Monthly Archives: September 2012

Who do you want to be today? Christie, Freelance Science Writer

Christie is someone I’ve known since Middle School, and it’s been fascinating watching her career since we left college.  She’s written for many publications, including the BBC, Health, Smithsonian, and Slate.  

What do you do?
I’m a freelance science writer.  I’m a journalist, but I also do storywriting that is less journalism and more personal.

On a basic level, I’m a storyteller.  For some of the stuff I write, I take research and translate it into something that a lay audience can understand.  That can be a news story about a new piece of science that has come up, or a new piece of the puzzle, and I describe that new piece, kind of putting it together with the existing stuff.

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Who do you want to be today? Jenevieve, Birth Doula

Jenevieve was our doula when our daughter was born a year ago, and even though I ended up having a c-section, she was tremendously helpful (perhaps especially because of the c-section – she took a lot of the fear out of that process for us).  While working with her on our own impending birth, I became interested in what, exactly, the job description for a birth doula was.

How would you describe your job?

A doula provides physical comfort and emotional support during birthing.

What do you do in a typical day?

It’s very flexible, but also unpredictable.  Labor is very situation-dependent. Continue reading

Who do you want to be today? Ken, Director of Live Events

Ken directing at Lollapalooza – photo by Lollapalooza

Ken directs live music for such events as Coachella and Lollapalooza.  His interview is one of the first that I did, and it incorporates both the Who Do You Want To Be Today and How Did I Get Here information.  That’s handy, because I will be on vacation for the Sept. 12 post.  I will return with a new post on Sept. 19.

How would you describe what you do?

I would describe it like I’m a painter.  The cameras are my palette and the music is my inspiration, and I’m painting.  Because I don’t shoot stuff with the idea that …I direct it based on the band and the music and the moment.  So much concert video you see out there looks the same.  To be honest with you, it looks like sports coverage.  (Most people directing concert videos) don’t understand song structure.  They have to have an assistant director sitting next to them saying, “okay, the chorus is coming up…there’s a guitar solo coming up.”  I take pride in the fact that each of the shows I’ve directed doesn’t look like anything else.

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