The Spark File

THE SPARK FILE PODCAST

What is a 'spark file'?

spark file (noun) - A place where one consistently collects creative inspirations + fascinations.

The Spark File (proper noun) - Hosted by Laura Camien + Susan Blackwell, The Spark File is a fun, funny podcast obsessed with creativity + inspiration.

Each week on The Spark File podcast, Susan Blackwell + Laura Camien reach into their spark files and share stories, ideas + fascinations to ignite your imagination.

Obsessed with creativity, Blackwell + Camien also talk with artists + makers who have taken the spark of inspiration + fanned it into a flame, such as:

Julianne Moore, Zachary Quinto, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Eric Stonestreet, Bobby Lopez + Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Leslie Odom, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Kelli O’Hara, Michael R. Jackson, Sutton Foster, John Early, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Karen Olivo, Erika Henningsen, Caitlin Kinnunen, Phillipa Soo, Gavin Creel, Matt Vogel and so many more!

Refill your creative fish pond with new ideas + fresh perspectives.

Listen, then take it + make it!

MAKERSODE: Lynne Cox

MAKERSODE: Lynne Cox

Long time listeners will know what a joy this episode was for us!

In the way back times, Susan introduced us to a human spark named Lynne Cox - a celebrated athlete who set swimming records around the world and achieved astonishing feats of strength and endurance (including swimming with a baby gray whale - eighteen feet long! - in open waters)

She is internationally famous for swimming the world’s most difficult waterways without a wet suit, and she is able to endure water temperatures so cold they would kill anyone else.

Lynne is the acclaimed best-selling author of Swimming to Antarctica and many more books, including her upcoming Tales of Al.

She is also a beautiful human being who recognizes and celebrates all forms of athleticism and creativity in others, human or otherwise!

And this week, we got to talk to Lynne!!

Join us as we explore the creative mindset of Lynne Cox - her resilience, gravitas, discipline, imagination… (make us stop because we could go on and on…)

MAKERSODE: Marc Janowitz

MAKERSODE: Marc Janowitz

This week, Susan and Laura got to hang with bad ass lighting designer and friend, Marc Janowitz, whose holistic, dynamic lighting designs illuminate a story and light up an audience.

His bold, no holds barred lighting transforms comedians into a rock stars and rock stars into gods.

Tune in to hear how Marc approaches designs for concerts for My Morning Jacket, The Lumineers, Fun., and many others, and comedy specials like Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Flight of the Conchords, Bo Burnham, theatre shows like Blue Man Group and Forbidden Broadway and so much more…

MAKERSODE: Mike Michalowicz

MAKERSODE: Mike Michalowicz

This week, Susan and Laura had the distinct pleasure of unpacking the mind of Mike Michalowicz, the man Simon Sinek claims might be “the patron saint of entrepreneurs”.

We have to agree.

He’s a saint, but our kind of saint - comfortable with subversive humor served with a dash of profanity.

On a mission to end entrepreneurial poverty, Mike changed our lives (and the way we think about making a living) with his book, Profit First. He has done the same for millions of other entrepreneurs as well.

If you want a fresh, bold perspective on earning a living as a creative entrepreneur, please tune in!

Mike is a joy to talk to, and life-changing to learn from!

CREATIVITY SPARKS: The Spark Side of Social Media

CREATIVITY SPARKS: The Spark Side of Social Media

Here at The Spark File, our mission is to spark creativity, free innate self-expression, and grant permission to fear less and create more. In this episode, we share two recently discovered like-minded creative organizations that have completely lit us up!

Here’s how it happened…First, Pam Harris introduced us to @creativemornings and Creative Mornings introduced us to @streetwisdom_ and Street Wisdom introduced us to @davidpearl_here and David Pearl introduced us to his book Wanderful: Human Navigation for a Complex World… and we now we have newfound space for reflection, joy and yes, even more CREATIVITY in our lives.

Whew! You heard it here first, folks. That is how contagious joyful self-expression and creativity can be. Pass it on.


CREATIVITY SPARKS: The Spark Side of Social Media

CREATIVITY SPARKS: The Spark Side of Social Media

This week, Susan and Laura delve into the very best ways social media can be used - to inspire, educate and spread joy. We call this The Spark Side of Social Media.
Listen and light yourself up with tales of legacy-worthy chocolate via @morticianinthekitchen, kneel at the alter of @andy_birkey's gothic woodworking, and marvel at the beauty of fore edge printing (did you know this even existed?!?) Turns out, good and meaningful things exist on social, when you know where to look!

CREATIVITY SPARKS: What If...?

CREATIVITY SPARKS: What If...?

This week, Laura and Susan explore the inexplicable craving to consume pandemic-related entertainment during a pandemic - not entertainment about the current state of the world, no, we prefer imaginary pandemics dreamed up in the minds of fiction writers and TV writers like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The End of October by Lawrence Wright, The Walking Dead and more.

These are some of the works imagined by creative minds at a time when an actual pandemic was a scary but far-fetched idea…

Listen in to hear how Laura made her way through a tunnel of imaginary pandemic entertainment and emerged on the other side with extreme respect and admiration for #NormanReedus.


CREATIVITY SPARKS: Welcome Back Sparklers!

CREATIVITY SPARKS: WELCOME BACK SPARKLERS!

Welcome back, Sparklers! All are welcome here. As long as no one is being a d**k, you are invited to be your real, open, authentic selves. This week on The Spark File, Susan and Laura get warmed up for Season 3! They share their gratitude and a mini-spark about indigenous food from The New York Times and an article about Sean Sherman, creator of The Sioux Chef.

