The Space to Create

by Leigh Culbertson

Steven pt. 1

In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Steven Spielberg was discussing the moment he saw his actors dressed as his parents when preparing to shoot The Fablemans, an autobiographical film about his boyhood. He recounts how, when Paul Dano and Michelle Williams first walked on set in full hair and makeup, Steven saw “his parents” and burst into tears as the actors ran to him to wrap their arms around him in a comforting embrace. Spielberg went on to say that an emotional outburst on set like this isn’t normally the case for him, “I got all my tears out in the script with Tony Kushner. When Tony and I co-wrote this, I got all my emotions out, I’m a professional…My job is to take care of you and guide you (the actor) to give some great performances.”

What he’s talking about is the importance of having the space required to process your feelings, so you can best lead others through the execution and expression of your creative vision. How emotionally available would he have been if he didn’t have that space to weep with his writer in pre-production? What would his focus and energy have been without the opportunity to get all his tears out in the script before ever stepping on set?   

Spielberg is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He’s also, very obviously, a white man. While he, like any human person, has had grief and pain and deserves the space to process it, these spaces are not as readily available to overworked, underpaid, and overburdened female artists. Spielberg’s career started when he snuck onto the Universal Studios lot, claimed an empty office, and camped out there all summer unnoticed, something he had the privilege to get away with at the time due to his white, able-bodied maleness. Anyone else would have been noticed and, likely, actively unwelcomed. 

Spielberg’s career started when he snuck onto the Universal Studios lot, claimed an empty office, and camped out there all summer unnoticed, something he had the privilege to get away with at the time due to his white, able-bodied maleness. Anyone else would have been noticed and, likely, actively unwelcomed. 

Virginia 

In 1929 Virginia Woolf published the extended essay titled “A Room of One’s Own,” a commentary on a woman’s lack of free expression. While she was touring women’s colleges, Virginia spoke freely about lesbianism and other topics that she felt safe discussing because of who was in the room–women. Thus, proving the point of her essay, that women need their own spaces to follow through on a thought, an idea, an inkling–no matter how appropriate or inappropriate–so they can get to their own conclusions and realizations and start creating and crafting their own stories.

Me

When I was a little girl, in a house with 3 sisters, my parents, a cat, and a dog, I would whine to my mother that I just wanted to be alone. I was lucky to have three sisters to process all sorts of weird, inappropriate, embarrassing moments with. At 13 I was lucky enough to get my own room and when that wasn’t enough, I could retreat by foot or on bike into Ohio’s dense forests and meandering creek beds. These moments offered me freedom and gave me the space to explore and develop my artistic side through music, dancing, painting, acting, and singing.

Space

Looking back on my experience and weaving that into the stories of Spielberg and Woolf, I’ve realized the critical importance of space and what that allows. Space is more than an opportunity to develop skills and refine talents, the true value of this space is the way it lends itself to the creative process. The space to explore and define feelings in ways that lead to creative expression. The space to translate and establish a mood that others can experience and connect to. Ohio ceramicist and sculptor, Matt Wedel, said that his pieces are the “result of a new understanding.” That is what the best art is, the result of a new understanding, and new understandings can only happen and come to fruition when you have the space, the time, the safety, and the tools to grapple with that which you’re trying to understand. 

Lack of Space 

Artistic roles in the visual arts, filmmaking, and music fields are still filled predominantly with men. In January ‘23, Forbes reported that of the 250 top-grossing films of 2022 women made up 24% of directors, 7% cinematographers, and 19% of writers. In March ‘22, NPR reported on a study conducted by Spotify which found that of the songs that have been on Billboard 100 for the last decade, only 21% of them were by female artists, 12.7% were songwriters, and a measly 2.8% were producers. These days, the people receiving their Bachelor of Arts degrees are largely female. Best Colleges reported in July ‘22 that women have accounted for more than 50% of BA degrees for more than 20 years, most recently topping out at 58% in 2019-2020. The discrepancy between educational and professional life occurs when women leave institutions that provide relatively safe, secure spaces and time to process feelings, express themselves, and share their new understandings. Outside of these spaces, women face a much harsher, hostile reality–the pressures of survival in a capitalist patriarchal society, including bearing the brunt of childcare, long hours, harassment, and low pay. These barriers to entry and this lack of safe communal space makes a field dominated by white men, a challenge to break into.

When women do manage to hang on and hang around long enough to break into these film or music industry roles, they face daunting challenges like blatant pay disparities, sexual harassment, and male chauvinism. While issues around harassment and assault within the industry have gained recent attention, a new issue that’s come to the forefront is a sharp decline in salary and wages for all members of the entertainment industry due to streaming.

According to calculations made by the Writers Guild of America, Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros., Fox, Disney, and Comcast made a combined $28 billion and the union is fighting for only 2% of these profits. Writers have seen their creations pulled from platforms to avoid residual payments or face getting paid pennies on the dollar to stay relevant on multiple platforms. Meanwhile, the cost of living in Los Angeles continues to rise—it’s 51% higher than the national average and an average 1-bedroom apartment costs $2,250 dollars a month. Unless you’re single and wealthy, you don’t have many options for space.

According to calculations made by the Writers Guild of America, Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros., Fox, Disney, and Comcast made a combined $28 billion and the union is fighting for only 2% of these profits. Writers have seen their creations pulled from platforms to avoid residual payments or face getting paid pennies on the dollar to stay relevant on multiple platforms. Meanwhile, the cost of living in Los Angeles continues to rise—it’s 51% higher than the national average and an average 1-bedroom apartment costs $2,250 dollars a month. Unless you’re single and wealthy, you don’t have many options for space.  

Creating Space  

Centering women and creating spaces and structures designed to meet their needs is critical to helping balance these disparities. Legislation, policies, and protections that give women the freedom to trust their instincts and develop their perspectives offer the space to grapple with complex thoughts and cultivate creativity. Free and affordable childcare gives women the space and time needed to process and create. Stable housing provides the freedom of mind and energy needed to thrive.  

In LA I am lucky to have access to all femme open mics that are female run, predominantly female attended, and all femme performed. Men are allowed to show up, but they can’t go on stage.  

Personally, my first few experiences going to this open mic were harrowing, most of the time I would get off stage not even remembering what I said, if anyone laughed, or if I’d even seen the light turn red, signaling my time. And yet, whatever I did up there, however I said it and however the audience reacted, those five minutes I had on stage were mine. It’s liberating to understand that the audience can laugh, or not laugh, but whatever they do, they’ve agreed that whatever comes out of your mouth–good, bad, or ugly–is yours.

Most major cities have spaces like this, and I encourage you to find them. It is our responsibility to seek them out and fight for their creation and maintenance because they are still far less available to women across the country.

Steven pt. 2 

Which brings us back to Steven and why he purposefully gets his feelings out before stepping onto set–so he can take care of everyone there. He understands that caring for others is easiest and most successful when you care for yourself. In a country where most caretakers are women, our failure to create supportive, open, and accessible spaces is a systemic and social failure. For children, the elderly, and all the other folks in communities to thrive, women of all ages, colors, creeds, and backgrounds must thrive. They must have the physical, mental, and emotional space to process, reset, express, and create. When the most vulnerable and marginalized women get the same space and freedoms as Steven Spielberg, we will all be free.

When the most vulnerable and marginalized women get the same space and freedoms as Steven Spielberg, we will all be free.