Taylor Baker · Environmental Justice, Climate Change & Governance Podcaster

Something I love about nature is swimming or water in general. I love going to the beach with friends and family and last summer I explored a bunch of different swimming holes in my area since beaches were closed during the pandemic. I've loved the water since I was little and being able to swim for fun makes me feel like a kid again. Sustainability is super important to me. I started to truly inform myself of the issues and circumstances of the world about four years ago and have been committed to being part of the change ever since. I make an effort to educate my peers and myself about new information and try to live a sustainable and conscientious lifestyle. I'm a part of my university's sustainability committee where we are trying to make our campus greener. I'm also in a club at my university campaigning for the school to divest in fossil fuels. 

Storytelling is a vital, inspiring, and memorable way of conveying important information to a large audience. Especially with the rising popularity of podcasts, they're an accessible and engaging way to spread news and recent findings. I hope to be able to learn more on this journey as a podcaster but also help in educating people wherever I can help.

Ellen Israel · Associate Podcast Producer & Interviewer

Stories inform who we are: both the stories we are told and carry with us, and those we create and share with others. The creation and telling of a story is the invention of a whole world. Through my collaboration with The Creative Process, I am creating opportunities for new, unheard stories to come into being and to helping share these invented "worlds" with others.

I recently completed a year-long story-collecting project in collaboration with my grandparents. Every week for a year, I emailed them a question which I wanted them to answer for me. These questions ranged from things like "What were your grandparents like?," to, "What are your biggest regrets as parents?," to, "What questions do you wish you would have asked your parents when they were still alive?," to, "What stories you were told as a child have had the greatest impacts on your adult life?" They answered these questions via email, which helped me to stay in close contact with them while I was away at college, and at the end of the year I compiled their answers, many of which were many pages long, into a book. This project has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined, and the stories they so graciously shared with me will be as valuable to the generations to come as they are to me now.

I do not currently have any plans for future creative projects, but in a couple of months I will be beginning my work on a year-long senior thesis for NYU's English Honors program. 

❧

Many of my fondest memories from my childhood come from springs and summers spent outdoors. Growing up in Minnesota, spring and summer was our reward for bearing through the long, bitter winter. As soon as the ice melted, we would spend as much time as we possibly could outside because we knew the warm weather always came and left too quickly. We swam and canoed in the lakes, hiked in the woods, bird-watched, played with bugs in the dirt, swatted at mosquitos, and sat around the campfire singing songs. That these experiences which were for me so formative will not be accessible to future generations, and are even inaccessible to much of today's youth already depending on the extent of environmental destruction which has already been done where they live, is heartbreaking and disturbing.

The sustainability pledge I have taken for myself is to make my own lifestyle as sustainable as I can, sacrificing convenience and resources to the extent that I am able, in honor of those who do not have the privileges and resources needed to be able to make those choices. I pledge to continue to educate myself on the topics of sustainability and food production, environmental racism, and the interconnectedness of capitalism and climate destruction. Lastly, I pledge to decenter white, wealthy, and Western voices and to keep marginalized communities at the forefront of my learning.

Aparna Rajeev · Human Rights, Migration & Gender Equality Podcaster · India

Thank you so much for these wonderful podcasts. It is so inspiring to listen to so many different and truly extraordinary experiences of some extraordinary people around the world. I enjoyed the podcast with Ms. Kathleen Rogers in particular as it was simply incredible and highly insightful. I would also love to learn more about the various initiatives and lessons from guests that have been creating a meaningful impact in the world such as UNESCO, United Nations and even other culturally focused organizations. 

From the time I can remember, I have always been enamored with stories starting with the bedtime stories that ranged from fairy tales to mythology that my father told me while tucking me to bed each night. Sitting wide mouthed when my dad recited these stories, I can vividly remember myself imagining and creating my own little fantasies about a world filled with everything sunshine and rainbows. However, as I grew up and my knowledge and experiences increased, I slowly started to realize the real world is significantly different from the world that I knew from the stories that my dad had told me as a little girl. While I realize today that it was an attempt from my father’s side to shield me from everything brutal that this world is known for today, I am only glad that he did as it led me to discover my creative side which involves a deep love for performing arts especially dance and drama along with filmmaking and photography. 

As I am still on the path to discovering myself by losing myself in these creative forms of self-expression, I have also come to recognize the importance of storytelling and creativity. In fact, my understanding of these two concepts are that storytelling and creativity does not and cannot exist without the other. They are inseparable to the extent that creativity which usually includes portrayal of some kind of expression either self or enactment of others or characters has an inherent element of story. I have come to realize that stories lie everywhere and within every single human being. 

And today, living amidst the ravages of a pandemic, I firmly believe the world needs compassion more than ever.  Passionate about bringing a change in this world, I have realized that there is no better medium to do that than storytelling and creativity, as stories and storytelling are simply powerful! They not just represent the power of humanity but are also something that ultimately humanizes us all human beings, because we all have a story to tell! Working with the amazing team at The Creative Process, I cannot ask for a better opportunity. I feel I am coming out as a different person collaborating and helping with the wonderful people in the institution to curate and celebrate the extraordinary lives of people around the globe. Through this initiative, I gain more knowledge and be more curious and of course, inspired to change this world!

