Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera

A photo of Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural curatorial fellow and adjunct curator. Photo by Oklahoma Contemporary.

Hello readers and writerly friends!

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! In this blog post I’ll be sharing an interview with Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural curatorial fellow and adjunct curator. In this interview, we discussed Oklahoma Contemporary and their new arts center—which, at the time of writing this article, is still yet to be completed and Making Space, Oklahoma Contemporary’s series of murals showcasing local artist’s work along the fence surrounding the construction site. 

This article was originally written for The 6420 Magazine at Rose State College in 2020 and is the second part of a three-part series spanning a range of topics to do with Oklahoma’s public art space. You can find the other two articles in the series in the “Related Topics” section, and additional information about Pablo Barrerra, Oklahoma Contemporary, or the arts center’s delayed opening celebration in the “Further Reading” section at the end of this post.

A photo of Oklahoma Contemporary’s temporary showroom fashioned from four recycled shipping containers. Photo taken by Payton Hayes.

What Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space? Why Did Oklahoma Contemporary Decide To Decorate Their Construction Site?

Barrera: Making Space: Summer Mural Series was designed to support emerging artists through mentorship in order to expand the number of artists contributing to Oklahoma City’s visual culture. Making Space reflects a new version of Guerrilla Art Park, an annual exhibition of outdoor public art by Oklahoma artists, held in the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2018. The mural series shares Guerrilla Art Park's goals: to showcase local talent, give artists an opportunity to grow and develop their skills, and offer free public art to enrich downtown Oklahoma City. The mural series had two rotations of three murals in June and September 2019.

How Did Making Space Come To Exist? What Inspired The Project?

Barrera: This summer and fall, Oklahoma Contemporary’s former space at the State Fairgrounds was closed in preparation for the move into our new building site in winter. This meant that we would not be able to offer exhibitions or programming during those months. We saw an opportunity to continue our mission to provide the public with free access to art, as well as to support the local art scene, by exhibiting a series of murals along the construction fence of our new location. In this way, our new home was able to provide art experiences for OKC before its doors even open.

Can You Speak On The Artist Selection Process? How Were Artists Selected? How Were Complementary Mentors and Mentees Paired Together? How Were Solo Muralists Chosen?

Barrera: Each rotation of murals features work from established Oklahoma artists collaborating with up-and-coming artists. Preference was given to those from backgrounds/communities not widely represented in Oklahoma City public art. These murals serve as a mentorship project to introduce new artists to public mural creation. Artists were found through a combination of research, networks, and artist submissions, in which artists themselves introduced us to their portfolio.

Artists were selected based on their style: we wanted a range of mediums and techniques, but we also wanted to show styles side-by-side that complemented each other. We researched each artist’s color palette, preferred subject matter, and aesthetic, then we created a short-list of artists that could work well within the scale of the painting surface and share powerful messages. In choosing the mentors, we looked for artists that demonstrated or expressed enthusiasm about helping a new generation of mural artists to gain experience. Finally, we approached these selected artists to see who was available and felt strongly about participating in this project.

How Long Did Each Mural Take To Complete?

Barrera: It depends on the experience of the artist, the medium, and the design. In the first rotation of murals this past June, Tank Ramirez and his mentee, Iliana Barrientos, finished their mural in a matter of hours during our Second Saturday Live Painting event. Tank is an experienced graffiti artist, so he could have probably finished it much faster, but as a mentor, he was making sure to give his mentee, Iliana, many tips and opportunities to develop her skills. Some murals took about a week or two because of family and work obligations. We try to accommodate the various life contexts that artists come from: supporting emerging artists means maintaining enough flexibility to work alongside their lived realities.

Were The Muralists Asked To Sign VARA Rights Waivers? Did They Know Their Artwork Would Be Displayed Temporarily?

Barrera: Yes, currently, Oklahoma City regulations for mural projects require a VARA waiver in order to obtain the necessary permits. All artists were made aware of this fact before formally agreeing to participate. One of the goals of the Mural Series is to help guide artists on how to better navigate the lengthy proposal process for murals in OKC. Our aim is to demystify the application for getting a mural design approved by the city. We worked with artists to generate drawings and proposal diagrams in accordance with the Arts Commission Mural handbook. We also presented to the Arts Commission on behalf of artists, and revised all materials for the Downtown Design Committee review and permit process. We also let artists know that the lengths we would display artwork are similar to the run-time for a gallery exhibition, which ensures that the contemporary art on display is fresh and more accurately reflecting the art world today. However, since the life of a mural usually doesn’t exist beyond the display period, we provide an online platform where the works can remain visible, and we take professional, high-resolution photographs that artists may use to sell prints. We defend the artists’ rights to owning their artistic ideas, and we do not use the images for commercial purposes. Our goal as an institution is to support artists and address challenges so that they can continue to make work and be recognized for their artistic contributions.

What Is The Title of Each Mural and Who Were The Artists That Painted Them? Can You Elaborate On The Thought Process Behind Each Work? What Unique Lens Does Each Artist Bring To The Canvas?

When the Rose State College Fall 2019 Special Topics In Art: Murals class met with Barrera, he told them all about the artworks, the meanings behind them, and elements present throughout each piece. Below is a peek into each mural, the artists that painted it, their creative process, and a bigger picture view of how each piece fits in with Oklahoma Contemporary’s public art puzzle.

Barrera: The first rotation of murals were on display from June 8-September 3rd. These murals were painted live during our Second Saturday event on June 8th. The second rotation of murals were painted live on Thursday, Sept. 5th, and will be coming down soon as we remove the construction fence.

A photo of the mural Rosa (2019) by Checo "Tank" Ramirez (mentor) and Iliana Barrientos (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part I.” Photo by Brandon Seekins.

Rosa (2019) by Checo "Tank" Ramirez and Iliana Barrientos

Rosa depicts a woman wearing vaguely traditional clothing, gazing over her shoulder, and surrounded by Monarch butterflies. Tank and Barrientos combine two art styles: the Graffiti “Piece” and the “National” style of Diego Rivera, to create a more “Chicanx” style of painting to celebrate Latinx communities’ contributions toward contemporary visual culture.

Checo “Tank” Ramirez has been painting for over 15 years until finally being discovered by local artist, Dusty Gilpin, who recognized Tank’s contributions to Oklahoma City’s burgeoning mural scene. Some of Tank’s public works can be found in 23rd and N. MacArthur Blvd or in Capitol Hill. You can also find his murals at The Mayan in Paseo, and you may have seen his murals commissioned by the Oklahoma City Thunder during the playoffs throughout April. Tank will also have an upcoming mural at Diamond Dawgs in Norman, OK. Tank thinks that the most meaningful aspect of Oklahoma Contemporary’s Summer Mural Series is the opportunity to mentor the next generation of artists. 

Iliana Barrientos is a mixed-media artist, whose paintings tend to use a mix of acrylics, inks, and colored pencils. Making Space: Summer Mural Series was her first big project with the city; previous work has been exhibited for Latino Heritage Month at the University of Oklahoma in 2018. Barrientos plans to continue learning about murals and taking on any projects that will require her acquired skills. As a young artist she feels like there's so much to learn, and is excited to take what she learns from artists more experienced than her so that one day she could do the same for any upcoming artist. 

A photo of the mural Same Source (2019) by Jaiye Farrell (emerging artist), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part I.” Photo by Brandon Seekins.

Same Source (2019) by Jaiye Farrell

Same Source uses white lines on a black background to create a rhythm and circulation of marks. The black “void” immerses the viewer, and the white patterns act as moments where light touches this “void” to reveal forms. Same Source explores how in previous works, people from diverse backgrounds have mentioned seeing fragments of patterns that resemble motifs from their particular cultural heritage.

Jaiye Farrell is an Oklahoma-based artist that has cultivated his style of painting from abstract patterns that transcend societal and cultural divides and remember the communal roots of humanity. From his infatuation with archeology emerged a creative and ambitious talent: to craft signature designs that inspire self-reflection. Farrell has exhibited work at Art Hall under Inclusion in Art, as well as various live-painting events. He continues to develop and express his signature style throughout the city.

A photo of the mural Resilience (2019) by Amanda Zoey Weathers (mentor) and William Walker Larason (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series Part I. Photo by Brandon Seekins

Resilience (2019) by Amanda Zoey Weathers and William Walker Larason

For Resilience, Weathers and Larason painted flowers surrounding a face arranged in Weathers’ geometric, paint-by-numbers style. The larger composition is composed of separate fields of color that never intersect, carefully arranged to form features that feel harmonious and uplifting. Native foliage represents the locality of Oklahoma City.

Amanda Zoey Weathers has been cultivating her art form over the years in a variety of expressions. From painting to jewelry design to her recent works with paper and metal, she incorporates these interests into pieces that depict her personal experience and life philosophies. With a background in art and graphic design, in 2007 she began her full time artist career and launched an artist-made retail store and gallery in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. For the past few years she has begun expanding her media to large-scale murals and public art projects in Downtown Oklahoma City.

William Walker Larason is an artist living in Oklahoma City, with an emphasis in working with the medium of gum wrapper foil. They also work in painting, printmaking, and photography. After completing a spotlight exhibition in Oklahoma Visual Art Coalition’s Momentum OKC in 2016, Larason began at Factory Obscura. Larason continues to work on their own personal art.

