Play requires room to fail, and creativity is fostered through trial and error. These insights from Russell Weiss, a self-taught perfumer and multimedia artist, offer direction toward the risks & rewards of the creative process. Russell is the owner of Deep Field Aromatics, a Chicago-based perfume studio specializing in botanical-forward fragrances. In this interview, Michael and Russell discuss perfume-making, philosophy, and the power of playfulness in creating art and teaching others.
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Play requires room to fail, and creativity is fostered through trial and error. These insights from Russell Weiss, a self-taught perfumer and multimedia artist, offer direction toward the risks & rewards of the creative process. Russell is the owner of Deep Field Aromatics, a Chicago-based perfume studio specializing in botanical-forward fragrances. In this interview, Michael and Russell discuss perfume-making, philosophy, and the power of playfulness in creating art and teaching others.
Six Takes on Play from a Summer Camp for Grown-Ups | Camp Rewind
Define Play
31 minutes 58 seconds
3 months ago
Six Takes on Play from a Summer Camp for Grown-Ups | Camp Rewind
More than a decade ago, Michael spent a few weeks of a few summers volunteering at a summer camp on the foggy coast of Oregon. Fast-forward to 2025, when multiple generations of former staff and campers from that camp gathered for a reunion called Camp Rewind. The goal was to recreate the most nostalgic aspects of the classic summer camp experience, but in a more inclusive and accessible way. The weekend included outdoor games, hobbyist workshops, reflection experiences, and a spirit of adventure that felt simultaneously youthful and wise. In this unique episode of Define Play, Michael Mirza interviews six Camp Rewind attendees from diverse backgrounds to learn what play means to each of them.
Interviewees (listed by order of appearance): Renée Erez, Josh Reid, Erin Craig, Eli Craig, Sarah Katreen Hoggatt, and Gil George. Multiple guests reference and identify as Quakers, and more specifically are part of a regional group called the Sierra-Cascades Yearly Meeting of Friends: https://www.scymfriends.org
Define Play
Play requires room to fail, and creativity is fostered through trial and error. These insights from Russell Weiss, a self-taught perfumer and multimedia artist, offer direction toward the risks & rewards of the creative process. Russell is the owner of Deep Field Aromatics, a Chicago-based perfume studio specializing in botanical-forward fragrances. In this interview, Michael and Russell discuss perfume-making, philosophy, and the power of playfulness in creating art and teaching others.