The Spark File is created on the lands of the Lenape.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: Hunter Bell

MAKERS: HUNTER BELL: CONNECTION, COMMUNITY AND FANTASY ISLAND

This week, Susan and Laura got to spend extra time with their beloved Hunter Bell, Tony and Drama Desk nominee, Spark File Creativity Coaching client, and creative / writer / maker extraordinare! Tune in to feel the love and the belly laughs. Too much is never enough Hunter Bell.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: PAUL WONTOREK

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MAKERS: PAUL WONTOREK: LIFE-CHANGING THEATRE, RECORD COLLECTIONS + BROADWAY.COM

This week, Susan and Laura are thrilled to talk all things Broadway with someone who has loved theatre since birth, and spent their lives amplifying the joy of it - Paul Wontorek, Editor-in-Chief of Broadway.com!

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: JENNY CLIFT

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MAKERS: JENNY CLIFT: TAPPING INTO OUR EMOTIONAL FREEDOM

This week, Susan and Laura delve into EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) with Jenny Clift, Coach for classical musicians and stage performers. Jenny paves the way to wealth, success, balance, and inner peace using the scientifically proven power of tapping.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: DAX VALDES OF HOLLABACK!

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MAKERS: DAX VALDES OF HOLLABACK ON THE 5 D’S OF BYSTANDER TRAINING

This week, Susan and Laura have the honor of spending time with artist extraordinaire Dax Valdes of Hollaback, discussing their free bystander intervention trainings aimed at making the world a better, and safer, place for us all. Tune in to hear how you can make a difference in ending harassment in all its forms.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: TAYLOR MALI

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MAKERS: TAYLOR MALI: POETRY, PERFORMANCE + WHAT A TEACHER MAKES

This week, Susan and Laura talk to poet, teacher, speaker Taylor Mali. Called "a ranting comic showman and a literary provocateur" by The New York Times, Taylor is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series “Def Poetry Jam”. He is a four-time National Poetry Slam champion, in fact, we've read one of our favorites Taylor Mali poems, “What Teachers Make” on a previous episode of The Spark File and we're so thrilled to get this time with him to catch up and talk shop!

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: SIR RICHARD EYRE

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MAKERS: SIR RICHARD EYRE: THE OPPOSITE OF SCHADENFREUDE, YEATS, AND A CAREER IN THE ARTS

This week, Susan and Laura have a bloody delightful time talking with Sir Richard Eyre, whose creative work has spanned all manner of Arts -- directing theatre, film, television and opera, as well as writing books and plays. He has guided Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Dame Judi Dench and many more to some of our favorite performances. His insight from decades of experience is both practical and inspirational, and at 75, he is far from finished!

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: SUSAN STROMAN

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MAKERS: SUSAN STROMAN: FILL UP WITH THE ART OF IT ALL

This week, the incomparable Susan Stroman sits down to share it all with Susan and Laura, including lessons learned from the lockdown, insights from her 5x Tony Award Winning career, as well as what it's all for. Spoiler Alert: the answer is Love.
From her work on The Producers, Crazy For You, Bullets Over Broadway, Contact, The Scottsboro Boys and so much more, Susan recommends that we fill ourselves up with the art of it all!

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: EMILY FLETCHER

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MAKERS: EMILY FLETCHER: FROM BROADWAY TO ZIVA MEDITATION + GETTING BETTER AT LIFE

This week, Broadway performer turned meditation and mindfulness expert, Emily Fletcher gives us all the details on how learning to meditate makes us better at life. The mastermind behind Ziva Meditation, Emily has our mental support covered -- now including Ziva Kids!

Listen HERE.

CREATIVITY SPARKS: Imagine If... a celebration of Sir Ken Robinson

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CREATIVITY SPARKS: IMAGINE IF…A CELEBRATION OF SIR KEN ROBINSON

This episode of The Spark File is dedicated to the memory of one of our creative heroes, Sir Ken Robinson. Laura shares the tale of how Sir Ken walked into her life and left an indelible mark on her creativity and on The Spark File company she and Susan are now building. Be sure to check out the Imagine If Festival going on now online at Imagine-if.com, celebrating the life and the legacy of Sir Ken Robinson.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: KENYATTA EMMANUEL

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MAKERS: KENYATTA EMMANUEL: SLAVIC SOUL PARTY, CARNEGIE HALL, AND THE TIME WITHOUT TIME

This week, Susan and Laura have the honor of speaking with Kenyatta Emmanuel, musician, singer, songwriter, and storyteller. Kenyatta shares his personal story of how, on October 21, 2019, he exited a New York state prison after 24 1/2 years incarcerated, and at 6pm that same evening, he performed at Carnegie Hall. In this episode, Kenyatta shares his creative process, his commitment to uplift, and the constant desire to be in "the zone."

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: BILLY EICHNER

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MAKERS: BILLY EICHNER

This week, Susan and Laura have the pleasure of speaking with Billy Eichner about his many creative endeavors, including Man on the Street, Friends from College, and making his singing debut on The James Corden Show. We even get a glimpse into the new gay rom-com he's writing, plus some truly helpful advice -- stand up for yourself, say what you need to say to get the quality of work you envision.

Listen HERE.

MAKERSODE: LAURA BENANTI + VENUS FISCHER : HBO Max's Homeschool Musical

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MAKERS: LAURA BENANTI + VENUS FISCHER

Recorded LIVE from The Spark File New Year 2021 Creativity KickOff, Susan and Laura have a lively conversation with the one and only TONY Award winner Laura Benanti! Laura took some big leaps during the quarantine, and shares how an idea from the heart spilled onto instagram and grew into an HBO Max special -- Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020. Plus... one of the stars of that very show, Venus Fischer, joins in on the fun, sharing her experiences on the show, and how her creativity has evolved over the course of this year.

Listen HERE.
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