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
Mar 9, 2020 • 1h 24min
Creativity Sparks: Rejected Princesses + The Astor Place Riots
This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura share two sparks of creativity -- the treasure trove of phenomenal women throughout history featured in Rejected Princesses books and website, plus the history under our feet: The Astor Place Riots fought over who was the most talented actor, of all things.As always, if any ideas strike your fancy, we invite you to take it and make it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 5, 2020 • 53min
Makers: Kelli O'Hara: Having a 'Voice', Doing No Harm, and Love of the Game
On this episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura connect with the extraordinarily talented and kind human being, Kelli O'Hara. Kelli shares a valuable artist life hack -- her backstage self-talk. You won't want to miss her secret for beating performance anxiety! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 2, 2020 • 1h 30min
Creativity Sparks: Katherine Hepburn's Career Turnaround + Scotty Bowers and the Secret History of Hollywood
When Susan and Laura were invited to intro a NYC showing of The Philadelphia Story recently, they challenged themselves to find sparks related to the movie -- and they didn't have to look very far! The incredible self-orchestrated career turnaround of Katherine Hepburn, plus Scotty Bowers and the Secret History of Hollywood. Buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy ride! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 27, 2020 • 43min
Makers: Phillipa Soo: Part 2: Anxiety, Perfection and Letting It Hang Loose
Susan and Laura had so much fun talking to TONY-nominated Phillipa Soo, they went for a Part 2! Pippa shares fears, "failure" and her process of letting it all hang loose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 24, 2020 • 1h 26min
Creativity Sparks: Preparation + Boredom
Two random sparks of creativity today, pulled from Susan and Laura's spark files give us the yin and the yang, two ends of the spectrum... how extra Preparation may be behind the sensation of effortlessness, and how allowing ourselves bouts of Boredom makes room for new creative connections in our brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 20, 2020 • 41min
Makers: Phillipa Soo: Part 1: Giving Voice to New Characters, and Learning from a Legacy
In this week's bonus episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura connect with Tony nominee, Phillipa Soo. Pippa shares her love of rehearsal, her dreams of directing, and her perspective on the recently announced film featuring the original cast of Hamilton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 17, 2020 • 1h 34min
Creativity Sparks: Col. Percy Fawcett + A Room of One's Own
In this week's episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura share two new sparks of creativity: the enduring legend of Col. Percy Fawcett's final journey into the Amazon and the eternal search for personal creative space and a room of one's own, inspired in part by Caridad De La Luz and El Garaje. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 13, 2020 • 53min
Makers: Bonnie Siegler: Chasing Andy Warhol, Signs of Resistance, and the Gift of Certainty
This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura get to talk to Bonnie Siegler, graphic designer of all things — books, TV shows, editorial, brand logos — and author of “signs of resistance” and “dear client”. Discussing everything from the beauty of “I notice” and “I wonder” to the inspiration of andy warhol to a fierce love of history, Bonnie shares the inspiration behind her work and how she uses her design superpowers for the good of all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 10, 2020 • 1h 40min
Creativity Sparks: Shop Class to Soul Craft + Introversion
In this weeks episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura dive into an exploration of the value of work, particularly working with your hands, described in Shop Class to Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford, and the beauty and benefits of Introversion, explained by Susan Cain in her book, Quiet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 6, 2020 • 37min
Makers: Angela Johnson: Investing in Access
In the latest bonus episode of The Spark File, Susan and Laura talk to Angela Johnson, Founder & CEO of Invest in Access about how important inclusion and access are to our creativity and creative endeavors.Angela Johnson is an Accessibility Strategist on a mission to increase equity for individuals living with disabilities. She is the Founder & CEO of Invest In Access, and owns AJ Inclusion Consulting, in furtherance of her mission. Angela's is presently focusing on accessibility within: events, recreation, and workplace culture. Since the summer of 2019, Angela has been contracting as Advancer for Democratic Presidential candidates whose teams are dedicated to increasing access + inclusion for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
