We recently had the chance to connect with Tawd Dorenfeld and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tawd, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Early bird to get straight to editing my latest feature film before my general Tink Tank Neurodivergent Mentoring sessions begin for the rest of the day, with some tail-end day of editing and or shooting practical effects for the film.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
There are two of me. There is the writer, director, animator, producer of my own motion pictures, books, and commissioned for the same for others, most specifically music videos.
Then there is me the founder, program director, and one of many mentors I manage at Tink Tank Animate, a neurodivergent arts of storytelling program where we mentor individuals on the autism spectrum in creating their own films, books, radio-plays, musicals, and more.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Long story, short. As a Junior in high school, I suggested to my Drama class that we do Heathers as a play; 1991. Winona Ryder had gone to our high school for a short time, yet we all knew it very well. The class and teacher Mr. Liroff agreed and we began preparing to put on the show. The first-ever stage performance of Daniel Waters’ Heathers. A couple weeks before opening day, the Principal finally took the time to watch the movie and quickly “banned” our class from doing it. Well censorship didn’t bode well when a father, Mr. Jax, brought the banning of the play to the attention of the local media, which spread to a wider media, and all before the internet. The pressure towards the school was immense and even though the school was ready to break, I took the opportunity to see what had really transpired, and just because the Principal caved, it was not by his choice, it was through pressure, and therefore putting an “unwanted” play on the school stage was no “win” for me. The win came when we chose to put the play on at a local theater instead of a stage where we were “unwanted.” Turn your back on evil.
The show was a success.
(cite – Nigal Goodall’s biography of Christian Slater)
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Being ignored. Although I do not fear it as much as I feel it with a lot of my art. But the feeling of the work I do being discarded, or unheard, never experienced, frightens me, and in one way it has lead to me to believe strongly in copyright ownership, however has very well prevented me from larger distribution for the fear of the work becoming owned by another and that other then shevles it for lack of profit/interest.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
An Individual’s confidence.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
As an Artist, not sure about other sides of myself, yet as an Artist, I deeply understand the practice of stream-of-consciousness to flow without much obstacle through the artistic process of myself creating something. Very rarely am I short of an idea, either for any story I create, or what needs to happen because of an obstacle for that story to continue as if that was always how it was too be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DorenfeldDevelopment.com
- Instagram: @Polymorphproductions
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3mYHTx4bUnmkKdYzGKqfl7StxWXBHOkh&si=dGPts1hNpWslARE_
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
