Spark & Fire: Fuel Your Creativity

Introducing: Pioneers of AI Sep 18, 2024

We’re excited to launch WaitWhat's newest weekly series, Pioneers of AI — your guide to the latest technological frontier. Hosted by AI thought leader, scientist, and investor Rana el Kaliouby, tune in for insights from industry trailblazers, explore the ethical considerations of AI, and get ahead of what’s to come as the technology continues to develop. Head to the Pioneers of AI feed now to hear Rana's latest conversations alongside Masters of Scale's Reid Hoffman and Dr. Joy Boulamwini. New episodes of Pioneers of AI release every Wednesday. Pioneers of AI is made possible with support from Inflection AI.

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Introducing: Offsite Adventures Apr 17, 2024

From the team behind Spark & Fire, we're happy to share the first episode of Offsite Adventures, our newest show uncovering the gems, magical moments, and unique learnings in iconic business travel destinations.

Three minutes before midnight in Times Square, one of the most trafficked commercial centers in the world momentarily transforms into a vibrant digital art installation, providing a refreshing pause for locals and tourists alike. It’s called the Midnight Moment, and you won’t believe how something so unexpected came together. In this episode, Janet digs into the history of this unique collaboration between the advertising and arts communities before experiencing it herself with innovative, boundary-breaking artist Shahzia Sikander.

Offsite Adventures is a Masters of Scale Production presented in alliance with Capital One Business.

Special thanks to Jean Cooney and Times Squares Arts and artists featured as part of the Midnight Moment episode:

Artist: Shahzia Sikander | Title: Reckoning | Video by Tatyana Tenenbaum

Artist: Nora Maité Nieves | Title: Eyes of the Sea | Video by Tatyana Tenenbaum

Artist: LuYang | Title: DOKU: Digital Reincarnation | Video by Phatt Features

Special thanks to composer Du Yun for music featured in this episode.

See this story come to life in our video series on YouTube. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERpUrWKdCjE

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Create from joy: Writer Phoebe Robinson on "You Can’t Touch My Hair" Apr 19, 2023

There’s a commonly held belief that great creative work comes from pain. But comedian and writer Phoebe Robinson says that this is a myth. Instead, Phoebe believes great creative work comes from a place of joy. As Phoebe shares her personal story of writing her debut essay collection, You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain, she draws on the things that bring her the most joy in life, whether it’s her Peloton bike, or her obsession with the band U2. Her joy is what allows her to hone her unique creative voice, which she describes as having “a lot of pop culture references, but there's also some smarty smarty pants stuff that's going on.” Phoebe will inspire you to tap into what brings you joy, whatever it may be, and use it as fuel to create — and have fun doing it.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Go to sparkandfire.com/download to download Spark & Fire's free creativity guide and access 100 activities designed to fuel your creative practice.

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5 ways to handle creative conflict Mar 30, 2023

Creative conflict can destroy a work-in-progress — or it can push your work beyond good to great. What matters is how you respond. We’re going to hear from 5 creators in 5 very different fields who share actionable strategies (and great stories) about how to recognize, resolve, and harness conflict to create work that is visionary.

Featuring “Frozen” songwriters Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez, actor and comedian Cristela Alonzo, choreographer Bill T. Jones, salsa legend Rubén Blades, and “Queen’s Gambit” producers Bill Horberg and Allan Scott.

Listen to the full episodes that inspired this mixtape:

“Frozen” songwriters Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez: https://sparkandfire.com/frozen/

“Cristela” creator Cristela Alonzo: https://sparkandfire.com/cristela/

“Afterwardsness” choreographer Bill T. Jones: https://sparkandfire.com/billtjones/

“Pedro Navaja” songwriter Rubén Blades: https://sparkandfire.com/rubenblades/

“Queen’s Gambit” producers Allan Scott and William Horberg: https://sparkandfire.com/queensgambit/

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/

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Get to the fun part: Game creators Matthew Inman and Elan Lee on Exploding Kittens Mar 23, 2023

To make something irresistible, get to the fun part — fast. That’s how Exploding Kittens became one of the world’s most popular games. When cartoonist Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal) and game developer Elan Lee (former Xbox) designed the card game Exploding Kittens, they took fun very seriously. This mindset unlocked their creativity in unexpected ways: They transformed a Kickstarter into a wildly successful interactive game, and radically simplified their instructions so their players could get to the fun part faster. In their story, you’ll find surprising lessons for any field on serving your audience and feeding your own creativity.

