Co-hosts Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien once again surprise each other with ideas and inspiration from their personal creative spark files. They explore the benefits of breaking up with technology and the impact it could have on your outlook, your productivity, and your creativity. And they discuss the sparks within the award-winning documentary film, Free Solo, looking at the parallels between a life-threatening solo climb of El Capitan and the emotional risk-taking of an artist.

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Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien share two new sparks of inspiration from their creative spark files. John Mulaney's interview on You Made It Weird and his personal experiences with failure (perceived or otherwise) give hope to everyone who has ever attempted to create something. There is strength to be gained from Robert F. Kennedy, John Mulaney and others who have lived through public defeat. Meanwhile, who knew the number 9 might be the reason why you (or the characters you are writing) behave the way you do. The nine-enders just might be the character motivation you were looking for.

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Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien reach into their personal Spark Files and share inspiration from artist Hilma af Klint, a woman whose other-worldly work was way ahead of her time (and her male contemporaries'), and their fascination with the The Diderot Effect, and how one man's spiraling consumption became his enduring legacy.

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A lot goes into writing a brief, catchy theme song. On the debut episode of The Spark File, Susan Blackwell + Laura Camien share the origin story of their opening theme song, featuring Gavin Creel, Lilah Guaragna, Sophie Hearn, and The Performing Arts Project.

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