We recently connected with Brianna Rae Quinn and have shared our conversation below.
Brianna Rae, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
When I first started writing, I was genuinely too afraid to tell real stories. My first published book, Where Flowers Bloom, was a collection of poetry spanning about ten years of writing as early as middle school. As I hand selected the pieces I wanted to include, I noticed already that I was choosing pieces that felt almost as if they pandered to what I thought people wanted, rather than pieces I genuinely liked or was proud of at the time of writing or that meant something to me at that time in my life. I wondered a lot through the process if I was truly creating a collection that showed my journey through time or if I was trying too hard to mold all my old pieces into a better reflection of who I am now. The fear of being liked and respected as a writer, especially after my first book, was terrifying. If I received poor feedback, could I even continue onto the projects I was most passionate about?
After the confidence boost and sense of accomplishment from that, I decided to finally write my first novel. I had this experience in high school that I thought was a compelling concept for a story about being sabotaged and betrayed by someone you thought was your friend. I wanted it to be told in multiple perspectives to build a sense of dramatic irony for the reader, and suspense for the outcomes. It was always what I told myself would be my first novel, but as I sat down to write it, I felt that fear again. Am I qualified? Will people like it? Will people I know read it and will they recognize the similarities and lead to real world consequences? Even if I thought the experience for me would be incredibly cathartic and meaningful, I put it on hold again for the benefit of someone other than myself: the audience, the real people who inspired the story, whoever.
I wound up publishing Fake It Till You Make It, a coming of age story focused on accepting asexuality, which did have a lot of meaning to me, but was what I considered the “safe option”. It was about my personal experience. The conflict was internal: man versus self. There was no “bad guy” I feared to condemn. A majority of the characters were amalgamations of people and stories which generally made them unidentifiable as one person or another. I feared writing about experiences outside of my own because what gave me the right or made me qualified to write about others or speak on their experiences?
Then I was able to see the reaction to my first novel. People from my past read and recognized details from the story. I got messages of people laughing along with the memories, learning details they never knew about our hometown, and my favorite was the message I got from an ex who had a character more strongly, clearly, based off him, much to my great shock and embarrassment. That was the thing I feared the most, but I survived it. He ended up laughing off some of his own embarrassment and we ended up leaving that conversation on good terms, it seemed.
Even with all this newfound confidence in my writing, positive feedback on my story telling, and the importance off the representation my novel provided, I published a third book, another poetry collection, before finally trying to write this piece. It took a full year. And using everything I learned from the first experience, I changed up my writing process to include beta readers going chapter by chapter with me, and taking feedback on characters as I went. Some parts were hard to write as I relived my past experiences. These readers agreed that this work, which I eventually published in 2023 entitled Never Cried Wolf, was my strongest piece yet, being both relatable and compelling. I even found a way to embed my second love of poetry into the narrative, allowing me to share my loves of these two styles into one emotional piece. Feedback noted the strong emotions it elicited (even, sometimes, in a negative way). It became clear to me that the emotional space I came from when writing was clear even to the readers. It made my piece, I think, powerful to many readers because it was personal. And through exploring that second perspective, I was able to understand and make peace with the “villain” almost ten years later. By the end, the work felt as though it was more about him than about me.
It also gave me the confidence to try writing outside of my experience and share original, creative stories which I was too nervous to share before. I feel energized to write not only about myself honestly, but create something new and maybe fantastical? It truly impacted the way I think I am able to write now.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started writing stories and poetry when I was as young as five. I remember carrying around a pink, hardcover composition notebook with all my stories and poems, writing children’s books with the “Blackadder” font because I thought it looked old-timey, formal, and legitimate. I would print out my stories, staple them together, and draw my own pictures with crayola crayons. There was, at one point, a stockpile of them in the back of my closet. I’ve always loved creating. Art classes were my favorite. By the time I turned ten, I discovered a talent for singing, and by fourteen, I was selected for the show choir at my school which introduced me to a love of dance, and theatre. This is why I’ve always preferred to call myself a “creator” rather than just “author” or “singer” or “artist”. I have always just felt called to make and share stories in some way– writing, fine art, performance, it never mattered, I wanted to do it all.
