The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers
Host: Joanna Penn
Guest: Alicia Jo Rabins
Episode: Creative Confidence, Portfolio Careers, And Making Without Permission
Date: March 2, 2026
Episode Overview
In this episode, Joanna Penn speaks with Alicia Jo Rabins—an award-winning writer, musician, performer, Torah teacher, and ritualist—about building creative confidence, navigating portfolio careers, and the importance of making work without seeking external permission. The discussion delves into Alicia’s multifaceted artistic journey, her spiritual and creative practices, her approach to performance versus permanence, the realities of funding creative work, and advice to writers seeking their voice in a changing world.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Alicia’s Multi-Strand Creative Journey
[14:29 – 17:44]
- Early Creative Roots: Alicia describes herself as a "maximalist," beginning both writing and violin very young, thanks to a supportive mother and the Suzuki method.
- Musical and Spiritual Weaving: Music and writing interlaced throughout her upbringing, followed by a deep dive into Jewish spirituality and Torah study in college and post-college years in Jerusalem.
- Performance Expansion: Her interests in writing, music, and spirituality organically branched into performance, including theater and film.
“I sort of grew up being very immersed in both creative writing and music. … Having the gift of those two parts of my brain … and then … spiritual study … became the third. And they all interweave.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [16:38]
2. Portfolio Careers and Financial Realities
[17:48 – 19:55]
- How Alicia Pays the Bills: Nourished by privilege (no college debt), she supports herself primarily through teaching Jewish studies (50-70%), supplemented by performing, workshops, and grants.
- Welcoming Donations: Alicia took workshops on inviting donations and speaks candidly about adjusting to solicitation, recognizing how supporting creatives is meaningful for audiences too.
“I think some people enjoy fundraising … I have learned to think of it … as a privilege to give as well as a privilege to receive.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [20:34]
3. Creative Process: Instinct, Hunger, and Ritual
[21:29 – 27:12]
- Discovery over Planning: Initial project generation is always instinctual; Alicia rarely sits down to match ideas to forms.
- The Role of Mood: Her creativity is often triggered by emotional need—writing or making music as a response to feeling “discombobulated.”
- Absence of Rituals: While spirituality underpins much of her work, she does not use formal spiritual rituals for generating ideas.
“I don’t think I ever sit down and say I have this idea, which genre would it match with? It’s more like … I pick up my guitar and something starts coming out.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [22:00]
4. Adapting Spiritual Heritage & Collaborating with Communities
[28:05 – 33:48]
- Music, Faith, and Collaboration: Alicia’s projects like "Songs of the Matriarchs" with a high school choir, and "Girls in Trouble" focus on reclaiming and reinterpreting biblical women’s stories through music.
- Tradition vs. Innovation: Drawing on Judaism’s tradition of Midrash ("ancient fanfic"), she finds reinterpretation both traditional and welcomed; her approach with diverse audiences is to focus on the mythic and personal, not religious imposition.
“From a Jewish perspective … what I’m doing … is very much in line with actually a traditional way of interacting with text … the interpretive process … is part of how we show respect for the text.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [29:46]
5. Performance vs. Literary Permanence
[31:21 – 34:28]
- Ephemeral Magic of Performance: Alicia values the fleeting, sacred quality of live performance versus the lasting presence of books.
- Embracing Impermanence: She treasures both literary artifacts and on-stage moments, appreciating each format’s spiritual resonance.
“Being on stage … is a very spiritual practice … the most in the moment I ever am. The only thing that matters is what’s happening right then in the room.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [32:32]
6. Challenges of Memoir Writing vs. Other Forms
[35:02 – 39:59]
- From Poetry to Memoir: Transitioning from poetry’s brevity to long-form prose was challenging; Alicia spent 7-10 years developing her memoir.
- Memoir’s Focus: Unlike autobiography, memoir requires “choosing which lens to put on your story.” For Alicia, the focus was on spirituality and music, even when family or other personal topics were foundational to her life.
“When you put a limitation on your project, that’s when it starts to be a work of art.”
— Paraphrased by Alicia Jo Rabins [38:55]
7. Choosing Traditional vs. Independent Publishing
[40:08 – 43:51]
- The Path to Traditional Publishing: Alicia’s initial interest in writing memoir stemmed from a suggestion about its commercial potential. She appreciated the possibility of financial sustainability and approached publishing strategically, querying with a complete manuscript.
- Maintaining Independence: She maintained creative control through the drafting process and embraced editing post-agent.
“I never felt like anyone was telling me what to write … I can’t imagine promising that I’ll write something because I never know what I’ll write.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [42:20]
8. Making Without Permission: Indie Film Creation
[46:00 – 51:06]
- A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff: Originated as a one-woman musical theater show, then was adapted into an indie feature film, thanks to serendipitous collaboration and self-funding.
- DIY Filmmaking Ethos: Alicia advocates for making creative work independently rather than waiting for permission or gatekeepers.
“I can’t imagine waiting for someone to give us permission or giving us a green light to make this. It was experimental and indie, … we just did it and put it out there.”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [49:47]
9. Creative Confidence in the Age of AI
[51:06 – 53:36]
- Advice for New Creators: Alicia suggests creators lean into whatever feelings they’re experiencing, including lack of confidence, because vulnerability is uniquely human and artistically valuable.
- Letting Go of ‘Good Enough’: She references the idea that even great artists never know if they're “good enough.”
- Make Without Permission: The practice of creation itself is the heart of being a writer or artist.
“If a lack of confidence is arising, that’s a really powerful feeling to directly explore … AI can’t have that, right?”
— Alicia Jo Rabins [52:01]“You’ll never know if you’re any good. If you have to know, don’t write.”
— (quoting John Berryman) [52:29]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Donations: “It is actually a privilege to give as well as a privilege to receive.” [20:34]
- On Instinctive Creation: “It’s almost a form of hunger.” [25:49]
- On Adapting Judaism: “I have to say, coming from the Jewish tradition, that is a core practice … wrestling with [texts], arguing with them, reimagining them.” [29:03]
- On Limitation: “When you put a limitation on your project, that’s when it starts to be … a work of art.” [38:55]
- On Indie Creation: “Make something, as opposed to trying to get permission … because really, unless you’re already in that system, it’s going to be really hard to get permission to make it.” [50:08]
- On Voice: “There’s never going to be a moment that we’re like, yes, I’ve nailed this. I am truly 100% a writer … everything’s always changing anyway.” [53:20]
Important Timestamps
- 14:29 – Alicia’s creative background and braided career
- 18:05 – How she supports herself financially as a creative
- 21:56 – Her creative process and project generation
- 28:05 – Reimagining tradition and working with religious material
- 31:21 – Performance versus literary permanence
- 35:16 – Writing memoir as a poet; challenges of long-form
- 40:28 – Choosing traditional publishing; portfolio career logic
- 46:00 – DIY filmmaking: A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff
- 51:06 – Building creative confidence in uncertain times
Where to Find Alicia Jo Rabins
- Website: aliciajo.com
- Instagram: @ohaliciajo
Final Thoughts
Alicia Jo Rabins’s journey is a vivid illustration of how arts, faith, teaching, and business can intertwine into a vibrant, resilient creative life. Her advice to “make without permission” and her embrace of both doubt and discovery offer encouragement to all multi-passionate creatives.