Скачать или смотреть S1E8: Forrest, Multidisciplinary Artist

Welcome to my podcast Creative Momentum with Meg Dunley where I interview creatives about their process, routines and inspiration.


Season 1: The Chateau Season


This first season of the podcast, The Chateau Season features creatives I interviewed during my writing residency the Chateau d’Orquevaux Artist and Writers Residency in France (https://www.chateauorquevaux.com/) . The episodes feature writers, filmmakers, visual artists, verbatim storytellers and more. Each episode gives you insight into the creative mind, taking you behind the studio doors to hear about process, routine, inspiration and wisdom. These pocket-sized episodes are to encourage you on your creative pathway.





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Episode 8: Forrest, Multidisciplinary Artist


In this episode, the eighth episode of the Chateau season, I’m chatting with Forrest and this interview was conducted at the Chateau d’Orquevaux in France. At the time of the recording, Forrest was going by the name Bee, which is what you will hear me call Forrest during the interview.


Forrest, whose pronouns are he/they, is originally from Massachusetts but now lives in New York City. Forrest works across, is a multidisciplinary artist and works across visual art, illustration, collage, writing and choreography. In our discussion, Forrest shares his approach to creativity and talks about embracing spontaneity while recognising the value of routine, especially during residencies.


He opens up about finding inspiration in long-form poetry, fellow artists and the power of daydreams and night dreams and offers essential wisdom about maintaining a playfulness when pursuing art as a career. I hope you enjoy this interview with Forrest.


Interview transcript


MD: Hi Bee.


Forrest: Hi.


MD: Thanks for agreeing to have this interview with me about your creativity. Can you start by just introducing yourself with your name and where you’re from?


Forrest: Yeah, I’m Bee. I’m from Massachusetts but I live in New York City.


MD: Excellent. And what is your or are your creative disciplines?


Forrest: I do visual art. I do illustrations and collage and I am primarily a writer and I also do some choreography.


MD: Beautiful. Tell me, do you have, what is your process with your creativity?


Forrest: It’s fairly sporadic. I kind of just write when I have bursts of inspirations. My visual art I have been reconnecting to.


I really like just waking up and starting to do my art. But I also write late at night sometimes. I do have a creative, I used to have a creative process journal where I would write about my poetry process and stories I want to write.


So I find journaling about the projects I’m working on is helpful.


MD: And do you have a routine for your creative work?


Forrest: Not currently. While I’ve been here at this residency I’ve had a routine where I just work throughout the day. But at home it’s just like, as I said, I’m fairly sporadic.


I just kind of work when I’m inspired. I do want to create more of a routine when I get back home because I’ve found it to be helpful while I’m here.


MD: And who or what or where is your creative inspiration?


Forrest: I definitely have a lot of authors that inspire me. For poetry I like Erica Doyle (https://rericadoyle.com/) and Jenny Xie (http://www.jennymxie.com/) . They both do long form poetry.


Let’s do the cat. A lot of the writers that I read from. Jenny Hval (https://www.jennyhval.com/) who wrote Paradise Rot (https://www.amazon.com.au/Paradise-Ro...) is a big inspiration for my novel.


I’m constantly reading and the other books I’m reading are inspiration for my work. And then also my friends, sometimes partners, are usually also artists. So reading their work and getting feedback from them is a big inspiration.


I think just being around other artists is a big inspiration and also nature.


MD: If you were to meet someone who was just at the beginning of their creative life, what pearl or pearls of wisdom would you want to pass on to them?


Forrest: I think I would tell them that in order to make art a career, you still don’t have to take it seriously. You still have to have fun and have a sense of play with your work. But also having that play with a sense of discipline of carving out time in your life to work on those skills is a good mix.


I would also say try to be gentle with yourself and don’t be afraid to be a beginner. Because sometimes when I’m starting a new art medium, I don’t want to be a beginner and then I just give up. But then I have to go back and be like, it’s okay to just start at the beginning and not be good at something right at the start.


MD: I love that. Is there anything else that you would want to share with other creatives?


Forrest: I don’t know. I think just that if you try to value your im...