It may sometimes feel that in order to 'make it' in a certain field, we have to get very serious and lose some of the fun along the way. Our guest on the show today, is here to remind us why play and maintaining a novice's wonder and innocence, are some of the most important parts of creativity and craft. Ato Essandoh is someone who has carved out an exciting and varied life in creative spaces; working primarily as an actor, Ato has not allowed a successful and demanding career to withhold him from pursuing passion projects and his own curiosity. In today's chat he explains how he allows space to explore things that light him up, and the lessons he has taken from some of the best creative minds about play. He also talks about the value of letting go, and why collaboration is the essence of what he does. This inspiring conversation had too much to be contained in just one episode, and we promise we will have Ato back for a follow-up chat, exploring more of his amazing mind. For now, dive in with us and hear what our guest had to say!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The array of work that Ato does and how he accidentally fell in love with acting! 
• Ato's motivations for creativity and what passion projects add to his life. 
• Lessons in framing and reveals that Ato has learned along the way. 
• Finding playfulness with professionals; Ato's perspectives on the best in the business.
• How generosity and togetherness figure into Ato's artistic philosophy. 
• The first steps that Ato takes when it comes to instilling play in a scene.
• Ato's thoughts on pursuing ideas and why practice is so important to this.  
• The influence of Ato's family on his mission statement; how he turned this into a life of creativity. 
• Designing a life based on what you truly love and want to try!
• The long path of being a novice and the time it so often takes to experience success that is seen.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ato Essandoh on Twitter

Martin Scorsese

Jane Campion

The Power of The Dog

Bobby Cannavale

Quentin Tarantino

The Second City

Kelly Leonard 

Pietro Procaccini

Natalie Portman

Meryl Streep

Kobe Bryant

Dirk Nowitzki

The Perfect Shot

MrBeast

Reach Records

Portrait Coffee

Stanford d.school

Jeremy Utley 

Marcus Hollinger