The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien
Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien
Your one stop shop for creative ideas and inspiration. Sign up for our newsletter HERE. Each week on The Spark File podcast, Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien reach into their spark files and share stories, ideas and fascinations to ignite your imagination. Obsessed with creativity, Blackwell and Camien also talk with artists and makers, movers and shakers who have taken the spark of inspiration and fanned it into a flame. Hear from inspiring creatives like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Groff, Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich, Zachary Quinto, Leslie Odom Jr, Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Billy Eichner, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Karen Olivo, Sutton Foster, Michael R. Jackson and many more about their passions and their failures, their inspirations and their aspirations. Refill your creative fish pond with new ideas and fresh perspectives. Listen, then take it and make it! Learn more at thesparkfile.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 11, 2021 • 1h 49min
Creativity Sparks: Haiku + Collective Creativity
Riding high from the recent Spark File New Year 2021 Creativity KickOff, Susan and Laura discuss the highlights, and share two sparks inspired by the event - the enduring artform of Haiku, and the power we yield when we make things together, such as the work done at quilting bees, crafting bees, raising bees -- also known as collective creativity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 4, 2021 • 1h 16min
Makers: Sutton Foster: Say Yes, Trust Your Gut + Get a Hobby
What a way to ring in the New Year! This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura dig in deep with Uber Maker Sutton Foster. In addition to her TONY Award winning career on Broadway, and in film, television, and music, Sutton is a maker extraordinaire -- cross stitching, crocheting, drawing, teaching and writing. Her upcoming book (tentatively called HOOKED: How Crafting Saved My Life) is all about her life seen through the things she has made. Sutton shares with us just how powerful it is to always have something of your own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 28, 2020 • 2h
Creativity Sparks: The Intrigue of Austen + Toys
This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura are serving up two pipin' hot sparks... Join them as they suss out their obsession with Jane Austen -- is it the repressed sexual tension? the perfect witty, cutting remark? And listen as they dig into their memories of the toys that shaped our childhoods and what might be made of them now... From the Draw-a-Face Doll to the Little Lady Electric Range, Weebles that wobble, and Willy the Waterbug sprinkler... memories (and sparks) are tied up in these toys! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 21, 2020 • 1h 11min
Makers: Tiffani Gavin: Creative Producing, the Eugene O'Neill + the Broadway Community Project
This week, Tiffani Gavin, the new Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, shares her passion for supporting emerging artists, and the desire to educate the world on the scope and impact of the industry overall - with the Broadway Community Project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2020 • 1h 38min
Creativity Sparks: Helene Hanff + Secret Love
This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura offer up two sparks of inspiration... First, Helene Hanff and her classic theatre book, 'Underfoot in Show Business' paints a picture of the early days of Broadway; and then the infinite spark power of secrets kept and secrets shared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 7, 2020 • 1h 18min
Makers: John Early: Search Party, Short Films + Political Storytelling
On this week's episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura laugh as much as they listen while conversing with comedian John Early, star of HBO's Search Party, The Characters on Netflix, and so much more. A true creator, John's always making something -- TV shows, short films, social posts, or profiles for political candidates he is passionate about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 30, 2020 • 1h 37min
Creativity Sparks: Garnet's Gold + Land Acknowledgements
On this week's episode, Susan and Laura reach into their spark files and share two fresh sparks of inspiration. First, the documentary Garnet's Gold weaves a tale of lost treasure in the Scottish highlands, but actually explores the pain of adventures not taken, lives not fully lived. And then, a deep dive into understanding land acknowlegement, recoginzing Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of these lands, and understanding our place within history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 23, 2020 • 1h 32min
Makers: Eric Stonestreet: Fizbo the Clown, Outdoor Bathrooms + Making Memories with Music
Emmy Award winning actor Eric Stonestreet shares some great creative advice with Susan and Laura in the latest episode of The Spark File. They cover all the essentials — creativity, clowning, and how to build your dream bathroom in the woods.With the one-of-a-kind heart of an actor / comedian / clown / philanthropist / chef /drummer / die-hard sports fan, we’d argue that Eric is also inadvertently giving some great advice on livin’ life to the fullest!Also, don’t miss this classic Eric Stonestreet move — making lasting memories with music. Whether driving Sunset Boulevard with friends, or capturing the mood from the set of the Modern Family finale, Eric knows how to compose an unforgettable soundtrack to your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 16, 2020 • 1h 44min
Creativity Sparks: Furious Dancing + Resilience
Susan and Laura are back with Season 2 of The Spark File - rested, refreshed and creative fishpond restocked! They take a deep dive in search of the value of Creativity, and discover its life-saving attributes; AND they explore the need for resilience, and how to find it if you're not feeling it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 28, 2020 • 1h 11min
Creativity Sparks: Previously On... The Spark File
Susan and Laura are back with a few reflections and the latest and greatest updates on Season 1 topics, PLUS a projection for Season 2. Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for new episodes coming this fall! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
