5 creative minds. 3 questions.
Takeaways from the Lake FX 2015 kickoff keynote panel
Chicago’s inaugural #LakeFX expo for artists, creative professionals and entrepreneurs ran from Thursday, April 16 to Sunday, April 19. On Thursday, Sharon, creative director at Simple Truth, attended a panel discussion — moderated by Laura Schwartz — featuring five notable Chicago creatives:
- Charna Halpern, founder and director of iO Theater
- Max Temkin, designer and co-creator of Cards Against Humanity
- Alex Kotlowitz, journalist and author of There Are No Children Here
- Tanya Saracho, playwright and writer for How to Get Away with Murder
- Hebru Brantley, internationally exhibited visual artist
Below are some of their answers to three good questions.
What does the term “lake effect” mean to you?
Halpern said that improv is about empathy and trust. “It’s all about, ‘I have your back,’” she said. And Chicago is like that. “You’re allowed to make mistakes. That’s important.”
According to Temkin, it doesn’t matter where you live anymore. “The Internet means there aren’t gatekeepers saying what’s good and what’s not,” he said. “People have their own platform such as YouTube,” meaning they can get their work out there and let their peers decide. “There’s an independent spirit here. In LA or New York, people get caught up in status.”
Kotlowitz added, “Chicago’s a great city for storytellers because it’s a portal into the soul of the country.”
Saracho learned the trade growing up in a do-it-all Chicago storefront theater. “Chicago will always be with me. I wrote, acted, worked the box office, cleaned the toilets. But writing for TV is very different. It’s by committee.”
Brantley appreciates how Chicago has given him opportunities to do mural work at places like the Green Line el stop at McCormick Place. “It’s street art and there are 5,000 people looking at it every day, as opposed to being in a gallery where only a few people see it.”
What are the habits that helped you succeed?
Saracho described a cycle we relate to, one of procrastinating, her agent yelling at her, freaking out, eating cake, then eventually writing and getting it done. She says those are bad habits and doesn’t recommend them.
Brantley confessed he is a big procrastinator, too, but he draws every day. Rappers freestyle. NBA players shoot jumpers. Drawing for Brantley is like that. “Everyone has a thousand ideas a day,” he said. “But it’s about knowing which one of them is a good one. Being an artist is a lot of trial and error.”
What do you hope your legacy will be?
Saracho has written several plays with Latina actors, and she mentors people as well. Just putting brown bodies on stage is important to her.
Halpern hopes that improv will keep reaching its tentacles out and inspire movies and TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm.
And Temkin has mixed feelings about the legacy of Cards Against Humanity. “It’s incredibly stupid.” He acknowledged that he and his friends had a lot of privileges, and they want to leave the door open for other people by offering free co-working space and other resources.