Get the transcript, photos and original game sketches at https://sparkandfire.com/explodingkittens/

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Trust creates gold: Comedian David Cross on “Arrested Development” Mar 15, 2023

Behind every masterpiece — comedic, artistic, or otherwise — is a deep well of trust. Case in point: the legendary sit-com, Arrested Development. As Comedian David Cross shares the story of bringing to life the brilliantly absurd character Tobias Fünke, you’ll hear how every moment of comedic gold on the show was made possible by trust — trusting his collaborators, trusting the writing, and trusting his instincts (“Send the stunt double home. I can do that my own…”).

See David Cross on tour: https://officialdavidcross.com/pages/appearances

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Let emotion be your North Star: Composer Kris Bowers Mar 08, 2023

This episode follows the composer Kris Bowers’ personal story about composing the score for the culture-shifting and emotionally devastating work When They See Us. This award-winning series follows the true story of five boys, wrongfully accused in 1989 of the brutal rape of a jogger in New York’s Central Park. The narrative spans a quarter-century, from the night of the incident to their eventual exoneration as grown men.

To tackle this project, Kris let emotion be his North Star. Allowing his emotions to guide him led him straight to the heart of the story — and inspired a score that connects the audience to the characters.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/

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5 strategies for overcoming failure Feb 27, 2023

Failure is a normal part — even an essential part — of any creative journey. But that probably isn’t what you want to hear after experiencing failure yourself. It’s easy to just want to crawl into a hole for a while. Today on Spark & Fire, we’re going to crawl out of that hole long enough to hear from 5 iconic creatives who have learned how to overcome failure to create something truly great.

Featuring actor and writer Randall Park on Always Be My Maybe, novelist Ann Patchett on The Dutch House, songwriting duo Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez on Disney’s Frozen, producers Allan Scott and William Horberg on the hit series Queen’s Gambit, and singer/songwriter Ben Folds on the breakout album Whatever and Ever, Amen.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/overcomingfailure

Listen to the full episodes that inspired this mixtape:

“Always Be My Maybe” writer and actor Randall Park: https://sparkandfire.com/randallpark/

“The Dutch House” author Ann Patchett: https://sparkandfire.com/annpatchett/

“Frozen” songwriting duo Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez: https://sparkandfire.com/frozen/

“Queen’s Gambit” producers Allan Scott and William Horberg: https://sparkandfire.com/queensgambit/

Singer/songwriter Ben Folds: https://sparkandfire.com/benfolds/

Subscribe to the Spark & Fire weekly newsletter for images, stories and creative prompts: http://eepurl.com/hkmyMr

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Fight for your dream: Comedian Cristela Alonzo Feb 22, 2023

When the ABC show Cristela premiered in 2014, Cristela Alonzo made U.S. history, the first Latina to write, produce, and star in her own prime-time comedy. But this dream didn’t come easy: Cristela had to fight for her vision at every stage of the process. As she takes us on the journey to making the sitcom, you’ll hear how she found her first opportunities by simply doing what she loved — which “accidentally” led to a show based on her life. You’ll hear how she fights for the show she wants, to the very end — and never waits for permission to chase her next dream.

Get transcript and photos at sparkandfire.com/cristela

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Find the people who see your dream: Actor Aasif Mandvi Feb 15, 2023

In the 1990s, Aasif Mandvi was a struggling actor looking for roles that didn’t seem to exist. So he wrote Sakina’s Restaurant — a solo show about an Indian immigrant family who owns a restaurant in New York City. When Sakina’s Restaurant premiered off-Broadway in 1998, there was really nothing like it. In this episode, Aasif tells the story of writing and starring in this pioneering one-person play. Perhaps more than any other medium, a one-person show appears to be the work of only one person. But Aasif’s story shows it takes a number of people — who share your dream — to bring it to life. In order to break new ground, you need to find allies who see your dream.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/sakina/

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Always be iterating: Pomplamoose’s Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn Feb 08, 2023

Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte started the band Pomplamoose together in 2008. The band found success with their viral YouTube videos, which have hundreds of millions of views. And while we usually tell the story of a single work on this show, in this episode, Jack and Nataly share the story of the band itself. The story of Pomplamoose is one of constant iteration, which is a skill any creative can take into their own practice. As Nataly and Jack take you through the journey of Pomplamoose, you’ll hear how — through years of starts, stops, and iterations – they adapt what they make and how they make it so they’re able to keep creating — with everything life throws at them. You’ll see that in order to keep creating, you have to continually adapt your work to the conditions of your life.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/pomplamoose/

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Take responsibility for your creativity: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Jan 25, 2023

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a creativity master. Many of us know him as an actor and director, but Joseph also co-created the collaborative media platform HitRECord. Joseph shares the journey of developing HitRECord: how it evolved from a single page of HTML to a global community of creative collaborators. Joseph’s story reveals that you have to take responsibility for your own creativity. Don’t stand by until an opportunity finds you. It’s in your power to participate, find collaborators you love, and share your work with the world.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/hitrecord/

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5 strategies for starting something new Jan 23, 2023

There’s an intimidating blank page. A blinking cursor staring you down. A looming deadline for a project you haven’t touched. Sometimes, starting something new is the hardest part of the creative process. In this episode, you’ll hear from 5 creative people in 5 different fields offering 5 different strategies for how to start something new.

Featuring novelist Ann Patchett on “The Dutch House,” Pixar director Domee Shi talking about “Turning Red,” “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, the designer Thomas Heatherwick, and salsa legend Rubén Blades.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com.

Listen to the full episodes that inspired this mixtape:

Novelist Ann Patchett: https://listen.sparkandfire.com/AnnPatchettFullEp

Pixar director Domee Shi: https://listen.sparkandfire.com/DomeeShiFullEp

Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz: https://listen.sparkandfire.com/StephenSchwartzFullEp

Designer Thomas Heatherwick: https://listen.sparkandfire.com/ThomasHeatherwickFullEp

Salsa legend Rubén Blades: https://listen.sparkandfire.com/RubenBladesFullEp

Subscribe to the Spark & Fire weekly newsletter for images, stories and creative prompts: http://eepurl.com/hkmyMr

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Tell a universal truth: “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz Jan 18, 2023

Stephen Schwartz has a motto for songwriting: Tell the truth, and make it rhyme. In this episode, Stephen tells the story of composing the Broadway musical Wicked. Not only does Stephen reinvent a beloved classic for the stage, he also commits to drawing out the universal truths — like the experience of friendship, betrayal, and love — that connect us all. This allowed Wicked to resonate with audiences in a real way, making it one of the most successful musicals of all time. Stephen’s story shows that when your work expresses a universal truth, the widest audience will respond.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/stephenschwartz

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Sweat the details: Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett Jan 11, 2023

Felix Barrett, MBE, is the artistic director of Punchdrunk, a British theater company that specializes in immersive storytelling. In this episode, Felix shares the story of Sleep No More, Punchdrunk’s most famous and longest-running show. Sleep No More is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth through a film noir lens. As Felix experiments with the production, he doesn’t get lost in the grandeur of it. He stays focused on the details: from finding the perfect abandoned building, to secret passageways, to the music playing in the background. Getting those small details just right — again and again — created a larger-than-life experience for audiences.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/punchdrunk

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Embrace your inner weirdo: Pixar’s Domee Shi on “Turning Red” Jan 04, 2023

When Pixar asked Domee Shi to create a feature film, she ran to her friend’s office and rolled on the floor with joy. It was a dream come true. But Domee had to learn how to own her unique creative voice with all eyes on her, which meant embracing her inner weirdo. As Domee shares the story of directing Turning Red, you'll hear how she commits to seeing her outlandish ideas through and surrounds herself with people who can recognize a great, weird idea when they see one. When Turning Red released on Disney+ in 2022, it immediately broke viewership records on the platform, showing Domee that her specific quirks were more universal than she thought.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/turningred

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Generosity creates magic: “Frozen” songwriters Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez Dec 21, 2022