A photo of the mural Voodoo Fairy (2019) by Kris "GERM" Ermey  (mentor) and Jonathan De Luna (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II. Photo by Brandon Seekins

Voodoo Fairy (2019) by Kris "GERM" Ermey and Jonathan DeLuna

GERM and De Luna’s collaborative mural celebrates women of color entrepreneurs. GERM renders a Zimbabwe model/designer, Manaka Voodoo Fairy, in his gray monochrome portrait style. De Luna completely transforms a quote from renowned artist, Banksy, into a bold, colorful calligraphic pattern.

Kris “GERM” Ermey has been writing graffiti for over 20 years. Known for his clean, crisp lines and detailed illustrations, GERM’s skill and importance in the Oklahoma graffiti scene was recognized in fall of 2017 when he was one of ten featured artists in Oklahoma Contemporary’s exhibition, Not for Sale. His work has been featured in many events/showcases, from the outdoor graffiti exhibition, Made You Look, to the Oklahoma State Fair Mural Demo. He curated the showcase When Letters Collide (2018) and creates private and public commissions, with clients including the Linked Church. He is very involved in educating youth, partnering with both Youth Services of OKC and Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation, most recently helping to teach a 10-week hip-hop workshop for students at John Rex Elementary. 

Jonathan DeLuna has been developing his style for the past 12 years inspired by west coast artists. He works on large-scale murals and small panels, and has become known for his unique calligraphic style. DeLuna’s work has been featured in the Inclusion in Art exhibition at Art Hall (December 2018 to March 2019) and in Oklahoma Contemporary’s Dia de los Muertos exhibition during their Celebration of Latino Culture (2018). His work is part of several private collections. In addition to his artwork, Jonathan is inspired by his role as a father. His 3-year-old daughter is already painting, and carrying the family skills on to the next generation.

A photo of the mural Invisible No More (2019) by J. NiCole Hatfield (emerging artist), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II. Photo by Brandon Seekins

Invisible No More (2019) by J. NiCole Hatfield

Hatfield’s mural raises awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW), a movement to bring an end to violence against Indigenous women. Dancer, Kayla Marie (Kiowa/Comanche/Omaha), is painted in Hatfield’s signature colorful, expressionistic style. Four figures standing in a sun represent the four directions. A red handprint over the mouth has become a symbol of #MMIW, and handprints on the dresses are from an interactive painting session with the Oklahoma Contemporary Teen Council.

J. NiCole Hatfield (Nahmi-A-Piah) draws inspiration from archival images of her proud tribal women, painting them to acknowledge and honor their voice within a contemporary world. Her art frequently incorporates Indigenous language to teach it as well as keep it alive. J.NiCole uses her preferred medium of acrylic to translate bold colors to canvas; after attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, J. NiCole explored other mediums and was launched into a successful art market career, winning numerous awards and becoming part of many exhibitions, private collections, live-painting events, lectures, and workshops throughout the region. Born and raised in the Southern Plains of Oklahoma, J. NiCole, of the Penetukah band of Comanche’s and the Kiowa Nation, has a profound understanding of the unique paradox in which Native American artists find themselves, challenged with Art’s demand to “make new” while still honoring and appreciating the unchanging spirit in all things, as well as traditional tribal values.

A photo of the mural Blooming (2019) by Brooke Rowlands (mentor) and Shakurah Maynard (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II. Photo by Brandon Seekins.

“Blooming” (2019) by Brooke Rowlands and Shakurah Maynard

Rowlands and Maynard's collaborative mural uses blocks of intense color and delicate line drawings to create a whimsical painting. Rowlands is known for her flowers within fields of paint, but experiments with Maynard to contribute a different style for the jellyfish and vivid color combinations.

Brooke Rowlands comes from central New Jersey, and has been a proud resident of Oklahoma since 2002. Brooke is inspired by artist Franz Kline and illustrator Clare Leighton, experimenting with ideas/methods to develop a homogenous blend of both contemporary art and still life, often incorporating flowers, birds, trees and fish into abstract backgrounds. Color is a driving force behind Brooke’s art, whether it be acrylic painting or paper collage, and her strong contrast and sense of complimentary hues and patterns command attention toward their simple beauty. Her work has been featured nationally from Texas to Times Square including features in national television series like The Vampire Diaries and Houzz project with Actress Olivia Munn. 

Shakurah Maynard is a fine artist and graphic designer. Born in the historic West End neighborhood in Atlanta, Shakurah is currently a student at Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts. Her work is whimsical, colorful, and dynamic, interested in the ever-changing way we express identity on the internet. In 2017, she was selected to participate in Symbiotic, a collaborative show between working and student artists on the importance of art in communities, organized by the OVAC. Recently, she worked with local muralists to paint and distribute homes for the feral cat population in OKC. 

Would Oklahoma Contemporary Be Interested In Continuing Making Space—Or Doing Something Similar, Such As A Spring Mural Series—Once Construction Is Complete And The New Arts Center Is Officially Open? 

Barrera: In light of the success of the mural project and excitement from the artistic community, we have decided to continue the mentor/mentee pairing for a new rotation of murals throughout the year. We are in the process of setting up a mural wall near our new art studio buildings hopefully before the closing of the inaugural exhibitions, Bright Golden Haze and Shadow on the Glare. Oklahoma has a growing and thriving mural art scene, and we hope to support this exciting part of our city’s artistic landscape.

How Likely Is Oklahoma Contemporary To Collaborate With Other Construction Projects In Oklahoma To Integrate More Local Public Art Into Our Community In The Future?

Barrera: We will always help Oklahoma City celebrate and support art in all its forms, and we are happy to lend our experience and expertise in realizing such projects across our communities. Our Curatorial and Exhibitions Director, Jennifer Scanlan, is involved in the Oklahoma Public Art Network (OPAN), which helps both artists and organizations work through the public art process. (You can find more information on the OPAN website and Facebook page [linked in the “Further Reading” section below]). Additionally, stay tuned for exciting information about projects connected to Oklahoma Contemporary that will bring art to many different spaces across the city!

What Insights Have You Gained From Making Space? 

Barrera: I have seen that Oklahoma City and our neighboring towns have a wealth of artists waiting for an opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities. I have also come to admire Oklahoma City’s spirit of collaboration, and I have learned that we are ready for the types of conversations these underrepresented voices carry. We are giving artists a chance to share incredible perspectives, but we are also giving the city a chance to appreciate the complex, wonderful diversity that makes Oklahoma City’s visual culture so special. These artists are making OKC beautiful, both literally and as a community.

How Does Making Space Show How Artists Can Benefit From Collaborating With Each Other?

Barrera: Every rotation of murals saw artists trading tips and networking for future collaborations. Emerging artists were able to witness the power of mentoring, and experienced artists were able to see their art as part of an inter-generational process. I imagine that if artists continue to harness this spirit of collaboration, the projects will become more ambitious and far-reaching. Also, on a practical level, mural arts becomes sustainable as more artists share their experiences. 

Closing Statements

Barrera: In March, 2020, Oklahoma Contemporary will open its new downtown on 11th and Broadway. This is a rare moment in the history of the city, and we want everyone to be a part of this major achievement. You may find more information on our website. As our mission statement says: “Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center encourages artistic expression in all its forms through education, exhibitions, and performance.” Our 30 year history of activates and exhibitions are too numerous to list, but you can read more about what we do [online].

That’s a wrap for my interview with Pablo Barrera of Oklahoma Contemporary. Thank you so much to Pablo Barrera for chatting with me about Making Space and thank you to Oklahoma Contemporary for continuing to make our beloved Oklahoma City even more beautiful.  Last, but certainly not least, thank you dear reader, for making it to the end of this blog post. If you enjoyed this post or found it insightful or inspiring, please consider sharing it with your community or leaving a comment below!

Support for Making Space: Summer Mural Series provided by Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives.

All images in this post were used with explicit written permission to do so. Please do not repost, repurpose, or redistribute these images in any way without expressed written consent from the owner.

Bibliography

• Barrera, Pablo. “Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera.” March 16, 2020.

• Hayes, Payton. “A photo of Oklahoma Contemporary’s temporary showroom fashioned from four recycled shipping containers.” March 16, 2020.

• Oklahoma Contemporary. “A photo of Pablo Barrera, Oklahoma Contemporary’s inaugural curatorial fellow and adjunct curator.” Oklahoma Contemporary.org, accessed March 16, 2020.

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Rosa (2019) by Checo "Tank" Ramirez (mentor) and Iliana Barrientos (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part I.”

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Same Source (2019) by Jaiye Farrell (emerging artist), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part I.”

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Resilience (2019) by Amanda Zoey Weathers (mentor) and William Walker Larason (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part I.”

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Voodoo Fairy (2019) by Kris "GERM" Ermey  (mentor) and Jonathan De Luna (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II.” (Image also used in thumbnail).

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Invisible No More (2019) by J. NiCole Hatfield (emerging artist), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II.”

• Seekins, Brandon. “A photo of the mural Blooming (2019) by Brooke Rowlands (mentor) and Shakurah Maynard (mentee), for Oklahoma Contemporary’s Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part II.”

Further Reading

• “Who We Are” Oklahoma Contemporary.

• “Making Space: Summer Mural Series.” Oklahoma Contemporary, Summer 2019 through January 2020.

• “Oklahoma Contemporary breaks ground on campus near downtown Oklahoma City.” by a staff reporter of The Oklahoman, September 30, 2016.

