We were lucky to catch up with STEVE PRENTICE recently and have shared our conversation below.

STEVE, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Learning the craft of writing has been an interesting journey that started with writing poetry. My first experience with learning the craft is when I attended the Ford Poetry Festival in New Jersey. I kept asking each presenter about their writing process trying to figure out how to best hone my craft. When I asked former National Poet Laureate Billy Collins about his process he said, “Your process will be different than anyone else’s and the only way to find out what that is, is to sit down and write.”

Through experimentation I found that my process was a blend of my visual art and writing: each inspiring new thoughts and insights to push the other forward. When I find myself blocked in one, turning to the other helps me to see the work in a way I never could have otherwise.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a writer and visual artist. Visual art has always been a part of my life. As a kid I would spend hours laying in front of the fire and filling sketchbook after sketchbook with drawings. It was not until college that I started writing, mostly poetry at the time. I shared very little of it with others. It was a way for me to process the difficult life conditions I was being exposed to as a developing Social Worker. It was not until I moved to New York with my wife and daughter that I began to share my work. I first shared it when we went to a poetry jam in a building that was really not much more than a four-story open space built between two older buildings. It was a made for movie experience. People got up and read their poems out loud to a sea of black clothing clad audience members who would snap their fingers in support until the poet finished, then the room would erupt in applause. It was a beautiful but surreal world I never wanted to leave. After that, I began to seek out chances to connect with other writers and visual artists every chance I could. I continued to share my poetry and got more into showing my visual art. It was during this time that I began to venture into writing Seventh Generation, my first full length novel, as well as my upcoming book Vanished.

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

The best way society could support artists, writers, and other creatives is to participate in the art community. Get involved by finding what resonates with you. It can be anything from painting or writing to knitting or quilting. What matters is that it resonates with you. Make something creative; good art, bad art – it doesn’t matter. What matters is creating. Every piece of creativity adds to the conversation. Sharing the work or the pages of creatives you enjoy through your own social media can be a powerful way to be involved and support them.
Leave a message on your favorite creatives’ social media. I cannot tell you how inspiring it is to hear from someone who has connected with something I have created.
Leaving reviews for authors on places like Good Reads, and anywhere you buy books, is a powerful tool for increasing their exposure.
Many communities have local art strolls and open studio events. Attending these helps support artists in their work. For me it also has the added benefit of feeling a connection when I see a bit of myself in someone else’s work or their work opens up new ways of seeing for me.
Funding is always a struggle for creatives ,so buying or commissioning their works, and, if possible, donating to local art charities is a great way to promote creativity.

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

There is an almost indescribable joy that comes when I see or hear about how another person connected with something I created, often in ways I could not have imagined.        

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artpal.com/steveprentice
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prentice.striks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.prentice.75
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1952816599/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1686516526&sr=8-1