How Jonathan Clark can help any maker businessperson think out of the box
Jonathan Clark, managing director of the Carpetbag Theatre, will give a keynote talk about creativity at The Maker City Summit on September 8.
Here’s Jonathan on why you should be there to hear it:
“I’m going to use my time (at the summit) to help people create and see how easy it is. What we need is already within us. It just takes going deeper inside to find it.
“Get it all out in a space. For me that’s on paper. An artist might need to get all the images out. For a writer it’s brainstorming. Gather all the things you know and then decide what’s the best information.”
Film Work – Jonathan Clark in one of his first film roles as the husband in Carmon Sense Productions’ web short, Divorce Party.
There’s one more important piece of the puzzle. A time limit.
“Don’t overthink things and have time to mess it up. That applies to the person who’s creating a new story or a new method of handling marketing strategies,” he said.
Jonathan also turns to reading for creative solutions.
“I like to see other people’s perspectives,” he said. “To be able to read and understand a person’s perspective gives us a new way of looking at things so we can find creative solutions to a problem.”
Creativity matters to the community, he said. Here’s an example:
UT Sex Week Performer – Jonathan Clark performed and hosted an Open Mic for college-level writers and performers at the University of Tennessee’s Sex Week.
“Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens,” written by Carpetbag Executive Director Linda Parris-Bailey, tells the story of black women in the American West. “When people think of the Wild West, they think of people like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood,” Clark said. “But we tell the history of black women who did astonishing things in the American West. What might that mean to a young black girl who can see herself represented in that conversation now by women who were taking care of themselves and their families?”
But you don’t have to be an actor or playwright to have an impact. Listening to the community’s stories and finding creative ways to engage with people ought to be goals for any kind of business.
“I’m home in Knoxville, and I want to make it better. We need to create work and bring to it the best of what we have to offer.”
Hear more from Jonathan at The Maker City Summit 2019!
The 2019 Maker City Summit
When?
Sunday, September 8 from 9:30am- 4:15pm
Maker Meetup + afterparty to follow
What?
A day full of inspiration, practical know-how, and dialogue about growing a successful business doing what you love
Tickets
$45 advance / $50 at the door
Where?
The Mill & Mine, 227 W Depot Ave