• “Showroom Opens Doors, Sets Scene for Organization’s Future.” Oklahoma Contemporary, March 20, 2015.

• “New Home.” Oklahoma Contemporary.

• “Our Plan to Re-Open Oklahoma Contemporary.” by Jeremiah Matthew Davis and Eddie Walker, April 24, 2020.

• “Guerrilla Art Park 2018” Oklahoma Contemporary.

• The 6420 Magazine at Rose State College.

• Seekins Light & Motion | Oklahoma City, OK (Brandon Seekins Photography) Page on Facebook.

• “Pablo Barrera.” Oklahoma Contemporary.

• Connect with Checo “Tank” Ramirez (@tank_lord138) on Instagram. 

• Connect with Iliana Barrientos (@i.b.tattin) on Instagram.

• Connect with Jaiye Farrell on his website.

• Connect with Amanda Zoey Weathers on her website.

• Connect with William Walker Larason on Facebook.

• Connect with Kris “GERM” Ermey (@_the_germ_one) on Instagram.

• Connect with Jonathan DeLuna (@por_vida_93) on Instagram.

• Connect with J. NiCole Hatfield on her website.

• Connect with Brooke Rowlands on her website.

• Connect with Shakurah Maynard on Merit Pages.

• Visit the Oklahoma Public Art Network (OPAN) Website.

• Visit the Oklahoma Public Art Network (OPAN) Facebook group.

• Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives.

Related Topics

• Breathing New Life Into The Humanities At Rose State College

• Exploring Murals In Oklahoma: Where Public Art Is More Than Just Paint

• Rose State College: Attending Art School In The Midwest

• Experimentation Is Essential For Creators’ Growth (In Both Art and Writing)

• Starting Artists, Not Starving Artists 

• Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour: Oklahoma City Concert Recap

• I Visited The Full Circle Bookstore In Oklahoma City

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Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 25, 2025

Summer Vacation For Writers: 10 Rules For Writing Your Book On The Beach

With Spring break right around the corner, I think it’s high time we start planning out our travel writing goals and getting together a list of things we’ll need to make the most of our writing vacation! Have you ever traveled to write? Or perhaps you’ve written while travelling? No matter the reason you’re on the road, you’ve got an incredible opportunity to get out of your usual writing environment—one of the leading cures to writer’s block, so make use of your time away from home write with your newfound inspiration and motivation!

I spent an entire month one summer (June-July 2016) in Port Aransas, Texas and it was amazing for my creativity. I wasn’t working on a book at the time, but I was writing multiple poems a day and designing my website, the latter of which required charismatic copywriting. Getting out of my usual writing space was monumental for my writing following that summer because it kickstarted my creativity in a way that prepared me for when I got back home and began writing the first draft of my fantasy novel.

Even though I was on vacation, it wasn’t all fun and games. I did have to do some writing to make sure I made the most of my time there. To keep you on track with writing while travelling, I’ve made a list of 10 rules for writing on the beach!

Beachy patio view. Photo by Sabel Blanco.

Secure a stellar view

I’m not kidding. If you don’t have a gorgeous view from your balcony, what’s the point of writing on the beach? Ocean-front lodging is a must if you’re a travelling writer. Not only is the view beautiful and awe-inspiring, but you’ll have plenty of photo opportunities. This is a must-have for any content creator, really.

Set up goals for the trip

Just like any other writing challenge, you should outline your goals. Establish a word count and a daily expected word count and outline your novel. It’s like preparing for NaNoWriMo—in order to make every moment of this creative trip count, you should do as much planning as possible, beforehand. That way, you can focus on writing and enjoying the sun while you’re there. Scrivener is a great tool for story outlining and even has a word count tracker that allows you to set a projected word count and keep track of your daily writing goals.

Soak up the sun and solitude

It’s not everyday you can wake -up feet from the sand and sun—that is unless you actually already live on the beach, which if that’s the case, I a) envy you and b) don’t know why you’re reading this blog post and not enjoying the sun!

Take writing breaks by walking in the sand, sunbathing, and swimming. Enjoy everything the beach has to offer and be sure to really absorb the experience. When you’re writing, enjoy the solitude away from home. No sound, no interruptions, and no distractions. It sounds like a writer’s haven to me!

Make sure to pack all the essentials

There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and realizing you’ve forgotten something you knew you needed to pack. I’ve made a little mini list for writers to ensure they’ve got all the right tools in their toolkit for writing on the beach.

Don’t forget to bring these essential travel writing items with you on your trip to the beach:

• your favorite pair of sunglasses

• The Novel Planner for Authors by Kristen Kieffer

• On Being Stuck by Laraine Herring

• your Laptop—and the charger!

• your Story Binder with all your writing notes

• a notebook to jot down random ideas and inspiration

• a novel in another genre for leisure reading

• sunscreen. Don’t forget the sunscreen.

• you might bring aloe vera too, just in case…

 Limit your exposure

Vacation means “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling” and not “checking my phone every two minutes when I should be writing.” Yes, I am talking to you, dear reader. Don’t waste your valuable vacation time reading emails, hanging out on social media platforms, or checking your text messages. Limit your phone use and spend your time writing, reading, and enjoying the beach.

Of course, you do want to make use of that photo opportunity I mentioned earlier. Photos of the beach for Instagram are permitted. Bonus points if you take a selfie of you writing on the beach!

Catalogue the coffee shops

When you arrive, find the best coffee shops for writing and befriend the baristas. You don’t have to do all of your writing in the beach house or in the sand. I’d like to think you’re researching in the coffee shop, reading on the beach, and writing at the beach house/condo. Keep your activities compartmentalized for optimum focus and consume copious amounts of coffee for maximum productivity. Okay, maybe maximum jitteriness is more accurate, but this is my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

Talk to strangers

Yes, I know—your parents told you not to talk to strangers and while in most cases that is decent advice, don’t heed it while travelling. New places + new people = new conversations and new experiences! Chat it up with the locals and try to research your novel. Maybe your YA contemporary has a surfer guy in it? See if you can find a surfing instructor or rando on the beach that can lend their experience to your craft.

Make time for margaritas!

This is especially true if you’re travelling to any of the beaches in Texas. Make time to let lose and enjoy the free time. If you’re on vacation with friends, spend a night out and see the sights your destination has to offer. Grab drinks go dancing with the locals! If it’s just you, pop open a bottle of wine and read under the stars. Even though this trip is an amazing opportunity for writing, don’t forget to do the vacation-y activities as well.

Write, rest, repeat.

In addition to budgeting fun time into your travel schedule, you should also include time off from writing. You don’t have to write the entire trip and you should include some downtime for self-care that doesn’t include partying. Hit the spa, meditate, or strangely appropriate, take a long, walk down the beach and collect seashells at sunset.

Don’t get stuck rewriting.

It’s probably the hardest piece of advice in this entire blog post, but seriously, don’t get stuck rewriting. Work on writing only while you’re travelling and safe the editing for later, once you’re home and once you’ve completed the first draft. I know it can be so hard to quiet our editor brains, but we have to if we want to write effectively. Remember, the edits can wait, but the writing can’t. Stay focused and happy writing.

That’s it for my 10 rules for writing on the beach. This was my spin on another post from Shayla Raquel, so check out her post here! Comment below what you thought and if you’ve ever done any of these or if you have any tips of your own!

Thumbnail photo by Rodnae Productions.

—Payton

My Top 10 Mushy Romantic Songs for Writing

Hey writerly friends!

Welcome back to Wonderforest for an extra mushy blog post, this week, in current faves! Today I’m giving you guys a list of my top ten mushy romantic songs to write to! (Aka songs I would probably play on my wedding day, tbh) These are all light-hearted, happy, and feel-good romantic songs to listen to, to pop in your ear buds, press play on the playlist and prepare to write some happy, mushy love scenes!

In no particular order, here are my top ten favorite love songs to write romance to:

“I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” by England Dan and John Ford Cole

I'm not talking 'bout movin' in

And I don't want to change your life

But there's a warm wind blowin' the stars around

And I'd really love to see you tonight

“Mine” -The 1975

There comes a time in a young man's life

He should settle down and find himself a wife

But I'm just fine 'cause I know that you're mine

“Signed Sealed & Delivered” - Stevie Wonder (Sylow Remix)

Here I am baby

Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours

Here I am baby

Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours

“It’s Not Living if it’s not with you” - The 1975

And all I do is sit and think about you

If I knew what you'd do

Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes

It's not living if it's not with you

“All Night” – Beyoncé

All night long, sweet love all night long

Sweet love all night long

Sweet love all night long

All I wanna, ain't no other

We together, I remember

Sweet love all night long

“I couldn’t be more in love” -The 1975

So what about these feelings I've got?

We got it wrong

And you said you had enough

What about these feelings I've got?

I couldn't be more in love

“Lover” Taylor Swift 

We could let our friends crash in the living room

This is our place, we make the call

And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you

I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all

“I Wanna Be With You” - Lady Gaga (2019 Revamped Version)

I won't be right without you

And I might break without you.

I'd rather be poor and happy than rich and alone.

I'll write hit songs about you,

No matter how, we'll get through.

I'll keep on singing for a living,

But I wanna be in love.

And I wanna be with you.

I wanna be with you.

