The Creativity Gene with Don Keenan
The Creativity Gene Pre-Release Interviews
Our next interview is with Don! As a quick reminder, I will be sharing each person’s interpretation of creativity and how it has become part of their life. When the book is released, you will be able to explore this topic yourself and understand how creativity can become your customized superpower. I am SO PUMPED to share these messages with you and look forward to working towards finding alignment with your creative potential!
The Creativity Gene with Don Keenan
If you’d like to meet someone who basically lives and breathes creativity, Don is your guy. Not only is he a Gallery Director representing a fantastic collection including some of his favorite artists such as Takashi Murakami, but he has many artistically expressive outlets. With that in mind, his perspective on creativity focuses on creating new ideas. As you’ll find out through this interview, Don expresses his creativity through many visual outlets, both personally and professionally. He has been able to almost compartmentalize different aspects of creativity for these outlets. Don has had incredible experiences through his creative endeavors, and I am so excited to share his creative experiences with you!
How do you express your creativity?
Don: I paint a lot. I also use dance, martial arts, fire performance, and acting. I also design gallery layouts, marketing, and use creativity in my daily actions.
How long have you been practicing these expressions?
Don: Painting / Visual Arts - 30+ years, Acting - 20 years, Dance - 25 years, Martial arts 20 years, fire performance 15 years
What is your preferred artistic medium?
Don: Painting. For my paintings, I use oil paint. It has translucent qualities, depth, and richness that acrylic and watercolor don’t have the same way. It also dries more slowly so you can mix the color after it’s already on the canvas. It’s harder to use needs to be mixed with paint thinner and linseed oil. It’s messier too, but I’ve learned how to handle it well so other mediums have become simply not what I want to use.
What are the important aspects of your performance style creations?
Don: An audience, music to feel, and the space to create movement.
What sparks your inspiration and how do you maintain it?
Don: Life, thought, and beauty inspires me. By starting, flow happens as I go.
How do you find time for these different expressions?
Don: Create discipline with available time. Practice.
What is one of your favorite places you have performed?
Don: I have fire danced at Burning Man several times. I loved the energy from the music and the crowds.
Tell me one of your favorite memories from burning man.
Don: I’ll give an art-related memory as there are some great ones I’ve had over the years I’ve gone. Right before the man burns on Saturday night, 1,000 fire dancers and drummers circle around the man and give a half-hour performance to the tens of thousands that are about to watch the burn. The performance happens, then the performers get to sit and watch for many years in front of the front row. All the people watching are held back by firefighters and security. We stay past the perimeter that they make, within the inner circle the whole time, from before our performance starts until the man has burned down low enough for security to release the tens of thousands of people to get closer to the fire.
One of the 4 years I was in the great circle, our group of fire performers was the ones filmed on the burning man live stream out of the 30 groups that surrounded the man. We had a 12 person manned fire dragon and a bunch of us doing fire sword battles. It was epic. We watched the man burn and then as they released the crowds to go in towards the center circle we took our tools and fuel and walked out. It was an amazing sensation feeling part of the man burn that everyone was going towards. Some random girl kissed me as I was walking out and she and the crowd streamed in. That was a memorable year and just the start of a great night.
What is the hardest part about fire dancing?
Don: Getting together with other performers to practice and create routines and then organizing a whole group to do that, and put that together in an overall show, film it, and turn it in to maybe get chosen to perform or maybe not. I’ve experienced both.
How do hope each of these expressions influences others?
Don: Art - I want them to think of concepts or be reminded of concepts outside the mundane daily tasks of life and to appreciate beauty, and to care about our planet and the people and creatures in it. Acting - Think about relationships and life, find inspiration. Dance, martial, fire - I want them to enjoy performances and to get interested in the movement themselves.
Check out Don’s artworks here!
Find out more stories like this from Ben and some other amazing creators over the next few weeks in preparation for the release of my new book: The Creativity Gene: 5 Universal Traits to Spark Success!