Have you ever felt uninspired? Callie Robbins is a 4th-year Studio Art major with an English minor at Louisiana Tech University. In her time at Tech, she has written, illustrated, and published a book of poetry, been published in Tech’s Journal of Art, Literature & Culture; “The Quatrain”, been an active member of Feminists in Action group, and started her own podcast.
When Callie was growing up, she had a 30-minute car ride from home to school. During the commute, she and her dad would listen to the radio to call in and play the radio games. This started Callie’s interest in how audio can be used for storytelling and become an art form. She started her podcast “Girl Uninspired” in October 2019 and it is now on its third season. The podcast is a series of interviews with artists from all disciplines of art talking about their work, motivations, methods, and how they keep creating. Each artist brings a new perspective and new ideas on how they create art.
Callie’s favorite part of creating each episode are the ideas that have sprouted from them. At the beginning of the podcast, she thought it would get boring and only last a season. Now that it has three seasons with a fourth on the way, the podcast has inspired not only Callie but also many other artists to keep creating. With episode titles such as “Creative Slumps with Lydia”, “Art & Self-Worth with Mouse”, “Voice as a Medium with Cassidy”, the podcast steamed from Callie’s curiosity about how creators do it all, where their inspiration comes from, and how their ideas motivate them. For upcoming season Callie says, “I’ll be interviewing some of the coolest people I know as we explore what it is like to exist in the present world and how to keep creating.”
It was after one of the interviews that she was inspired to write, illustrate, and publish her book of poetry. “Wonders of Intensity” was published in October of 2020. The 125 page book of poems “documents the intense journey of the author's life: her struggles, her past, her loves, and so on. Wonders of Intensity is a six-year journey that collects pennies and thoughts into fountains of feelings. Each poem is a reflection into a moment of the author's life. This book asks the reader to reflect on their own emotions and may provide a sense of comfort in acknowledging difficult topics.” A beautiful description of the book quoted from the Amazon.com webpage where you can purchase Callie’s book for $25.
In the future, Callie hopes to write and illustrate another book of poetry. After graduating from Tech, she wants to be a high school art teacher while also continuing to produce her art. The next time you are feeling uninspired, just remember: “We are creatures of habit and the biggest habit is getting into ruts and stopping ourselves from what we can do”, says Callie Robbins. Girl Uninspired can be listened to on Anchor, Apple, Spotify, and most podcasting platforms. Be on the lookout for season four of Girl Uninspired, coming soon.
Photo Credit: Cassie Phillips
“Wonders of Intensity” book of poems by Callie Katherine Robbins is available now at No. 9 Books and Records in Ruston, LA.