We were lucky to catch up with Mica Blackwell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mica, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I’ve always been an experimental person, so a huge part of keeping my creativity alive is testing and trying different things. That way if it doesn’t work or I don’t get the results I was looking for, I can then move on and try something else.
The starting point is brainstorming ideas on a Google doc (because I’m terrible at saving as I go along) and saving them into different categories I.e. TikTok videos, instagram posts, blog posts. That helps me start the building blocks in place while encourages me to branch out of my comfort zone creatively.
Another thing that helps me is researching what others are doing both within and outside my niche and thinking ‘How can I apply that to my own branding?’ For example, I’ve seen more creators recently doing grid photos on Instagram, and I’ve been meaning to give my feed a big refresh. I put my first one up the other day and immediately noticed a difference in engagement.
I guess my advice for others in a creative rut is to look inward and think what makes you unique – everyone has a voice and a different lived experience that can inspire them creatively. For example, as an autistic and dyspraxic woman, my lived experience is completely different to other theatre content creators, and I’m currently coming up with ideas to apply that side of myself in my content creation.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My theatre blogging journey actually started when I was 16 in school – back when I had 3 blogs in one go (big mistake!). It was always something I loved, but with my school studies, going to university and looking for work, I had to put it aside and focus on bigger priorities in my life.
It wasn’t until the COVID-19 lockdowns that my blogging spark came back, but not in theatre – in lifestyle. While I enjoyed it at first, quickly it became apparent I wasn’t being authentic to myself and doing what others thought was popular. I was also trying to discuss way too many topics and trying to find ways to monetise my content because others in the field made it look so easy. During this time, my love for theatre reignited, partly because of the government’s lack of support for the arts.
As lockdown rules lifted, I was going back to the theatre in a sense of making up for lost time. Gradually it became part of my weekly routine going around seeing shows. With that and seeing other theatre content creators on my socials, it inspired me to give theatre blogging another go, and it’s been such a wild and amazing ride – one that my 16 year-old self would never have imagined.
What makes me excited about I’m Not A Theatre Snob is meeting other creators and feeling like part of a community. Just the idea that I have my own platform and that it may have been influenced at least one person to go out there and see a show they may not have considered before (regardless of my opinion on it) is crazy in the best way.
As for my plans, 2025 is going to be the time where I grow and expand my content, including my podcast and my blog!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Start small, and as you grow, continue doing those small things. It’s easy to immediately jump into the big things, but it’s important to show you care just as much about the small things. It’s also a great reminder of where you came from as you continue to grow and can help offer some perspective. I still can’t believe I’ve done things like interview Broadway performers and go to.West End opening nights, but I still like to see and platform regional work because they are the backbone of UK theatre as a whole and offer just as worthwhile experiences.
2) Don’t get caught up by what other people say you should do. As a recovering people-pleaser, this is still a learning curve for me. There’s nothing wrong with asking for advice from people, but don’t make decisions out of fear of disappointing them. Think about what makes you happy and whether it works for you.
3) Learn from your failures. There are times where you’re going to slip up – it’s inevitable. But instead of dwelling on where you went wrong, think about how you can use that experience to improve your next attempt. It’s all about growing from it.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
There are actually plenty of other stagey content creators I’d love to collaborate with (some I’ve known for years) – my problem is I’m terrible at approaching them!
If anyone happens to be reading this interview, my DMs are always open or feel free to email [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://micablackwell.co.uk/
- Instagram: @_imnotatheatresnob
- Twitter: @INA_TheatreSnob
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