W O M A N sessions // 1 // Riley Gable
Welcome to the W O M A N sessions where I, Paige Farrow, interview female artists. I wanted to do this because I feel like I discover so many incredible women and it would be selfish of me not to share with my viewers. I try to ask personal questions about creating art and of course, what it’s like being a woman. I’ve always had a desire to get to know people and I thought why not share my conversations to the internet! It’s a tough world out there for us but we sure do create like none other. I’m hoping that my interviews can guide whoever is reading and may it inspire you to the deepest core.
Session 1, let’s welcome Riley Gable.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I am a writer by heart and makeup artist by trade, living in the Cleveland area. Shameless plug: You can view some of my poetry on my website, rileygable.com , and purchase my chapbook, “When it All Goes Rancid.” My Instagram, @rileyelisegable , is a good place to check in with all of my other nonsense.
2. Being a writer in your 20s, which is still a younger age, have you been inspired by your teens more than the now?
Not necessarily. I found that in my teens I was more fearless with how “good” my writing was, therefore, writing more. I also wrote worse, though. I didn’t edit, I rambled, had no point in mind. When I was writing back then, it was more so just to make sense of my teenage brain and sort through what was fiction and reality. Now, inspiration seems harder to find just because I’m more afraid to write (because the consequences, in my head, are greater.) But when inspiration does come, it feels more honest.
3. When you’re creating art, what is your mind focused on?
Most of my day-to-day life is spent reigning in my emotions so that I can perform in social interactions with a more level head. I feel absolutely everything very deeply, which is both my best and my worst trait. When I write, I give myself permission to let go of the reigns and write free of restriction. I usually purge every word and emotion onto the page, knowing that I will later go back in and edit and cut the fat with a calmer mind. So, when I’m writing, I am focused on letting out whatever emotions have been waiting for its time, and then translating those emotions to the reader.
4. From spending years with you, I’ve gathered that you are a vivid writer. When you’re writing, do you think about the visual construction of your work/personal experiences?
Oh, I absolutely do. Usually when I am writing about a specific experience, I’ll lean back and focus on my breathing while recalling the event. I’ll picture the scents, the look in their eyes, the way my hand taps on the table when I’m nervous. I try to picture it as if I was just a really, really invasive observer. That way, I can extend the lens in which I’m narrating into something bigger than just my own.
5. You are currently very much in love with your significant other, do you think he has shaped anything for you that you weren’t really sure of? And has that helped with your artistry?
I was definitely nervous when I first showed Brian my poems. A lot of my poems are about previous romantic interests, toxic relationships, or even really personal poems about him. I feared that there would be a discussion of how uncomfortable they made him feel. I waited and waited but it didn’t happen. Instead, he saw the importance these poems had in my life, and only helped me nourish them more. I’ll never forget in July, we were sitting on the balcony of Highland Square’s The Mustard Seed and he said, “If you buckle down and finish your manuscript, I will see to it that it gets published.” So I worked my ass off to finish it, and he kept his promise. “When it All Goes Rancid” was published. More than anything, he has introduced this work ethic, that I don’t naturally have, into my life. He is a motivator and a swift kick when I need it.
6. Inspiration. Do you search for it or do you let it find you? Who are some of your favorite artists, writers or creators?
I really wish Inspiration came around more often. When I first started writing in college, I quickly learned that nearly every time I counted on her, she stood me up. I had to put in the work whether or not she was there. After I had broken away from destructive, romantic relationships, I had to find a different topic to write about. Inspiration was especially hard to find during this time. For years, I was so used to writing about my painful and, often times, cringe-worthy love life. When that pain had ended and I was introduced to a very healthy relationship, I had to do a lot of self-analyzing. I had this moment where I realized, “my writing is not only the sum of my pain.” I began writing about my relationship with religion—the hurt and the questions—and I began dissecting my dreams into poetry. I’m still learning that most days, my writing will not be a masterpiece—or even be good. I am still learning to give myself patience and forgiveness in this. So, to answer your question: I search for inspiration, frantically, every single day.
I have a lot of favorite poets that can make me cry every time I read their work. Mary Szybist’s “Incarnadine” was the first poetry collection I read that made me fall in love. When I first read it, I carried it around with me everywhere. I would thumb through the book just to reread certain lines and let them wreck me. I would eat lunch and cry over these poems. I started looking at the trees different, I started looking at grief different. In just one book, it felt like she dissected my very painful and complex relationship with religion. It all sounds very dramatic, but reading her was the beginning of my poetry. It opened the floodgates for me.
Other poets I love: Kaveh Akbar, Saeed Jones, Erika Sanchez, Zachary Schomburg, Nicole Sealey. All stunning artists.
7. Since this is the W O M A N sessions, what would you like to tell all of the female readers?
There will be a lot of people that tell you that your work is self-indulgent and too emotional. Ignore that and let your art shamelessly reflect what drives you to create. You do not have to create art that is void of emotion in order for it to be worthy. Nearly every woman I know has a very unique way of carrying and articulating feelings, and your art, built by that, is something that the world needs.
I wanted her then and God
to understand wanted to be kissed until my lips blistered until
the cosmos collided and burst new matter creating new matter
light bursting amidst the blackness a peace we could never name
my star my light where are you now?
On fire in death, still shining though erupted eons ago.