Conditions for The Creative Independent

As creative humans, we are driven to improve ourselves. We want something better, more fulfilling, more daring—more us. Living a life is like walking a path, where we are motivated to explore how different ways of thinking and being can take us to ever more satisfying places. But as we each forge our own paths, how do outside forces affect us? What social, environmental, financial, political, mental, and physical conditions seep into our lives and help or hinder our creative (or spiritual, or intellectual) evolution?

Conditions is an essay series exploring the forces that affect our ability to live fulfilling, creative lives, which I edited for The Creative Independent. Through commissioned essays and other thoughtful creative works, we’re looking to understand what factors contribute to a thriving creative practice, and in turn, how (and if) art can improve the collective conditions under which we all live.

Contributing writers include artist and arts administrator Natalia Nakazawa, Eyebeam Executive Director Roderick Schrock, writer Tiana Reid, journalist Sarah Burke, curator Jacqueline Mabey, curator Kara Q. Smith, and creative consultant Sarah Schulweis.

Explore the Conditions series here →