Jordan Hagedon
Oyster River Pages: What is the most challenging aspect of your artistic process?
Jordan Hagedon: Finding the time to sit down and focus.
ORP: What would you say is your most interesting writing and/or artistic quirk?
JH: When I get stuck creatively, I will spend a ton of time on Jstor and Reddit researching random things like cryptids and shark attacks. It helps liven up my mind and loosen the brakes.
ORP: What do you think is the best way to improve writing and/or artistic skills?
JH: Read, read, read, read, read. And find beautiful things to look at.
ORP: Who do you consider to be your creative ancestors and contemporaries for your art and/or writing? How does your creative work converse with theirs?
JH: Shirley Jackson is probably a creative ancestor of mine. We both are drawn to feminine energy and the terrors that attach to that way of being.
ORP: What books have you read more than once in your life?
JH: Hell by Kathryn Davis. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. If On a Winter's Night, a Traveler... by Italo Calvino. Anything by Agatha Christie. Honestly, if I enjoy a book, I will re-read it until the spine breaks.
ORP: Do you know more than one language? How does this influence your art and/or writing?
JH: I am currently in my third year of learning German. I read somewhere that learning a language fires up your brain in a completely different way than usual, so I started German. It's very fun and keeps me on my toes.
ORP: How do children influence your art and/or writing? If you’re a parent, do your children like your art and/or writing?
JH: I love children, but thinking about their future makes me sad. I think this comes out a lot in my stories. The anxiety of the unknown, especially in childhood and adolescence, has a deep creative influence on my work.
ORP: What does vulnerability mean to you as an artist and/or writer?
JH: Being brave enough to write what you genuinely believe. Being brave enough to express the thoughts you think.
ORP: Do habits help or hinder creativity? Why or why not?
JH: Habits help. It helps me to follow a routine so that, no matter the day, I know I'm fulfilling my goals physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Creating habits that inspire me to push myself each day keeps me motivated and aligned.
