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Hi! I’m Isa. I’m a writer, dreamer, and storyteller, and one time I shook hands with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Hamilton stage in New York City. (I just had to throw that in, lol.) Seriously, though, meeting creative people like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney producer Don Hahn, Oscar-winning songwriter Kirsten Anderson Lopez (“Let it Go”), and fashion trailblazer Brandice Daniel, has shown me that the whole “never meet your heroes” thing is wrong, especially if you’re a dreamer.
But just meeting inspiring creatives, artists, and dreamers has never been enough. I don’t have any pictures of me with these people (Lin, if we meet again we’re DEFINITELY getting a photo, I’m still kicking myself about that one), because what I always do instead is ask questions, especially about how they got started, and how they endure the constant rejection and disappointment that is a natural part of any creative or brave endeavor. I am a writer and filmmaker but at the core I am an interviewer.
I’m deeply curious about all people, but especially those who take big risks, survive life’s losses, do brave things, and create from the heart.
I’ve interviewed over 200 people to date and written 70+ long-form feature profiles and counting. You can read those stories on my blog Creative Teacup or where I write creator stories at ConvertKit. (Or, if you prefer to hear me read the stories to you, check out the I Am A Creator podcast!) The I Am A Creator project website was a Webby honoree and one of the I Am A Creator documentary films won six Telly awards!
My next book, The Little Book of Big Dreams, is coming November 7, 2023 and is available for pre-order now wherever books are sold!
I’ve also done freelance writing, brand, and TV hosting work for organizations like Success magazine, Pearson Global Education, Channel TCC22, Edible Orlando, and Disney Institute, and am currently an MFA candidate in creative nonfiction writing (with a concentration in documentary filmmaking) at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
When I am not interviewing, writing, or making films, you can find me eating all the food at Disney, listening to a Taylor Swift album for the 100th time, walking my dog Stanley, playing my Nintendo Switch, watching my favorite vloggers on YouTube, baking something (usually bread, pizza dough, or cake), and almost always putting in another delivery order from one of my favorite local restaurants in Orlando, FL (I even wrote profiles of some of them for Edible Orlando!)