We recently connected with Finn Benham and have shared our conversation below.

Finn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

As someone who believes strongly that art should cause discomfort or disruption, it’s frequently assumed that I make art purely for the sake of being “different” or “weird.” Those are both words that I’ve heard used to describe both my writing and my visual and musical works. The truth is, kind of, yes. I love “weird,” I even love the word “weird,” but I make things because they make me feel things. Weird things make me feel things. I do the work I do because it makes me incredibly euphoric.

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 was raised by a family of musicians and in a family band that I still play with in my hometown, Fruita, CO. It was automatic for me to fall in love with music, and, more specifically, songs. Songs had a beginning, a middle, and (sadly and inevitably) an end. They were full of feelings because they told stories, and some of them hurt. I wanted to understand why they hurt when the things in them never happened to me in real life. I wanted to understand why the hurt brought a soothing feeling with it. I was a pretty moody kid (no kidding). I started writing stories, just telling them to myself and drawing pictures of the characters for my own enjoyment, but when I was old enough I started writing them down, and by the time I was an adult I had a pretty big portfolio. Not that any of it was especially good, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter as much as the STORY being TOLD. I later studied under Valerie Nuzzo and Kim Nuzzo with a theatre company called Zephyr Stage that I’m still a part of. They changed my life. Now I’m focusing on a feature film called Prysmion. It’s the biggest project I’ve ever taken on and more people than I’ve ever collaborated with. But there are so many mythologies in me still that it’s worth sacrificing the energy and money and whatever else I’m spending. I’m immensely proud of the script and the idea in general, and even prouder of my friends’ outpouring generosity and trust in me as they step out of their comfort zones and become very vulnerable to act, sing, and put themselves into this film. The moments of intensity in connection I’ve experienced between myself and the cast SO FAR is pretty unreal and is actually what I think it’s all about (if there has to be a point). From that alone, I really believe this project will make an impact on people when it’s finished.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’m not sure if it is or isn’t yet. On one hand, my work rewards me daily by filling me with passion and zeal. On the other hand, the more I do the more I still NEED to do. Every idea explored leads to several more at least. Nothing is ever good enough for me. Not to mention – it doesn’t support me. I work full-time in addition to my endless projects. My creative efforts sap me, too. I often get sick after a day of filming because it’s so consuming. But I’m going to keep doing it because I want to, and I can.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

First world amenities. I’m not kidding. Healthcare, housing, basic survival. You’ll see a lot more artists thriving after they’re given that. And for society to realize that taking part in art like film, theatre, performance arts is like stretching. It has to challenge us sometimes or we will get stiff.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @finnjaminbenjamin
• Youtube: Finn Benham

Image Credits

David Lester