Tag: writing

creativity

Wonder: The power of reaching out to people you admire

Christa Avampato

writingI’m a big fan of reaching out to people I admire – authors, activists, business leaders, politicians, and anyone doing a passion project that I find interesting. I write cards, email, use Twitter – whatever method seems best suited to them.

Every time I’ve gotten a reply, it’s been a wonderful honor. Sometimes it’s just a lovely exchange. Other times it’s led to conversations that have then led to job offers, joint projects, and mentorship. I never go into these points of connection wanting anything except to thank them, to say how much I admire the work the person is doing and how it’s impacted my life.

So if there’s someone you admire, someone who’s work has really been of value to you, reach out. Tell them. Let them know that what they’re doing matters to you. We all need a little encouragement. We all need to know that what we’re doing is making the world better in some way. Be that person who helps someone continue to do the work they love to do.

creativity

Wonder: Spend some time alone

Christa Avampato
my-artist-is-at-work
Artist at work

“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” ~ Picasso

I’m an extrovert by nature and I love to be around people. However, I do my best creative work alone. My alone time allows me to focus and let my imagination run wild. My mind, spirit, and heart need that time on my own to reflect, and that reflection is crucial to my personal growth as a person and as an artist.

I relish the solitude when I can get it. I use the time alone to build something beautiful purely for the joy of using my imagination. If we let it, creativity will fill every moment.

creativity

This just in: My magazine articles on Serial, YouTube’s 10th anniversary, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ecotourism venture in Belize are live

Christa Avampato

I’m very excited to share the magazine articles I wrote for Royal Media Partners earlier this year. The magazine went live this month and includes my pieces on the Serial podcast, Youtube’s 10th anniversary, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ecotourism venture in Belize. I’m hoping to do more of this type of writing in 2016, and am very grateful to the editors at Royal Media Partners for offering me this opportunity.

Serial Addiction: Creators of This American Life Bring New Life to Radio Drama
Serial – 12-26-15 

Belize Gets the Hollywood Treatment: Leonardo DiCaprio Wants More Than an Oscar. He Wants to Save the World.
Leo Belize – 12-26-15

Ten Years In, YouTube is Still Going Strong
YouTube – 12-26-15

 

 

creativity

This just in: What Andy Rooney learned and shared with us

Christa Avampato
Andy Rooney
Andy Rooney

I was and still am a big fan of Andy Rooney’s essays. The quintessential curmudgeon, he was honest, funny, and poignant all in the same breath. Here is an essay of his that’s always been one of my favorites.

I’ve Learned

  • I’ve learned … That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
  • I’ve learned … That when you’re in love, it shows.
  • I’ve learned … That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.
  • I’ve learned … That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
  • I’ve learned … That being kind is more important than being right.
  • I’ve learned … That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
  • I’ve learned … That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
  • I’ve learned … That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
  • I’ve learned … That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
  • I’ve learned … That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
  • I’ve learned … That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
  • I’ve learned … That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
  • I’ve learned … That money doesn’t buy class.
  • I’ve learned … That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
  • I’ve learned … That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
  • I’ve learned … That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
  • I’ve learned … That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
  • I’ve learned … That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
  • I’ve learned … That love, not time, heals all wounds.
  • I’ve learned … That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
  • I’ve learned … That there’s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
  • I’ve learned … That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
  • I’ve learned … That life is tough, but I’m tougher.
  • I’ve learned … That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
  • I’ve learned … That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
  • I’ve learned … That I wish I could have told my dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
  • I’ve learned … That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
  • I’ve learned … That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
  • I’ve learned … That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
  • I’ve learned … That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
  • I’ve learned … That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances: when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.
  • I’ve learned … That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
creativity

This just in: The hard work of editing

Christa Avampato
Edit, edit, and edit again
Edit, edit, and edit again

“I’m all for the scissors. I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” -Truman Capote

As hard as the writing process can be, editing is so much harder. It’s emotional, even painful, but it’s also necessary. Editing is the polish that makes a piece of work shine, whether that work is done in words, images, or sounds. It takes perspective and intense reflection. What are you really trying to say or show? What thought, feeling, idea, or action are you trying to evoke in the people with whom you share your work? Creation is so much more about what you give, not what you get. It’s an act of generosity so edit, edit, edit, and make it a gift you’re proud to offer.

creativity

This just in: Keep walking toward the risk—a lesson from theater

Christa Avampato
The Welders—A Playwrights' Collective
The Welders—A Playwrights’ Collective

“What The Welders taught me is to keep walking toward the risk.” ~Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Playwright

I listened to a podcast of The Kojo Nnamdi Show entitled, “All For One: D.C.’s Collective Theater Scene” featuring Caleen Sinnette Jennings and Jojo Ruf, two prominent members of D.C.’s theater community who are enormously involved with The Welders, an organization whose mission is to establish an evolving, alternative platform for play development and production. Caleen’s quote above sums up the great honor and challenge of a creative life, especially one in theater. We have to move toward risk, fully embrace it with both arms, and realize that the risk is worth it even if there is little or no reward. The risk is the journey and the destination, the path and the goal. 

The conversation with Kojo was spirited and uplifting, especially for me as a playwright and theater professional who is new to D.C. and getting to know the theater landscape here. There are so many passionate and creative people here in D.C. The vibrant and varied theater community is one of the main reasons I relocated to D.C. and The Welders is one of the most innovative movements here.

Hearing this podcast, I know I made the right choice to make D.C. my home. There’s so much to discover here, and I’m most excited to learn about the person and artist I have yet to become. The risk has already been so worth all of the effort!

creativity

This just in: I need your audio stories

Christa Avampato
I need your audio stories
I need your audio stories

As part of my audio storytelling class, I need to capture a wide variety of stories. Nothing too complicated – just 3-5 minutes about an interesting aspect of your life. A place you’ve visited, a dream you have, or an experience that altered how you see yourself and your place in the world. Got one? Let me know. I’d love to talk to you, and record it!

creativity

This just in: This is my 3000th blog post

Christa Avampato
Blogging
Blogging

I can hardly believe that 3,000 posts later, I’m every bit as excited about this blog as I was when I published my first post in June 2007. I’ve received so many blessings by doing this daily writing. This blog has helped me get jobs, start a business, interview and highlight people whose work I admire, and above all it’s introduced me to some of the best people in my life whom I’m lucky to call friends. I’ve been able to share ideas, failures, and successes. I’ve helped and served others through these posts, and that has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Thank you for being here, for reading these posts, and for sharing your own stories with me. It’s been an honor, and will continue to be.