Portrait of the Artist as an (Older) Woman

A Conversation with Kayt Sukel, author of THE ART OF RISK

My friend, Kayt, has a new book coming out called The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution, and Chance. The book discusses risk-taking at the intersection of science and the real world. Kayt asked me for real estate to promote her book and I’m wildly pro-Kayt. Plus, she made it easy, she asked if she could interview me about the idea of  risk and the role it plays in my life, and then, she sent me the transcript.

We had a conversation about creativity, dog ownership, and, oh yeah, risk of course.

Kayt: If you hear barking, that’s just my dog, Maggie, trying to assert her dominance over anything else that might require my attention.

Nerd’s Eye View: Right, because she’s in charge.

Kayt: I’m not going to lie. She’s pretty much taken over the house.

NEV: I have no idea what you are talking about. I have no understanding of how this kind of thing happens. You’re on your own.

Kayt: Like you and Harley aren’t wearing matching sweaters.

NEV: My mother-in-law has knitted Harley some sweaters. His latest sweaters are from his Austrian Granny.

Kayt: You’re right. You have no idea what I’m talking about with the dog then.

NEV: Not one bit.

Kayt: You know, the dog ownership is a good segue. Because, one of the things I learned while researching THE ART OF RISK, is that most people tend to get a little more complacent, more set in their ways and risk-averse as they age. But you hit 50 and you are still traveling, you are rocking out with a band, you decided to adopt a dog. Why do you think you’re not in a rut—and still pushing boundaries?

NEV: One reason, perhaps, is that I don’t have kids. I don’t mean to come off as superior when I say that. But people only have so much time and energy. And people who have kids have to use that time and energy raising their kids. The sheer amount of energy required to do that is immense. So if everyone only has a finite amount of energy in their existence, there’s only so much of it to go around, I have access to a bit more of it because I don’t have all those kid-related responsibilities.

Kayt: So those extra resources allow you to be the teenager that you don’t have to raise?

NEV: I don’t know about that. But there’s less riding on my doing stupid things, right? I don’t have to provide a safety net for anyone but myself. So the amount of risk that I’m absorbing in everyday life is lower in the first place. But that’s just part of it. I think I take risks because it’s where my interests lie. I’ve always enjoyed doing more unconventional things with my time.

Kayt: You were trained as an artist. Artists tend to approach the world in a different way than non-creative types. What advice, as an artist, would have for someone who wants to take more risks?

NEV: First, not to be afraid to start from nothing. Art has a great history and everything is derivative. But, that said, when you make art, you always have to start with a blank page. Some people have an incredible fear of that. But when you make art, you learn not to fear the blank page because it’s just the starting point.

Second, you have to not be afraid to make a mess. You need to understand that it’s okay to mess things up and then recover from that. When you paint, there’s this thing that happens when you overmix your paints. It turns into this weird meat color. It’s gross. And you know you’ve gone too far when you hit that meat color. But it’s okay when you do. You just scrape it off and start all over again. You don’t have to be scared of messing up.

Kayt: What do you think people could accomplish if they weren’t so scared of messing up?

NEV: I can’t say that they would accomplish so much more. It’s not always about being goal driven. But I think they might have a lot more fun. I’m having a pretty good time most days. I can play music with my band. I don’t play perfectly every time and still have a lot of work to do to improve as a musician. But it’s such a great time. I think it’s super valuable to make space in your life for that kind of thing.

It’s about motivation, right? It’s important to be focused on the process, not the result. I’m not going to become a super skilled musician. I started too late. I just don’t have those chops. But I really enjoy the process. So if you focus on the process, rather than always on the end result, I think you’ll be much happier with the choices you make, the risks you decide to take.

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