Some of the recent projects that I have been working upon include the Monthly issues released by the SIA (Society of International Affairs) at New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. I am currently serving as a Columnist at SIA, where I write commentaries on some of the most pressing issues in the world at the moment. I have also been collaborating this semester with some of the student leaders in my university to organize one of the first Higher Education Climate Change Conferences in the region. In addition, I would like to work someday in the future on meaningful projects that maximize social impact especially concerning causes which are extremely dear to me such as human rights, migration, gender equality and climate change. Considering my passion for storytelling and photography, I also plan to curate and document the lives of the common people in the city of Abu Dhabi where I am currently based. 

❧

Natural world or nature in general, I believe, is one of the greatest blessings that mankind has ever received. Growing up in one of the greatest cities of the planet, my mother always ensured that I knew what nature is all about. Being a nature lover herself, she did everything she could to pass on the love for everything green to me and my sister, and she definitely did succeed in her endeavor. In fact, in pursuit of the same passion, my earliest memories of nature and the natural world is through the many weekend trips that my parents planned for me and my sister. While my friends went to amusement parks and malls, I made regular trips to the sun kissed beaches of UAE where we went swimming, the desert where we saw Camels and cacti growing in amazement along with the beautiful mangroves where we went Kayaking. However, as I grew up, the natural world became everything that gave me peace and solace. The cool breeze that touched my  face when I stood under the tall palm trees, the spectacular sunsets at the beach that I never get bored of, the flowers that bloomed in the spring across the streets, I realized as I grew up that nature and natural beauty could be seen everywhere. Even in the smallest things such as a plant growing in odd places or playing with the puppies and kittens on the streets with my cousins. In fact, I do not want to lose any of them. Not now, not ever.

My personal sustainability pledge comes from the basic understanding that nature is mankind’s greatest blessings and there is only one single Mother Earth, of which WE are her inhabitants by which it is us who need her and not the other way around. Bestowed to every single human being on this planet, it is our responsibility to take care of her and most importantly heal her in every way we could, because she does her part of healing us and taking care of us by showering her motherly love on us every single day.

I am here attaching the link to two of my writings which includes a political commentary as well as a blog entry for the World Literacy Foundation. I am also attaching some photographs that I have clicked which I believe narrates many stories. 

https://sianyuad.medium.com/myanmar-coup-d%C3%A9tat-a-reflection-e22bdbcc7053 

https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/the-shadow-pandemic/

Nina Hook · Creative Writing & Music Podcaster

I grew up in sunny Yuma, Arizona… the sunniest city in the nation. Not only was I surrounded by the literal sun, but I was surrounded by the warmest people, and vibrant conversation. Anytime I think of storytelling, I think of my grandma’s kitchen, where the conversation never stopped. It hopped between English and Spanish, as we gathered around making tortillas and horchata with my ever-growing Mexican family. The storytelling came from the experiences, laughter, and pain that my family felt vulnerable enough to share. It came from their passion and loud voice (that often ended in heated arguments, haha!). Storytelling to me is the feeling of vulnerability, yet comfort. This is exactly what happened on the little checkered 50s tile of my grandma’s kitchen, and that is why storytelling feels like a cozy home to me. 

There are an abundance of qualities and experiences to have through The Creative Process. I’m excited about the wonderful opportunity! Being able to speak to people who I grew up reading, or even just recently admired, is exciting for me because I feel their advice and stories give such depth and can help me as a writer. Also, I feel like being a part of something bigger than myself is so deeply important to me. Addressing issues, history, and other topics really inspire me to use my own voice and inspire others. Lastly, I feel as though editing is something I really could enjoy and want to be a part of, whether in the podcasting world, the magazine world, or the book world – so I’m eager to learn more! Basically, I am just beyond curious and passionate, and know many great things will come through this opportunity.

Personally, I have launched a blog, Plot Twists, to allow my creative outlets to be shared on my life in NYC as a nineteen-year-old. I also aim to use this platform as a voice for many cultural and societal issues that I feel passionate about. I also am currently creating a poem book, “She grew,” to highlight the growth found within my emotions over the past year; a more personal outlet into my life. Lastly, I write many articles for HerCampus magazine through my university that is very near to my heart and brings about a more light-hearted writing that I enjoy. 

❧

Last week, my mom sent me old videos she found about me writing songs while planting flowers in our backyard. I was dancing, singing, creating, while being a part of this newfound birth in nature. I took care of those flowers everyday and found the idea of nurturing so important at a young age. Those memories of planting the flowers, and keeping after them, really just reminded me the importance of nurturing nature and each other, and it makes me smile. It bonded my family even closer and helped us all remember the really important things in life--- loving one another. Today, I want to continue my pledge by finding appreciation for nature everyday and making a conscious effort to pour out my gratitude, so others can find inspiration as well. This can be posting about it on social media, my blog, and other platforms. I also make it a point to change the small things in my life to make a difference --- using reusable bags, bottles, and straws; natural makeup products; picking up trash from the street; and overall awareness. I also want to go forward with more action: volunteering at the beaches near me, helping at animal shelters, donating when possible to organizations for climate change, and really just educating myself more and more. 

My mother broke her bones, and so will I

by Nina Hook 

My mother broke her bones, and so will I 

The mold

Pressed and formed deeper and deeper

Each year 

The same as before 

Prerequisites falling to the floor

As a child, I broke my bones

Trying to catch those prerequisites 

That tested my soul 

As a child, I broke my bones

Fitting in the mold of my 

Christian circumstance 

The mold was not from God 

It was from my peers

The families who thought I was too good 

To fit any other mold but their own

They squeezed me into their praise of goodness

But it was suffocating and

Dishonest when they praised my suffering and

Failure

Failure wasn’t an option 

The mold was too tight, too deep

But I wanted to learn about His forgiveness

How else am I do to that but fault on my own? 

