We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Russell Fellows a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Russell, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

Marketing. I never realized that marketing would be the enormous monster that it is for authors. I knew it was part of the whole package – something that must be done in one aspect or another – but I suppose that while I saw that it would be difficult, I didn’t realize that it is, in fact, the dark void that steals the souls of every author who ever wrote a story.

Kidding!

It is difficult, and I don’t have it figured out, of course, but it is a small aspect. There are so many avenues and nuances to marketing as an author – paths I’ve never thought of before, and paths that can be difficult to travel. For an author like me, wisdom tells me that the best place for me to meet my readers is through school and library visits. Wonderful! And, one of these days, I’ll finally be able to do that. When I do, it’s going to be a lot of fun! I’ll get to share stories with kids eager for adventure, and they’ll get to share their favorite adventures with me, too – maybe inspire a few future stories.

Russell, 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?

I am a storyteller. I like thinking of myself that way more than simply a writer or anything else (although, there is nothing simple about being a writer/author). Storytelling has been part of my soul for as long as I can remember. I kept suppressing it, though, for a great many reasons. I kept listening to “voices of wisdom” that told me I was meant for other things in life. It took me a long time to finally let myself really dive back into being a storyteller. Once I did, I found that it opened worlds to me beyond simply being an author. Through strange and winding ways, I began involving myself in voice acting and audio production – both of which I find as thrilling and fulfilling as creating new books. I’m still new with those, but always moving forward.

What I love about storytelling most is that stories connect all of us. Stories erase barriers. Stories have the power to break down walls, heal wounds, bind what’s broken, light the darkness, diminish hate, feed hope, and let love grow. Stories are powerful. I want my stories to connect readers together – even just for entertainment’s sake – just over love of a character or thrill of a moment – or something deeper.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, the most rewarding part of being an author is when I hear from a a child – or from their parent – that they absolutely devoured my book and can’t wait for the next one. I-I cannot begin to describe what that feels like. To share that adventure with someone who really loved it – who put themselves into the world that at one time was only inside my head and loved it – there’s not much greater than that.

When people genuinely enjoy what I create, that makes everything worth it.

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?

I believe there is no such thing as a non-creative. Everyone is creative is some way – we just limit ourselves in what we consider creative. I think that’s where understanding on any level diminishes – when we limit our definitions. I may be creative with words. Another person is creative with solutions to problems – in that they can see all the possible outcomes to a situation and they can find the best solution to it where many other people would become overwhelmed or simply follow the “way they’ve always done things” and never really solve anything.

Creativity is woven deep in our souls. It’s part of who we are – part of our stories (see what I did there?). We just have to find our own grasp on it and not let anyone tell us that their creativity is more important than ours. True beauty comes when we make room for everyone’s story, everyone’s creativity – and we really need more beauty in this world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://russelljfellows.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russell.fellows/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russell.j.fellows
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-fellows-65158454/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/russelljfellows

Image Credits

Photos from Leanne van Egmond-Fellows