“Just a Step Away” - Carly Rae Jepsen

I’ll never let you down

And I’ll never go away

And if your ever feeling down

I’m just a step away

“All That” - Carly Rae Jepsen

I'll be the magic you'll ever see (ever see)

You can always rely on me

To help you do what you want to do

I wanna be the best you've ever known (ever known)

Just let me in your arms

Just let me in your arms

Show me if you want me

If I'm all that

I will be that

I will be your friend

Here’s the condensed list:

• “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” by England Dan and John Ford Coley

• “Mine” -The 1975

•  “Signed Sealed & Delivered” - Stevie Wonder (Sylow Remix)

• “It’s Not Living if it’s not with you” - The 1975

• “All Night” – Beyoncé

• “I couldn’t be more in love” -The 1975

• “Lover” - Taylor Swift 

• “I Wanna Be With You” - Lady Gaga (2019 Revamped Version)

• “Just a Step Away” - Carly Rae Jepsen

• “All That” - Carly Rae Jepsen

Some honorable mentions were:

• Anything by Carly Rae Jepsen (What can I say, she is a romantic lyrical genius and her pop vibe is everything.)

• “Every time we touch” by Cascada (The male version + slowed)

• “Moonlight” by Ariana Grande

•  “Fly Me To The Moon” - Frank Sinatra Remastered

Have you ever heard of these songs? Which is your favorite? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

—Payton

Romantic Spa Day for Writers (For Couples and Singles Alike!)

Hi writerly friends!

One more week of romance posts for February and then we’re back to our regularly scheduled postings. This week in Reader Life, I’m giving you guys a guide to planning your perfect writerly spa get away! Couple it with your Romantic writing retreat for an amazing writer vacation! Next week, I’ll give you guys my list of the top 10 mushy romance songs so be sure to check that out!

Of course, you can make sue of these tips alone or have a partner participate!

Take a bubble bath

I mean it. Take a bath. While you may not be used to taking baths opposed to showers,  they have been proven to be stress-relieving and relaxing. Pop in a bath bomb or some flower petals, light some candles, and grab the bubbles because you’re getting ready to have you-time!

Get and give massages

Sitting at a desk, typing for hours on end leaves the back, shoulders, and neck feeling strained. Book yourself a professional massage, couple’s massages or get with your partner and trade massages. Listen to relaxing music and put on some candles to set the mood.

Wind down with wine

Make sure to drink responsibly of course, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from writing and sit down with your favorite glass of red or rosé. Grab your current read or pop in ear buds to enjoy an audiobook while you wind down with your wine.

Yoga for writers

Like I said about the massages, writing can be strenuous work when you’re doing it for hours on end. Hop up from your desk every couple of hours and do some yoga! Kaitlin from Ink and Quills has come up with an amazing, yet simple 30-minute yoga routine for writers and I am obsessed with it! Click here to check it out!

Aromatherapy

If you’ve paid attention to the previous items on this list, then you know what I am going to say. Using candles and diffusers are a great way to keep your writing space smelling fresh and aromatherapy has been said to improve focus and productivity. Plus, the smell of lavender is just the best, so why not?

And that’s it for my 5 romantic spa tips for writers! What did you think of this list? Have you treated yourself lately? If not, try out some of these ideas and let me know what you think! Comment below and as always, thanks for reading!

Further Reading:

• Writing Every Day: What Writing as A Journalist Taught Me

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

Thumbnail photo by Breakingpic.

—Payton

4 Romantic Writing Retreats For February

Photo by Nathan Dumalo.

Hi writerly friends!

Today we’re discussing Romantic Writing Retreats. What are these, you ask? Well, with most Romantic retreats, couples go off on a sort of mini-honeymoon to rekindle their love for one another and become acquainted with the romantic side of their relationship. However, since this is a romantic writing retreat, its going to go a little different. Of course, you can bring your partner, and kill two birds with one stone—not your partner, duh!—by revitalizing your romantic passion with each other, and renewing your passion for writing with this list of romantic writing retreats!

Photo by Valeriia Bugaiova.

Exotic getaway

Of course, staying in Thailand or Morocco is great, and if you can then by all means. But you don’t have to break the bank to have a refreshing and inspirational vacation. One way you can bring a little of the unknown into your writing space is to design your home with themed décor to match your destination or take a mini-staycation to a themed hotel. According to Daily Break, there’s at least 14 themed hotels to check out and they’re more entertaining than the local sights they’re build around. Unexpectedly, my favorite on the list is number 12, the Library Hotel Love Room in New York, New York, but unfortunately, I’d probably get more reading done there then actual writing, if I’m being honest.

The good thing about exotic getaways, mini-staycations, and mini-honeymoons as a writer is it gets you out of your everyday writing space and gives you a change to welcome new inspiration from your environment.

Writing in the woods

In a few weeks, I’ll have another blog post called “10 Rules for Writing in the Woods” and I’ll be sure to link back to it from here, but until then, consider planning a mountain hike or woodsy afternoon trip to do some deep thinking (and writing) with nature. Be sure to charge up your laptop all the way and don’t forget the bug spray!

Writing on the beach

Similar to writing in the woods, I already have a blog post called “10 Rules for Writing on the Beach”  which you can read here. The beach, especially in the cooler months, can be such a lovely and inspirational place to get some great writing done. Rejuvinate your love for the written word by writing wave-side for a few hours. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.

Photo by Nadia Valko.

Rainy Day Writing

If you’re like me then, you identify as a pluviophile, or someone who loves rain more than sunlight and enjoys the peace of mind and refreshing nature of rainy days. What’s better than writing, for us, than combining our two loves—writing and rain? Take a trip to Seattle in the fall or take the day off when the next rainy day happens in your city, and take the time to write in the rain. Throw in a cozy blanket and a cup of coffee and I think you’ll have found writer heaven!

And that’s it for my romantic writing retreats for February 2020! I know it’s not much, but changing up your writing space just  a little, or getting out into nature for a bit does wonders for the creative process. It will prove to be an inspiring mini-adventure (how many times can I combine the word “mini” with something else in one blog post?) and will help you to rekindle and refresh your own love of writing along the way.

What do you think of these tips? Have you ever gone on a romantic writer retreat? Have you ever gone on a solo retreat? Of course, you can bring your partner, but if you really want an effective writer retreat, consider going it solo and see how much time you enjoy spending writing with the trees or from the comfort of a fun hotel room! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Further reading:

• 10 Rules For Writing Your Book In The Woods (COVID-19 Social-Distancing Safe Summer Vacation Ideas!)

• Spring Break For Writers: 10 Rules For Writing Your Book On The Beach

—Payton

Spring Cleaning For Writers: 10 Things Every Writer Should Do Before The New Year! (2019)

Spring cleaning isn’t always fun but it’s something we have to do if we want to start the year off on the right foot. This is also true for our digital lives and as writers we have a lot of important files to keep track of so maintenance and organization are imperative. I’ve prepared a list of 10 things you can do to spring clean as a writer! This list includes everything from organization to automation to social media and more!

Clean up your digital work space

Of course, you want to make sure your physical desk is tidy and neat before you get to writing—I mean, outer order is inner calm, am I right? (Gretchen Rubin fans, comment below!) But you also want to make sure your digital work space is organized as well to avoid loss and distractions.

Four things you can do to tidy up your digital work space are:

• Sorting through old files, organizing the documents to be kept, and emptying the recycle bin

• Using apps like Folder Colorizer to help better sort files and make certain folders easily recognizable

• Defragmenting your hard drive and updating your computer (only defrag if you have a Hard Disk Drive since Solid State Drives automatically do this progress regularly)

• Uninstalling old and unused/unnecessary programs

Back up all the important things

There’s nothing worse than spending weeks, months, or years on a project and losing it to bad back-up practices—trust me, I know—I lost 37 chapters of an early edition of my novel to file corruption. It’s discouraging, painful, and easily avoidable. Use the cloud or get an external hard drive to store important files so loss doesn’t set you back in your writing.

Update all your passwords and keep your accounts secure!

Pink rubber-gloved hand holding a red and yellow cleaning spray bottle against an aqua background. Photo by Jeshoots.com.

This is often given and often overlooked advice but it’s important to maintain at least the bare minimum when it comes to passwords and account security. As an author with a brand to protect, you should regularly be updating passwords, so malicious users don’t get access to your accounts and content. Also, make sure your passwords aren’t the same across multiple platforms! Most security breaches that make it past bank-level encryption usually happen because members use the same passwords for several accounts and spyware on the other sites gain access to sensitive information when they log in. Don’t be this person. Keep passwords separate and secure.

Update your social media and website!

This includes about sections and bios, photos, job history, and any other content that might have changed and should be updated. Surely a few things have changed since the beginning of 2019, so make sure you’re starting the New Year with up-to-date socials. Have made any accomplishments? What projects are you working on that you can share? Include fun little snippets of your life in your about and bio sections. Also, ensure your profile pictures are current. If you haven’t had a professional head shot taken in a while, consider hiring a photographer to get new photos for your social media.

Update pinned posts on Twitter and Facebook

Another part of updating your socials is ensuring your pinned posts/tweets are up-to-date as well. Check any Facebook groups that you manage, your Facebook author/business page, your Twitter profile, and anything else that allows you to pin content. When was the last time you pinned that post? Whoa—my pinned tweet was from 2017! There’s nothing  that screams inactivity like an out-of-date pinned tweet or Facebook post! Keep pinned content updated just like you would your profile picture or bio!

Unsubscribe from others’ emails.