Finding the right collaborator, and growing together, is a creative feat. While songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez were writing the iconic songs to "Frozen," they discovered the key ingredient to a successful and lasting collaboration: generosity. Kristen and Robert offer insight on how to be a generous collaborator — from not walking out the door when things get tough, to offering space to play together. Being generous with your collaborator creates an alchemy that is truly magical. For Kristen and Robert, that meant writing songs like "Let It Go" for two of the most successful animated films of all time.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/frozen

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Replenish your sense of meaning: Musician Kayhan Kalhor on “Silent City" Dec 14, 2022

Musician Kayhan Kalhor shares the story of composing and performing “Silent City,” his epic 25-minute piece for the kamancheh (Persian spiked fiddle) and ensemble. It’s a specific story about writing music to memorialize a devastating event, the massacre of innocents in Halabja, Iraq. But the takeaway is universal: When life feels too much to bear, create art that means something — for yourself and for others. As Kayhan takes us on the journey of creating “Silent City,” you’ll hear him find ways to bear witness to tragedy — and also celebrate the life that comes after. You’ll also hear how music-making, for him, is an ongoing quest for beauty, humanity, and meaning.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/kayhan

Learn more about Silent City on Kayhan Kalhor’s website:: https://kayhankalhor.net/albums/silent-city/

You can hear the final movement of Silent City on Silkroad’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s804M9uGiAM

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Find what you need to fuel your work: Mark Bradford’s “Unicorn Tapestries” Dec 07, 2022

Deep in the pandemic, visual artist Mark Bradford began work on an epic series called “The Unicorn Tapestries.” It’s inspired by the iconic medieval work of the same name, but created with everyday materials that speak to Mark’s experience: comic book papers, caulk, and other materials from the hardware store, layered and glued and then scratched and etched away to create a tapestry like no other. As he shares each stage of his process in his own words, Mark also shares a mindset that every creative person can apply to their own work: Find what you need to fuel your creativity.

Mark Bradford is one of the most renowned visual artists working today, working in painting, printmaking, video, sculpture, and installation. He was the United States’ 2017 representative to the Venice Biennale, and his work is collected by museums around the world, from LA to Hong Kong. In 2009 he was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant, among many awards and honors. He is based in Los Angeles and is represented by Hauser & Wirth.

Learn more about Mark Bradford: https://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/2838-mark-bradford/

Visit the Agora Exhibition to see Mark's body of work in an expanded context, along with several other works from 2019–2021. And, check out Museu de Serralves to learn more about “The Unicorn Tapestries” premiere in Porto, Portugal.

Follow along, with transcript and photos, at sparkandfire.com/bradford

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Commit to your best work (always!): Novelist Ann Patchett on “The Dutch House” Nov 30, 2022

When Ann Patchett sat down to read through her first draft of The Dutch House, she realized she had made a terrible mistake. A wrong turn, on page 36, sent the entire rest of the novel careening down the wrong path. So what’d she do? Deleted it and started over. Sometimes, committing to doing your very best work means destroying it and going again. In her own words, novelist Ann Patchett shares the story of writing her award-winning novel — from the prolonged period of preparation, and the active defense against distractions, to the advice from friends that she took without a second thought. Plus: hear how she recruited Tom Hanks to read the audiobook.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/annpatchett

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How to recover your creative voice: Comedian Patton Oswalt on “Annihilation” & “I Love Everything” Nov 21, 2022

What do you do when you fear you’ve lost touch with your creative voice? You let yourself feel it, and then open yourself up to inspiration.

When comedian Patton Oswalt suddenly lost his wife, he also feared he would lose himself. As he processes his grief, Patton takes us on the journey of finding his voice again, through the making of two very different comedy specials: “Annihilation” and “I Love Everything.” You’ll hear how grief can give way to creativity — and creativity can forge a path through grief. With grace and humor, Patton recovers his voice by, first, opening his eyes to the world around him, and then, making himself available for the inspiration to come to him.

Patton Oswalt has been a stand-up comedian since the ’90s, coming up in the alt-comedy scene. He’s starred in feature films and beloved TV shows like Ratatouille, Parks and Recreation, AP Bio, and King of Queens. His latest Netflix comedy special (and Grammy-nominated album) is We All Scream.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com.

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5 ways to get creatively unstuck Nov 14, 2022

You hit a creative dead end. You’re lost in the forest of thought. Let’s face it: you’re stuck. But getting stuck is part of the creative journey.

