Debbie Millman has an ongoing project at PRINT titled “What Matters.” This is an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. This facet of the project is a request of each invited respondent to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph
Kim Tidwell is the managing editor for PRINT Magazine and an independent writer and creative strategist based in Austin, TX.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Writing. I’ve always written since I was young (poetry, angsty teen journals, silly short stories). But for most of my professional life, I’ve written for others. Over the last decade, I’ve embraced a creative writing practice, which has changed my life. Writing is my path into my psyche, allowing me to ask questions and make sense of the world around me. It’s done more for my anxiety and self-confidence than any prescription on the market. I hope, eventually, that my writing will help others or at least provide an escape and a laugh. But even if I remain “pre-published,” I’d still write.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
Weirdly enough, it was in math—specifically, algebra, my most dreaded subject. I remember figuring out how to work a formula in a way I could visualize—a path that painted a picture for me. I got the correct answer, too. However, I didn’t get credit because I didn’t follow the formula.
I remember feeling like such an outsider. Like, why can’t I make this work when everyone else seems to find it so easy to do so? I wish 12-year-old me had a vocabulary around creativity, but in 1986, I only knew I was “bad at math.” I hope that kids today have an extended frame of what creativity is and how to embrace that part of themselves. Now, I can appreciate that what made me feel like an outsider for most of my childhood is precisely what defines my creativity and my particular way of showing up in the world.
What is your biggest regret?
I regret not throwing out the script until my forties. I spent too much time building my life around others.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
I have to lean into it, honestly. Not forever, of course, but I need to feel the feels; I need to rage, cry, and wallow for a bit. There’s nothing like a good cry. Even better? Crying to a great playlist as a soundtrack. Better still, crying to a great playlist on a road trip with the Rocky Mountains or the Pacific Ocean outside your window.
What makes you cry?
A lot. I cry when I’m sad, happy, angry, frustrated… Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the scene in Castaway when Wilson floats away, animal cruelty, goodbyes, realizing your country would elect an amoral misogynist over an impressively qualified and experienced woman, whenever the Texas legislature chips away at reproductive and transgender rights, hate, the subjugation of other humans, how we treat the earth.
I’ll stop now before I get too far down the rabbit hole.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Not long enough! In a rare quiet moment, I might well up about something I’d not thought of in a long time. But, I’ve adopted a practice I learned from wise writing friends: save all the bits of feedback that make you feel good and resonate with you in a folder, a document, or in Evernote. These can be accomplishments, compliments, client feedback, or glowing comments from creative collaborators. Refer back as often as you need to. This helps me bypass that inner critic and remind myself of all the wins, however small.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Growing up in a Catholic household, I was always taught that our loved ones watched us from on high. Which, frankly, is terrifying! Instead, I like to imagine that we return to the energy of the universe and, hopefully, in some Interstellar-like way, we might be able to tap into all our parallel possibilities.
What do you hate most about yourself?
I spent too much of my life hating parts of myself, and I’ve since learned to love and recognize these things as strengths. But, the one area I continue to battle is that I’m a leader, an organizer, and an eager volunteer, yet my tendency to raise my hand causes friction with my introversion. I don’t always have the energy or emotional capacity for everything I’d like to do. Sometimes, I overcommit and don’t give myself enough space to care for myself and my mental health.
I’m imagining a support group for fellow ambiverts. Who’s in?
What do you love most about yourself?
I’m a connector. I see connections in things, ideas, and people. I get goosebumps when something connects. I’m weird like that.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
All good things in life are born around a table with good people sharing a meal. My absolute favorite meal was with two of my sisters at a tiny four-table restaurant in Venice. We asked the chef, who looked like my friend’s Nonna, in terrible traveler Italian, to serve us what she’d love to eat. We didn’t know what half of the dishes were (there was definitely squid ink pasta and seabream in there). The food tasted like it was made with love, and we were enthusiastic participants. I’d love to be able to recommend this place to others, but I don’t remember the name or even where it was. We were lost, and it was raining, and there this place was. Isn’t that how all magical memories begin?