It’s 2020 and there is no reason you should be stuck on someone’s email newsletter list if you don’t genuinely enjoy the content, you’re having delivered to you email inbox. Unsubscribe from all the stores you don’t want to get promotional emails from and all the people you don’t even know. Look at your email inbox with your editorial glasses on and unsubscribe from any emails that don’t offer you any value as a writer. If you signed up for a newsletter once and all that influencer is doing is sending you emails about products, then unsubscribe!

Pro Tip: If the unsubscribe button is not located on the email or you have to take a long, convoluted path to unsubscribing from the newsletter, then mark the email as spam. Influencers or brands that don’t have the decency to comply with the CAN-SPAM act don’t even deserve your email on their list to begin with. Unsubscribe, sister.

Update your own emails!

Update all of your automated emails from newsletter confirmations to deliverables and any other kind of emails so that your automated emails are up-to-date. Make sure your email signatures are updated and displaying accurate contact information and socials.

Aqua and yellow notebooks with green pen. Photo by Chimene Gaspar.

Check your newsletter open rates to see exactly how many of your subscribers actually open your emails.  How are people responding to your emails?  Do subscribers like the freebies and other content you’ve given them? Do they download said content?

Consider updating the media in your emails so that graphics, photos, illustrations, fonts, and other decorative elements are not only new and refreshing but they are consistent and uniform with other social media.

Pro Tip: Canva is an excellent tool for crafting high-quality vector graphics that can be used in a wide array of projects. I use Canva for thumbnails in my YouTube videos, blog post thumbnails, and site buttons! Click here to check out Canva.

Update your website’s contact form and email links!

You can save so much time by making your contact form work for you! Avoid tons of unnecessary emails by requiring answers to detailed, specific questions. This allows you to gain as much information about the person trying to contact you, all in the first email. It will give you a better understanding of his/her needs and how to address the situation.

Here are a few fields to include in your contact form to help you get the most information in one go:

• Ask specific questions about the project in question (if applicable)

• Offer options for the reason they chose to reach out

• Get a referral name—who sent them your way? How did they find you?

• Get their website URL

• Depending on your work—either writing or editing or something else, you might want to have different options for different guests who might reach out. You can include a check box for guest bloggers, literary agents, or fans, or you can set up links to separate forms for these different types of visitors.

Check out my contact form here to get an idea of what else you can include!

Keep track of your stats and watch the numbers grow!

From your email newsletter stats to Facebook groups to Twitter to your website, you should know your stats. Create a spreadsheet or write them down and keep track of them each month. Don’t take the numbers personally, they’re just a metric. Increases and decreases in subscribers or followers tell you all kinds of useful information—what’s working and what’s not, where you should back off, and where your content is thriving. Use these numbers to help you grow as a content creator. When the numbers start going up, you’ll find it’s quite fun keeping track of the steady increase!

Here’s where I keep track of my stats:

• Facebook Business Page

• Twitter

• LinkedIn Analytics

• Instagram

• MailChimp subscribers

• MailChimp campaign open rate

• Squarespace Analytics

• YouTube Analytics

Go over your goals for 2020 and make sure they’re specific, realistic, actionable, and sustainable. What did you do right in 2019? What big and small wins did you have in your creative field? What strengths and weaknesses do you have as a content creator and what did you learn from them? How can you improve in 2020?

Plan your attack for 2020

Have a serious conversation with yourself about what you’ve accomplished in 2019 and how you can use that momentum to do even more in 2020. Come up with an action plan based on your goals and needs. Take into account all of the resources you’re going to need to execute your action plan such as finances, education, support, time, preparation. Consider what you want your year to look like as a whole, from month to month, and over a week’s time and what you will need to make that vision a reality.

Spring cleaning is equally important digitally as it is physically and mentally. As a writer you should start the year off the right way by making sure your workspaces are organized, all of your online social media platforms, emails are up-to-date, all important content is backed up in the cloud or on an external device, your workstation is updated and passwords are changed regularly. These things will prepare you for 2020 and all the awesomeness the new decade has to offer your creative career.

That’s it for the 8 things all writers need to do before 2020 hits! What did you think about my Spring Cleaning for Writers list? Is there anything you’d add? Do you already practice these items? I’d love to hear your thoughts

Further Reading

• Read my 5 Actionable New Year’s Resolutions For Writers In 2020 blog post here.

• Read my 8 Questions Writers Should Ask Themselves in 2020 blog post here.

• Read my 20 Bookish New Year’s Resolutions for 2020 blog Post here.

—Payton

Bucket List For Writers: 75+ Things Every Writer Should Do WAY Before They Kick The Bucket

I’m a writer! I love lists! I love buckets! Okay, that third one might not be quite so true—I mean who loves buckets? Apparently, Shayla Raquel, the editorial blogger I borrowed inspiration—and this list—from. Shayla says Catherine Smith of Sooner Not Later first came up with this idea and she even completed 52 bucket list items in 2015. Low whistle. 😏 Impressive.

A lot of the goals on Shayla’s list are actual goals I have on my own bucket list so I thought it would be fun to put my own spin on it by scratching out what I’ve completed and adding my own items as well. Check out Shayla’s list here. I’m going to have to get creative to cross off green eggs and  ham as a vegan!

Make sure to read until the end to get your free PDF version so you can start crossing off items right away!

Without further ado, here’s the list!

Travel

• Go on a writing retreat

• Take the train

• Visit Stratford-upon-Avon to see where Shakespeare lived

• Take a weekend getaway to Walden Pond and live simply for a while—no cell phones!

• Set off on a literary pilgrimage to a site where your favorite author lived or spent his/her time writing

• Visit a printing plant to see how books are made

• Go to a book signing and show support for a local author

• Visit a famous bookstore in another state

• Go to a writer’s convention

• Visit a bookstore or library in another country (like Dublin, Ireland’s “The Long Room”)

• Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

• Spend a day in the Library of Congress

Experience

• Do something weird just to write about it

• Start a book club or writing workshop

• Use the 5 senses while reading a book

• Write an in-depth book review

• Get a little free library outside your home

• Complete the “100 Books Everyone Should Read” list from Bussiness Insider

• Start a personal library

• Go to the late show at the circus

• Create art out of books that are falling apart

• Read at least one book from every genre

• Cosplay as a book character and see if friends can guess it

• Read a ridiculously difficult book, like Ulysses (Not my line, but OMG! I’ve never read anything truer in my life.)

• Take a character quiz for your favorite story

• Start a savings fund for self-publishing

• Try editing a book

Bookish Buys

• Collect a series

• Buy old books at garage sales—and barter!

• Get an autographed book

• Purchase a real inkwell and quill

• Go to a book signing and get a selfie with the author

• Visit a library

• Buy a beautiful leather (or vegan leather) journal

• Pick up a vintage polaroid camera

• Have a movie marathon based on the books you love

• Buy a first edition copy of a bestseller

• Purchase a handmade book

• Buy a typewriter

• Go on a blind date with a book

Write On

• Win NaNoWriMo

• Get an article published

• Write under a pen name

• Write a poem

• Submit to Writer's Digest

• Write fan fiction

• Send fan mail to your favorite authors

• Write a comic strip or graphic novel

• Write 100,000 words for one project

• Guest blog for someone famous

• Write in a genre that you hate

• Write a letter to your future self

• Self-publish a book

• Send your ready-for-publication book to at least three traditional publishing houses

Personal Development

• Find a mentor

• Write an affirmation statement that expresses all your strengths as a writer

• Buy a book for a child

• Read The Elements of Style

• Donate any unused or forgotten books to a local library

• Donate copies of your book to a worthy cause

• Join at least three writing associations

• Mentor a teen who is interested in writing

• Create a productive writing space

• Trade manuscripts with a close writer friend and critique each other

• Subscribe to a "word of the day" email

• Tutor students in English

• Write a private self-help blog for yourself

Literary Eats

• Host an Alice in Wonderland tea party

• Eat a cake that’s designed like a book

• Try some fictitious dishes

• Make green eggs and ham

• Visit  a coffee shop you’ve never been to

• Have a midnight dinner like in the Night Circus

• Have second breakfast

• Throw a Great Gatsby-themed party

Does a Great Gatsby-themed/Roaring 20's themed prom count?😂

My friend Hailey and I at our 1920’s/ Great Gatsby themed senior prom. Photo by Hailey Donaldson.

It looks like I’ve still got some things to check off my own list! Have you done any of the items above?Comment below and let me know what you think of the list! Don’t forget, the concept goes to Catherine Smith and Shayla Raquel for originally doing this bucket list for writers! Check out Shayla’s list here and Catherine’s Facebook page for Sooner NOT Later here.

If you love this writerly bucket list as much as we do, click here to download the printable PDF version so you can start crossing off items right away!

And that’s it for my writerly bucket list! Have you crossed any of these off of your own bucket list? What did you think? Did I forget anything! Let me know in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters.

—Payton

My Favorite Musical Artists of 2019

Woman with brown hair wearing headphones. Photo by Burst.

I’m somehow, simultaneously the kind of person who listens to the same song over and over again until I hate it, someone who listens to playlists (by artist), someone who listens to a song from one genre such as rock and then one from future bass and then another from the folk music genre, and ALSO, someone who can listen to two different songs at a time (don’t ask me about that one—I don’t even know how or why.) The point is, I clearly have some strange music habits and a diverse music taste with over 5,000 songs in my musical repertoire and across almost every genre (excluding country—not even sorry.)