We hear it in every story on this show. So today, we’ve chosen our 5 favorite strategies on how to regain your creative momentum, and get unstuck.

Featuring Jurassic Park book designer Chip Kidd, Apollo Theatre’s Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes, Soul filmmaker Kemp Powers, as well as a sneak peek into Season 2 with comedian Patton Oswalt and Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com.

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Be utterly honest: Musician Ben Folds on “Whatever and Ever Amen” Jul 01, 2021

Capturing an honest moment is one of the riskiest ways to create. But the results are real, and they stand the test of time. As musician Ben Folds tells the story of creating his breakout album “Whatever and Ever Amen” with the Ben Folds Five, you’ll hear a very specific story about a rock band recording an album in a house, instead of a studio, with piano instead of guitar, with lyrics drawn from newspaper clippings. But it’s also a universal story for any creative in any field at any time, about the choices — and pressures — that keep you honest.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/benfolds.

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How to spark others: Yo-Yo Ma on the Silk Road Project Jun 24, 2021

The Silk Road Project was an impossibly ambitious, creatively expansive idea to not only create a category of music that had never been heard before, but also create ensembles to perform it, and audiences who were hungry to hear it. How did Yo-Yo Ma build this vision? He knew from the beginning that it wasn’t about him. You'll hear in the episode from Yo-Yo himself and four key players in the ensemble: clarinetist Kinan Azmeh; percussionist Joseph Gramley; Galician bagpiper Cristina Pato; and pipa player Wu Man.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/silkroad

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Stick with it: "The Queen's Gambit" producers Allan Scott and Bill Horberg Jun 10, 2021

When you fall in love with a project, stay with it – for as many years as necessary. Its time will come. When screenwriter Allan Scott acquired the film rights to the Walter Tevis novel “The Queen’s Gambit,” he couldn’t have imagined it would take almost 30 years to get that movie made. Allan, along with executive producer Bill Horberg, talk about their long road to turning the cult-favorite book into a Netflix phenomenon; the creative insights (and the key partner) that unblocked the path; and what they’ve learned about staying the course when the world is telling you no.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/QueensGambit

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Trust your instinct: Salsa legend Rubén Blades on the iconic song “Pedro Navaja” Jun 01, 2021

“It’s too long. It’s too sad. It’s not danceable.” Just some of the feedback salsa legend Rubén Blades got from DJs and record labels about his iconic song "Pedro Navaja" on the album "Siembra," which went on to sell 25m copies. That’s more than the Beatles' "White Album." And his story of creating this album with Willie Colón is a testament to three words: Trust your instinct. Don’t let anyone throw you off a creative vision you believe in. But also don’t assume that instinct is innate. You hone your instinct through a lifetime of reading, listening, looking, doing. And don’t believe anyone does it alone. Trusted collaborators are always a powerful, sometimes invisible force driving any creative vision, in any field.

Congratulations to Ruben for being named "Person of the Year" by the 2021 Latin Grammys!

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/rubenblades

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Stay authentic to yourself: Randall Park on making "Always Be My Maybe" May 25, 2021

How do you create something an audience will love? Start with everything YOU love. Actor Randall Park ("Veep," "Fresh Off the Boat," "WandaVision"…) tells the story of a passion project that's become a beloved repeat-watch: the 2019 Netflix movie "Always Be My Maybe." It all started as a tossed-off remark by his friend Ali Wong: What if we made a romcom together? As Randall and Ali wrote the movie, they celebrated what mattered to them: family traditions, the food and music they love, even their favorite movie stars. Learn how you can take what authentically matters to you – and create work that will resonate for others too.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at sparkandfire.com/randallpark

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Create the conditions for your own creativity: Yaa Gyasi on "Transcendent Kingdom" May 18, 2021

To make a creative leap, get to know your creative self. After publishing a blockbuster first novel, "Homegoing," followed by a year of touring (and trying to write in hotel rooms), author Yaa Gyasi realized she needed two things to reconnect with her next story: space and time. She shares the creation process of "Transcendent Kingdom" : how she got started, how she gave herself permission to pause – and how to get the feedback she needed.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at listen.sparkandfire.com/kingdom

