Creator Five is an ongoing peek at our regional creatives by asking them to share quick responses to five questions, both serious and trivial. Please take a minute and check out their online presence. Photographs are copyright © Andrew T. Smith, 2022.

Brian Shea is intentional about his creativity and places its outcome right in front of us, or at least in front of his audiences.

Brian's after-work attention often leads to improv, and improvisers typically participate in multiple groups, subgroups, etc. However, he is a founding member of Baltimore's nonprofit Highwire Improv, so there's a definite focus there. Here's his Creator Five:

1) What book or books do you most often recommend?

Brian: Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

2) What's a favorite Song? 

If you follow Brian on social media, you'll know who the artist will be. The song? These Days. Brian notes, "It will invariably be a REM song - this just happens to be the one today."

3) What's an unusual item on your desk?

"Not on my desk, but right behind it is a special copy of the certificate from when my late father was admitted to argue in front of the Supreme Court in 1960 (before I was born). Whatever case it was never made it there, but they had gone through the process just in case it did. I called dibs on it when my seven siblings and I divvied up things after my mother died. He was incredibly silly, but also incredibly accomplished. This always reminds me that sometimes you can achieve something that no one really knows about. And that's OK." 

4) Who inspires you?

"My co-founders of Highwire Improv - Kristen McKenzie, Geoff Taylor and Barry Wright. Really, I am most inspired by whoever I happen to be on stage with at the time. Improv has taught me to live in the moment that way. But I took a leap with those three in late 2020 to start something new, and they have driven me in immeasurable ways."

5) What words of advice do you share?

"Do the thing. Whether you will share it with anyone or just keep it for self satisfaction, you should always do the thing that continually pops in your head."

Brian's work can be followed at www.brianshea.org.