INTERVIEW WITH THE MULTI-PASSIONATE CREATOR: DANIELLE BLUM

25 Questions with Danielle Blum: A Journey Through Writing, Travel, Art, and Culinary Exploration

 

1. How do your various roles as an author, traveler, writer, and visual artist intersect and inform each other?

 

My roles intersect in fascinating ways. My travels inspire my writing and art, while my love for food adds depth to my storytelling and visual pieces. Each role enriches the others, creating a multifaceted creative experience.

 

2. What inspired you to pursue these diverse creative paths?

I was inspired by an innate curiosity about the world and a desire to capture and share its beauty and mysteries through various mediums.

 

3. Can you describe your typical creative process when starting a new project?

My creative process usually begins with immersion in a place or idea. Whether it's exploring a new city or delving into a thriller concept, and then the magic just happens.

 

4. How do your travels influence your writing and visual art?

Travel is the lifeblood of my creativity. It provides new perspectives, settings, and characters for my thrillers, and unique subjects for my photography and paintings.

 

5. What's the most challenging aspect of balancing your different artistic pursuits?

The most challenging aspect is time management. Balancing writing deadlines with travel plans and maintaining a consistent art practice can be tricky. I have learned that ROUTINES ARE KEY and trying to maintain them while traveling can be challenging.

 

6. Which of your works are you most proud of, and why?

At the moment, I am most proud of the psychological thriller I am writing. It delves into mental health and the stigmas around it. A lot of research has gone into this project and it is turning out to be a passion of love, sweat, and tears as well as a suspenseful piece of writing.

 

7. How do you choose the subjects or themes for your projects?

I choose themes that intrigue me or challenge societal norms. Often, a local legend or a striking location I've visited becomes the seed for a new project. I tend to write on the darker side of things. I love immersing myself in things that I am unfamiliar with.

 

8. Can you share an unexpected experience from your travels that significantly impacted your art?

There are so many experiences, I don't know if I can choose just one. Unexpected moments pop up all the time. But if I had to choose one that impacted my art it would be... in 2018, I was living down in Nicaragua and an Art Warehouse opened. It was a beautiful space, the walls filled with art by local artists. They had a big communal table in the middle and they had art supplies you could "rent". We would all go late at night and sip wine and paint things. This is when I fell in love with finger painting. I am not good at drawing so painting with a paintbrush was out. But I love smearing colors around and watching them transform over and over again. Those nights are what made me fall in love with creating abstract finger paintings. I've been hooked ever since.

 

9. How does your passion for food influence your artistic work and storytelling?

Food is a gateway to understanding cultures and people. It enriches my storytelling by adding sensory details and cultural authenticity to my writing. In my visual art, local cuisine often becomes a subject or inspiration. Exploring local flavors during my travels deepens my connection to each place, influencing the atmosphere and details in my thrillers and artwork. Cooking dishes from the settings of my stories also helps immerse me in the world I'm creating.

 

10. How do you stay motivated and overcome creative blocks?

I overcome creative blocks by changing mediums. If I'm stuck writing, I might paint or cook to reignite my creativity. Most days I am juggling a few different mediums, it keeps my days from being the same day after day. I am someone that needs to be stimulated constantly.

 

11. Who are some artists or writers that have influenced your work?

 

Authors like Freida McFadden, Karin Slaughter, Elizabeth Gilbert, Harlan Coben, and Nicholas Sparks, and of course the Goosebumps and Nancy Drew series. Matthew McIver, Jonathan and Angela Scott, Art Wolfe, Peter Eastway, and Stephen Dupont have influenced my photography. Eric Vozzola is an incredible muralist and his use of bright colors and Yayoi Kusama have greatly influenced my paintings.

 

12. How has your style or approach evolved over the years?

Over the years, my style has become more nuanced. I've learned to weave subtle cultural references into my thrillers and capture more emotive moments in my photography.

 

13. What's a place you've visited that left a lasting impression on you, and how did it affect your work?

This is another tricky question. I would say traveling through ten countries in Africa and capturing photos of animals in their natural habitat and the daily lives of the locals really opened my eyes to the world most of us are actually living in. We need to do everything we can to save this planet and share the wealth so people can access the basic necessities. It also showed me how resilient people, animals, and plants can be.

 

14. Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset?

I just discovered the power of routines. Naturally, my mind is always creating something (a recipe, a painting, clothes designs, poems, etc.) so I have gotten in the habit of moving my body in the mornings and then sitting down to write at around the same time every day. I need to make it a priority so I have to structure my days as if I am going into an office. Being my own boss and enforcing work hours can be difficult.

 

15. How long have you been writing, and how has your journey as an author evolved over time?

I've always been a writer. For as long as I can remember, I have been writing poetry. I have just stumbled across a box full of pages, barf bags, bar napkins, and scratch pieces of paper full of writing and poetry. I have been sorting through it and am in the process of putting together a book of poetry. I've always jotted down stories in my down time at work and on planes. It's always been a part of who I am, even if I forgot about it for a while. This year I decided to really focus on my writing. I've been setting time aside every day to work on my craft. I am currently writing three novels. The first is a historical fiction novel with dual timelines of current day and the 1600s. Then there is a fantasy novel about saving worlds through dreams, and finally my real passion project has been Fragments of Affection, my psychological thriller. 

