Episode #1
A creative survival kit with Krista Monson
We kick off the season with Krista Monson, a choreographer, director, producer, and former artistic director of Cirque du Soleil's O at the Bellagio for more than 13 years. I saw Krista speak several years ago, I knew she'd be a perfect fit for the show. As Krista says, she has a background in "big spectacle" and is in the business of emotions. We talk about the risks that shaped her career, like leaving a successful career in Edmonton for Los Angeles with a one-year-old, and later trading huge stages for intimate storytelling. She now creates memoir documentaries through her company, Sincerely Yours Memoirs. And like me, Krista has her own manifesto! Her "creative survival kit," features eight mindset tools she relies on when things get hard. She also challenges one of my manifesto principles ("logic can work against you") and explains why small, ordinary stories matter as much as large ones. TAKE AWAYS Perceived setbacks can actually be what opens doors for you Nurturing relationships is critical to success It's easier to face fear than regret There are benefits to being a small fish in a very big pond The smallest details matter Krista's Creative Survival Kit Pay attention to "just." It can be an apology ("I'm just doing a freebie"), or it can help you take a first step. Stay curious. Be an observer of life, both physical and emotional. Keep perspective. Build a relationship with the sublime, whether that's awe, wonder, or looking at the stars. Have a high regard for people. No one creates alone. Listen , to others and to yourself. Courage. This includes the "four rooms of change": contentment, denial, confusion, and breakthrough. Care. Connect what you're doing to something you care about, even if it's just paying the rent. Embrace creative chaos. Sometimes you go two steps back to go five steps forward. RESOURCES AND LINKS Download the No Time to Be Timid Manifesto Sincerely Yours Memoirs: Sponsor: Interabang Books, an independent bookstore in Dallas ( interabangbooks.com ) Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RwjGgviLdfk Credits Written and produced by Tricia Rose Burt. Produced and scored by Adam Arnone of Echo Finch. Executive producers: Amy Grant, Nancy Perot, and Sage Wheeler. Thanks to the Fractured Atlas fiscal sponsorship contributors.
