Episode 009 - Jeremiah Kauffman

In this episode, I welcome Jeremiah Kauffman! He is a Kansas City playwright and producer, and shares his artistic journey to being brave enough to share his art with the world, as well as the value of other people's input on your work, and advice for young and aspiring artists. 

 

Get in touch with Jeremiah Kauffman: Jeremiah6178@yahoo.com 

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Intro & Outro Music Credits:

Bad Ideas (distressed) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3412-bad-ideas-distressed-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

SHOW NOTES:

Episode 009 - Jeremiah Kauffman

Lindsey Dinneen:  Hello. Welcome back to another episode of Artfully Told. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am very excited today to have, as my guest, Jeremiah Kauffman. He is a writer and playwright currently based out of Kansas City, but I am delighted to hear a little bit about his story and what inspires him. And so thank you so much, Jeremiah, for being here today.

[00:00:32]Jeremiah Kauffman: You're welcome. Thank you for inviting me.

[00:00:34] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I would love if you would share with our audience just a little bit about who you are as an artist, as a person, and/or even maybe how you got into what you do.

[00:00:47]Jeremiah Kauffman: I live here in Kansas City and, my day job, I teach deaf children, but I I've been writing from for just years. And, most of my writing, I'm trying to express ideas, and I think it's important for people to, to experience and hopefully internalize. So, I teach during the day, but summer, but evenings and summers, weekends, I'm writing. I've written a number of plays, one of--what--actually written about six plays, one of which has been produced last summer, and I'm currently producing another play, which is scheduled to be performed in July, but right now, of course, everything is really iffy. It may turn out to be a strictly online production, but we'll see. I live with five cats and, and, I just try to express myself through my writing. Yeah, so a little bit about me.

[00:01:41] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. So, what got you into writing in the first place? What kind of jump-started that?

[00:01:48]Jeremiah Kauffman: Books probably, my family. So I have a poet, I mean, excuse me. I have an aunt who is a poet and she was kind of famous in her day. Her name was Elsie Melchert Fowler. So I knew I had that background, and my grandfather was an avid book collector, and so I was always surrounded by books. And so he was--when I was, when I was a toddler, when I was little, he was always reading to me. And, so I developed a love of reading. And so, I decided probably early on when I was in college that I wanted to be a writer. And, so I will go to the library to do my homework and end up just reading books and then regretting it later.

[00:02:28] But, so I was always enthralled by books, always enthralled by writing. And, so I have sort of a literary artistic background. I have an uncle who's an artist--a great, great uncle--who's a noted artist. And so I think it was a combination of my background and my grandparents sort of fostering a love of reading and writing and books . Yeah. And then the need to tell a story. I've always needed to tell stories and I wanted to get stories out. And also inspired by other artists, such as my, as I said, my aunt and my uncle and, Vincent van Gogh is another example. So it's a combination of just my upbringing, my surroundings, and the influence of other artists.

[00:03:21]It's kind of hard to pin down, because I grew up surrounded by art, but I guess I mentioned Vincent van Gogh. My grandmother loved him, and so I was exposed to his art pretty early on. And my mother hated him and said that he was crazy. And I thought, well, here's this dichotomy. There's just this, this contrast here. And it, my grandmother just loves him and my mother can't stand him. And so that intrigued me as a kid. I'm like, how could this be? How could somebody elicit such strong reaction?

[00:03:55] Such strong contrast and reactions from two different people. And my grandmother and my mother had very personnel, different personalities. My mother was, my mother was kind of distant. She had a difficult time expressing love, and my grandmother was the opposite. She was very warm and very embracing. And, the interesting thing about that is--van Gogh, his mother was very distant, and cold also. And, but, he loved very deeply. And I think that's kind of where my grandmother and van Gogh kind of connected. They both loved very deeply. And it was just a very intriguing story that just got me really interested in art because his art was very moving and he, and he used art to communicate in the way I use writing to communicate. And so, but that's just one little story from my background that got me, I suppose thinking about art at a deeper level than just saying, "Oh, there's a pretty picture." But understanding who the artist was and what went into it and why they painted that and why one person loves it and another person can't stand it and so forth.

[00:05:08]Lindsey Dinneen: In fact, it's so much richer if you learn what's behind it and, and I, I love that you had that moment of realizing that your mom and your grandma had such different opinions on the same person. And why, why was that? That's, that's really neat.

[00:05:28]Jeremiah Kauffman: Yeah. And actually, if you don't mind my interrupting you-- van Gogh, one of the things that he always wanted to know, just as much as the painting itself, if you want to know who painted it and what they were like. And so who created the painting was just as interesting and as important as the painting itself.

