Featured writer: Cramp My Style

“Reality becomes a prison for those who can’t get out of it.” – Joyce Cary

On a recent trip to Estonia by way of St. Petersburg, Russia, my fellow travelers and I made a special visit to an abandoned prison in the magical city of Tallinn.  Closed in 2005, the prison is now open to the public for 2 Euros and a “enter at your own risk” safety warning.

Greeted by the caretakers, a cheerful woman and her friendly pup, we made our way into the stone building. The caretaker remained outside in the sunshine, along with the happiness of the currently existing world.

The visit was short, for the feeling inside the prison filled us with uncomfortable questions.  From those questions came great discussion and inspired ideas.  It’s easy to follow beautiful things to a great idea.  When we see something we like, that makes us laugh or reminds us of something we love, it sparks an idea and we naturally want to grab on to it.

But from darkness also comes incredible art.

It’s important to dive into those uncomfortable places to find inspiration.  A lot of the best emotional connections in film, television and media come from a place of pain.

Through the darkness in the large, empty prison rooms, was beautiful light shining through the barred windows on the furniture strewn about the vacant spaces.

The paint chipping on the walls of the crumbling Soviet era prison created a work of art in the bright afternoon sun.

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