Hidden Gems: Meet Sean Patrick of Wisp Of Words

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Patrick. 

Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got my start at writing in elementary school when my teacher wanted us to use vocabulary words in a sentence and I started using them in consecutive sentences, building stories out of them. From there it was competitions and festivals. I wrote a winning one-act play for a newspaper competition and started spending time around the thespians at the high school as they practiced to perform it. I grew increasingly enamored with the craft and spectacle of productions like that. The next year I signed up to be with them, to perform with them. I’ve never stopped appreciating performance and the power that can come from the written word. 

I went to college for Film Production and took every class they had to offer. About a year after I graduated, my old editing teacher contacted me and asked if I would be willing to help him with a local DWI commercial. I, of course, jumped at the chance and have been helping on every one of their campaigns for the past several years. 

Between all that I have put my writing and film knowledge to work in the 48 Hour Film Projects. Challenging myself and others who join me to conceive, write, shoot, and edit an entire short film in just 48 hours from scratch. It’s a lot of stress and a lot of fun. 

All of these eclectic experiences together have granted me specific knowledge of the art of storytelling. And storytelling is what I love. 

I think back to the old saying that the best seat by the fire is saved for the storyteller and I love to be there, sharing stories with people. Stories are what make life make sense, make it brighter, make it worth living. Lately, I’ve been focusing on fables and bedtime stories for all ages as well as collaborating with other artists on bringing voices to vampires and puppets alike; when I’m not filming live shows for local performers. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Any pursuit of art has challenges and most of them are monetary. I had to payment-plan my way through college to study film while also working endless hours at a discount movie theater. When I left the theater, I was drifting trying to make ends meet, and got lucky with the occasional DWI commercial. I bounced around doing tech, stage, and film work for a local improv troupe for a while and have been slowly trying to build my network of friends and fellow artists. It never comes easy but the road there ends up being part of what makes it all worth it. I’ve been working a day job through this whole pandemic so time becomes its own issue. I’ve found the most important thing you can do is always have something to write or draw on with you and never trust yourself to remember your ideas or inspirations. Just write them down in the moment so you physically have something to show for your mental fire. 

We’ve been impressed with Wisp Of Words, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve been using the Wisp Of Words moniker since 2014. It comes from a short poem I wrote and is ostensibly my philosophy on art. 

 “Mountains begin with a pebble 

Storms rise from a simple drop 

Infernos spread out of a spark 

Endless echoes start with a merest wisp of words.” 

Everything starts small but the more you add to it, the more you do, the more it spreads and the greater it all can become. That’s the magic of art! 

Putting that on a business card is a bit difficult so I list myself as a Writer, Editor, Videographer. I write my own work as well as commissions for people, I edit that work as well as other company’s footage, and I film my own work as well as live performances and whatever else needs filming. I’ve done training videos for local companies and have filmed sold-out shows for chorus groups. I try to do as much of “it all” as I can. 

I’ve written award-winning poems, short stories, short films, filmed and edited live concerts and comedians, as well as worked the sound and light board for those kinds of shows. I’ve worked production Dailies for shows like Preacher and The Cleaning Lady and been a Data Wrangler for countless DWI commercials since 2016. I even spent a brief stint working for Meow Wolf for their Taos Vortex festival. The more you know the more you can learn and I love learning and doing more of everything! If you need some help with something cool, please let me know! 

My hope, really, is to inspire people to do more of their own art. I have met so many people in my life who are incredible artists that give up on their passions for mundane reasons and I hate to see people live to the beat of the humdrum. You’re worth so much more than that! So, please, join me around the fire, and let’s share some stories to brighten up our lives. 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can always reach me through my website WispOfWords.net and check out many of my writings and videos. Maybe enjoy a bedtime story or video. 

I’m also on Instagram as @AWispOfWords and Twitter @WispOfWords 

Really all I could ask for people to do is read what I write, share it with people they think would appreciate it, and let me know if they have some fun project, they might need some help bringing to fruition. I love to collaborate because it’s how we make things even bigger and better! 

Contact Info:

• Email: WispOfWords@gmail.com
• Website: www.WispOfWords.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awispofwords/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WispOfWords/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WispOfWords
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfPy6ykQINtjmV4xh45teQ