[00:05:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Sort of with van Gogh, and then you mentioned that there were other--you know, artist was really in your blood--your family, so deeply artistic and creative. Were there other people that inspired you or encouraged you along your writing journey?

[00:06:05]Jeremiah Kauffman: Well, there's a whole host of writers I've always enjoyed reading, some of whom--so like in terms of like literary inspiration, in terms of other novelists and storytellers-- I found a lot of inspiration from Mark Twain, Henry James, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, André Gide, and, it's just, it's a really long list.  Yeah, I was inspired by a lot of 'em, of literary writers, artists. Also what kind of inspired--I thought it was awesome that my grandfather's uncle, his name is, his name is Ernest Melchert. We called him Uncle Ern and he was an etchist. He did dry point etching prints. And, I just thought it was amazing that this man had so much out there and he, he had a day job too.

[00:06:55] He worked for a paper company, and in Chicago and, but he was constantly producing art. I mean, it, it was an obsession with him almost. And so he has art in, you know, the Art Institute in Chicago and the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian in their collections, and I thought that was very inspiring.  So I thought this man, he put his heart into this and he worked really hard and he was able to share it with other people and that was inspiring. And it isn't like, I don't have to just sit in my room and just scribble some stuff out and no one ever sees it again. Never never sees that.

[00:07:33]I thought if I work really hard, people can experience my art. And so he actually, sort of inspired me to actually keep working in and, and make the effort to share it with other people. José Faus is a, an artist here in Kansas City and a writer, and he encouraged me to keep writing and sharing my writing. And Eve Ott is a local area writer and she encouraged me to, to write and share. Both of them are very successful writers, and Sharon Eicher is another local writer and jazz singer, and she also encouraged me. So there's a number of local writers who sort of mentored me, especially Eve Ott. I consider her one of my closest and most endearing mentors. So once you're interested in or something, you know, get a, find a local mentor who can continue to encourage you and work with you.

[00:08:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. I couldn't agree more. Having, having the support of local artist who maybe are a little further into their career. And who can help guide and direct and make good suggestions. That's really important and helpful. Yeah. That's great that you have that here. So when you first produced, which was last summer, how was that? I mean, did that feel really good? Was it scary? Was it, you know, what were the emotions that you went through when you actually did put your work out there into a play for the first time that other people would be able to go and see.

[00:09:14]Jeremiah Kauffman: I experienced a whole range of emotion from terror, fear, doubt, self doubt, to excitement, hope. You know, I guess, the fear of, you know, will this work out, you know, or will it be a failure? Which you know, was constantly, constantly trying to be down with the, excitement that someone's actually going to see something and experience something that I've, I've written and hopefully move them.

[00:09:42] So when I did this, I didn't want to just entertain. I wanted to move the audience. I wanted to change-- basically change their perspective, maybe even their lives. So it was just a constant tug of war between my fears and my hopes and aspirations and ultimately most of the time I was very happy, hopeful, but it was also stressful because, you know, I was also directing and producing. And so, there's the stress of the business end of it. Then there's the stress of the directing end of it. But in the end, I think it worked out, but it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of work. You can't give up. You can't, you can't say to yourself, "I can't do this," because once you say that it's a slippery--start saying that, it's a slippery slope.

[00:10:34] Lindsey Dinneen: Right. When you finished the project, did you feel that you came out with more confidence to be able to do it again?

[00:10:43]Jeremiah Kauffman: Yeah, that's why I'm doing it again because I did. I developed some confidence, and confidence can come. You know, you can see your product, your play and say, "Wow. That was great!" But it always helps to have another set of eyes, which is what an audience is, and so, some of that confidence also comes from when people say, "You know, I liked what you did. I think you should do something else."

[00:11:07] I mean, do something in addition. So, so yeah, I came out more confident partially because I got to see what I had written performed. And then also, because other people encouraged me--audience members, festival coordinators, directors, other critics. So, and if you don't put yourself out there, you won't have the opportunity to get feedback from anybody. Feedback is sometimes negative. But it's also positive. And so if you don't put yourself out there, you'll never get that positive feedback. Be scared and just try it because you might be surprised at how well it comes out, or you might be surprised at how-- even if it doesn't come out the way you want to-- there'll be somebody there who says, "Try again."

[00:11:57]Lindsey Dinneen: Right, and having that feedback is so valuable so that you can go back and make changes. So that the next time you produce it, it gets just a little bit better every single time.