Pressed into a mother at the young age of 21

A wife

A woman of the house 

I didn’t want the mold

It broke my bones 

I didn’t want the mold of the Southwest

I didn’t want a mold at all

I just wanted to love what I did, who I was

And I knew Jesus believed me 

But they didn’t

How could they not see 

That God still loved me

On the road of mine own

That my mother broke her bones 

To create

For me

A life I got to choose despite the mold

That bonded me to the dry, cracking mud

She slammed hard on the dried-up mud

She broke her bones

She cracked the mold 

And the pieces went flying 

She was still broken

But standing just the same

Hallelujah 

She praised 

God pieced her together 

Jagged and imperfect, she was beautiful 

And, now, today

I would gladly break my bones

To break that old, hard mold 

And God loves me just the same

As a child, I broke my bones

Mia Rosenblatt · Oceans & Clean Energy Podcaster

Although I love many things about the natural world including its beauty, the resources it provides us with, and more, I most love the ocean. I love to swim, snorkel, and scuba dive. For example, I remember I was on a dive once in Fiji, and we were able to go up to reef sharks and simply observe them in their natural habitat, inches away. It is one of my most memorable experiences as it was so pristine and incredible. I was also able to share this experience with my brother who loves the ocean almost as much as I do. Partly because the experience was so incredible, I worry that with climate change and increasing human impacts on the ocean, I may never be able to experience something like that again. That is why my personal sustainability pledge is to limit my consumption of single-use plastics, conserve energy where I can, and be vegan, all in the hopes of helping to reduce my impact and prolong the life of our incredible planet. In addition, I try to educate my friends and family on environmental issues so that they are able to take action as well. 

Although I have not been able to do any recent projects surrounding the environment besides in my classes, I plan to spend the rest of my life advocating for it. It is extremely important to advocate, assist, and restore our world, and one of the best ways to do that is by reaching out to others. I have found that others take the most out of the situation when they are truly in awe, which only happens when creativity and innovation are involved. Thus I hope to educate people in a creative way by allowing them to learn more about the resources they need to actually create some change.

The importance of storytelling and creativity is immeasurable. In order to change the world, in any way, creative storytelling must play a role. It allows us to put others into our shoes and to show people things that they never would have even thought of. Thus, creative storytelling is an essential part of the human experience and an essential part of change. With The Creative Process, I am learning more about the art of storytelling while also learning more from others around the world about the world, environment, and nature. 

Josie Meloy · Sustainability & Women’s Health Policy Podcaster

My grandparents own 400 acres of woodland in central Wisconsin, where I grew up hiking, skiing, climbing trees, and exploring all of the wilderness around me. They live in the area where "The Sand County Almanac" was written from and about: the sand counties of Wisconsin. Major fracking companies have offered my family money to frack on the property; however, my family has never sold any part of this land out of respect for the environment. My biggest fear is that one day, we will not be able to afford to keep this land, and will have to sell it. 

I have a passion for women's health in any and all forms, especially when examining reproductive health. I have recently done many pieces surrounding the accessibility and sustainability of menstrual products, as well as how realistic various products are for use in developing nations. 

Throughout my life, I have been a reader. I always took the stories of characters as ways for me to mold my own personality and values. My love for fictional stories has given me a unique perspective on how nonfiction can be a more invested process, instead of a cold, sterile one. I grew up on the stories of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Mysterious Benedict Society, and have taken all of the best traits of the best characters and let them become a piece of who I am, fundamentally. I want to use my skills of nonfiction storytelling to give people that experience of deeply relating to, and even becoming, the people who are trying to save the world. 

Some of my academic podcasting work and personal podcasting work for enjoyment. 

Nina Mewborne · Sustainability, Society & Consumer Activism Podcaster

The biggest thing in the natural world that I would never want to lose is sharks. Although I don't have any personal experience with them, I would one day like to work with sharks directly. I think they are such an amazing species. It would be tragic if an animal that lived through 5 mass extinctions may not survive due to humans and their behaviors. My personal sustainability pledge is to one day live a completely carbon-neutral life. I have already begun this journey, but I am nowhere close to where I want to be. I am vegan and try to avoid all single-use containers. These two things are nowhere near enough nor am I anywhere near perfect, but one day I hope to meet my goal. In the future, I would love to combine my creative past with my educational present. I am currently an Environmental Science major and I began my passion for the environment from multiple and varied documentaries. I think different creative platforms are the best way to get everyone interested in sustainability and to share information. 

I think that storytelling and creativity are extremely important in sharing stories, thoughts, and knowledge. It is how people get to know one another and each other's experiences. Without storytelling and creativity, humans would not expand their knowledge and the world would be much more mundane. In my collaboration with The Creative Process, I am able to fine-tune my creative skills and truly find a voice. I have had a lot of practice and created a lot of art through short film and stage productions, but I haven’t had the chance to explore the podcast platform before this. I have done a lot of audio editing and interviewing, and am excited about pulling my different skills together to produce a new form of art.

