29 QUESTIONS WITH LAUREN ASH
Open to see the writer's book-filled working desk 💃
Lauren Ash is a writer and senior astrology editor at Parade.com.
LAUREN’S DIVERGENT CREATIVE STRATEGIES
Make bad work. Go ahead, curb stomp your inner perfectionist and let the so-terrible-its-embarrassing stuff leak out of your brain. Better out than in, as they say.
Spatial synesthesia babies, try a dry erase board for idea tracking. We all love a good Notion doc, but seeing your deadlines and projects in 3D can help you wrap your mind around them in a different way than the pixel version.
Nothing kills creativity faster than being “too cool”. Embrace earnestness! Serenade shame! Waltz with whimsy!
Look for signs everywhere. You’ll never get stuck if you keep the line open. Messages come in mundane and unusual ways — a lyric floating out of an open car window, an auspicious tarot card, a wayward scanned sign stapled to a telephone pole.
PROCESS (8)
What are your creative rituals?
I love to open the windows first thing when I get up in the morning, no matter the temperature outside or the season. I draw an exception when it’s storming outside (but only because the rain gets inside the house; I love the smell of storms).
And then, honestly, I smoke a lot of weed. It helps my brain slow down and feel more free with my words.
Physical space or mental space?
Physical space, because my mental space is cluttered, but that’s the case with all working artists, in my opinion.
I do think your physical space reflects what’s going on in my mind — which is probably why I try so desperately to keep it tidy and organized.
How do you actually get started?
I say to myself out loud — “Okay, Lauren, you wanted to be a writer. That means you have to write,” or I physically hide my cell phone from myself and sit on the patio with my laptop so I can’t get distracted.
Sometimes, when writing doesn’t work, I’ll pull up my Google Docs app and use voice-to-text to get something going. Just start talking and see if there’s anything good in there I can use.
What are your three favorite creativity tools? Please give us specifics, we want to add to cart.
A good tarot deck — sometimes, just drawing a few cards and looking up the descriptions can move your mind in a different direction. I like these decks from Threads of Fate.
Freewrite — It’s essentially a very fancy digital typewriter. A luxury item, but very fun. This is for my writers who always travel and don’t want to take a laptop. Or anyone who wants a dedicated machine for writing short stories, poems, novels, etc. It’s not cheap, but it’s an amazing tool that allows you to write anywhere, and it backs up your work the moment you connect to WiFi.
A dry-erase task board — Nothing’s getting done if you miss your deadlines, and I need to be looking at everything I have due in one spot to do my best work. I like this one in particular (it’s in my office) because it breaks the tasks out by what stage of development they’re in. It helps prioritize the urgency of what needs to get done and when everything is due.
What’s on your desk right now? Send us a pic.
What do you do when you’re feeling deeply, existentially, sand-bags-tied-around-your-ankles stuck?
I just write garbage. I let myself write terrible nonsense.
Sometimes, I listen to music, and I’ll wait for certain lyrics to jump out at me, and I’ll write those down. And then I’ll try to see if I can string a thought together with what the songs are saying.
When that doesn’t work — I close my laptop and tell myself I’ll try again tomorrow.
Do you have a system? Are you Wes Anderson-style organized or are you the live-action embodiment of the Tasmanian Devil?
I wish I had an interesting creative process, but the truth is — writing is an obligation. I’m a writer because I sit down and write every single day, even when I have nothing important or clever to say. It almost feels like a game of chicken I’m playing with myself: When will my passion for words finally outweigh the mental demands of non-stop creation?
Some days, I’m so inspired by the life I get to live as a writer that I’m up at 8 a.m., and the words are just flowing. Other nights, it’s dark outside and late, and I’m crying in my office, wondering why I chose such a terrible, burdensome profession. And then I go to sleep and wake up and decide to write some more.
Tell us about your process. When? How? Are you strict about it?
I’m not strict about my routine or process at all. My mentality is more about getting things done and on the page. A story that lives exclusively in my head isn’t going to do me any good.
So, whenever I find that spark or mental motivation in my day, I follow it until it runs out. Truly, the hardest part is forgiving myself on the days when I wake up with nothing to say.
It’s hard to see yourself as creative when your brain works against you. But it happens to everyone — so I think I’m just trying to be less strict with myself overall.
Sometimes, I listen to music, and I’ll wait for certain lyrics to jump out at me, and I’ll write those down. And then I’ll try to see if I can string a thought together with what the songs are saying.
MINDSET (6)
What grinds your gears creatively? What gives you the ick?
People who give critique with nothing to say. I expect my work to rub some people the wrong way, but the nosy little freak in me needs to know why you hated something.
Name one thing you’ve created that makes you beam with pride.
My life. I look at my family, my home, and the people around me, and I’m so proud of myself for being able to provide for them. It’s so cliché (I’m a Cancer), but it’s true. I do it all for them.
Tell us about your creative nemesis.
Just anyone who refuses to engage with art in a meaningful way or push themselves to think bigger.
Too many people are cosplaying as serious adults and denying themselves a lot of whimsy and pleasure in life.
Any notes for your haters? What about your lovers?
I consider any of my haters reading this fans at this point. For my lovers, it’s been the joy of my life sharing my passion with y’all, and I’m honored to keep sharing.
Andy Warhol used to change his perfume every three months because we wanted to have scent memories associated with that time period in his life. What scent will you associate with this time in your life?
