[ot-caption title=”Seniors and Type One editors Samantha Meade, Jodie Kahan, and Lisa Zheutlin share their interests outside of the newspaper. (via Julia Karten, sophomore)”]

This week Type One sat down with the three unstoppable forces behind this very newspaper: Jodie Kahan, Lisa Zheutlin, and Samantha Meade. Like the newspaper itself, they are multi-dimensional, each having a wide range of interests and composed of many different layers. For Samantha and Lisa, Type One is not their only masterpiece: both are talented artists working in a number of mediums and with a variety of subjects. Beyond just writing for Type One, Jodie is a creative writer composing poems and short-stories. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: How old were you when you started writing or making art? [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: I started reading seriously in 9th grade. My sophomore year, I started writing mostly short stories, but in the last two years, I’ve written more poems. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: I’ve been drawing and making art for as long as I can remember. I’ve always taken art classes in school, and in middle school I was in the art club. In high school, I’ve taken art every year.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: I started making arts and craft projects when I was really little, but I didn’t actually start taking my art seriously until the end of middle school when I was in art club. In the beginning of high school, I took Drawing and Painting I and II, and since then I haven’t looked back.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: What’s your favorite genre of creative writing/medium of art? Why? [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: I write mostly poems now. Contemporary poetry is doing some very interesting and original stuff right now. It’s fun to read, and it’s fun to write. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: My favorite medium to use is Prismacolor colored pencils, and I also like to paint with acrylic.  Most of my pieces are done in colored pencils because they allow for vibrant colors and blending. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: My favorite materials to work with are Prismacolor colored pencils. I like working with etchings, too. Since I’m in 2D Design this year, I get to incorporate digital media, which is really cool. I’ve learned that I really like to make designs through Photoshop too.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: What are your biggest influences as a poet/artist?[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: My work I think is largely inspired by the contemporary poets Warsan Shire and Ocean Vuong, as well as some others. These are poets who embrace the idea that poetry is a feeling. If you asked me what I write about, I guess I’d say “womanhood” or “girlhood.” It’s a subject that demands sensitivity and vulnerability. I admire those two poets for showing exactly that. I also love music, so sound is very important in my writing. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa:  I really like drawing expressive portraits of my family members at different ages in their lives.  I think this stems from the age gap between me and my brothers; they are both a lot older than me, so I never really knew their childhood selves.  Drawing them when they were younger lets me experience a different side of them.  I use photos as my inspiration, as my mom has tons of photo albums all around the house with pictures from our childhood.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: I have always been drawn to photorealism, especially of food. Growing up in a “foodie” household and with my mom’s cooking, I was drawn to focus my concentrations from last year and this year about the food that I encounter in everyday life. Last year, my portfolio focused on breakfast foods, and it was really great to not only experience the moment at the table with my family, but then to bring it back to life on paper.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: When did you discover that your hobby had transformed into a passion? [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: Last year I was asked to write a poem for the Scribbler to fit the theme. I basically told them that I was not a poet, but I ended up doing it anyway. I was iffy about the end product. And then last summer I did a program at the University of Iowa, which is a two-week creative writing thang [sic]. It was a general creative writing class, so I got to write poems, short stories, nonfiction–I was pretty much doing everything. It was there that I found I loved poetry. I think this is because I saw a whole new side to poetry: it was no longer this abstract thing reserved for super intelligent people. It was also cool to see change and growth like that in such a short span of time. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: Last year when we had an assignment to draw an expressive portrait, I chose to do one of myself when I was really young. I used Prismacolor colored pencils, and it was the first human face that I had ever drawn. It was fun to experiment with colors that you wouldn’t normally expect to be in a face. From there I became really interested in doing portraits, and I ended up making it my concentration for AP Drawing. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: I took Drawing and Painting my sophomore and freshman years. I’d played around with different mediums, but I couldn’t really find my groove. I began thinking maybe art wasn’t for me, since nothing was ending up the way I wanted it to. The moment things started to change was my sophomore year when I worked on a drawing of tiger eyes with Prismacolor colored pencils. From there, I realized that I really liked working with colored pencils and started to use them more in my art.  [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: What is some important knowledge you’ve gained from the creative process?[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: Real rap, I’ve learned to come to terms with the narcissist in me through writing and just the creative process in general. There is a destructive part of me when doing anything creative that says “what you do right now must be the best thing you’ve ever written.” But confronting this ugly, conceited part of myself has been instrumental in growing as a person and an artist. Who am I to be the only person who ever lived to create something beautiful each time I sit at my computer? That’s all ego talking. So, writing for me has really been about coming to terms with that side of myself. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: When I started doing art, I was a perfectionist and every little detail in the piece had to look exactly like the photo I was using as my inspiration. Once I began drawing portraits, my mom told me that they didn’t have to be perfect, saying, “you’re not a camera.” The whole point of art is for it to be an extension of the artist’s ideas, and not every piece has to look exactly like a photo. Once I understood this, I think I was able to grow as an artist.  [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: From making art, I’ve learned that sometimes a certain idea or plan I had in mind doesn’t go exactly the way I want it to go. At that point, I need to make the decision whether it’s worth my time and effort to continue with it and see it evolve, or if I should put on the back burner and try something new. There are some pieces that I’ve had to leave unfinished, which has taught me that it’s okay if everything doesn’t turn out perfect and even an unfinished piece contributes to the overall creative process.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: What are three words to describe yourself?[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: I’d say I’m spunky, cute, and fun.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: A funny, quirky feminist! [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: Witty, thoughtful, and diligent. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: Where are you going to college?[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: I’m going to Wesleyan University.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: I don’t know yet![spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: I’m going to Harvard University.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

T1: How have you applied your creativity to curating Type One? [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Jodie: Creative writing at its core is just looking at words–their connotations and implications and associations. Understanding the impact every word has on a reader or listener can help you convey your message. In Type One, where we have such a large staff, it’s very important that I communicate in the most effective manner possible, and that I am able to persuade or influence the staff with words. Sometimes this just means getting the staff hyped for meetings or excited about a story they’re writing that week. So much of that is just word choice. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Lisa: Creativity plays an important role in the paper in general. As a section editor and writer, you have to come up with article ideas and creative titles to entice the reader, and as a photographer, you have to capture engaging photos. Photos are an interesting aspect of the paper because you have to take into account composition and lighting, and if you’re coming from artistic perspective, it’s easier to see what works and what doesn’t. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Samantha: My sophomore year I was editor of the Arts & Entertainment section. Before I was the editor, the section was mostly just movies, tv shows, and school productions. I wanted to incorporate more colorful aspects like music and different trends going on, and that creative brainstorming led me to create the Lifestyle section the following year. I have enjoyed watching the section come into fruition that past two years and highlight a wider spread of topics including fashion, food, travel, and health. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

With their genuine enthusiasm for unleashing creativity, there is no doubt that the future for these outside-the-box thinkers is bright and full of new ideas. We wish Jodie, Lisa, and Samantha the best of luck in college, and on behalf of the Type One staff, we will miss you![spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]