The first episodes of The Creative Process that I listened to were Jonathan Furmanski and Vlad Sokhin’s interviews. I was very intrigued by both of these men's different lives and career choices. Sokhin's interview was the one I found most interesting. I loved his world view of how individuals can do their part to slow climate change and his first-hand experience of how Western people's actions have directly impacted his life. He spoke on how the human race’s survival is on the line if we don’t act quickly. He then begins sharing multiple different stories he experienced in many countries. I especially enjoyed when he recalled having to leave the home he was staying in very early in the morning. Sokhin was invited by some drunk men to share breakfast with them. He did and got some amazing pictures and stories from that experience. I loved listening to these podcasts for that reason. You get to learn so much about other people’s stories, cultures, and beliefs. Things that I would not be able to learn without hearing individuals' stories in their own words. While this story wasn’t about climate change, it was a story that shaped him as a human. Towards the beginning of the podcast, Sokhin shared that “you can’t just be a tourist with a camera.” This line really stood out to me. It made me think about how often people think that they are learning about a country when in reality, they are just observing. They aren’t truly experiencing different communities and cultures by just watching.

See one of my multimedia performances: SHIPS.

Grace Wanebo ·Gender Studies & Literature Podcaster · NYU

Stories connect the dots between nuance and relatability. Art does the same. I hope to be able to collaborate with people who can help myself and listeners reckon with subjects such as gender and sexuality,  environmental racism, how art is healing, etc.

My most recent project is a radio/podcast piece on day-in-the-life of an anosmic.  I was born without a sense of smell and growing up it was a very isolating condition. My parents and doctors never knew what to do with it. Because it's now a symptom of covid-19, it's suddenly become a common condition. Yet, it still is not recognized enough. From interviewing people around the world with varying degrees of anosmia, I've learned how devastating it can be to a person's well being. 

Some of my creative work

Two stories I produced. (7:00)

Some of my contributions to NYU Local

Tunshore Longe · Sustainability Podcaster & Community Organizer · Nigeria

I love trees. That is the simplest answer to this question. Throughout my life I have lived in 5 different cities and come to see parks and any kind of forest as an immense luxury. I love studying the intricate patterns on leaves, I love noting the changing colors, and I frequently draw the wood designs or the weed flowers at the roots of trees. I remember walking through a forest in the south west of my home country Nigeria in my early teens and hearing nothing but the hum of insects and birds. The tranquility was a sharp contrast to the usual cacophony of horns that color a city's streets. I am so enamored with trees that I find it incredibly difficult to understand deforestation. Trees might genuinely be our most effective weapon against climate change and the planting and efficient growing of them is one thing I have been a vociferous supporter of. My personal sustainability pledge is to contribute to tree-planting initiatives by voluntarily planting trees when possible and encouraging sustainable urban development practices.
Recently, I have been doing a lot of volunteer work with non-profit organizations such as fundraising and political outreach. I work with the non-profit organization The Borgen group to raise money to address poverty alleviation. Additionally, I am greatly passionate about art and illustration, as such I have collaborated with NGO's in my city to provide art therapy for young low income children. I have also been consumed with my academic work and currently work alongside some renowned professors in Columbia University such as Charly Coleman to study the colonial relationship between France and Africa. I work as a research assistant in the Columbia History Department and analyze French primary sources.
I hope to one day go to law school and become a civil rights lawyer so that I can help underrepresented groups in the US.

As an artist, everyday I see the limitations of written language. My art allows me to communicate and express feelings that are difficult to encapsulate in a sentence. The visual arts are a form of storytelling and communication that I have come to be greatly familiar with. In kindergarten, everyone draws and paints; amongst my friends I am the only one who never stopped. I developed my drawing skills because right from a young age I was enamored with colors. I loved being able to capture a person's face and emotion at a particular time. I loved being able to re-interpret objects in my own way. Art is a form of storytelling and creativity that allows me to deeply study people, places, and things and in doing so, change my perspective of the world.
That in my view is the importance of storytelling. It challenges us to reinterpret things beyond the surface level. It helps us understand our memories and make sense of our thoughts. I know for me art is more than a hobby, it is a part of me just like eating or sleeping.
As part of ​The Creative Process, I get a chance to learn from and understand the experiences of professional creatives. Successful authors, artists, photographers…have been able to use their skills to reach people and in some way personally appeal to them. It’s an interesting opportunity to understand these storytellers' own personal stories. I have greatly enjoyed listening to The Creative Process's variety of creative guests on the podcast and I am honored to be a part of this process.

Anna Mangum · Creative Writing & Environmental Justice Podcaster

I delight in answering this question because the natural world is something that I am so passionate about. It is more than a passion; it is such a part of me and my identity that what I do in life is dictated by my desire to protect it. One specific memory I have in the outdoors that exemplifies how healing I find nature to be occurred two months after I was hit by a car. For context, I am a marathon runner and a hiker, and I find myself moving all the time in the outdoors. I grew up in Atlanta visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains and came to college in Maine to be close to the White Mountains. I was training for a marathon when I was struck by a car in a crosswalk and received pretty severe injuries—a concussion, a dislocated knee, and a scar that extends down the back of my thigh. In the moments after getting hit by a car, I thought I was going to die. But I focused all my energy into healing so I could be outside again. I remember when my knee was stable enough to walk about a half mile on flat ground, I went to Wolfe’s Neck in Freeport, Maine. As someone who loves spending time above alpine on mountains, or running far into middle of nowhere Maine, I was so humbled by the struggle to get to the water. When I stepped off the semi-frozen trail onto the rocks lapped by water, I felt a calm rush over me, and a sadness as well. I had never appreciate until that moment after being inside for weeks how healing nature can be. I think the water is a healing sight for many people, and the coastlines are some of the most intricate and fragile ecosystems. I want to protect the water because it is so vulnerable as I was in that moment.   

