We recently connected with Michael Snow and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was in high school I started dealing with depression. I had one teacher who really saw me. I had written in one of my papers that nothing really mattered, that everything was meaningless. She told me to look up this phrase “l’art pour l’art.” It basically means art for arts sake. It came from a philosophy that art was the only thing done for no other reason than for it to exist, it was its own intrinsic value. After that I knew there was nothing else that I could dedicate myself to other than to create.

In some sense I still believe that life is without meaning. We give meaning to the things, people, and ideas that we care about. Life is an opportunity to create meaning.

Michael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At about 14 years old I started doing a sport called parkour. In high school I became the first sponsored freerunner in the US. Being a movement artist in a developing space I wore a lot of hats. I couldn’t just be an athlete, I had to also be a stuntman, choreographer, and teacher, and to make it a real job I needed to become a business person. After dropping out of art school to be on the Madonna World Confessions tour I had the opportunity to try a lot of different roles. I worked in marketing, I was on reality TV, traveled to Lebanon for the US Embassy, was a motivation speaker, sports commentator, and consultant.

Now I’m happy to explore each new opportunity as they flow into my life. I recently started doing a segment for a Finance podcast about the existential cost and value of things around the world. I wrote a children’s book on dreams and am working with an agent to publish it. My brother and I made a 20 meter tall pinball machine and stuck our friend inside and got nominated for an Emmy. Life is a wild ride and I am most proud of my ability to enjoy the ride without worrying about when the next wave will come.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

One thing that has always motivated me is the idea that every living thing is created with unlimited potential. We are all born out of one explosion of possibility echoing out through the universe. Our very lives are constructed of the most unbelievable statistically probability that was simultaneously inevitable. I want to remind people of their own innate greatness, help them realize their own limitless capability, and make dreams come true.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

If you think you’re a non-creative, looking for insight into a creative’s journey or mindset let me enlighten you: You’re wrong. There’s no such thing as a “non-creative.” Just by the act of existing you are creating. Sometimes you are creating space, sometimes you’re creating masterpieces, sometimes you are creating waste, but you are never creating nothing. Human life is an act of consumption and the inevitable creation it ensues. Sometimes you like the thing you create, sometimes you hate it. Doesn’t matter if you’re a CPA making a perfectly collated and color coded spreadsheet that tickles that spot in the back of your brain or a tortured artist spearing paint on a canvas hating yourself and the world. The only difference between a “creative” and everybody else is your linkedin bio and the feeling of frustration when someone asks you to be creative on command like ChatGPT spitting out mood boards and brand strategies.

Contact Info:

• Website: frostifresh.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/frostifresh
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/frostisavestheworld
• Youtube: youtube.com/tempestfreerunning
• Other: OutToLun.ch, TempestFreerunning.com, CanyonsTheGame.com

Image Credits
Daniel Johnson