Mother, playwright, teacher, director, and entrepreneur Iona Cruey Holder is one individual who has already left her mark in the small town community of Milledgeville, Georgia. With creativity in mind and coffee in hand, there is no challenge that she is afraid to tackle. Iona's play "Blindfolded" showcased at the historic Blackbox Theatre and the audience laughed, gasped, and awed at her beautiful script writing, proving again that when she puts her mind to something, it is without a doubt exceptional. We met at her locally owned coffee shop, Blackbird, where I got a chance to pick her brain and see what it's like to live a day in the life of Mrs. Holder.
Q: What is your profession's greatest challenge today?
A: "Hmm. Well, as far as writing goes, it's making time to actually do that. Weaving it in with coursework, teaching, while still trying to maintain the discipline of being a playwright gets somewhat difficult. And a big part of that for me is tapping into that creativity because it doesn't always happen when you want it to."
Q: If you could change just one thing about the industry with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?
A: "For me, it's less about the industry and more about the perception. I feel like we don't receive as much respect because when people see that you playwright they automatically think that it's easy until they actually try to do it and then they realize that it's actually quite challenging. I think the respect is lacking so much simply because people minimize the effort it takes to do it. For example, when people find out that I playwright they respond by calling it "fun," and that's just something I would never do because it diminishes a person's work. It's disrespectful and it shows that some don't take our hard work into consideration."
Q: What ignited the spark in you to start the business?
A: "Blackbird has been open for a little over 11 years and it started because we wanted to create a space for creative people and we also wanted to provide an atmosphere where people could come and just perform less formally. That's why, when you walk in, you see we have the art on the walls, we have poetry night, improv, and we let musicians come and showcase their work. Every art is a focus, and we just saw a major need for that in this community.
Q: What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
A: "My biggest failure overall has just been not maintaining a balance. To me, it's like being on a journey and not reaching a certain destination because it's always moving, and that pertains to the way I think too. I can't help but think big, and then that sometimes leads me into overthinking things and purposely making them complex. The reason I'm like that though is because I'm constantly looking for a challenge and that resonates in everything I do...the more that I can actually stay busy and juggle all those things helps me think in a more simple way because it then becomes about how I need to balance everything so that I won't dump all my energy on this one thing and lose focus on something else.
A: One of my greatest lessons came through watercolor painting and I learned that the paintings may start with a sketch or blank canvas, but it's up to you to start something, and you either add water to the brush or paint to the canvas and after that it's out of your hands…whats there is there and when that painting is wet you may look at it and hate it, but you walk away and come back after it's dried and realize that you like it. It's all about going through the stages of that process and learning."
Q: How many hours do you work a day on average?
A: "Well, it just depends on what I have going on that day. Usually, it ranges from me getting about 4-7 hours of sleep and whenever I'm not sleeping those are how many hours I work that day. So about 13-20 hours. More so 20 when things start to build up in grad school and when Blindfolded was getting closer to opening night I wasn't getting that much sleep. Every moment that I'm awake is filled with a lot of mundane work and a lot of creative tasks and even though I may not have any physical evidence to show for it every day, there is still progress being made. One thing I do look forward to after graduating though is silence and meditation, because for me it isn't empty it's full."
Q: What motivates you?
A: "I'm 41 years old, I have five kids, and I'm watching all of them grow! And it basically helps me recognize that, you know, if I'm lucky I've only lived one-third of my life and when it starts to get close to that half mark I still want to make sure that I'm growing and learning as much as my kids are. So many people look at education as a pitstop along the way and I don't, I think it's the pavement on the road so you can begin your journey and so I always think that it's important to continue educating yourself in whatever you're passionate about."
Q: What is your greatest fear and how do you manage fear?
A: "Fear is an illusion to me. The only fear I cannot escape is what the future holds for my children because I simply want them to be happy and fulfilled individuals. But other than that I look at fear as something that holds you back from accomplishing things; unless it drives you, then it becomes a weapon. It's really a coping mechanism that some people use but it doesn't really help because it lacks consideration. When you actually stop and try to narrow things down to precise information, there is no place for fear. It's like it's in some pretend garden that doesn't exist."
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
A: "Hmm. Who has been my greatest inspiration...ha, that's a hard question. Well not to be cocky or arrogant but I've kind of been my own greatest inspiration. *laughs* I feel like I've had the chance to live multiple lives just in this one lifetime. And when I've had those moments where I'm down, I've had to free myself from fear, do the hard work, and just talk myself through it. Really, whatever I read last, I guess, is what inspires me. My inspirations are changing every moment because I'm always gaining new information and reading different things.
Q: This is the last question, ha, so when you look back over everything that you've done, and when you look at your kids and the workers here at Blackbird do you ever just take a moment to resonate in all the things you've done?
A: "No, I really don't look back very often. I look forward and that's where the joy comes because I think about the things I'm going to be doing next and how the workers are going to do great things after they graduate. That's how I stay motivated also because the bulk of things, for me, is what's happening next. And of course, I take a moment to reflect, but I'm never like...Oh, look at all my great work! I just remain grateful to those who I've worked with in the past and I carry that with me."
It was truly a pleasure talking to Iona. She is the sharpest tool in the shed and Georgia College is lucky to have someone who brings this fresh and quirky wisdom to the students on campus. She is a phenomenal woman and I have yet to meet anyone who blows creativity out the park like she does. Thank you, Iona Cruey Holder.
