Finding Creativity: 5 Questions With DISCO's Brian Connell

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Educator, writer, musician, artist - whatever you want to call Brian Connell - would likely be accurate for the new director of the Birmingham non-profit Desert Island Supply Company. DISCO is located in Woodlawn and aims at keeping students involved with creative writing and expression. Many schools, especially in the inner city, have had to abandon creative writing programs due to budget restraints, but that certainly does not mean those skills are not important - if not vital - to student growth.

That is where DISCO steps in. The organization, founded in 2010 by Chip Brantley and Elizabeth Hughey of Birmingham, offers free after-school workshops plus in-school programs in area schools. The headquarters in Woodlawn also serves as a hub for creative community projects and events.

Connell was tapped this year to head the organization, and was able to take some time with Patch to answer a few questions about DISCO, himself and finding creativity.

First, let's get this out of the way... the name of the organization. What does a desert island have to do with writing?

A desert island is anywhere that you feel stuck or stranded. With our students, we start with the blank page as their desert island—it’s empty and they’re alone on it—and then we teach them how to develop the creative tools they need to navigate that page/island, to explore and document their worlds. The metaphor can obviously extend to any situation where we might feel alone or stranded or lost. This is often the place where great art is made.

What made this position attractive for you?

I’ve spent 13 years as a high school English teacher and five years as an assistant principal. I love education, and I’ve been lucky to experience so many beautiful moments and relationships through teaching. In 2017 I attended the end of year book launch and reading for DISCO’s annual student poetry anthology. It was in DISCO’s very cool, explorer-themed learning center in Woodlawn. The place was packed with waiting parents and teachers and DISCO volunteers, and then the kids came in, all lined up—scores of students ranging from 2nd grade all the way up to 8th grade, each proudly holding their own copy of the anthology. As the students took turns on the stage reading their poems at the microphone, I was totally struck by what I now call DISCO magic. It was a combination of the impressive quality of the poetry, the personal voices of the kids, their vulnerability, the pride and joy in their faces, and the love that filled the room. It was one of the purest expressions of art and learning that I’d experienced in my life. Needless to say, I was struck and knew that I wanted to be a part of helping DISCO.

Some might say that creative writing is a "non-essential" skill for young students. What is your response to that?

Full disclosure: I often say with all earnestness that being an English major was one of the most practical things I’ve ever done. That being said, I think that ranking subjects and learning in terms of perceived usefulness is problematic. What kids learn at an early age shapes their understanding of and approach to people and the world around us, so I think it’s important to learn as much as possible.

Knowledge in one area informs and expands understanding in other areas; in that, no one should be limited to certain agreed upon subjects. Creative writing, like most disciplines and worthwhile human pursuits, requires critical thinking, problem-solving, and perseverance. It also teaches reading and writing skills, creative processes, how to look at the world from different perspectives, and vocabulary. These are all good tools for anyone to have, no matter their career path. In other words, the more knowledge and experiences a child has, the more engaged they can be with the world around them; so it’s good for an artist to understand scientific concepts of how the world works just like it’s good for an engineer to understand the fullest scope of humanity as possible.

If none of that makes sense to the person claiming the non-essential nature of creativity, I’d like to point out that the world of dead-end jobs, unemployment, and misery does not discriminate between college majors.

Where do you hope to see DISCO in the future?

Since DISCO started its flagship in-school program, the Woodlawn Writers Corps, in 2013, it has grown from 70 students to over 700 students this year. Our goal has consistently been to offer more opportunities for students to write and create and to connect students with artists and writers. We are working to expand the Woodlawn Writers Corps to the high school level so that students from our feeder schools can continue to build upon the skills they have already learned.

In addition, we are continuing to build the creative community of Birmingham by hosting events for adults—workshops, readings, and concerts. We want DISCO to be a regular venue for artistic events. Bringing these creative worlds of adults and students together, we recently launched our Patreon site (www.patreon.com/disco), which allows people to become members of the DISCO community and engage with our work with students.

What is your favorite children’s book, and why?

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. Nothing happens in this book. There’s no plot action (aside from a clock changing time, the moon rising subtly in the window, and the mouse changing position from page to page). There’s no conflict or lesson or change in the main character. Some pages have no words at all. It’s post-modern perfection, and whenever I read it to my children it makes us surrender in the most peaceful way.

Image courtesy of Desert Island Supply Company