I think under capitalism, it is extremely difficult to fully bring about sustainability goals because of the extractive framework under which it functions. My personal sustainability pledge is to fight for anti-capitalism and to amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples and environmental stewards who protected the land long before the settler-colonialism framework began destroying our precious ecosystems. As an individual, I try to be as sustainable as possible by being vegan and composting, etc., but real change comes from the government and imperial powers, and so I believe the best use of my voice is to protest and amplify marginalized voices in this fight. 

Currently, I am working on a novel told in short stories about a girl named Eleanor. Eleanor is from Atlanta, and the novel is a commentary on class in Georgia. At the same time, it explores the complicated and complex nature of human emotion and connection to place. Eleanor’s body as well as Atlanta are sites of exploration in my novel. Aside from my thesis, I have previously worked on autofiction short stories, poetry, and other novels. My plans for the future are to continue writing and engaging in creative projects, and eventually after gaining some lived experience go on to get an MFA or go into publishing. 

Storytelling is intimate knowledge passed from one generation to the next. It is a gift; a warning; generational love. It is the individual tapping into their own experiences and reaching the collective by the threads of humanity that connect us. It is normalizing things that are difficult to talk about. Storytelling is healing from trauma and giving others a permission to heal from trauma. I hope to engage in the web of human stories. My passion is listening and reading to stories, and then talking about and understanding them. I love finding inspiration in others. Ultimately, those who have a love of stories and sharing information expand their capacity for empathy and love. I can learn about the lived experiences in countries far away without leaving my room.

I am learning more about other authors’ creative roots and how they write character and voice. I believe I am good at asking questions and connecting with others about their work because I respect the creative process greatly. And as someone who considers herself an author, I understand what is at stake in writing. What is at stake is the author’s whole life. I also hope to make genuine connections with others and form community with those who care about passing on our tender knowledges and stories to the world. I like to understand the social and cultural context, and why certain stories are emerging, and trends in storytelling and art.

Helen Hylton · Theater & Film Podcaster

I plan on finishing my visual arts degree and in the future I hope to either continue my studies in a graduate program or begin work on film and television sets. My dream is to be able to work on the creative team of a movie bringing sets to life. My most recent project is being the scenic designer for a concept for an original play at Fordham University about the life and death of Virginia Clem, the child wife of Edgar Allan Poe.

I think that storytelling and creativity are super important for allowing people to escape reality, especially during the current pandemic. I know for me personally, film and television were paramount in fighting the feelings of being trapped in one location. I spent a lot of time watching both individual movies and long TV shows now that I’ve finally had the time to break into my watchlist.

❧

I had the amazing opportunity to take a two week backpacking trip in the backcountry of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada wilderness a couple of years back. The experience of hiking through snow and ice even in the depths of august to summit peaks basically untouched by human existence is a feeling I’ll never forget and always strive to relive. If we continue on the destructive paths of prior generations these natural beauties will be gone long before anyone of future generations can perceive them. I make a daily commitment to reusable items such as bags, utensils, and straws. I also have made the commitment to myself to never own a car that is not electric. These are little things but they are part of my personal pledge to reduce my emissions and encourage others around me to do the same.

Konner Kienzle · Performing Arts Podcaster

What I love about the natural world is it’s isolation. To this day, there are still places on our planet that no human has ever seen our touched. To me, that is a beautiful challenge. True isolation allows someone to be with themself and their thoughts, undisturbed. Populated areas have their obvious benefits, but it’s all too easy to fall into the cyclical motion of society: day in and day out of the same routine. This is when I can enter auto-pilot. Completing tasks but not being fully present. Feeling pressure from everyone else’s achievements and boastings. Time can evaporate when you spend too much of your life in this state. Going camping or hiking is a time when I can detach from the part of my identity that obsesses over success and wealth. In that moment, all there’s energy to think on is the next step, next meal, next task. I don’t think on the timescale of months and years, unless meditating on it intentionally. I don’t ever want to lose the freedom of being alone in the outdoors.

My personal sustainability pledge for future generations is to be hyper- aware of the amount of waste I produce on a regular basis and actively work to decrease it. The fact that there is a gigantic floating island of trash in the middle of the Pacific makes me so sad. I can’t do much to fix it, but I can at least do my part to stop adding to it. It’s as simple as utilizing reusable items and buying less things.

A recent project of mine that I felt passionately about was an album I recorded and am releasing on April 9th called The Iron Door. I travelled to Joshua Tree National Park here in California and recorded the album live inside of a cave. I hiked out a generator and all of my equipment and instruments before sunrise, then recorded alone for about 7 hours. It was one of the most challenging and complicated projects I’ve ever done, and it is also one with which I am the most prideful. As for the future, once Covid isn’t an impediment to live shows, I hope to buy a van and use it to travel across the US and tour with my music and comedy in as many states as possible. In addition, I want to create a podcast alongside it where I can interview different people from around the country to try and create a portrait of the American identity in all its forms.

Storytelling and creativity are what literally make us human. We are animals and thus have our impulses, needs, and instincts. But our ability to think and feel outside of our own body/experience is why we create and admire art in the first place. Otherwise, we’d be so extremely bored that we probably wouldn’t want to live at all. Storytelling and creativity are important because they are the shared attempt by all of humanity to understand each other and our existence.

With The Creative Process, I am learning from intelligent people so that I can better myself (specifically composers, musicians, writers, comedians) and expanding my knowledge of audio production. I hope to be able to travel for a professional podcast would be a huge plus as I love visiting new places and meeting new people.

