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.