Meet Brianna Rae Quinn

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianna Rae Quinn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brianna Rae, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever had any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

I often find myself in a headspace communicating, “I want to create something, but I don’t know what to create.” Substitute that word “create” for anything, like write, or paint, or sing.

Truthfully, it is a collection of exceptionally left-brained strategies that keep me inspired.
I keep lists in my devices, or notebook paper at my bedside. (I’m sure everyone can relate to having an idea just before bed and hoping we’ll remember it come morning!) And I have lists for everything— visuals in nature I find beautiful that I often use in my poetry, like being able to see the faintest shadow of the unlit side of the moon. Experiences that I think are small, but relatable, like sitting in a patch of grass, and grabbing a fistful and just yanking it out as a kid. Songs that bring me joy singing in small moments, project ideas that come for videos, or new mediums.

For longer form writing, like my novels, or short story collections, I keep lists of ideas, many from dreams, many from my own life that I think would communicate a great message written down.
I am also a big fan of storyboarding using the plot pyramid. I decide early on the conflict and the resolution, a climax, a few complications, and the rest I fill in, asking myself “what happens to get me from point A to point B?” This always gives me a solid, concrete direction to move in, even if I’m not feeling so inspired. And does it always stay exactly the same? No, almost never, but it gives me to tools to flex my creative wings and possibly create something strong, and more well-developed as an idea because its never the “first draft” when I get to it!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a full-time English teacher by day, and a part-time “everything else” by night. I do not have a specific niche, but I love to create. I have a YouTube channel, BrieIY, where I highlight my experiences creating all the things from crochet, to paint, to engravings, to processes for my books, and making props and costumes for my plays!

I am an author of five published books, two novels, and three poetry collections with a third novel entitled “The Show Must Go On” (in a new genre) coming this October!

I am also a performer— I’m a character actress, stage actress, singer/dancer, and children’s director in the local theatre community. I just love to make and create art, and I will always find a way to do it!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My answer to this question, I think, changes with the wind, but right now, the answer is “drive”, “courage”, and “practice.”

As far as advice goes, I always go back to the phrase, “Don’t Wait”. Oftentimes, tasks that feel daunting because they are long, tedious, or because I’ll have to deal with the struggle of learning something new, are never as big and scary as they’re made out to be in my head! I was putting off a project for weeks, and when it came down to it, I was able to complete the entire piece in less than two hours, and I remember scolding myself for waiting. I could have had that work and enjoyed it for so much longer.

I also believe “Don’t Wait” encompasses all three of those qualities. Have the courage to jump in, and push past your fears, have the drive to go forward even when you aren’t feeling it, and practice IS a part of the process. Just play— so many times in the “play” portion of my process I’ve found new or solutions to the problems I feared (or invented entirely!)

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

The teacher in me always votes on the side of personal growth and learning— that’s not to say there aren’t some areas I, perhaps, “outsource” on, but so many times, in order to get exactly what you want, you need to do it yourself.

This is such a silly example, but I wanted a wristlet for a set of work keys in a particular color scheme, and nothing I found online fit the vision in my head. I could have settled for something else, but I knew what I wanted. I did not have the materials or the experience to build this particular item, but I went out of my way to figure out what I needed, the best way to make it look professional, and I took the time to create exactly what I wanted.

Another example would be when I was formatting my ebooks. I didn’t know ANYTHING about coding, but I had some particular formatting that I knew I wanted that many contracted formatters did not offer (or if they did, it was way out of my budget). Now while I still don’t know a whole lot about coding in general, I CAN say I know a fair bit about coding books, and I was able to control the way my book appeared exactly while also understanding the limitations I have. With that, I was able to work better with the collaborators on tasks I could not complete myself.

It takes time, and sometimes capital, but I’ve never been disappointed in a result because I had the creative control I wanted. I’ll always invest in self-improvement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Briannaraequinn.com
• Instagram: @missbriannaquinn
• Youtube: BrieIY

Image Credits

Megan Cleland
Rachel Schneider