Yasmin Farzan · Associate Sustainable Energy & Environmental Policy Podcaster

I'll be interested to do interviews regarding energy, especially fusion energy, and chemical wastes, and initiatives to arrive at a cleaner Earth.

I love how plants grow from seeds. We don't have avocados in Iran, so when we got to the USA, we were so excited to eat and grow them. My mom placed an avocado seed in a water cup and took care of it for 4 weeks, just so it can be eaten by a squirrel. It was such a bittersweet moment. I want to make fruits more organic for the future generation since it has become extremely hard to grow plants out of seeds now just because of all the chemicals added.

My recent project is called the "Hogie Hunt", as the president of Hoge Hall Dorm at VT, I am leading this event. The hall council members take pictures of specific locations on Campus, and residents have to go find the locations to win awards. I am doing it again in April.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was laughed at for pronouncing words with an accent. It was hurtful, but I knew I should change their minds. When I told them stories I had to go through, for example how I had to order food, talk to lawyers for tax or USCIS, they understood how difficult it is to immigrate. They became my friends after that. I joined The Creative Process to help make people pay more attention to potential harms to the environment and start taking action, let it be with petitions or donations to research.
https://youtu.be/oGZelKzfLLE

Wills Ladd · Music · Fashion & Sustainability Podcaster

Being born on Cape Cod, I essentially grew up on the beach and spent most days there, even amongst the autumn and winter months! There are many memories spent biking through our national parks and seashores, as well as having bonfires and cookouts with friends and family under the stars, well into the night. It felt as though my entire childhood took place in the summertime! I think that growing up in such a natural, untouched environment shaped a lot of my personal morals and beliefs, in that our lands need preservation and that climate change is the single most important issue the world faces. It would be the most devastating thing to see our beaches and shores be washed away and destroyed by rising sea tides; I’ve read reports that scientists estimate my hometown could be underwater in the span of 50 years. Being able to preserve the entirety of these spaces is what’s most important to me; there’s a special healing power that nature has where just being among it all, it recenters yourself in a way that you couldn’t get in any city. One sustainability pledge that I have is for my entire house to be rid of wasteful materials, i.e. using tea towels instead of paper towels. One’s home is a great place to start building those sustainable practices; if word of mouth passes that around, I’d like to believe we all could significantly cut down our carbon footprints!

For me, the most compelling stories I’ve witnessed involve nuanced characters who anyone can relate to, no matter the presentation of that character. My favorite TV show will always be Avatar: The Last Airbender, and a large part of that is because of the main cast of characters: the protagonist, Aang, being a nomad, who believed in violence as only a last resort, Katara, the motherly figure of the group, and then Sokka and Toph were more of a comedic release, but still had so much heart of their own. Even with it being a fantasy show, (defeating the evil Fire Lord Ozai before he becomes too powerful) the cast went through such an incredible journey, learning about love, the power of friendships, and the complexities of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ people in their world. It had such a profound impact on me at such a young age that that’s become my standard for storytelling; no matter the presentation of the story, being able to connect with the human experience is such an effective method for storytelling. That is something that I get to achieve with my time at The Creative Process; no matter who the subject is, being able to connect on that human level and sharing it with other listeners around the world is so necessary, especially in these times.

Corey Donnelly · Associate Climate Change Podcast Producer & Interviewer

My most recent project was a short documentary called "Living in Litter". I highlighted why people litter within their own communities and how these communities have become accustomed to living in litter. Another short documentary project that I am beginning the process to film in the future is about mushrooms being the future of sustainable eating and product packaging. 

I strongly feel that storytelling is a key tool to tackling climate change. Filmmakers (like myself), photographers, journalists, and artists are crucial resources for environmental communicators to urge the public to take part in sustainable efforts that can combat climate change. Artists, filmmakers, and photographers often address climate change and environmental crises in a creative way that is simple for the public to understand and can sometimes even be interactive. This allows their audiences to really understand the material being shown and evokes emotional responses from the audience. I have chosen to go into Documentary Environmental Filmmaking because I feel so strongly that this field is the key to open people's eyes into the horrors that are to come if climate change persists. 

I am immensely concerned about the heightened rate at which we are losing our planet's wildlife biodiversity. Since 1970, we have lost a horrifying 68% of all vertebrate wildlife on earth. This not only deeply concerns me, but also scares me. I do not ever want to imagine a world with silent forests, lifeless oceans, or bird-less skies, and I am afraid that this is what is to come. I've spent my life traveling the U.S and the world, where I have had the amazing opportunity to explore many endangered species' natural habitats. However, the first time that I ever really witnessed a drastic decline in species populations was in Provincetown, MA. My family and I have vacationed in Cape Cod every summer for the last 22 years and our favorite activity is whale watching with the Center for Coastal Studies, based in Provincetown. In recent years there have been fewer and fewer whales than ever before. When I was young (roughly 15 years ago) we would go on the whale watching boat for 3 hours and observed dozens of whales. This past summer in the same amount of time, there were 6. This substantial decrease in whale populations is due to commercial fishing and ocean pollution. My pledge is to dedicate my life to educating the public on these dire environmental and wildlife crises. I have chosen my career in Documentary Environmental Filmmaking because I feel so strongly that this field is the key to open people's eyes into the horrors that are to come if environmental disasters such as climate change and biodiversity loss persist. 

https://coreydonnellycd.myportfolio.com

Lilian Liu · Sustainability · Economics & Society Podcaster · Virginia Tech

Even though I recently moved to another city, I still find time to go visit the nearby area of my old house. Centennial Park in Ellicott City, MD is a big park nearby that I love. Till this day, I walk around the park with friends and family. So far this week, I have gone three times (despite the 45 minute drive). I love the simplicity and popularity of the park. There are all different backgrounds, ages, and stories of the people that come to visit. I love the environment and natural settings that bring out the best and not so great memories (little accidents or icy trails). I want to preserve the environment that brings people to a calm and tranquil state when visiting. I want to preserve the homes of the birds and geeses that bring music to our ears. Below is a picture I took today. I don't usually take pictures, but today was a perfect and beautiful day. Everybody has their own business or no business at the park, and it still is beautiful. I bring my nieces and nephews whenever I can to just walk around. They are always happy and have something to share. It is always a heartwarming moment with them.