But one thing I’ve got in common with most people on the internet is that my favorite musical artists are constantly in flux. I remember being really into the harder side of alternative music from classic rock all the way to screamo and death metal, back in middle school and high-school. And in my early years of college, I was super into rave music, dubstep and all things electronic.

Now, I’m more into pop, r&b, rap, punk rock, and pretty much everything else I used to listen to because—what I’ve noticed is that once I am done listening to a song on repeat so many times that I will never need to hear it again, it eventually makes its way into my usual rotation.

Basically, once I’ve burned myself out on a particular song, artist, album, or genre, I will give it a break and then bring it back, later. However, I am still in the “repeat” part of that process for several artists, and I’d argue they’re my favorite musical artists of 2019, because the replay count is still increasing.

Here are 10 of my favorite musical artists of 2019:

(Not in any particular order. Many of these songs weren’t released in 2019 alone, but I decided to count them because these are my all-time favorite songs by bands I listened to for most of 2019.)

1. The 1975.

It’s no suprise that a coffee-drinking, creative gal like myself is OBSESSED with the 1975. Some of my favorite tracks from them include “Somebody Else,” “I Like America And America Likes Me,” “Ugh!,” “Mine,” and “Sincerity is Scary.”

2. Carly Rae Jepsen

Known, unfortunately, for her single “Call Me Maybe” Carly Rae Jepsen is one of the decades most talented pop artists, but she doesn’t get nearly enough of the recognition she deserves. She’s known as the Call-Me-Maybe-Girl and she has tons of records that easily surpass that one viral hit. Even more heartbreaking, her song, “Run Away With Me” a musical masterpiece that was turned into a meme in 2015 during the popularity of Vine is something I will NEVER forgive the world for letting flop. “Run Away With Me,” “Automatically in Love,” “Fever,” “LA Hallucinations,” “The One,” “Higher” “Cut to the Feeling,” “I really Like You,” and “I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance” (and just about every other one of her songs) are my favorites from Carly Rae Jepsen.

3. Børns

Børns is a colorful, multinstrumentalist, singer and songwriter known for the songs, “American Money,” “Fool,” “10,000 Emerald Pools,” “Past Lives,” and “Electric Love”—all of which are my favorites.

4. I Prevail

Taking it back to my roots in rock—and more specifically, punk rock—I’ve been listening to I Prevail almost non-stop, lately. Some of my favorite tracks are from their newest record, Trauma, including “Every Time You Leave,” “I Don’t Belong Here,” “Breaking Down,” “Gasoline,” “DOA,” “Low,” “Let Me Be Sad,” “Rise Above It,” and “Hurricane,” not necessarily in that order. (I know I almost named the entire list of songs from that album but 1) they’re really good! and 2) Jeez, can this list get any more emo?

5. A Day to Remember

While we’re on the topic of punk rock music, I figured I should mention one of my favorite bands of all time—A Day To Remember. Some of my favorite songs from A Day To Remember include “End of Me,” “Sometimes, You’re the Hammer, Sometimes, You’re The Nail,” “Best of Me,” “Colder Than My Heart, If You Can Imagine,” “My Life For Hire,” “I Heard It’s The Softest Thing In The World,” “You Should’ve Killed Me When You Had The Chance,” and “Life @ 11.” Can you believe those super long song titles!

6. The Color Grey

Moving on from alternative music, I’ve also been really into rap, hip-hop, and r&b. One of my favorite, yet lesser-known rap artists is The Color Grey, or Grey, the Antwerp based rapper and hip-hop artist. His music caught the attention of other music-lovers, rappers, and critics due to his unique mingling of important messages woven in with jazzy background music. Some of my favorites by The Color Grey are “Silence Speaks,” “Need to Know,” “Options,” “Sins” and “Vibes” in that order.

7. Tinashe

One of the most talented, yet underrated artists of our time is Tinashe. Her wordplay, vocals, dance skills, and musical wizardry is so incredible I am genuinely surprised she isn’t as big as other artists in her genre. At the time of writing this blog post, I am listening to my all-time favorite Tinashe song—”Bet” Some other favorites include “Feels Like Vegas,” “No Contest,” and “C’est La Vie.”

8. Purity Ring

One of the most obscure, yet ingenious bands I’ve ever stumbled across is Purity Ring. The band combines pop, rap, r&b, and old poetry to create music that touches you on multiple levels from lyrics, to tune, to overall composition. I find myself marveling at their lyrical genius and kicking myself, thinking, why didn’t I come up with that? My favorites from Purity Ring are “Asido,” “Crawlersout,” “Lofticries,” “Obedear,” “push pull,” “Repetition,” “Stranger than Earth,” “heartsigh,” and “begin again.” Not to mention, their album cover art is stunning.

9. Sickick

I won’t expose him here, but if you know, you know, Sickick has been on the music scene for yeeeears. He is gaining popularity on YouTube, but is widely known for his covers of popular artists songs and mash-ups. He’s gained attention for his insane ability to keep complex rhythms, natural vocal control, and skill in making and mixing fresh, new music unlike anything the trap/rap/pop scene has seen yet. Some of my favorites by Sickick include his “Jason Derulo Mashup,” “Sean Paul Mashup,” “Kill Me Slowly,” “Mind Games,” “Infected,” “G.M.O.D,” and “Don’t Catch Feelings.”

10. Bring Me The Horizon

Last but not least, we’re bringing it back around to alternative music, because how could I not? BMTH is doing something phenomenal in weaving multiple genres together with their new music. Some fans will argue that those who are into their newer music aren’t true fans, but I have always enjoyed their music, and as I’ve chilled out over the years (and so have they,) I’ve come to appreciate their slower, more laid-back tracks. Some of my favorites include “Mother Tongue,” “In The Dark,” “Mantra,” “Blasphemy,” “True Friends,” “That’s The Spirit,” “Throne,” “Doomed,” “Follow You,” and “Happy Song.”

That wraps up my top 10 favorite musical artists for 2019. It was hard to compile such a short list since I listen to such a diverse range of music, but those are definitely my favorites. Some honorable mentions include Juliet Simms, Lady Gaga, Deadmau5, and Ghost Town however, I chose not to include these artists because they fall into my all-time favorites lists and I didn’t want too much overlap. Clearly the biggest genre present in this list is alternative, and specifically punk rock—which isn’t surprising—after listening to punk rock exclusively during my formative years, it makes sense that the artists I listened to then would still hold meaning for me now. Fun fact though, punk rock isn’t even my favorite genre—electronic is!

Who were some of your favorite musical artists in 2019? Comment Below!

—Payton

Questions That Readers or Critics Should Ask Themselves

As readers, we often turn to books as a form of relaxation, inspiration, and escape, but it shouldn’t always be completely mindless. When we read, we should ask ourselves some key questions so we can critically assess the story as we read it and evaluate our thoughts once we’ve finished with the story. Instead of just consuming media at face-value, we should actively try to look at what content we consume with a more critical-thinking sort of approach. This will allow us to garner a better understanding of the story’s themes, tones, subject matter, and ultimately, it’s purpose. Likewise, when we are critiquing somone’s work, we want to give them organized, useful, and actionable feedback so as to improve their writing. Some questions to think about as a reader are as follows:

Did this story engage me? Why or Why not?

Is the story composed of compelling characters, an engaging plot, and interesting themes or is it just another fantasy or romance novel? Is this story a page-turner? Have you read it more than once and if so, what keeps you coming back? What makes you put the story down?

Did this hold my attention throughout?

Where was I most engaged and why? Does the writer consistently build and release tension throughout the story? Do you find any parts of the story that are dragging along and other that are moving too quickly? Do you find yourself having to reread sections because of boredom or because the author didn’t take the proper time to describe the situation using all of the senses?

Are any things confusing to me?

Could I follow the piece, or were there gaps, or need for more information? What else did I need to know? Is the writing style or plot confusing? Are there historical elements that require prior knowledge? Does the writer talk down to you as a reader or expect you to know things that they didn’t include supplementary information for?

What about language?

How would you describe it? How does it function in terms of what you feel the writer is trying to do? Is the writing convoluted or beautifully woven together? Does the writer use wordy, awkward, or clunky language that is distracting to the story? Does the writer expertly craft sentences that make you as a reader sigh and think, man I wish I’d come up with that?

What are you getting from the piece?

This could be any number of things, but it’s really helpful for you to feedback to the writer what is coming across for you, including the overall meaning or themes present in the story, emotional impact or enjoyment or anything else that you take from the story. Writers are really hungry to know what is coming across to their readers and what it looks like on the reader’s end.

And that’s it for my list of the 5 questions you should ask yourself as a reader or critic. What do you think of this list? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by John-Mark Smith.

—Payton

My Current Favorite Podcasts

Working long shifts every day means I have plenty of free time to listen to music, audiobooks, and podcasts. I’ve found a few podcasts that I really enjoy and I’ve left them below so you can enjoy them, too. I also organized them into categories so you can see the different types I’ve been into.

Bookish Podcasts

NO THANKS WE’RE BOOKED

The No Thanks We’re Booked Podcast is hosted by Mollie and Katie, two girls who look at life through a bookish lens. On the show, they discuss all things books, author interviews, and their own reading journeys and how books have helped them grow into the women they are today. The sound of clinking cocktails and sizzling La Croix can be heard in the background of this bookish podcast where Katie and Mollie usually end up gushing over Anne of Green Gables, or referencing the Enneagram. These two bright, inspiring individuals share their favorite books, love for reading, and love for Jesus, in every episode.