Nag Champa — it’s my favorite incense and I like to burn it around the house when I open the windows in the morning. It smells really earthy and warm, plus you can buy it anywhere. I like how the smoke hangs in the air and there’s something very soothing about taking your time to set the space, open the windows, light the incense, etc.
It reminds me of trying to consciously move slower and more deliberately in my life.
What’s your current hyperfixation?
Right now, I’m replaying all 33 Nancy Drew PC games from my childhood. They’re amazing. You play as Nancy Drew in an elaborate point-and-click mystery game but the puzzles are difficult and you can die in the games!!!
They terrified me as a kid but now I’m just obsessed with replaying them. And they’re coming out with another new game like this year, which is insane. I’ll keep buying them though because they’re like the best-kept secret nobody knows about.
Too many people are cosplaying as serious adults and denying themselves a lot of whimsy and pleasure in life.
INSPIRATION (7)
Favorite meme (present-tense or ancient)?
“Go Piss Girl” has got to be the best meme to come out of the last five years, it makes me laugh every single time. Or my favorite Vine: “Road work ahead? Yeah, I sure hope it does!”
I think if we’re talking about deep cuts, there’s something amazing about the fact that people are still getting Rick-Rolled.
Where do you seek inspiration most?
Nature. It’s so cliche, but as a water sign, I need to be able to visit the water and stare out across the waves without being able to see land on the other side. Contemplate how small I am in comparison to the vastness of the water.
It doesn’t have to be the ocean either. A really big lake would do just fine.
Last piece of media that really stuck with you, and why?
Suits, and it’s because I think Mike Ross is the worst television character of all time. Oh my god, don’t get me started on that guy.
Talk about not taking accountability for your actions and blaming other people for your own choices. What a loser. His character’s arc was so stagnant — it actually ruined the show for me.
I think a lot of people seek inspiration from art and media they love but let me tell you something, you’ll form a lot of opinions really fast when you engage with something you hate. My husband and I were getting into arguments about him like he was a bad friend who was actively ruining our lives! We finally switched to a Columbo rewatch.
Who did you look up to as a burgeoning creative person?
I was always really inspired by my peers growing up. There wasn’t a lot of support for choosing a career in the arts, especially when it came time to go to college.
So, just knowing that I wasn’t the only kid with a pipe dream about being a successful artist was a huge help. Like if we’re gonna fail, we’ll do it together.
What’s a reliable perfect portal place for you?
New music will always take me to another world. I love music so much despite having no talent for it myself. I love karaoke but I can’t sing.
What’s a piece of advice someone else gave you that lives in your head rent-free?
My sister always says, “who’s gonna beat my ass?” when she’s deciding whether or not to do something or she’s too afraid to take a risk. Basically, who’s gonna stop me? I think it’s so funny.
What was a canon event for you that you wouldn’t go back and interfere with even if you could?
Eating lunch in the library in high school. It was socially isolating but I read so many amazing books during those four years. Wrote a lot of short stories and essays that landed me some college scholarships. That probably kept me motivated to pursue my English degree.
My sister always says, “who’s gonna beat my ass?” when she’s deciding whether or not to do something or she’s too afraid to take a risk. Basically, who’s gonna stop me? I think it’s so funny.
PERSONAL STYLE (8)
Night owl, early bird, or a secret third thing?
Early bird — I can’t sleep past 7 a.m. anymore. I don’t have a fancy morning routine either where I meditate or do yoga or write or anything. I take care of our dogs and then I grab breakfast and wander around doing stuff around the house until I decide to get ready. Some mornings, I’m really on the ball, and other times it’s a slog. But I’m always up early.
If you had to get a tattoo in the next 30 minutes… whatcha getting and where?
I have two giant black and gray bug tattoos on my inner forearms, so probably another bug somewhere on my arm. Start a sleeve? Those are pretty pricey though. I have a Star Wars tattoo that I’d love to get removed if that were an option…
What’s currently gracing your beverage rotation?
Fresh squeezed orange juice, peppermint tea, and vanilla lattes with extra vanilla + oat milk
Give us an example of a design, movie, book, experience from growing up that has shaped the way you work and create now?
Oh, for sure it was online fan-fiction forums. I was deep in the trenches of FanFiction.net from middle school to college. It’s a blessing, really, because there’s no better place to get all the bad writing out of your system than fan fiction.
Every writer goes through a period where they just suck. And it’s nice to go through that phase with other people cheering you on and giving you genuine feedback.
What’s your relationship to the moon?
She’s my wife and we’re madly in love. I tell her all my secrets.
On the Freak to Fairy Scale, where do you fall?
I’m a fairy, for sure. I like my peace and quiet and I really don’t bother other people unless they come walking through my fairy circle and disturbing my peace. But I also like that fairies are little troublemakers, too. I have a Gemini Moon, so it’s in my nature to stir the pot sometimes.
You have to change your name to an emoji, a la the artist formerly known as Prince — what do you choose?
💃💃💃
Congrats! You are a guest lecturer at Spacies University. You are teaching a bunch of wide-eyed freshmen about your technique and process. What would you call it?
Course Title: Get Over Yourself — How to Conquer Your Fear of Being Perceived By Others
Final Project: Perform an original karaoke solo during a night out — complete with costume and matching props to tell your story properly. The more embarrassing and over-the-top, the better. Extra credit if you’re just a great singer who crushes it, I’m not going to penalize anyone for being talented.
omg the Nancy drew games!! can we be friends 🥹