Hey There.
I’m Rachel Clair.
I’m a writer and creative who lives in Chicago with my husband, Dan.
Where it all began.
For the longest time, I didn’t believe I was creative. While the early days of my childhood were marked by singing around the house, making things out of paper, and relishing every moment of my first-grade class creative writing sessions, creativity just wasn’t prioritized as much as athletics or academics in my home and school environments, so very soon, I gave it up.
Flash forward to my sophomore year of college, and I’m sitting in Terry Song’s Comp 101 class. She had just handed back our graded essays when I looked down to see a handwritten note: See me after class.
That’s odd. I thought, a little unnerved. It looks like I got a good grade. I wonder what she wants to talk to me about.
After class, I approached Terry’s desk (the English professors at my small, women’s college were known for having us call them by their first names).
“You wanted to see me?” I asked.
“Yes!” she said. “I think you should be in our creative writing program.”
“Creative writing?” I asked. “But I’m not creative.”
“Oh, I think you are. You just need us to pull it out of you.”
And with those two short sentences, Terry Song helped shape my life. Her words opened up a longing in me that I had been too afraid to express — a longing to create and be creative — and they set me on the path that got me to where I am today.
I have learned a lot over the last 20 years about what it takes to live a creative life. And while I haven’t always lived it perfectly, I’m immensely grateful for the gift Terry gave me in calling out a gift that I could no longer see.
Today, creativity shows up for me in a number of ways.
It shows up professionally in the work I do writing, editing, brainstorming and bringing creative projects to life for companies and organizations. It shows up in my leadership. Each time I have the privilege to lead a team, I hold fast to a personal commitment to pass on the gift that Terry Song gave to me — to help others connect to their inner creator, calling out the good I see in them and watching their work flourish as a result. It shows up in workshops I lead and in personal projects I create, and it shows up in my spiritual life as I continue to connect to the rhythm and meaning of being human in my day-to-today.
The Fast Facts
I moved to Chicago in 2012 and absolutely love city life
I’m married to Dan who is tall and loveable and does his best to keep me grounded.
I spent several years writing for and directing a kids’ summer camp, which scratched an itch I still sometimes feel to one day work at Pixar.
I love a tapas style dinner where we linger around the table. And pizza…I’m always up for pizza.
A lot of my personal writing has taken shape in the form of blogs I started writing when I first moved to Chicago. But lately, I find myself drawn toward the longer, slower process of creating things offline. I’m sure some of them will make their way onto this website when they’re ready.
Thanks for being here. I’d love to get to know more about you and any projects you’re working on. Let’s see how we can work together.