[00:12:07] Jeremiah Kauffman: And if I could jump in, I'd say that when a critic evaluates work and it's not always positive, don't take that personally. A professional critic will be very professional and they'll say, this is what went well, this is what didn't go well; what needs to be, what needs to be modified or changed or develop further and take that seriously. Most critics aren't going to be hateful. So that's why you want to put yourself out there. So you can have people, both audience members and critics, give you some feedback. I think even if it's not positive, that should give you the motivation. It gives me the motivation to try again, and see if I can do a better job the second time around.

[00:12:52]Lindsey Dinneen: It's easier to take things to heart than it is to pick it apart a little bit and go, okay, this is the feedback that's really valuable to me, and not to get discouraged by somebody who doesn't quite understand what you're going for. But what's great about even that is then you get to find out what didn't translate very well to the audience. And that's invaluable for you to know. I mean, that was something that happened for me early on is learning that there were aspects of what I was producing that people just didn't understand. And so I had to really make sure that I was communicating that much more effectively. So it is helpful. So what advice would you have for somebody who's maybe just starting out or really nervous about taking, say something that they've been doing by themselves for themselves primarily, and putting it out in the world for the first time?

[00:13:55]Jeremiah Kauffman: Well, choose something that is meaningful to you and you're passionate about. 'Cause so, so we write lots of stuff as writers, and sometimes we're passionate about it. And sometimes it's just an exercise, but one, select something that you're passionate about and then have other people read it. And just be brave and just have other people read it or have them read a variety of things that their passion that you're passionate about.

[00:14:19] And, then the one that seems to really engage people, really hook them. I, by the way, have stage fright. And I, I don't like public speaking and it scares the heck out of me. But then take the next step after you have, colleagues or friends or family read your work, then do a public reading and there's lots of places where you can do public readings. Here in Kansas City, we have something called The Writer's Place.  And you can go to these events at these, or bookstores or jazz clubs or whatever, but  you have readings, so read it and that does two things. One, it gets you used to performing in front of a group or having your work performed and it also allows you to receive feedback. The other thing I suggest is that you, when you're writing something you're really passionate about, hire someone or find some way to do a cover for it.

[00:15:10] And so, whether it's a short story or a play or a novel, find somebody who can do what would ultimately be a book cover or a promotional cover for your writing. Each of my plays, I've done a cover. I've, I have a graphic artist that I've used. His name is Josiah Scott. He's also my editor and he just comes up with these wonderful covers. What's important about that is, when you see the cover of your story or your play, or maybe even a performance piece, suddenly it comes alive. It's like, wow, this is real. This is, this is it. I'm naturally doing this, and it can inspire you to keep working on it and developing it.

[00:15:52] And then I would also suggest getting involved in, or I should joining, different organizations, writing organizations and finding out who the publishers are and what they're seeking, and don't ever submit something to a publisher that doesn't match what they're looking for. So if it says, we're looking for stories with female characters from diverse cultural backgrounds, or we're looking for stories on LGBTQ characters, or or we're looking for fan fiction for kids, don't send them something that doesn't fit that category. But instead focus on whatever your category is, focus on those publishers, and send it.

[00:16:41] And you will be rejected multiple times, but just keep sending and sending and sending and sending and sending, and follow the directions. If they say what size font to use, use that font. It's kind of like grant writing. I've done grant writing in my job. And when the grant writer said, this is the format you should be following, this is the topic, this is the size of your font. Do it. Yeah, you're going to get rejection, but just keep doing it because ultimately you won't be rejected. But if you get rejected and you say, I can't do it well, then, you know, you'll end up--well, that'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[00:17:19] You know, I don't know how many times, J.K. Rowling submitted "Harry Potter." It was rejected repeatedly, but she kept doing it, and her story isn't unique. It's just, that's just the way it is. So I suppose, that's some advice. I guess the last piece of advice is just write about what your passions are. Whatever about what you're passionate about, write about what you feel deeply about, because that's where your energy will come from and that's what will produce your best work.

[00:17:47] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes. Great advice. Thank you.

[00:17:49]Jeremiah Kauffman: You're welcome. I hope so.

[00:17:54] Lindsey Dinneen: So I just have a couple questions that I like to ask my guests if that's okay with you. Okay. So how do you personally define art or what is art to you?

[00:18:09]Jeremiah Kauffman: Wow. I've never been asked that question before, but what is art? I guess art is any creative process to produce something that's meaningful to the artist and they want it to show up other people. And I don't really, I don't think there are any boundaries to what art is. There are no limitations. And if you produce a sculpture or a performance, choreographic performance, apart, whatever or painting. And someone says, ah, that's not art. If you say it's art, because the creative expression of what you're trying to share with others and it is art. So, I'm not one that looks at a particular, you know, like painting, you know, All right.