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Play to an elevated purpose: Wynton Marsalis on "The Democracy! Suite" May 11, 2021

“Everything you do in the arts gives meaning to your way of life." In a year of pandemic, racial reckoning, and threats to democracy, Wynton Marsalis creates a seven-song cycle that imagines how artists can shape the times we live in. As he tells us the story of creating "The Democracy! Suite," he teaches unforgettable lessons about collaboration, preparation, and the rewards – and costs – of a creative life. When you’re playing to an elevated purpose, it opens possibilities and broadens your impact. And these are lessons that help you endure as a creative, no matter your field.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/wynton

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Cultivate a child's sense of wonder: "Knives Out" director Rian Johnson May 04, 2021

How do you create deeply imaginative work? There’s a method behind the magic. As Rian Johnson (Last Jedi, Looper, Brick) takes us on the journey of joyfully reinventing the murder-mystery, you’ll hear the way he draws on childhood memories (like watching Agatha Christie movies in his grandparents' rambling old house) to inspire his work. You’ll also hear he rigorously structures his creative process – including when, where and how he writes – in order to be playful and present when he shows up on set. Within this story, you'll hear tactics (and lots of creative techniques) you can borrow to fuel your own creative journey, whatever your field.

Rian Johnson is a director and screenwriter, the creator of "Knives Out" and the director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Follow him on Twitter at @RianJohnson.

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at http://sparkandfire.com/knivesout/

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How to build your creative vision: Photographer Stephen Wilkes on the 2021 Inauguration Photo Feb 23, 2021

Making art is a distillation of all your life experiences – from the half-remembered images from your childhood to your fascination with what's happening around you right now. Photographer Stephen Wilkes developed his signature Day to Night images to share his passion for how time passes – and soon found that they also helped him explore everything else that interested him: nature, city life, even politics. Learn the backstory behind his famous photo of the 2021 Inauguration as he explains how he developed his signature style – and where to start as you develop your own.

Legendary photographer Stephen Wilkes is known for his Day to Night photo series as well as his pioneering images of Ellis Island. Learn more about him at stephenwilkes.com – and listen to his beautiful Meditative Story, “What’s vital is right in front of me.“

See images from this episode and a full transcript at sparkandfire.com/daytonight

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Great collabs start with trust: Apollo Theater’s Kamilah Forbes on “Between the World and Me” Feb 09, 2021

"I want to make this into theater, in a way that’s never been done before." When Kamilah Forbes first reads "Between the World and Me," by her friend Ta-Nehisi Coates, she's moved, shaken, gutted by its truth and beauty. She dreams of presenting it at Harlem's Apollo Theater, a legendary space for Black art and excellence. First step: convince Ta-Nehisi. Spark & Fire follows the journey from book to stage to HBO – during a pandemic – in a story of collaboration and trust, joy and challenge.

Kamilah Forbes is the executive producer at the Apollo Theater, where she produced the legendary staging of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me. In her diverse body of work, Forbes is noted for having a strong commitment to the development of creative works by, for, and about the Hip-Hop Generation. Follow @ApolloTheater on Instagram.

Follow along (with transcript and amazing photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/apollo

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Creativity starts with play: Designer Thomas Heatherwick on NYC's The Vessel Feb 02, 2021

How do you change the creative brief? You start with play. The designer Thomas Heatherwick was asked to create a monumental public work for the plaza of vast new development in the heart of Manhattan. The expected route would be to copy what’s worked before on other plazas in other cities – a statue, a fountain. But Heatherwick knew he had to push past what was expected. Spark & Fire follows the journey of “Vessel,” a massive piece of public art, from its roots in traditional Indian forms, to its sophisticated construction and multi-year assembly, to its reception by the public – a complicated story that is still unfolding. It’s a story of creative bravery, play, and persistence – at the drawing board and in the meeting room.

Thomas Heatherwick is the principal of Heatherwick Studio, based in central London. The studio is known equally for bravura projects like the Seed Cathedral, Vessel, and the new Little Island over the Hudson, and for thoughtful, human-scaled commercial and residential developments small and large, like the delightful, award-winning Maggie’s Leeds.

