29 QUESTIONS WITH SONIA RAO
Open up to see how this D.C.-based arts & culture reporter beats writer's block.
Sonia Rao is a writer based in Washington, D.C., where she works as a features reporter for The Washington Post
SONIA’S CREATIVE STRATEGIES
The right props — a fresh legal pad, well-lubricated gel pens, a stash of Werther’s Originals — contribute to creativity, natch.
If you feel like shit mentally or emotionally it’s way harder to make things. The better you feel inside the easier the creative process will be.
When you first start, try using as few limitations and parameters as possible. And when you’re creating, DON’T EDIT! Write first. It’s always easier to edit down than it is to expand upon what little you’ve written.
Museums are a reliable, affordable Perfect Portal Place. Visit often for creative resets.
PROCESS (8)
What are your creative rituals?
Not to sound like a HomeGoods sign, but I am useless without coffee and have to start each workday with a big ol’ cup (pour-over, if I’m feeling especially inspired). I am big on making lists, which helps me organize my thoughts. I like to go on a run or take a long walk if the lists don’t provide enough clarity.
Physical space or mental space?
A peaceful physical space allows me to enter the mental space in which I feel the most creative. As a morning person, natural light is a must.
How do you actually get started?
I bribe myself. If I make a certain amount of progress, I get a treat!
What are your three favorite creativity tools? Please give us specifics, we want to add to cart.
Writing isn’t very glamorous, so it often comes down to what helps me focus. Right now, that’s my Marshall Monitor II over-ear headphones — with moderately effective noise canceling, because really good noise canceling freaks me out. I also love a classic legal pad and smooth writing utensils (e.g. Pilot gel pens).
What’s on your desk right now? Send us a pic.
I hate to say it, but I tend to write on my couch these days. Here’s a view of my coffee table, which I stare at when I’m lost in thought. Yes, those are Werther’s Originals.
What do you do when you’re feeling deeply, existentially, sand-bags-tied-around-your-ankles stuck?
Especially in the winter, I walk around the Kalorama neighborhood of D.C. and look at all the fancy houses while listening to jazz. This gives me a similar feeling to watching a Nora Ephron rom-com, or sipping on drinking chocolate from L.A. Burdick. Feeling warm and fuzzy sparks my creativity.
Do you have a system? Are you Wes Anderson-style organized or are you the live action embodiment of the Tasmanian Devil?
I like to think I’m Wes Anderson, but I’m way more Tasmanian Devil. I tend to loosely outline longer features, but usually end up tossing that out the window.
Tell us about your process. When? How? Are you strict about it?
I am not strict about it! The tricky thing with writing — or any creative task, really — is that it relies so heavily on how you are feeling inside. My process can be meticulous when my mind is clear, but tends to get messier when I’m not in such a great place. I try to be compassionate toward myself, and allow myself to vary my process based on how my mental and emotional health are at the time.
The tricky thing with writing — or any creative task, really — is that it relies so heavily on how you are feeling inside.
MINDSET (6)
What grinds your gears creatively? What gives you the ick?
I don’t like excessive instructions. I’d much rather be given loose guidelines for an assignment, and then be set free to do whatever I want. It’s always easier to edit down than it is to expand upon what little you’ve written.
Name one thing you’ve created that makes you beam with pride.
I’m not the sort to beam — so humble! — but I had a good time with this recent profile I wrote of the actress Rachel Sennott.
Tell us about your creative nemesis.
I am my own worst enemy. I recently transitioned from a breaking news job to full-time feature writing, which means I have to move away from the more staid, newsy voice I conditioned myself to have. I’m trying to loosen up!
Any notes for your haters? What about your lovers?
I love you all, even when I hate you.
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?
Not to rip off Warhol, but I recently splurged on the Beach Walk perfume by Maison Margiela and I can’t get enough of it. Even though I’m definitely a fall/winter person, this is my year-round smell.
What’s your current hyperfixation?
I can’t stop listening to PJ Harvey. The angsty ladies love PJ Harvey!
It’s always easier to edit down than it is to expand upon what little you’ve written.
INSPIRATION (7)
Favorite meme (present-tense or ancient)?
My best friendships look like this
Where do you seek inspiration most?
From movies. I highly recommend checking out whether your library card comes with a subscription to Kanopy — a treasure trove of a streaming service!
Last piece of media that really stuck with you, and why?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Charlotte Wells film “Aftersun,” which I saw last year but still remember vividly. It’s a gorgeous, tragic story about a young girl’s relationship with her father, told in an impressionistic style that plunges you into the depths of the main character’s conflicted emotions. The film inspired me to think beyond more traditional storytelling constructs.
Who did you look up to as a burgeoning creative person?
There are so many contemporary writers I still seek inspiration from: Hanif Abdurraqib, Wesley Morris, Jia Tolentino, Robin Givhan. Songwriters like Matt Berninger and Elliott Smith.
What’s a reliable perfect portal place for you? (a place/experience that you know will transport you to a new way of interacting with the world)
I am blessed to live in D.C., land of free museums. A visit to the East Building of the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, which houses the contemporary and modern art collections, is akin to unplugging a machine and plugging it in again.
What’s a piece of advice someone else gave you that lives in your head rent-free?
Always make sure you’re running toward something you want, and not just away from something you don’t want.
What was a canon event for you that you wouldn’t go back and interfere with even if you could?
I briefly lost my eyebrows in eighth grade thanks to a bad bout of facial eczema that happened to coincide with picture day. I decided to wear a mustard yellow turtleneck with a brown sweater vest on top. The photo hangs on my middle school wall to this day. It’s important to remember your humble beginnings.
Always make sure you’re running toward something you want, and not just away from something you don’t want.
PERSONAL STYLE (8)
Night owl, morning bird, or a secret third thing?
Morning bird! I hate waking up past 10:30 a.m., even on weekends.
If you had to get a tattoo in the next 30 minutes… whatcha getting and where?
I would get a line drawing above my right knee. Probably something floral.
What’s currently gracing your beverage rotation?
Coffee (always), water and a peanut butter banana smoothie.
Give us an example of a design, movie, book, experience from growing up that has shaped the way you work and create now?
I grew up in suburban Illinois and first visited the Art Institute of Chicago in the fifth grade. Nothing compares to standing in front of Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” and focusing on how the individual spots of paint add up to the peaceful outdoor scene. Everything you create is part of a larger whole.
What’s your relationship to the moon?
Honestly, not great! I tried to see the super blue moon recently and it hid behind the clouds. I’m working on it.
On the Freak to Fairy Scale, where do you fall?
It isn’t a scale, it’s a circle. I’m both freak and fairy.
You have to change your name to an emoji, a la the artist formerly known as Prince — what do you choose?
I am 100 percent the happy smiley face with a single tear rolling down its cheek 🥲
Congrats! You are a guest lecturer at Spacies University. You are teaching a bunch of wide-eyed freshman about your technique and process. What would you call it?
SR 100: How to control the mess, instead of letting it control you
Everything you create is part of a larger whole.
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enjoyed this dearly 🌚♥️