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BOOKS IN THE FREEZER

Stephanie, host of the Books in the Freezer Podcast lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, son, beagle and cat. She’s an avid horror fiction reader and shares her love for the genre in her podcast and on her YouTube channel. The books in the Freezer Podcast discusses the deliciously disturbing world of horror fiction and actually got its name from Episode 13, Season 3 of Friends, where Joey hid his book, The Shining, by Stephen King, in the Freezer, because it was too scary. Stephanie uses this to rate her books from room temperature reads, to fridge books, and freezer readings.

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Entrepreneurial and Motivational Podcasts

THE GARY VEE AUDIO EXPERIENCE PODCAST

The Gary Vee Audio Experience Podcast is hosted by marketing legend, Gary Vaynerchuk, himself. He is an entrepreneur, CEO, investor, vlogger, public speaker and social media wizard. He’s all about authenticity and keeping it real and his podcast definitely shows it. He’s got hundreds of episodes from answering fan questions, keynote speeches, marketing and business DailyVee segments from his video series, interviews, and fireside chats. Gary is inspiring and motivating, but over all, he is unapologetically himself. He gets into the nitty-gritty of what it means to have a great idea and how to bring it to life through actionable advice.

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THE GROUND UP SHOW PODCAST

Minimalist, filmmaker, YouTuber, and entrepreneur, Matt D’Avella hosts the Ground Up Show, where he interviews other successful entrepreneurs, and discusses what it means to go from 0-100, from the ground up. Matt provides listeners with the lessons he’s learned over the years from getting out of student debt, starting his business and building a life around what he loves. He and his interviewees explore humble beginnings, business start-up struggles, and inspiring transformation stories. He asks probing questions and dives deep into the real-life journeys of entrepreneurs in many different industries and walks of life. He discusses what it means to be a minimalist and to live with intention.

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DETAIL THERAPY PODCAST

Award-winning YouTuber, public speaker, time-management maniac, and published author of her best-selling book, Vlog Like A Boss, Amy Landino hosts the Detail Therapy Podcast, where she discusses her tips and tricks for staying organized, minimizing chaos, fostering time-management skills, and what it means to go after the life that you want. She interviews all kinds of different entrepreneurs and successful people and nerds out over calendar-blocking and her beloved Prosecco. She co-owns Aftermarq with her husband, Vincenzo and cares for her blind beagle, Lucy. Amy always stresses the importance of work/life balance and how crucial self-care can be to a successful, healthy lifestyle.

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Lifestyle & Entertainment Podcasts

JENNA + JULIEN PODCAST

Iconic comedy YouTubers and meme-supreme king and queen, Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita are the hosts of the Jenna + Julien Podcast. They often discuss popular topics and play fun podcast games such as “Nuclear Winter,” or “Don’t Even Get Me Started.” When they’re not guessing song lyrics or discussing who would get the proverbial boot in an apocalyptic scenario, they’re petting their problematic, yet precious pups, or tending to their plethora of plants. They always keep it real on the podcast.

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KALYN’S COFFEE TALK PODCAST

Kalyn’s Coffee Talk, is hosted by Kalyn Nicholson, a creative, published author of Catcher, life-style YouTuber, and online blogger. She is noted for being aesthetically pleasing and having an excellent eye for detail. An upbeat (multiple coffees not included) and uplifting podcast to start your morning, or wind down your afternoon with - covering everything from wellness, mental health and learning to live your best life free from self-judgment and doubt.

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PREVIOUSLY GIFTED PODCAST WITH TIFFANY FERGUSON

Tiffany Ferguson, known as Tiffany Ferg on YouTube is widely interested in social and political issues and media and uses her platforms to share critical viewpoints of the day-to-day internet news. She also talks about her life as a “cusper” millennial/gen-z kid and what it has been like paying off student loans and credit card debt, studying abroad, and living in the big apple. She also half-analyses and half-jokes about having been ‘previously gifted’ and a member of the GATE program as a child and how that has affected her life thus far.

LISTEN HERE

And that’s it for my favorite podcasts of 2019! Do you listen to any of the podcasts? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by George Milton.

—Payton

Starting Artists, Not Starving Artists

We’ve all heard of the infamous “starving artist” and those of us who are creative often try to avoid becoming this person. As creators, we all want to see our work succeed, or at least, we want to be able to provide for and live a comfortable life that allows us to continue to work on our passions. This is why it is so important that we support starting artists -so they don’t become starving artists, and so we don’t either.

A photo of a used watercolor palette. Photo by Greta Hoffman.

As a newer blogger and entrepreneur, I am speaking from experience when I say, going it alone can be overwhelming. There’s so many different elements to consider when trying to get your artwork noticed, and to a point where it can start providing for itself and for you, especially in this digital age, where we must also market ourselves, have an online presence, and constantly remain consistent. It can get overwhelming, pretty quickly.

This is where supporting other artists comes in. It can be so much easier for you to get started with the help of another artist. If you’re designing your own website, for instance, you might want to hire an artist to design your logos or images you’re planning to feature on your site. You might want to hire a freelance blog writer to start getting content up as soon as possible. You might want to hire a web-page designer to put the site together, if that’s not your thing either.

Woman writing in journal with coffee cup in hand. Photo by Lisa Fotios.

There’s so many ways for you to support creatives who are just starting out, and this is just an example for the website. Perhaps yo’re a writer and you’ve got the blog post thing covered, but maybe you don’t have all of the marketing handled, so well. Maybe you need someone to design a book cover for your next manuscript. Maybe you need an up and coming filmmaker to put together a book trailer for your lifestyle book. It doesn’t matter the project, you can always find a way to support an artist or freelancer who is just starting out in their field. In some cases, yes you might want a professional, but if you’re just starting out. or if its not a critical service you’re in need of, hiring an amateur artist can be mutually beneficial.

One way this job opportunity can be mutually beneficial is that it allows for a service review or testimonial for both sides. It also gives both parties a new client. Maybe you’re not designing a website, but no matter the job in question, you have a new client and so does your hire.

Another way this can be beneficial to you, is that it gives you the opportunity to get some of the work done without having to master the skills needed to complete it, yourself. Not all of us can be filmmakers, and writers, and editors, and web developers. While it helps to have a wide range of skills in your arsenal, it is also freeing to delegate and have someone else on your team to take care of these tasks so you can focus on your own service or product.

By supporting artists who are just starting out, you’re freeing up time in your schedule to commit to tasks that are the most important to you, you’re fostering a meaningful relationship between a new member of your team, and you’re giving back to the community. By supporting starting artists, you’re helping them to not become starving artists.

And that’s my hot take on supporting starting artists to avoid starving artists. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Bibliography

• Fotios, Lisa (@fotios-photo). “Woman writing in journal with coffee cup in hand.” Pexels photo by Lisa, February 6, 2018.

• Hoffman, Greta (@greta-hoffman). “A Used Watercolor Palette.” Pexels photo, April 27, 2021 (Thumbnail photo).

Related Topics

• Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera

• Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

• Breathing New Life Into Humanities At Rose State College

• Starting Artists, Not Starving Artists 

• Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour: OKC Concert Recap

• I Visited The Full Circle Bookstore In Oklahoma City

• Writing Exercises from Jeff Tweedy's Book, How To Write One Song

• Experimentation Is Essential For Creators’ Growth (In Both Art and Writing)

• Screenwriting for Novelists: How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

• “Twenty Little Poetry Projects” Writing Exercise by Jim Simmerman

• How To Write Poems With Artificial Intelligence (Using Google's Verse by Verse)

• Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

Recent Blog Posts

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 19, 2025

Get Immersed in Your Reading: Writing With The Five Senses

In the writing world, we always hear about ‘showing instead of telling’ but what if we, as readers helped bring the stories to life, ourselves. I’ve talked a little about immersion reading, on this blog before, but this takes it to a whole new level.

Sight

Of course, first and most impactful sense is that of sight, and it makes sense that we’d use that sense in our reading immersion. However, what might not be so obvious is that readers can create an environment in their minds, in the tangible world around them, and online to bring the stories their reading to life. First, I would create or save an existing pintrest board that is made specifrically for your story. This is something I’ve been doing as a writer and it helps make my fantasy worlds more real and believable when I have something to actually look at.

Sound

The next most important sense is that of sound. You might be listening to an audiobook which definitely employs this sense. But if your reading a hard copy or e-book, you can also enjoy this kind of immersion. You can listen to playlists made for the genre of the story your reading, such as “Celtic Woods” for fantasy or “Dungeon Music” for a thriller. I really enjoy listening to video game soundtracks, and two of my favorites are the Assassin’s Creed Origins Soundtrack and the Ashenvale Soundtrack from World of Warcraft. Likewise, you can also create ambient soundscapes to play in the background while you’re reading. There are tons of ready-made mixes, such as “The Slytherin Common Room” or “Rivendell” on Ambient-Mixer.com!

Smell

The third sense, and one of the easiest to employ is that of smell. When I really want to feel immersed in the story I’m reading or writing, I will light a candle or put oils in my diffuser to give my environment a new scent and pull me deeper into the story. If you want to feel like you’re in a fall environment, you can burn a pumpkin-spiced or apple-cinnamon candle

Touch

This is one of the lesser-used senses for immersion reading but it can be incredibly effective, especially if the story is set in a certain season. (And even more effective if that season is active while you’re reading the story!) Touch sort of ties in with Smell in that if you want to feel like you’re in a certain season, you can manipulate your reading environment to match the conditions of the story! So, the story’s set in a frozen wasteland? You can just turn the A/C all the way up! (…or not.)