[00:18:52] So somebody paints hyper-realistic babies or, or kittens. And someone says, yeah, that's art because that's hyper-realistic. But the, the abstract painting that somebody did --that's not art. That is not true. The abstract painting is just as much art is the cute little kittens. It's just the art is the expression of creativity. That's all it is. I don't think we should pigeonhole art. Art's anything that illustrates emotion from both the artist and the viewer. It's something that entertains and teaches, and something that can be used to make our lives better. It can be something that improves our society or just makes us happy or just helps us feel better about ourselves or helps us, it gives us comfort when we need comfort or gives us inspiration when we need to be inspired, and if it affects and produces all range of emotions. And I think that if there's an emotional response, then that's also art. 

[00:20:03]Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. So, what do you think is the most important role of an artist?

[00:20:08] Jeremiah Kauffman: I can't speak for all artists, but for a lot of us, the role of an artist is to, to move people and to hopefully elicit, inspire some kind of change in others. Some kind of, so, all right, you know, it could be producing positive change in society. So the role of the artist might be, of some artists might be, let's take-- the, the novels that were written about the canneries and the meat packing plants. That was a form of art, but it was designed to move people to make change and make positive change in society. The role of the artist is to entertain. You know, the role of the artist is to help other people love more deeply, to feel more deeply, to elicit joy, to elicit critical thinking too. Encourage people to also become artists. See, if I'm writing and I don't inspire anyone else to write then what was, what's the point? You know, I hope that as a writer, I inspire other people to write. So an artist is also someone who, whose role is to encourage the continuation of art.

[00:21:27]Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. And I have one final question for you and that is, do you think that art should be inclusive or exclusive? And I'll define my terms there. So, inclusive meaning that when the artist creates their work, they do give some context behind it. So they might say what inspired it or what they were going through at the time. You just sort of know a little bit more of the background, versus exclusive being that the artist puts their work out there and just lets their viewers experience it and take what they will without having context.

[00:22:09]  Jeremiah Kauffman: I don't see anything wrong if someone wants to be inclusive; that's their choice. But I don't think it's required, because I think one of the awesome things, one of the really cool things about art, is that it's kind of fun and it's also, I think good for people to look at art and to critically look at it, not critical in whether good or bad, but critically evaluate it in a way that gets them thinking about what was the artist thinking. See, we want our minds to be active. We want our minds to be deeply engaged. And if we're looking at art and we don't have that background, it forces us to really look at it and think about it and ponder it and, and try to understand it. And it really does help develop a level of higher-order thinking skills.

[00:23:02] And in our society, we really need people with good, with very effective, higher-order, cognitive thinking skills and, and art can get us there. And I don't, so I don't think it needs to be, inclusive. Sure the backstory is great, but I also really don't mind, and enjoy looking at art and trying to just, you know, experience, whatever I feel at the moment and experience maybe what the artist wanted me to feel, but didn't, but didn't explicitly tell me. And in some sense, isn't it kind of like a spoiler, when they like a movie and they say, this is what happens at the end. Well, the artist says, well, this is what I'm trying to, it's kind of spoiled then, isn't it? You want to go through the same creative process or similar creative processes the artist went through.

[00:23:57] Lindsey Dinneen: I like that perspective. And I have not heard it put this way yet, but I really liked what you said about, by not having the context, we can go along in that creative journey with our viewers or, or with the artist. And so, yeah, I really appreciate that perspective. Thank you.

[00:24:16] Jeremiah Kauffman: Well, thank you. 'Cause I've never--that is really a new question for me. One of the things is, is a teacher I'm trying to teach my kids higher, higher-level thinking skills, higher-order thinking skills, and I think art can get us there.

[00:24:34] Lindsey Dinneen: I agree. Well, thank you so much again, Jeremiah, for sharing your perspective on art and, kind of, all of your inspiration and advice. I certainly appreciate it. I know our listeners do too. And is there a way for us to be able to connect with you if any of our listeners are interested in seeing one of your plays or, you know, learning more about, about what you do?

[00:25:02]Jeremiah Kauffman: I'm open to meeting with anybody, getting to know people. I'm an introvert, but when it comes to art, I tend to enjoy connecting with other people because art is such an important part of our culture, and it's a necessary part of our culture. It's a necessary part of the human experience. So you can email me. You have my email address, right?

[00:25:28] Lindsey Dinneen: I sure do.

[00:25:30]Jeremiah Kauffman:  I respond to all emails that I see.

[00:25:33]Lindsey Dinneen: Okay, well thank you again so much, Jeremiah, and thank you to all of you listeners who have listened to this episode. And if it has left you as inspired as it is, it has for me, I would love for you to share it with a friend or two, and we will catch you next time.