Yesterday I kept my annual date with the Eurovision Song Contest. I get up and watch it live which is 5:00AM Aussie time - I am strangely committed.
In reference to the acts that didn’t make it into the final (I was watching semi-final #1) one of the commentators, who’s a previous contestant, mentioned not only the singers’ obvious disappointment, but that all the other creatives who gather around each act: the costumers, choreographers, lighting designers, etc., as well as their families and support systems, would be equally devastated.
As usual my little, tiny mind found a through-line to this week’s podcast.
In this episode I’m talking to my friend and crazily creative producer, Amy Sanyer. Amy and I go waaaaaaaay back, we met in our 20s and now we’re in our 60s - you do the maths. We have had many an adventure. She runs Brolly Arts, an umbrella arts organisation that curates community based projects as a way to champion important social and environmental issues.
The conversation explores Amy’s evolution from dancer to arts producer, her methodology of championing independent artists through collaboration, and her ongoing work addressing the Great Salt Lake’s environmental crisis through creative mediums.
Brolly Arts is a nimble (read small) organisation but has built many, many, connections and relationships over its 30 year history. It has a really supportive network just like all those Eurovision Acts. We talk about Brolly Arts’ birthday party, which will include some of that collaborative network in the celebration, and we find out about Amy’s undeniable creativity and enthusiastically hopeful world view.
I can’t wait for you to listen!
xBec
📝Key Takeaways
🎨 Being Born Inherently Creative
Some people are born as creative souls. Amy was encouraged by incredible teachers and discovered that movement not only ties the physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual, but is her language for understanding the world. She describes creativity as the ability to absorb what we see, feel, and experience. It then needs time to transform into something meaningful and uniquely our own.
🎭 Becoming a Producer & Creating Containers for Independent Artists
While Amy began as an artist herself, she eventually realised her greatest contribution was helping other artists thrive. She saw that many talented creatives struggled with the practical side of presenting and sustaining their work, so she shifted toward producing. Through Brolly Arts, she created spaces where independent artists could experiment, collaborate, and develop their voices without pressure to immediately deliver polished outcomes.
🌏 Community Problems as a Scaffold for Creative Solutions
Amy’s creative process often begins with paying attention to the challenges facing a community and then thinking outside of the box for solutions. She uses creativity as a way to bring people into important conversations through emotion, storytelling, and shared experience. Whether exploring water, land, or cultural connection, her projects demonstrate how creative work can help communities better understand themselves and imagine new possibilities together.
🤝 Dream Big, Collaborate & Play the Long Game
A major theme throughout Amy’s journey is the power of collaboration. Her projects are built through long-term relationships and networks of people who believe in a shared purpose. She speaks openly about how trust takes time and how meaningful collaboration only happens when ego is removed from the process. The episode highlights that big creative visions are rarely achieved quickly and must always contain an element of hope.
☘️ Arts Projects Help Communities Buy Into Change
Amy believes art has the unique ability to engage people without telling them what to think. Instead of creating barriers, creative projects invite curiosity, emotional connection, and participation. Through performances, films, and collaborative initiatives, communities become active participants in conversations around growth, sustainability, and belonging. Her work shows that when people feel emotionally connected to an issue, they are far more likely to engage with meaningful change.
🎉 Brolly Arts at 30 - Why it Matters
Celebrating 30 years of Brolly Arts is about more than longevity, it’s about recognising the ripple effect of investing in independent artists and creative communities over time. The anniversary honours the countless collaborations, careers, and community conversations that grew from Amy’s vision. It also reflects the evolution of an organisation that continually adapted while staying committed to creativity, connection, and giving artists a platform to be seen and heard.
🔗Links & Resources Mentioned
Brolly Arts Website: https://brollyarts.org/
Mary Wigman, modern dance pioneer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wigman
The best thing I found on Inge Weiss!: https://jamescharleslyons.com/inga-weiss-chocolate-heads/
Rudolf von Laban, responsible for so much about how we organise movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_von_Laban
Repertory Dance Theatre’s history (Amy and Bec’s previous employer): https://rdtutah.org/about-us/our-history/
Twig Media Lab: https://www.twigmedialab.com/
Grow The Flow: https://growtheflowutah.org/
Ahn Trio: https://www.ahntrio.com/trio
Michael Nyman composer: https://www.michaelnyman.com/
SB Dance: https://sbdance.com/about/
The Vibrancy Society (that’s me): https://www.thevibrancysociety.com/
🙏 If you enjoyed this episode please rate, review, and share so more people can discover the joy of creativity. Thanks heaps, Bec
