The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'Connor

Bree O'Connor
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Join Bree O'Connor in a weekly exercise to expand your self awareness and inspire your creative practice. breeoconnor.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    S 3 Ep 14: The Unquantifiable Value

    Each fall, artists participate in the daft exercise of leveraging metrics, crafting statements and proposals in the hope of getting a solid crack at the grant piñata. Imagine staring into the depths of Infinity, confronting the essence of your being every day for the better part of a month, putting that information into a form, and then having Infinity grade your efforts all for the privilege of receiving a couple thousand dollars. If you did this type of detailed writing and data analysis for someone else (in any other industry) you would definitely get paid more than you would get from the grant. And yet, here we are. Although, it isn’t the emotional weight of grant writing that is on my mind today. Today, I want to talk about how the lens of grant-speak influences everything from our operations to our self-concept. This is concerning, to be sure, but what if this lens is also putting a wedge between our work and potential audiences? There are loads of stories in today’s episode so grab a blankie and a cup of hot cocoa if you can! Thanks for listening to The Imperfect Impulse. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Oct 29

    S 3 Ep 13: Two Hours of My Life I’ll Never Get Back

    Whether we identify as a “maker” of any kind or not, we ALL end up as audience members at one time or another and in today’s episode we are going to have a frank discussion about giving cynicism too much power in our art consumption habits. Broadly speaking, our access to different types of art is contracting. Work is becoming homogenized and almost mathematically assembled to maximize views and profits and minimize emotional and intellectual discomfort. This, my friends, is a problem. We are not having a brave moment as artists because we are not having a brave moment as consumers. Today’s episode makes the argument that an engaged two hours, even when you hated the work, is never wasted. It was never the art or artists that wasted your time- it was you who wasted it by refusing to entertain the notion that even “bad” work holds value for you as a person/ artist/ communicator. Wanna push back on these ideas? GOOD! I’m all about it! Let me know your thoughts! To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Oct 22

    S 3 Ep 12: A Delicate Transition

    In today’s episode we are talking about that transition from school to career that be bumpy for artists and collectives that spring from groups of recent grads. This is not a scientific study, but anecdotal based on personal experience and observations. As with all things, take it with a grain of salt. If you are interested in the Mike Birbiglia film I could not name, it is called Don’t Think Twice. Here is the trailer: Also, please check out Jerry Polner’s Bigger Plays, Bigger Audiences. It is worth a read. If you have stories about your transition from school to professional practice, or advice for artists facing this phase, feel free to reach out! I’d love to hear from you. And, as always, if this episode has been useful for you, please subscribe and share! The work here is offered in the interest of building community. If you are new here I’m happy to welcome you. If you are a repeat listener, you have my gratitude! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Oct 15

    S 3 Ep 11: Triggered by Feedback

    Giving feedback is a legitimate skill… and so is receiving it. In this week’s episode we are looking at reasons why we resist certain types of feedback and what we can do to make any feedback session more fruitful. Do you have comments or questions about this episode? Is there a topic you’d like me to cover? Reach out! Maybe we’ll be able to tackle your comments or concerns! The Imperfect Impulse is a free resource for artists. If you know of anyone who would enjoy this podcast, please help us extend our reach and share it far and wide! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Oct 8

    S 3 Ep 10: Playful Substance’s Writers’ Group

    We’ve never really talked about our Writers’ Group, have we? Strange. I know. As founder and facilitator of Playful Substance’s Writers’ Group, it takes up a lot of my time each week and space in my brain every day. It’s the very cornerstone of my theatre company so it is wild that I have gotten halfway through a third season without talking about it! Our Writers’ Group focuses on writing for performance, to put it broadly. Each week we meet online to offer up to 10 minutes (10 pages) of work for feedback. The way we do it is a little different and today’s episode explains how and why. We are closing in on 10 years as an open space for playwrights and screenwriters to support one another, share their knowledge, and generate new work. Sometimes showing up each week is all it takes to get the wheels turning. Our Writers’ Group is open to anyone who wants to show up and do the work. If you are curious about joining have a look at our Info Page to see if it is right for you. Then check out our short Feedback Guide for a little deeper insight! As always, if you find anything useful for your artistic practice please consider sharing this episode with other interested artists and feel free to comment on this or any other episode! All engagement helps us to push through the noise. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Oct 1

    S 3 Ep 9: Rocky v. The Room

    I love a good Hollywood story as much as the next person, especially when that story includes a determined outsider who achieves notoriety by holding fast to their artistic goals and ideals. The previews for I Play Rocky have me thinking a little deeper about believing in yourself as an artist. We love the stories where that belief is bankable and the artist comes out on top after betting on themselves. But is there more to it that just believing? Yes. There is absolutely more to it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

    S 3 Ep 9: Rocky v. The Room

  7. Sep 24

    S 3 Ep 8: It Was Never About the Tools

    This week is a bit of a soapbox but I make no apologies. My goal here is not to shame AI users but to shine a light on the lie that new tools have somehow made art-making more accessible. It hasn’t. It has made art HAVING more accessible, but the art is becoming homogenized with the creative focus being on all about harnessing our audience’s least evolved responses to get us more eyeballs and “likes”. GET OFFA MY LAWN! I may be a cranky old codger, but that doesn’t mean what I have to say is lacking in value. If all this is TLDR or TLDL, here’s me skipping to the end- you don’t need ChatGPT or Claude. You need other humans. You need creative community. That is where real art that is inspired and not stolen takes shape. Have a listen and please share if you find this useful. This post is public so feel free to share it. And a final note, for those of you who noticed I did not post an episode last week- accept my apologies for, yet again, missing the mark. I recorded an episode… but it was truly incoherent due to some general life exhaustion! I appreciate you waiting for an episode that, for all its warts, can still be followed and understood! Unreliable Narrator and The Imperfect Impulse are reader-supported publications. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Sep 13

    S3 Ep 7: Post Project Crash

    Transitions are hard for a lot of artists and sometimes the space between projects can be filled with surprising slumps. We can get sick, depressed, angry, even succumb to demons of self loathing and self medication. There is both hope and power in recognizing and embracing the patterns that you witness yourself repeating as projects end. If we take the time to practice our self awareness we can actively work to shift our self-talk during these moments and make better choices to support ourselves when one project ends. It is ok… even necessary… to take a breath. Unreliable Narrator and The Imperfect Impulse are user-supported publications. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breeoconnor.substack.com/subscribe

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Join Bree O'Connor in a weekly exercise to expand your self awareness and inspire your creative practice. breeoconnor.substack.com

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