How do you move past that "wobbly moment" in your creative journey? Just move. From the moment she heard about it, Susan Orlean knew she had to tell the story of "The Orchid Thief" – a wild, true story of obsession set in the swamps of Florida. But somewhere deep in the telling, she risks losing her own footing. Spark & Fire follows Susan as she pursues the story that "set her brain on fire," pushing past a creative crisis to write the magazine article and then book that in turn inspired the film "Adaptation." She tells her story in her own incisive, honest and very funny words — with insider details you haven’t heard, and actionable advice for anyone at any stage of their creative journey.
Susan Orlean is a journalist and nonfiction writer who became a staff writer at the New Yorker in 1992. Her works of literary nonfiction include The Orchid Thief, The Library Book, and most recently, On Animals. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanorlean
Follow along (with transcript and photos) at http://sparkandfire.com/orchidthief/
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Introducing: Offsite Adventures
Create from joy: Writer Phoebe Robinson on "You Can’t Touch My Hair"
5 ways to handle creative conflict
Get to the fun part: Game creators Matthew Inman and Elan Lee on Exploding Kittens
Trust creates gold: Comedian David Cross on “Arrested Development”
Let emotion be your North Star: Composer Kris Bowers
5 strategies for overcoming failure
Fight for your dream: Comedian Cristela Alonzo
Find the people who see your dream: Actor Aasif Mandvi
Always be iterating: Pomplamoose’s Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn
Take responsibility for your creativity: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
5 strategies for starting something new
Tell a universal truth: “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz
Sweat the details: Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett
Embrace your inner weirdo: Pixar’s Domee Shi on “Turning Red”
Generosity creates magic: “Frozen” songwriters Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Replenish your sense of meaning: Musician Kayhan Kalhor on “Silent City"
Find what you need to fuel your work: Mark Bradford’s “Unicorn Tapestries”
Commit to your best work (always!): Novelist Ann Patchett on “The Dutch House”
How to recover your creative voice: Comedian Patton Oswalt on “Annihilation” & “I Love Everything”
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