My first step into publication was actually in 2015, in my first dorm room at college, I filmed a Youtube video of me making a 3D Nintendo 64 logo sculpture out of cardboard for my boyfriend at the time. I felt inspired by constantly being asked “How did you make this?” when I showed off my various projects, thinking I’d be able to point back to the video. I uploaded it to my channel (to very few views), and about a year later after making three more videos of various crafting projects around my college room, I decided to open a dedicated art and crafting channel, BrieIY, and started to upload regularly. I made a goal of creating something every week, no matter how small, and documenting it, with the added concept of trying to do everything on a budget as a college student. I taught myself new skills, tried different products, and shared my experience and tips while learning, which I think is different from a lot of experts which show perfection nearly every time. I wanted to create a space for beginners like me and all their new hyperfixations! I thought people could come to me to learn with me, and either feel fantastic about their work or share in my misery of the disappointment from first time creations never turning out how you’d want in your head. I ended up gaining a small following over time, and winning a feature on a few popular art channels allowing me some experience being in the public eye (and taking serious criticism) for the first time.
It built my confidence and motivation to create with less inhibitions and when the pandemic closed down the school I was working at in 2020, I found myself with so much time to follow my passions and create that I was able to take on a larger, more involved project, like my first book, Where Flowers Bloom. I created digital artwork for every page and I marketed it as part poetry book, part coloring book. I took time filling in every page of one of my first proofs with color and almost using that time to meditate on my pieces and what they meant to me. It brought a lot of peace, especially with the newer works. As a brand, I am proud to say I don’t know everything, but that I can certainly learn. I am a teacher at heart, my degree is in education, and life-long learning is a strong value of mine. I think having this consistent message of being able to learn and grow, and believing it is okay and even valuable to make mistakes sets me apart. Maybe my works are not perfect, but they are a representation of me in the moment of time, and nothing will ever be like it again. If I were to rewrite my first novel today, I know it would be very different. Its original form, imperfections and all, make it a representation of myself at that time, and even with all that it was able to reach people and inspire some creativity on its own. Imperfect works can inspire, even if its just from the lens of “I can do that better!”
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Simply speaking about art is, I think, one of the best ways to support artists, creatives, and a creative ecosystem. Art is so personal for so many artists and creators but it can speak and have meaning to others as well. It makes me think of those “which vibe do I give?” posts you see floating online with tons of shares and comments. People identify with art, and a lot of people, I think, love feeling validated in that identity. We love to hear things like, ’’This made me think of you.” Building these connections between our people and art or artists that speak to them can build a strong support network even for people who do not always identify with certain artists. If we see something out at a fair, a post for someone’s business online, see a live performance, or read the back of a book that reminds us of someone, tell them! Snap a picture and share, and make sure the artist’s name is clear. I know people who spend years looking for the one perfect art piece for their den, or are dying for book recommendations, or want to get out of the house but aren’t sure where to go. Connecting artists with their audience is critical and word of mouth from our people in our circles is often a powerful motivator. We aren’t only establishing a connection to the art, but strengthening our own connections with people and allowing us to share experiences and our thoughts on them and make meaning.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
So often in life, things are shared. We have to compromise on what we want. With art and performance, I can make choices for myself to invent something that is ultimately my own. It’s like sharing a part of myself with the world and being seen in a very authentic way. The audience doesn’t just see me physically, but what goes on inside my head. What do I picture? What do I think? How do I feel? And for a moment, I get to be a little selfish and be as myself as ever. Admittedly, It took me a long time to get to this point of creating, authentically, but it is certainly my favorite part now!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://briannaraequinn.com
- Instagram: @missbriannaquinn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brianna-Rae-Quinn-Author-100084625066716/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-rae-kemper/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brieiy
- Other: Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08PL318VN
Image Credits
Megan Cleland