Does creativity take us to a place that is a little bit dangerous—for both men and women?
Tanner Boll: Here’s the thing. I think that most people who pursue the arts do so out of a need. I can’t remember who said it, but “art is the attempt to solve a problem.” A lot of people turn to expression to fulfill this need. Perhaps in the best of all worlds you find that you are not alone in that problem. You might be saying things that a lot of people actually feel. Yet, when you voice them you are making yourself vulnerable to attack. That’s what an artist must do. WRR: You were 32 when you had your first child, and write that at that point the curious and emotional side of you, “the creative” roared back to life. Can you tell me a couple of stories from that time of your life? Tanner Boll: First of all, I knew I wanted to be a mother. But I had absolutely no experience with children. I had my first child a month early and I absolutely fell in love. I of course loved my husband. But the love that I felt for this tiny baby was out of all bounds. I couldn’t believe that anything c
