Good Morning! We’re back again with Episode 8 of the Open Book Podcast ft. new friend and fellow creator & organizer
!Ishaan is a gatherer, writer, and performer exploring art as a socially engaged, bottoms-up practice in Brooklyn, NYC. He hosts creative workshops and open mics every month that encourage playfulness and experimentation. His day-to-day practice involves meandering, loitering, journaling, doodling, and eavesdropping—all of which occasionally spiral into a silly short story or (at the very least) a bit with his friends. He embraces the absurd, the intimate, and the in-between, constantly looking for ways to blur the line between the mundane and whimsical.
Ishaan is one of those people that I met briefly once, probably at Open Book (which I am pretty sure of since Ishaan told me that himself), but my point is that ever since I’ve met him I struggle to remember where exactly we first connected because it simply feels like we have known each other for longer. We think and create similarly and we have fun doing it. Pretty cool, huh?!
You can experience some of what Ishaan creates at his bi-monthly workshops. These workshops are titled Beginning/Middle/End- the goal being to enter the space, move around, create something you maybe not have thought of before, and than leave after a short few hours leaving with something in hand. Even if it isn’t an art you want to take home and work on beyond the workshop it could be that you walked away with an idea, a memory, or just the relief of connecting with other people vs connecting with your phone for that short period of time.
These workshops are hosted at either Brooklyn Renaissance (the next event on 2/17 is waitlist pending- wow, wow, wow! ) or at Peace Cafe. Find Ishaan and cohost
on Saturday 2/22 where they embark on the theme of ‘Intimacy’. If curious about meeting Ishaan and friends and bringing those curiosities to the B/M/E stage you can also catch the Monthly Open Mic Ishaan hosts at Peace Cafe- next one is Thursday 2/20 at 7pm!All this to say- art is important, creating is important, and ultimately it should never feel hard. You should feel comfortable to explore that with company that inspires you and makes you ask questions. Or in Ishaan’s case you might toss an imaginary object around a circle for 10 mins, draw four versions of the same tree, write for 20 mins to a fantastical prompt and then find a place to discuss and explore what that looks like in company. It is all wonderful.
I hope after listening and reading you feel inspired! I hope we see you next Tuesday at The Keep AND next Wednesday 2/19 7pm at the February Open Book at Fiction- flyer below for details!
As always- happy Reading/Writing,
-B.Dots/Open Book
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