Meet Matt Harry

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matt Harry. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matt below.

Hi Matt, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

This has been a central question in my life since I was a teenager. I like that it implies I’m an optimistic person overall, which doesn’t always feel true. I want to be upbeat and hopeful about the world, especially because I have kids. But honestly, it’s not a battle I win every day. What keeps me going is my creative work. Each new project is a chance to connect with others, to explore new ideas, and hopefully pass on a bit of positivity.

And so, I think a lot about how to optimize my optimism.

That thinking led to the creation of my new play LIFE LINE. It’s an immersive experience that transforms my internal debate between cynicism and hope into a story. Taking place in a support group setting, the audience will help new group leader Angela (Dorothy Dillingham Blue) convince Joe (Taylor Karin) that there are plenty of reasons to live. Will they succeed? Or will Joe choose a permanent solution to a temporary problem?

While it deals with heavy themes, LIFE LINE is a fun, thoughtful, and ultimately uplifting experience. My goal is for people to leave the show a little more optimistic about the world.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a writer, director, and lover of immersive storytelling. I’ve published four novels, created two interactive plays, and sold screenplays for film and television. I’ve also edited over 25 books and I teach filmmaking at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.

In all my creative work, I strive to entertain and inspire people. I had a pretty uneventful childhood, so stories became my escape. I love playing with fantastical and interactive elements, be they sorcery, superheroes, or branching narratives. Buzzfeed called my work “a fun getaway at any age,” while Booklist dubbed my debut novel SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS a “clever, often hilarious adventure.”

My latest immersive play, LIFE LINE, starts running on September 19 in Burbank, CA. We’re also doing a special Zoom show for people out of town. Tickets can be found below.

Plus, my new novel TIME TRAVEL FOR BEGINNERS will be available for pre-order in October. It’s the third book in the best-selling Codex Arcanum series, and this one follows teenage sorcerer Perry Spring as she travels through time to rescue her missing father. It’s my most ambitious project to date — who knew time travel could be so tricky to write about? You can find that project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/756901533/time-travel-for-beginners

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Persistence is by far one of the most important qualities a creative person can develop. Talent is nice to have, but if you don’t keep practicing you’ll never improve upon your natural skills. Persistence also helps with getting your work seen. I’ve been rejected many, many times, but each pass forced me to get better. Had I stopped because of one or even 100 nos, I never would have completed all the work I’ve since finished. I’ve also realized that people may not always vibe with your work the first time they see it. But if you keep at it, they may eventually come around.

A second key quality is passion. Without it, persistence will quickly become drudgery. Truly enjoying your work makes doing multiple revisions and selling it and collaborating with others a fun experience. If I’m not excited by what I’m making, the audience won’t be excited either. So finding that passion in your projects and keeping it alive throughout the process is incredibly important.

A third quality that I find useful is Perspective. (And I didn’t just pick that one because it was a ‘P’ word.) When I started as a creative, hearing about someone else’s success was difficult. It made me feel like I was falling behind, or I’d never be as talented as they were. After some time, I started to see that everyone has their own path. As much as we may try to control our way forward, it’s often the unexpected twists that lead to success. Having a longer view on things makes me appreciate the wins.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

My greatest challenge right now is one that plagues all creatives — marketing! I wish I could spend all my time telling stories, but if I only did that, no one would ever hear about them. There’s more competition than ever for audiences, and a million different ways to reach them. I’m on social media, I send out newsletters, and I do interviews for media outlets whenever I can. (Thank you for the opportunity, Bold Journeys!) But sometimes it feels like I’m shouting into a well, and there’s not even an echo bouncing back (unless I type the wrong email address).

The best way I’ve found to combat this is to simply forge ahead. Be persistent in your outreach, be passionate about your message, and have some perspective on things if it doesn’t go the way you expect. Experience has taught me that it’s always a pleasant surprise who will show up for you.

I recognize that having the time to work on creative projects is an incredible privilege. But in the future, I hope to spend more of my time on the making side of things, rather than selling. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even find a way to enjoy marketing!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ronan Harry, Juliane Crump, Morgan Dameron, Matt Harry,

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