The Uno Kudo crew has been crazy busy with book tours, album releases, more book publishing...these crazy kids seem to have their hands in everything. Hopefully, we'll be able to share as much of that with you as we can in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we wanted to resume our "Who's Who of Uno Kudo" spotlight series with our dear friend and amazing writer, Erin Parker.
Who is Uno Kudo?
Uno Kudo is Erin Parker.
Have you ever not wanted to tell stories?
No. It has always been vital to me. The most difficult time was when I was in school studying design. I was producing really good visual work, but I lost the ability to write. This was so terrifying to me that I made an appointment with an English Professor to see what I could do. After I showed him some past work, he told me not to worry, that it would come back at some point. He encouraged me to embrace the visual arts since that was what I was consumed with at the time. And he was right, the writing did come back, and was even more focused.
What is it about the writers in Uno Kudo that make you want to be a part of this group?
The mutual respect and the scope of talent. Years ago, we were all reading each other's blogs, and I loved that everyone was so passionate about words. It was difficult to find good writers who were blogging regularly, that once we came across each other's work we couldn't bear to lose contact. They were all inspiring in their own way, and are even moreso today.
No matter what life changes or challenges we are facing in our own lives, we have this community of amazingly talented artists and writers. We tell our stories, and of course I'm still looking for the untold stories. It's just what I do.
In her earliest memories, Erin Parker was looking for stories. Everywhere she went, and in everyone she talked to or saw, the stories were what surfaced. She says they are what hold her together.
Storytelling in any form has always been her passion. From reading everything she can get her hands on to find the unconnected dots of history; to art; to choreography; to retail displays and designing store environments... storytelling has always been the underlying reason.
When training people on merchandising a store, she often says things like, "Your display is a story, not a run on sentence. Make sure it's concise. Think Hemingway. The more streamlined the better... in a 'form follows function' kind of way!"
Erin Elsewhere:
On Facebook