Each book has been a learning experience, helping me grow not just as a writer, but as an observer of the world around me. All three are dramatically different so it's been a fun challenge to write them all simultaneously. Like I said, I need variety in my day.

 

16. What advice would you give to aspiring multi-disciplinary artists?

I would say do what you love but dial in a strict daily routine. I can bounce from project to project no problem but if I am not moving the needle forward what is the point. I have created a monthly plan that allows me to work on all my projects but with enough time before switching tasks to really get focused. And yes, niching down is important but it's not for everyone. Embrace diversity in your creativity. Let each medium inform and enhance the others.

 

17. Can you describe a project where you combined multiple artistic mediums?

I haven't started them yet but eventually I will create a coffee table photobook and a cookbook both with personal photographs and narratives that inspire the photos or recipes. And marketing a novel means I have to market and that uses many mediums, it can be a bit overwhelming.

 

18. How do you capture and preserve ideas while traveling?

I always carry a small notebook or notecards and have the notes in my phone as well as the camera. I also write my "Morning Pages" thank you Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way) which captures a lot of details and ideas.

 

19. What's a skill you'd like to develop further in your artistic journey?

I think becoming a morning person would be helpful. Having more hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. But I have come to realize that is not realistic for me but a girl can dream, right?

 

20. How do you think travel and art can promote cultural understanding?

Art and travel can bridge cultural gaps by providing intimate glimpses into different ways of life, fostering empathy and understanding. Quite literally walking in someone else's shoes can change lives. Through my writing and visual art, I strive to share these experiences, allowing readers and viewers to connect with diverse cultures and perspectives. Travel exposes us to new customs, traditions, and ways of thinking, while art provides a medium to express and interpret these experiences. Together, they create a powerful tool for breaking down stereotypes, challenging preconceptions, and building a more interconnected global community. Whether it's through a vivid description in one of my thrillers or a photograph capturing a moment of cultural significance, I aim to transport my audience and expand their worldview.

 

21. What's a common misconception about your work or creative process?

A common misconception is that my life is all glamorous travel. In reality, it involves a lot of solitary work and challenges. Changing your office often can be challenging to get settled and stick to routines. I have created my own planner that has helped miraculously in organization and staying on course. You can find it on my page.

 

22. How do you decide which ideas to pursue and which to set aside?

I pursue ideas that haunt me, that I can't stop thinking about. If an idea persists, it usually means it's worth exploring. But let's be real. I try them all and finish some. I have to be thinking about one project constantly to see it to completion, what can I say I am a work in progress.

 

23. If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be and what dish would you serve?

I'd choose Anthony Bourdain for his adventurous spirit and culinary expertise and we have a conversation that we need to finish, Frida Kahlo for her unique artistic vision and bold confidence, and Richard Branson so I could pick his marketing brain. I would also invite my main character in Fragments of Affection, Aiya Lewis, because she is fascinating, and there is a level of emotional depth that I would love to talk about.

I would serve too much food because that's what I do. I would probably choose an array of finger foods because you can learn a lot about a person by the way they eat with their hands. (Mini tacos with homemade tortillas, Larb lettuce wraps, soup dumplings, maybe have a homemade ravioli, and for dessert, Azorean cheese cheesecake.)

 

24. What is your favorite word and why?

Sonder. The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, with their own ambitions, friends, routines, and worries. This realization can lead to a deeper understanding of the shared human experience, as it highlights the individuality and depth of each person's existence, even those whom we may never know personally. For example, we pass a stranger in the street but they have a whole ant hill of life connected to them that we don't see because they are just a background image in our daily life but in reality they are the star of their own show too.

 

25. If you could instantly master any skill or talent related to your work, what would it be and why?

If I could instantly master any skill, it would be the ability to speak and understand every language fluently. As a thriller writer and traveler, this would be invaluable. I could converse with locals everywhere I go, picking up on subtle cultural nuances and hidden stories that often get lost in translation. It would add incredible depth to my characters and settings in my novels. Plus, imagine the authentic dialogue I could write! For my photography and visual art, understanding the local language would help me capture the essence of a place more accurately, allowing me to truly tell the stories behind the images. And let's not forget how it would enhance my culinary adventures - I could discuss recipes and food traditions with chefs and home cooks around the world in their native tongues. This skill would open up a whole new level of cultural immersion and storytelling possibilities.

 

Bonus: Anything else that people should know about you?

On the woo-woo end this explains a lot:

The common threads across my Taurus Sun, Cancer Moon, Gemini Rising, Manifesting Generator, Enneagram 7, and ENFP-A profiles are a blend of creativity, leadership, adaptability, and emotional depth. My Taurus Sun and Cancer Moon highlight my grounded, reliable nature and deep emotional intuition, while my Gemini Rising and Enneagram 7 emphasize my curiosity, enthusiasm, and love for new experiences. Being a Manifesting Generator means I have the energy and capacity to juggle multiple projects, and as an ENFP-A, I am an inspirational leader who connects deeply with others and thrives on generating innovative ideas. Across all these profiles, there is a strong emphasis on creativity, adaptability, and a dynamic, energetic approach to life.