I promise to try to only use reusable bags when I go shopping. I will try my best to always carpool family and friends when visiting the park. I will teach and transfer valuable lessons to the younger generation of doing good for our environment.

I am currently working on my personal podcast and writing blog as well. They are part of my present and future plans. https://anchor.fm/crazylily https://l1l4an.medium.com/

Besides my use of the two platforms, I also fully enjoy writing by hand and love journaling, which I try to do every day. Some days I will write about my virtual online experience, things that I am grateful for, or just rant about anything.

Storytelling always has a purpose. I choose to give my own stories including failures and mistakes to younger generations in hope that they can learn and hear something important about my talks. We all have different stories to share, and the more we hear...the better. Hands-on experience is always better, but the power of storytelling is pretty great, too. 

I want to learn more about the experiences of others. We all love a great story, and I want others to be more open about their experiences. Let the world know! I want to be able to form deep connections with others and dive deeper into my own thoughts.I also hope that I get to learn more about the sustainability and science that lies in between the beautiful nature that surrounds us.

https://l1l4an.medium.com/why-i-stopped-buying-designer-items-59789b02bc1d

Flora Durgerian · Natural Resources & Environmental Justice Podcaster · UK

I have been lucky enough in my life to visit the Grand Canyon, the beautiful mountains near my university in California, and the beach in my home town of Brighton, England - but my favourite interactions with the natural world are the ones I have every day. Seeing the sun set from my bedroom window, going to my family allotment with my parents, taking a walk on the beach. I’m scared to lose all these things, especially the soil that we are so dependent on for everything. Recently I watched ‘The Need to Grow’ a documentary on the earth, and how quickly we are destroying it. This to me is the scariest thing, because it isn’t as scary as an extreme weather event like Texas freezing over, or a drought somewhere it shouldn’t be, but it’s constant attrition of the earth. I love animals too - my family have always joked about my obsession with bees, whenever I see a dead bee I have to bury it - but the destruction of the soil is so detrimental to the bees, the slow worms, dormice and of the other animals we overlook every day. I think these small interactions with nature have shaped my view, and my pledges to the world. Whether it be growing my own food, walking everywhere I can, the clothes my sister and I make, instead of participating in fast fashion, I’d like to think that I act sustainably where possible. I make those pledges even though I know that my actions alone can’t solve anything, but I do them in the hope that others will too.
As I’m still in university, most of my learning and work has come from the classes I’ve taken and the professors I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with. However two summers ago, I spent time backpacking through Spain, working on farms and sleeping in straw-bale houses, building, cultivating, growing and learning. While this wasn’t a project, it was an experience that made me so grateful. I have so many plans for the future - I want to travel more, and use these experiences to shape my work. In the future, I know I want to help people. Whether that be working in environmental justice, women’s rights, I know I’ll find something where I feel purposeful.
When I was little, I went to Waldorf Steiner school. We spent most of the day painting, drawing, baking, singing and telling stories. I had the most wonderful teacher called Carrie - when we asked Carrie how old she was, she used to say ‘I’m as old as the hills but not as old as the mountains’ and she used to tell us a story every day. I’d get home from school and instantly recount the whole thing to my mother, for an hour and a half, every day after school. These early experiences being creative make me feel so lucky, and I truly cherish them. Working with The Creative Process helps me nurture the creative side of me that has been somewhat neglected while working towards an academic degree.

Alondra Vargas-Posada · Associate Environmental Podcaster & Hispanophone Interviewer

In the natural world, I absolutely love the national parks and believe it's important to preserve wide, open spaces that are not used for construction, landfills, or anything else that pollutes our Earth. Specifically, I think it's important to petition and pledge to use reusable items (such as paper cups, plates, straws, etc.) as that causes deforestation in our country, and others as well. During quarantine when the only way to leave the house was to exercise outside, I was able to really enjoy hiking through naturally overgrown areas or walk through a field in the mornings. It was an absolutely amazing experience, however, research shows that deforestation is an issue plaguing many states; I want to help reduce this so that future generations can enjoy nature and do so through exercise, or simple admiration for it. I personally have reusable napkins, straws, collapsible cups, and always pack my lunch in metal tupperware, so as to avoid all these unnecessary paper or plaastic materials. If we all discontinued our dependency on paper and plastic materials and prioritized utilizing reusable items, we could all lower the deforestation rate and allow for nature to shine through and remain for future generations.