Taste

While not altogether impossible, this is easily the most difficult of the five senses to employ when immersing yourself in a story. Consider the setting and characters in the story and what they might eat or drink and try to recreate it. If you enjoy snacking while you read, then make something from or inspired by the story. Consider making fictitious dishes. Perhaps the characters drink tea or coffee? Brew yourself a cup, cozy up and get immersed.

What do you think about immersive reading with the 5 senses? Have you ever tried this? Let me know in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by lilartsy.

—Payton

My Favorite Poets

Below is my list of my favorite poets and recommendations of a few of their books. These poets have taught me do much about writing thought and feeling-provoking poems as well as many interesting truths about the world and those in it. Their writing is so inspiring and I'd recommend them to anyone looking to get into more modern poetry.

Christopher Poindexter

Christopher Poindexter is a bohemian poet who began writing poetry on a rebellious trip to California when he was 18. He considers himself more of an observer, trying to make sense of the human condition in all of its grit and glory. He currently has three books, Lavender, Old Soul Love, and Naked Human, all of which I would recommend. He is the poet that first got me into reading and writing poetry and his poems are beautiful and terrifying at the same time. He writes about the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.

Click to view Lavender (Remastered)- $17.99 on Amazon

Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born Canadian poet, writer, illustrator, and performer. She immigrated to Canada as a child and has since settled in Toronto. She writes prose and poetry about beauty, pain and survival. Her poems reveal truth in the human existence and the pain and love that can be found along the way. She is a bestselling author of two books and a beloved poet in the digital age.

Click to view Milk and Honey - $8.69 on Amazon.com

Upile Chisala

Born in 1994 and raised in Zomba, Malawi, writer Upile Chisala hopes to tell stories from the margins and, through her work, to help others and herself come to terms with pasts, celebrate presents, and confidently dream beautiful futures. She writes truthful, yet beautiful poetry and prose from the lens of an immigrant, African American woman.

Click to view soft magic. - $8.25 on Amazon.com

Leah Stone

Leah Stone is a poet and memory recorder popular on Instagram for her punchy, short poems that pull at her readers’ emotions. She has one book called Dig Yourself Up, a collection of poetry and prose; a written form of self discovery. A home for those who believe in magic, and the diversity of what it means to be human in this abstract world.which Her poems always have me thinking, “Man, I wish I would have written that!” because they’re so lovely and provocative. Stone’s poems make you feel something, good or bad.

Click to view Dig Yourself Up - $27.00 on Amazon.com

I also really enjoy the poem, Howl, by American beat poet, Allen Ginsberg. Howl is seen as a game-changer primarily because it expressed for the first time a modern psychological angst, an urban existence fueled by drugs, jazz, sex, travel, and expansion of the mind. Love or hate it, Howl is important because it is of urban birth, the language simultaneously surreal and vulgar, jazzy and foul, yet full of real life, sensitivity and hope. Today Howl is acknowledged as a literary classic in the sense that it broke through cultural barriers, challenged establishment and encapsulated the anger and frustrations of a generation.

Page 1 from Christopher Anthony Leibow’s LinkedIn Slide Share Slideshow, Gray’s Anatomy: The Poems.

Another favorite poem of mine is actually a found poem from the more than 150 years’ old seminal scientific text, Gray’s Anatomy, by Henry Gray. I stumbled on this poem from a LinkedIn Slide Share slideshow, by Christopher Anthony Leibow, called Grays’ Anatomy: The Poems. I’ve included the screenshot of the poem below as well as the link to the slideshow.

What do you think of these poets? Do you read Poindexter, Chisala, or Kaur? Let me know in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by Andres Molina.

—Payton

Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour : Oklahoma City Concert Recap

Gaga performing “Dancing In Circles” at the start of the show. Photo by Guin Holland.

Hello readers and writerly friends—and fellow Monsters!

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! This was an article I wrote for The 6420 Magazine back in 2017, following Gaga’s Joanne World Tour. I went to the concert with my sister and we had an absolute ball. Of course this article is completely biased because I am a HUGE fan of Gaga, but I tried to be as level-headed as possible when looking back over my concert footage. This article did not make it into the magazine due to time-sensitivity and the nature of the article being more of a review than newsworthy. Regardless, this is my blog so I’m posting it here for my fellow Monsters to enjoy! If you attended Oklahoma City tour date, leave me a comment below!

Third to last, in the long lineup of world-wide shows for the Joanne World Tour, Oklahoma City welcomed Lady Gaga with open arms. Although the show started over an entire hour later than originally scheduled, Gaga did not disappoint. She opened the show with “Diamond Heart,” a stunning performance filled with rocking theatrics, killer vocals and fabulous costumes that could only scratch the surface of the night to come.

The Joanne World Tour Concert featured throwbacks from “Pokerface,” to “Just Dance,” to “Bad Romance,” and many more. Fans danced, cried, screamed and sang their hearts out with Gaga, on December 9th at the concert which, like many others in the lineup, was sold out.

Towards the middle of the concert, Gaga took a slight political turn by asking the audience who was and wasn’t part of the LGBTQ+ community.  She told concertgoers that they may have been dragged to her concert by someone and that they might lean over and whisper, “hey, Dad, I’m gay, this is Lady Gaga,” or “hey, Mom, I’m gay, this is Lady Gaga.”  This earned her a collective chuckle from the audience.

Lady Gaga performing "Come to Mama" at Joanne World Tour in Tacoma. Photo by Ronald Woan.

She said that it was okay because “we’re all family here.” She began reciting the lyrics to “Come to Mama,” the 9th track on Joanne and fans chimed in, supporting her and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Before she jumped into the song, however, she paused and added, “to all of those here, who don’t believe in equality, I’ve got something to say. Come to Mama.”

After the upbeat tune, Gaga took a moment to say a few kind words about the families suffering the rampaging fires devastating southern California. Following her speech, she sang and played the piano, treating fans to a special performance of “Edge of Glory.”  Fans cried and sang along as the star poured her heart out in song. “Put on your shades, ‘cause I’ll be dancing in the flames,” she sang, then paused. “Man, does that have a different meaning, tonight?” she said, referring to the California wildfires.

Lady Gage donned Jayce Green’s hand-painted jean jacket while onstage. Photo by Katie Pennington.

Later on, fans tossed gifts onto the stage and the star shrugged on a fan-made, custom jean jacket with her face painted on the back and read a heartfelt fan letter before treating fans to a spectacular performance of “The Cure.”  She danced it out, belting even the highest notes of the song, whilst continuously moving to the music. “Million Reasons” was one of the most emotional and heartfelt songs of the entire show, not only because fans knew as soon as the song came to a close, so did their time with the singer, but also because of the meaning behind the song, itself, and Gaga’s phenomenal piano playing and extraordinary vocals. Even at the end of a show, she was able to hit each and every single note in the song, seemingly effortlessly.

Lady Gaga singing “Million Reasons” at the end of the Joanne World Tour concert in OKC. Photo by Jasmine Turner.

Lady Gaga is nothing short of an entertainer and she did just that -she entertained among many other things including speaking out on issues such as the status of the LGBTQ+ community and the amount of hatred in the world. She also spoke about loving each other and spread an overall positive message to fans and non-fans, alike. She flawlessly interwove old and new songs, costume changes, pyrotechnics, electronic, rock and western music and put on an incredible show that concert-goers will remember for the rest of their lives.

THANK YOU to everyone who allowed me to use your photos for this article. I know this concert was a pretty spiritual experience for everyone who could attend and it means everything that you not only capture some of the most iconic moments of the show, but that you’d let me use them to show others what a wonderful time we all had. I hope to see some of you at her next tour! #chromatica

And that’s it for my recap of Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour Concert in OKC. Didn’t get enough of Gaga? Well, good news for you, I have another article where I reviewed Gaga’s Five Foot Two Netflix documentary for The 15th Street News, which you can find in the Further Reading section below. If you enjoyed this blog post, please like and consider leaving a comment!

Bibliography

• Holland, Gun. “Gaga performing ‘Dancing In Circles’ at the start of the show.” Instagram, December 10, 2017.

• Pennington, Katie. “Lady Gage donned Jayce Green’s hand-painted jean jacket while onstage.” Photo by Katie Pennington.

• Turner, Jasmine. “Lady Gaga singing ‘Million Reasons’ at the end of the Joanne World Tour concert in OKC.” Instagram, December 10, 2017.

• Woan, Ronald. “Lady Gaga performing ‘Come to Mama’ at Joanne World Tour in Tacoma.” Flickr, August 7. 2010 (Thumbnail image).

Further Reading

• “Gaga: Five Foot Two: A Personal Look At The Girl Behind The Makeup.” by Payton Hayes, October 23, 2017.

Related Topics

• Exploring Oklahoma Murals Where Public Art Is More Than Paint

• Breathing New Life Into Humanities At Rose State College

• Rose State College: Attending Art School In The Midwest

• Making Space With Oklahoma Contemporary: Interview With Pablo Barrera

• I Visited The Full Circle Bookstore In Oklahoma City

Recent Blog Posts

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 17, 2025.