination is essential to creativity. We get into it in terms of art, writing, music, of course, and also technology.

I mentioned the auctions we did to support the Interfictions anthologies and doing so made me long for the days of putting together artists and artisans with pieces of fiction and watching what happened. I also had an idea for the Interstitial Arts Foundation that we should try to foster this kind of thing on a consistent basis. If I had the time, if all the volunteers had more time… man.

Maybe I’ll make time at the end of next year when things calm down a bit.

Until then, you can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

10 Best Things about The Prince of Egypt

The 10 Best Things About The Prince of Egypt

By:  TempestVlog

When I hit my first funding goal on my Egypt Research Trip fundraiser I promised to do a livetweet rewatch of The Prince of Egypt and then make a video comparing it to The Ten Commandments. I’m still working on that vid, but I was inspired to make this one first!

I love PoE more and more each time I watch it. And I discover new wonderful, subtle things woven into it each time as well.

I hope you enjoy this (admittedly long) video and look forward to the next one. If I hit $1000 on my fundraiser I’ll livetweet while I watch Exodus: Gods and Kings. You want me to rip that movie to shreds, don’t you? Well, as of this moment I’m less than $200 from that goal…

sphinx and pyramids

Originality #13: I Need to Stand Next to the Pyramids

By:  TempestPodcast

In this episode Aleen and I talk about the value of travel and research trips for creative people. About how getting outside of your normal life–even if you go just 2 hours away–can feed your muse. I talk about how my trip to Europe this year gave me unexpected inspiration, and about how I need to visit places in order to really know how to describe them.

And jumping off that, this is a tiny reminder that I am still trying to raise money to go to Egypt next year for research. If you want to support me and my work, you can donate to the fundraiser via YouCaring. You can also support me by supporting my Patreon. Even $1 a month helps.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.

Monica Valentinelli

Originality #12: Writing is Time Travel

By:  TempestPodcast

In this episode I interview writer and game designer Monica Valentinelli and Aleen and I talk about creativity and role-playing games. Monica gets into some cool stuff about ways game writers can be creative within an existing system and franchise, and also about how she got into writing for games. It’s a really great conversation.

You can listen to the podcast below or on the episode page where you can see the show notes and also subscribe.