Tiny Talks is an interview series with Tiny Spoon’s talented contributors. This week we spoke with finch greene from our thirteenth issue.
Tiny Spoon: What kindles your creativity?
finch greene: I just love reading good things. Things so good they make you feel like crawling up the walls and maybe give you a little bit of impostor syndrome, but in a good way? Then they make you want to sit down and make something that’ll give that feeling to someone else. I love theatre and live performances and feeling the pulse of a piece of art. Also, unfortunately, nothing makes me want to open a new document like having a debilitating, unrequited crush.
Tiny Spoon: Are there any artists/ heroines/ idols/ friends that you look up to?
finch greene: I’ve been fortunate enough to have met almost all of my writer friends over the past 3-ish years. They’re all so darn cool and so darn good at what they do and so darn generous with their time, hearts, and critiques. My Undercurrent Writing Workshop crew are some of the most brilliant minds I have ever shared space with, and watching them work is a magical experience. Folk artist Andrew Montana is one of the greatest living lyricists of our time, and one of the only Virgo men allowed to exist. That guy churns out bop after bop and I need to know how he does it.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have specific superstitions or divinatory practices that you adhere to?
finch greene: I 100% believe my dead loved ones communicate with me through music and dreams. They rarely have any wild wisdom to pass along, but it’s nice waking up from a dream where all I did was sit in a chair next to my dearly departed and feeling like they just popped by to say hey. I also have obsessive-compulsive disorder, so almost everything in my life is a superstition.
Tiny Spoon: We love insight into the creative process. Could you share what it is like for you, either with your work that appears in Tiny Spoon or in general?
finch greene: One thing about my process is that it is inconsistent as hell. I write when I can—a minute here, a few minutes there, in the middle of a workday, on the train (while trying not to get motion sick), frantically tapping out a few lines in my notes app before I succumb to sleep. I’m a perfectionist, so sometimes I have to drag a draft kicking and screaming out of me, because I don’t want to have to deal with something that isn’t immediately perfect! But I’m working on loving the parts of my work that are messy and difficult, too.
Tiny Spoon: Do you have any current or future projects that you are working on that you would like to share?
finch greene: I’m in the process of editing a full-length poetry collection—with the help of beautiful wizard poet Liv Mammone—that’s been in the works for the last couple of years. Stay tuned if you like gender and sexuality and sprinkles of erotic fan fiction…
Tiny Spoon: What book, artwork, music, etc., would you recommend to others?
finch greene: I’m serious. Andrew mother-effing Montana. You will not be disappointed. Tell him I sent you. We as a society seriously need to bring The Muppets back into the foreground of pop culture. I will not stand for Muppet erasure any longer! Give Miss Piggy her spotlight back!! I’m also a huge supporter of getting back into any media you loved as a tween/teen. It’s good for the soul.
Tiny Spoon: Is there anything else you would like others to know about you, your creations, or beyond?
finch greene: I have approximately 200 bottles of nail polish and it’s only a problem if I say it is. Being the sole provider for my chronically ill, special needs cat is the only thing tethering me to this earthly realm day in and day out. I’m almost always singing a made-up song about him and his stinky toes.
Tiny Spoon: Where can people learn more about what you do?
finch greene: Guys, I finally caved and made an Instagram account for my poetry: @finchgreene (PLEASE GOD don’t let me flop)