Maxima Kahn
We took a moment with local poet and all around wonderful human, Maxima Kahn.
We asked Kahn about her creative process and preferred mediums of expression.
“I’ve been passionately absorbed by the arts and creativity my entire life, from my earliest years on, engaging in music, dance, writing, visual art, and theater.” These mediums have remained her preferred forms of expression as she’s moved into professional spheres.
“Nothing has ever been quite as compelling and life sustaining as this (the arts) for me,” shares Kahn.
“Making art and sharing it bring me alive and make me feel most like myself in a profound way. I can’t get enough of it.” We always ask our artist spotlight when they realized their desire to be an artist.
“There was no point at which I realized my calling exactly. I did grow up in a household that equated ‘starving’ with ‘artist,’ so my parents tended to treat my art-making as a hobby. It took me until college to realize that this really was all I wanted to do with my life, and it took me a long time after that (in fact, in many ways it’s still going on) to find a way to make a living around the arts.”
We asked what inspires most and Kahn shines a light on the important, almost unseen role that the arts play in our lives.
“I’m most inspired by the work of other artists. If I need to get my own creativity going, that’s where I turn. In fact, that’s where I turn for inspiration all the time, every week, no matter what—listening to music, looking at visual art, reading widely, watching documentaries on the lives and work of other artists, going to performances. Witnessing the creativity of others and what’s possible fires up my imagination and gets me wanting to create. Of course, I have to find the right sources of inspiration at any given time, and that is a process that requires trial and error.”
Kahn shared with us the secret to her creativity, the tried and true method of practicality and magic that most creatives aspire to.
“I am a person who deeply believes in the power of creative routines. I schedule the same times each week for my creativity and guard those times fiercely. Then, I enter my studio, close the door— ah! that’s my favorite moment—and begin to tinker around. If I’m writing poems, I’ll start by reading some poems by others, maybe do some freewriting or some editing of previous poems of mine to get going. If I’m working on a book, I may dive right into re-reading and editing previous sections. If I’m making visual art, I’ll just get out the materials and begin to play. Right now, my creative schedule that I’ve had for years has been thrown to the winds by a huge health journey I’m on, so, for instance, this past month I took on a 10-minute-a-day challenge to create a little something each day. That’s been helpful and do-able. Another crucial ingredient to creativity that she shares with us is that of permission. “It is one of the crucial elements in a creative life. I practice cultivating a state of play and permission when I begin to make anything. Refining or editing can happen later.”
Perhaps our favorite question to ask of the artist is what they’re most proud of, and the answers are as unique as the art they create.
“What I am deeply proud of, and moved by, is the profound, life-changing impact I’ve had as a teacher on the lives of other artists through my business, Brilliant Playground. I’ve helped hundreds of people to unleash their creative gifts, find and hone their creative voice, and have the courage and tools to discover and follow their heart’s dreams. I’ve helped them heal long-held wounds and limiting beliefs and radically change their lives for the better, to bring more art, joy, fulfillment, and beauty into their lives and our world. That feels incredibly good.”
Lastly she shares her love for this unique community that we call home.
“I love the incredible variety and vibrancy of this community, the high caliber of arts and offerings here, that there is so much to partake of in any given week and so many wonderful people creating remarkable things. I need to be surrounded by that kind of vitality and in conversation with it to stay nourished as an artist.”
Our deepest gratitude to Maxima Kahn for taking time to share about her journey, in life and as an artist. We appreciate your insight and candor and wish you the best in all you do, and we look forward to your reading at this year’s Sierra Poetry Festival!
This story originally appeared in the April 1st, 2024 edition of the GVNC Culture Connection newsletter.
