We caught up with the brilliant and insightful DeLane McDuffie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
DeLane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
When I was a kid, I started off drawing. I would imitate my older cousin’s drawings, and then I started developing my own style and skill. Drawing eventually led me to wanting to create worlds and characters in story form, which is when I got into writing poems and short stories.
DeLane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
First of all, I’m an Army brat. I think that has shaped how I see the world a great deal. Living on base, I would meet people who had lived in Korea, Germany, and all over the world. That made me want to explore and seek out cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives that were different than mine.
I come from a family of jokesters and jesters. The home is always filled with laughter. We continually crack jokes about one another. Humor is pretty much the heartbeat of my bloodline. That’s been a throughline in much of my work and continues to be.
There’s been a battle raging in my head my whole life. While I’m creative and right-brained oriented, I’ve always had this grounded, scientific/analytical side of me, too. Each side informs the other, and they provide a weird, but interesting balance for me cerebrally. This has allowed me to maintain a presence in both creative and non-creative pursuits. I graduated from a very technical high school (NC School of Science and Math), but picked up English as a major at Morehouse College. After that, I went to the University of Miami for a master’s program in film production. And, for the last several years, I’ve been working in the technology field.
When I’m not working in tech, I’m writing scripts. I write screenplays and TV scripts. Over the last few years, I’ve been dabbling into playwriting. I guess I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it, since it’s an ancient discipline and one of the OG forms of dramatic writing. I was never a theater kid, but was always drawn to various forms of writing, especially those I hadn’t tried before. I’ve been fortunate to have a few plays produced and recognized around the country and even overseas. This year, my first full-length play “Follow the Lady” was a finalist in a national competition, and a film based on a short play of mine, “Amy and Neil”, has been screened and won some awards on the film circuit.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I would’ve have leaned on my network of fellow artists earlier in my journey. I can be fairly headstrong and bullheaded at times. I always wanted to do things on my own. I’d help out other people, but I didn’t want any help for myself. Bad move. To anyone reading this, your crew/cohort/friends/compadres are there for your benefit, and vice versa. The journey may not ever get truly easy, but if you’re riding along with your people, then it will surely be more fun and enjoyable.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I’m still trying to figure out exactly what NFTs are. I should ask you that. Reader, do you know what NFTs are? Any idea? Anyone? If so, let the rest of us know. I’d appreciate it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @frangelico_buttersworth
- Twitter: @CitizenDeLane
Image Credits
Abraham Kalili Michael Rueter