Rachel Chak - Interview series vol. 14 | #107
On being a DJ, her creative projects and making money as a creative
Hello, this is Celeste. I have been writing poems since 2017 and a low-fantasy crime novel since 2022. Letters for Creatives is the place where I share my thoughts on creativity, resources for creatives, and interview creators and authors. Welcome 13 new readers of this creative tribe since the last letter.
Previously on the interview series:
Jo Bahdo on her second poetry collection and future plans
Rachel Chak, who is known as chakra on are.na, has been working on some interesting things, including being a DJ, and building her archive in the music and creative industry.
Her are.na curation on music, mental wellness and other topics has been leading me down rabbit holes and inspiring me as a creative. Since she is a curious being as I do, I have to get her on to have a chat.
Can you tell us what you are working on right now?
I just started experimenting on a DJ series on Instagram and other platforms, dedicated to recorded sets within my home in London — some solo listening sessions, but also some sessions where I invite friends over.
While I still want to spin in places around London, I also like the idea of building my own container where I can experiment with my creativity freely.
I am challenging myself to start filming these sets and posting on YouTube more, so that is a goal for this year! I am also about to start new design projects, so January has been more about setting up systems and routines to find a balance between all my professional and personal projects.
Is there any new platform that you love using recently?
I been learning to collaborate with ChatGPT this past month actually! I still feel some conflicts with the ethical considerations of the space, but I have grown more curious about it since watching a talk by Maggie Appleton on reframing AI as collaborative partners.