I believe the importance of storytelling and creativity is the intention to make language come alive to create an immersive experience that any listener can get lost in. Being able to recount a story that might contain some statistics (or other aspects that might turn off a listener) and mold it into something an audience wants to listen to and be educated by is the goal with podcasts in general, and only the most carefully curated ones can achieve this. Without storytelling, there is no way for information to spread without being heavily subjective; storytelling is more objective (whether it's politics, news, or true crime, etc.) and allows for a broader audience to listen to what someone has to say. Storytelling enhanced with a mix of creativity encourages an audience to continue listening to what you have to say, and gets listeners to become more educated by turning their attention who makes subjects easier to digest/listen to.

With The Creative Process I am developing stronger copy editing skills and overall help me become a stronger writer, as Journalism is one of my majors. I am  learning what it's like to hand off an important piece of writing off to other collaborators and receive critical feedback to help become more aware of flaws, grammar mistakes, etc. that I can work on. I get to experience the pressures of copyediting and having my work be put out to people, as I feel like many internships do not offer this. I am proud of what I am creating for The Creative Process and using it in my portfolio.

My recent work has involved interviewing students on campus for an area-wide newsletter that circulates once a month (while also writing and formatting it), allowing me to develop strong interview skills. Along with this, I recently did an interview for the school's radio station wloy.org. My classes have involved audio and video editing, graphic design, and public speaking. Lastly, some honors recognition I've received has been becoming a part of Omicron Delta Kappa, Lambda Pi Eta, and making the Dean's list during the entirety of my college career.

My current plans for the future are to work within the political realm, specifically and a political campaign manager. I am a firm believer in utilizing the system to make real change. However, in order to get there, I like working with organizations that are dedicated to change. I'd like to work with political figures who have mostly good intentions and want to help minorities or people suffering in poverty.

Xinjin Xu · Collaborating Illustrator & Creative Works Curator · China

I am now preparing illustrations for the 24 solar terms, an ancient Chinese system that calculate and depict the variation and cycles of the natural world, e.g., the change of seasons, climate, and phenology. The 24 solar terms that have been passed down to us across the long river of history still play a determining role in guiding people, particularly helping farmers navigate the agricultural industry and facilitating geologists’ research projects. I plan to continue creating my illustration and get a master’s degree.

In my opinion, one of the most important parts of the arts and storytelling is sharing experiences. As simple as it sounds, sharing experiences, from my perspective, is essential to the construction of a better world. Nowadays everyone can easily share their daily lives and all kinds of experiences on social media, but that is not storytelling. Storytelling requires people to have the creative means of sharing their experiences in a fascinating way that create emotional feedback to audiences. No matter how you tell a story, via a painting, via podcast, via presentation, you need to use the story and the experiences you are sharing to bring people together, creating a shared relationship of feeling and, more importantly, communicating with each other through your story. Storytelling, I believe, is the way of bringing people together, regardless of the person’s ethnic identity, cultural background, etc. People come together, unified by a singular story, and then open the path of endless sharing of all kinds of stories of different individuals, wisdom, and of course, retaining the precious mindset of openness to new ideas.

With The Creative Process, I am learning how to plan an exhibition, create cultural programming, absorbing new perspectives from people from varied backgrounds people and perspectives.

❧

Tell us your thoughts about the beauty and wonder of the natural world and the kind of planet we’re leaving for future generations

To me, the firefly is almost like a genie. Their amazing nature makes fireflies the most environmentally-friendly and unbelievably efficient means of light producing via magic and internal biological and chemical reactions that occur in their tiny bodies. They are the stars in the dark night that generate what I would describe as a magic atmosphere. Unfortunately, with the modern city expanding and endless construction that’s happening in my grandparents’ home in the countryside, I can hardly see fireflies at night anymore. I cannot promise or dare to say that I alone can make a concrete difference and improve the global natural world. However, I have the conviction to creatively make illustrations, posters, and engage other creative and artistic means to contribute my talents to raise people’s awareness of environmental protection and sustainability.

The inspiration for this painting came from my reflection on the California wild-fire disaster during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, from my perspective, humans need to critically reflect on the symbiotic relationship between us and nature. The fire in my painting not only reflects fire itself, but also natural disasters created by human activity. If people are still indifferent to the challenges of the natural environment and continue on the same path, the forest, or the entire natural world, will likely only exist in our memories eventually.

Instagram @Xinjin_art

Anja Westhues · Associate Food · Regenerative Agriculture & Society Podcaster · Occidental College

I think that one of the biggest aspects of the natural world that we should aim to preserve is our natural food system. Industrial agriculture has distanced us from our roots in cultivating our soil in conjunction with nature’s rhythms, and working alongside the seasons rather than against them. Today, most consumers in the western world can purchase non-seasonal fruits and vegetables, which contributes to the degradation of our soil health. We need to get back to working with nature, rather than against it, to provide the most fresh and nutritious food possible to the population. 

Working towards this goal is a complicated issue, but it connects with my biggest career goal: to minimize food deserts on a federal level. Under this structure, our food system does not have adequate resources to provide enough fruits and vegetables for the entire adult population, leaving those who live in low-income neighborhoods without access to these foods. Under a system that would prioritize equitable and adequate produce growth, lower-income communities would have access to these foods and be at a lower risk for diet related diseases.

I am the face behind www.thesingingsweetpotato.com, my blog, which has a connected Instagram page, podcast, and newsletter. This has been a big passion project of mine for years. I share bits of my life that I hope inspire others, and promote wellness through a more accessible lens than much of the overall wellness industry. Recently, I have also expanded that definition of “wellness” to include the community at large, as much of the wellness industry is disproportionately focused on the individual rather than the overall community. In the future, I hope to grow this platform, and connect with people all over the world.

www.thesingingsweetpotato.com