Anna Brones - Committed to Creativity
Anna Brones is a freelance journalist, author, artist, and producer who is prolific in all of her creative endeavors—she’s published four books, produced documentary films, is currently publishing a quarterly print journal about food, and much more. One of her most recent projects was the Women’s Wisdom Project, in which she showcased the wisdom of inspiring women by creating 100 papercut portraits. All of Anna’s work is authentic and enlightening, and her personal commitment to cultivating creativity is instructive and inspiring.
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Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Anna always had a deep appreciation for nature and community. She has studied, lived, and worked in many different countries and cities, but several years ago decided to return to her hometown in Washington state where she and her husband currently live. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Anna has read and thought deeply on the importance of place, and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be truly connected to a landscape or community.
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Anna and I connected via Skype and had a wide-ranging conversation about her creative process, her current and past artistic projects, the importance of wilderness and nature, and much more. We started by discussing her Creative Fuel Challenge email newsletter—an amazing resource that has been very helpful to me during these past few crazy months. We also discussed her Women’s Wisdom Project—how she researched all 100 inspirational women and the process of creating 100 intricate pieces of art. Anna talked about her experience leading kids on a wilderness leadership retreat, as well as how camp and wilderness experiences in her own youth helped to shape her life and career. And as usual, we discussed favorite books and her most powerful outdoor experience, and she also offered some excellent words of wisdom for anyone with creative aspirations.
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There are tons of resources mentioned in this episode. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything, including a few bonus resources that Anna and I discussed before and after recording the actual episode. Enjoy!
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- 3:30 - The Creative Fuel Challenge explained
- 6:30 - Why provide creative prompts?
- 7:45 - Importance of putting out regular content
- 9:30 - Time as an artist in residence
- 12:30 - Process of finding balance in life and creativity
- 15:30 - Pushing through creative blocks
- 19:00 - Fighting the reptile brain
- 20:45 - Using social media productively
- 23:45 - The Women’s Wisdom Project
- 27:45 - Process of researching women leaders
- 32:30 - The myth of having millions of ideas
- 36:00 - Anna’s early years in Washington state
- 41:00 - Importance of “place”
- 45:30 - How Anna came to appreciate the complexities of place
- 50:30 - Artists that Anna admires
- 53:30 - Anna’s experience leading wilderness trips
- 57:45 - How camp experiences benefited Anna
- 1:02:00 - Favorite books
- 1:06:30 - Most powerful outdoor experience
- 1:09:00 - Parting words of wisdom