Phoenix Poet Shawnte Orion: 100 Creatives

Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 21. Shawnte Orion.

Shawnte Orion‘s inspiration comes while in transit.

“I try to make the most of my daily commute to and from work,” the Phoenix poet says. “The intensity of music and the clarity of solitude can produce the best brainstorms. It’s one of the cheapest and most efficient artist residencies you can experience.”

See also: Phoenix Artist Laura Spalding Best: 100 Creatives

Many commutes contributed to his latest collection of poetry, The Existentialist Cookbook, out this month via NYQ Books.

“There is a poem in my new book about listening to Colorstore’s last two albums while driving to work, the morning after Mark Erickson died,” Orion says. “It couldn’t have been written any other way.”

Orion will host a book launch party for The Existentialist Cookbook at {9} The Gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 6. In addition to selling and signing the book, the event will feature live painting by Pyramid Country’s JJ Horner, music from Robbie Cohen, and a few more to-be-determined guests.

I came to Phoenix with no idea that downtown would evolve into this big art-punk sleeper cell.

I make art because I want to document the ideas and experiences that I am too socially inept to tell you about in person.

I’m most productive when I am an hour past tired and become too weary to sabotage myself.

My inspiration wall is full of Richard Bledsoe’s painting The Bear Who Swallowed The Stars, rejection notes, and Rocky Yazzie’s original hand-drawn promo poster for the very first Laundromat Show (which I proudly played a small role in helping him put together).

I’ve learned most from Criterion Collection Laserdiscs from Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Jean Cocteau, etc.

Good work should always spin you off on tangents that take you further away from where you thought you were going.

The Phoenix creative scene could use more inward focus. It’s important not to allow your own work to get derailed by obsessive comparisons to everyone else. Trust that what you are doing will be able to transcend the insecurities you are trying to deny.

See the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives:

100. Bill Dambrova
99. Niki Blaker
98. Jeff Slim
97. Beth May
96. Doug Bell
95. Daniel Langhans
94. Nanibaa Beck
93. Nicole Royse
92. Ib Andersen
91. Casandra Hernandez
90. Chris Reed
89. Shelby Maticic
88. Olivia Timmons
87. Courtney Price
86. Travis Mills
85. Catrina Kahler
84. Angel Castro
83. Cole Reed
82. Lisa Albinger
81. Larry Madrigal
80. Julieta Felix
79. Lauren Strohacker
78. Levi Christiansen
77. Thomas Porter
76. Carrie Leigh Hobson
75. Cody Carpenter
74. Jon Jenkins
73. Aurelie Flores
72. Michelle Ponce
71. Devin Fleenor
70. Noelle Martinez
69. Bucky Miller
68. Liliana Gomez
67. Jake Friedman
66. Clarita Lulić
65. Randy Murray
64. Mo Neuharth
63. Jeremy Hamman
62. La Muñeca
61. Kevin Goldman
60. Emily Costello
59. Kerstin Dale
58. Vara Ayanna
57. Nathaniel Lewis
56. Ruben Gonzales
55. Lisa Poje
54. Bobby Zokaites
53. Frances Smith Cohen
52. Julie Rada
51. David Miller
50. Xanthia Walker
49. Kyllan Maney
48. Cary Truelick
47. Constance McBride
46. James D. Porter
45. Allyson Boggess
44. Abigail Lynch
43. Ashley Cooper
42. Jaclyn Roessel
41. Brandon Boetto
40. Melissa Dunmore
39. Gavin Sisson
38. Rossitza Todorova
37. Monica Robles
36. Josh Kirby
35. Jesse Perry
34. Yai Cecream
33. Nathan Blackwell
32. Carley Conder
31. Ben Willis
30. Nicole Michieli
29. Brian Cresson
28. Tyson Krank
27. Mikey Estes
26. Anwar Newton
25. Sarah “Saza” Dimmick
24. Tato Caraveo
23. Jorge Torres
22. Laura Spalding Best

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