Follow along (with transcript and amazing photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/vessel

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Turn crisis into art: Choreographer Bill T. Jones on “Afterwardsness," his pandemic masterpiece Jan 26, 2021

When faced with a crisis, how do you move forward? Sometimes, you look backward first. It’s March 2020, and legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones is weeks away from a world premiere, when his company is forced into lockdown. All seems lost. But what comes next paves the way for a transcendent performance at the Park Avenue Armory called “Afterwardsness” — one of the only large-scale performances held anywhere during the pandemic. On Spark & Fire, the larger-than-life Bill T. Jones tells this powerful story of creative grit, love of art and reckoning with legacy — in his own fierce, fiery, funny words. He’s joined at times by his Associate Artistic Director, Janet Wong, and together they offer inspiration and ideas to fuel your own creative journey.

In 1982, Bill T. Jones co-founded the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with his partner Arnie Zane. Jones is the company’s artistic director and choreographer; he’s also won two Tony awards for work on Broadway. He is a 1994 MacArthur Fellow and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2013. Follow on Instagram at @billtjonesarniezaneco

Follow along (with transcript and amazing photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/billtjones/

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This episode was shortlisted for a 2021 Webby for Best Individual Episode. Of any podcast. Do you know how many individual podcast episodes were made in the past 12 months? Conservatively, one zillion. Yes it's that good.

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Turn memory into art: Isabel Allende on “The House of the Spirits” Jan 19, 2021

How do you write the stories of your life? Any time, any place, any order. Isabel Allende was 39, and a refugee from her native Chile, when she started writing a letter to her dying grandfather – recounting the family stories he'd told her – of love, loss, memory, magic. This letter evolved into her first novel, the beloved epic "The House of the Spirits.” With her trademark warmth and wit, Isabel shares how she found the time and space to write as she rebuilt her life – and how her 500-page typed manuscript, heavy with correction fluid and coffee stains, found its way to the agent in Madrid who made it an instant international sensation. Throughout the story – told entirely in Isabel's brilliantly chosen words – you'll hear never-before-told details about her creative process and journey, including ideas on story structure and writing rituals; first readers and family politics – all of which can fuel your own story-telling.

A novelist, storyteller and social activist, Isabel Allende is the author of The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna among many other novels; her nonfiction works include the powerful double autobiography Paula. Follow her at @IsabelAllende

Follow along (transcript and amazing photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/isabelallende/

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How to find inspiration: Chip Kidd on the "Jurassic Park" book cover Jan 12, 2021

What do you do when you’re stuck? Something else. Designer Chip Kidd got a dream assignment: Create the book cover for a soon-to-be-blockbuster: Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. Oh, and make it iconic. When the pressure to perform is that high, it's easy to get creatively paralyzed. Chip recounts exactly how he got started and how he got unstuck — over and over — on the journey to create one of the best-known book covers of the 20th century. He tells the story in his own fast-paced, funny, pointed words, with lots of smart, actionable advice for anyone setting out on their own creative quest.

A longtime book designer for Knopf, where he designed the cover for Jurassic Park and hundreds more books, Chip Kidd is the author of two novels, two nonfiction titles and a study of Batman. Follow him at @ChipKidd

Follow along (transcript and lots of pictures) at sparkandfire.com/chipkidd

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How to begin: Susan Orlean on "The Orchid Thief" Jan 05, 2021

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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Oscar winner Pixar's Kemp Powers on "Soul": The best person for the project Jan 04, 2021

How do you create an authentic character? Start with your authentic self. When Kemp Powers joined the writers' room at Pixar, he found a story waiting to be told ... anchored within his own story. Spark & Fire follows Kemp on his own hero's journey of co-writing and co-directing Soul, Pixar's first film with a Black protagonist, from his first trip to the Pixar campus to his development of the main character – and his passionate pitch for the beloved barbershop scene that nearly got cut from the film. Hear Kemp tell the story in his own frank and funny words, with creative insights for anyone trying to choose the projects that will matter most.

Kemp Powers is a screenwriter, playwright (One Night in Miami), director and veteran journalist. Follow him on Twitter at @Powerkeni

Follow along (with transcript and photos) at http://sparkandfire.com/soul/

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This episode was shortlisted for a 2021 Webby for Best Individual Episode, Diversity & Inclusion category!

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