Since Girls That Create launched in 2019, I’ve had the opportunity to interview many extraordinary women. Recently a check-in request went out to every person who appears in the website’s Creator Spotlight series. Below are the first updates from Writer Jess Rinker, Creative Alchemist Sarah Greenman, and Artist and Teacher Dr. Valerie Gillespie. As you can see, these women continue to be AMAZING forces in their own corners of the world.
Girls That Create Creator Spotlight Updates
Writer Jess Rinker
“My biggest update since last year is the sale/publication of a bunch more books. Out of Time: Lost on the Titanic came out in May. The Dare Sisters was released in September. Send a Girl: The True Story of How Women Joined the FDNY comes out in March 2021. The Dare Sisters 2: Shipwrecked comes out September 2021 and my most recent sale, The Fellowship of the Castle, will come out during summer 2022!
So I’m a bit busy. LOL! But it’s all so good. I feel incredibly lucky and honored to keep working in a job I love, especially now in such an unpredictable and unsteady year. I’ve fallen into a “brand” of stories about powerful women and adventurous girls–it’s very inspiring. I hope we get back to in-person events soon so I can actually meet readers. That is the one really disappointing thing about 2020 for authors–no connections. But hopefully it won’t stretch into next year too far.”
Original Creator Spotlight post featuring Rinker
Creative Alchemist Sarah Greenman
“Since you last featured me, I have left my position at StateraArts and am fully launched as an independent and solo artist. I’m thrilled to make this transition and step into the center of my work as a writer, painter and creative guide. This transition has allowed me to begin offering e-courses for creatives. My most recent is The Creative Alchemy Cycle, a year long creative journey in sync with the seasons. This summer, I also launched The Creative Alchemy Oracle Deck. It is a beautiful creative tool for exploring and honoring your inner wisdom.
The other big development is that The Motherhood Project, a play I’m co-creating with Moderate Woo (a feminist storytelling collective), just received a development MAP grant. This money will help us to pivot during the pandemic and shift the format from a stage production to an episodic podcast. So that will be an exciting way to spend 2021.”
Original Creator Spotlight post featuring Greenman
Artist and Teacher Dr. Valerie Gillespie
“Since we last spoke, I have joined The Winston School of Dallas as their Director of Visual and Performing Arts! I am thoroughly enjoying my new school and collaborating with fellow teaching artists that share the same passion for the arts and community! After school and on weekends, we have continued to offer arts instruction and mindfulness classes for kids at Pencil on Paper Gallery as we safely navigate our global crisis.
Sadly, we were closed for much of the spring and part of the summer due to the pandemic. Times were hard and the uncertainty proved challenging for me as a business owner. I am thankful for creative thinking as we shifted our classes in the gallery to an online platform while sheltering in place! When we returned to the gallery later in the summer, we had to reimagine education, teaching and learning. Class sizes were reduced. Exhibitions became virtual.
Pencil on Paper Gallery operated in a way that I could never have imagined. Many of our fellow small business friends in our area did not survive the temporary closures. It has been heartbreaking to witness as we too struggled to keep our doors open. I am grateful for the support of fellow artists, business owners, friends, donors, and family that played such a powerful role in helping us stay afloat. I am still unsure about what the future will bring as we continue to adjust and adapt to this new normal, but I am grateful that I am able to continue to do what I love and share that passion with my students, patrons and art enthusiasts in our community!”
Original Creator Spotlight post featuring Gillespie
Nominate Someone for Creator Spotlight
Creator Spotlight features interviews with artistic women/girls and showcases their work. If you know an artist you’d like to see spotlighted, email Erin at erin(at)girlsthatcreate(dot)com.
