Tips for Creative Collaboration
The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts!
Rabbits of Realness is an artist collective and publishing project co-founded by incarcerated poet Spoon Jackson and artist SaraMarie Bottaro. Now, Rabbits of Realness encompasses a community of artists and storytellers committed to spreading creativity, justice, and compassion. Here are some lessons and tips on creating and maintaining creative collaborations, from rabbits SaraMarie and Stephanie.
Identify strengths and weaknesses. Delegating is key to avoiding burnout. What comes easy to you, that may not be easy for your collaborators? What are the things you enjoy doing, and when do you encounter internal resistance towards certain tasks and activities?
Assign a primary contact person for each project or relationship. This helps with clarifying roles and staying organized.
Stay in touch with your collaborators. Find a platform that works for everyone to share updates and coordinate on projects. (For us, that’s a messaging group and Google Drive.)
Spoonful of Wisdom
“When you collaborate, you must be individuals, but you must also be on the same overall page! For the project to succeed, you must all believe in the project, put hard work into the project, and be in touch with your inner rabbit!”
Tag all your collaborators on social media. Everyone’s network helps expand the reach and awareness of your work.
Share your best and worst ideas. Let the brainstorming flow!
Go to events together. Introduce yourself to other members of the community and make new friends! You never know when a connection can lead to a new opportunity.
Know the amount of time and energy you can invest into a project. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and communicate your needs to your collaborators.
Document, document document! Take photos and videos of all aspects of your work and process. These make great pieces for websites, social media posts, and future applications and grants.
Want to make a zine or host a workshop with us? Shoot us an email with your idea at hello@rabbitsofrealness.art.
The Prisoner of Life Who Changed My Life
My name is Stefan Säfsten and I am a Swedish church musician, composer and conductor. Spoon's poems inspired me in a way I had never experienced before. For Spoons Jackson's poems, I have written two major works for choir and orchestra. Freedom for the prisoners and Words of realness.
In the spring of 2003 I received a stack of poems in my hand with the question: Could you write music to any of these poems? I said yes but left the stack of poems until I was on vacation. I took the poems with me on a trip and in a deck chair I read these poems with wonder. I had been told that the poems had been written by a life sentenced prisoner in California. The poems spoke to me on a deep level, and I was inspired to write music. And it didn't just turn into music for just one poem. It became a whole suite that I called "Freedom for the Prisoners". The poems had been written by Spoon Jackson, whom I had naturally not heard of. At first, I didn't get in touch with Spoon. I was afraid that he would turn out to be a different person than he showed in his poems. The work was premiered in 2004. Actor and director Jan Jönsson, who had directed the play "Waiting for Godot" in San Quentin prison and in which Spoon participated, recited some of the poems. In 2005, I went to visit Spoon in New Folsom Prison. Coming there for the first time was a shocking experience! But through correspondence and the visit, it turned out that Spoon was exactly the personality he showed in the poems. I could write a whole book about the meetings with Spoon and what it has resulted in, but there is no room for that here. In 2006 I went on tour to San Francisco, Bay area with my choir Järva Röster and collaborated with local musicians who called themselves soundSFound orchestra. Through that trip I got in touch with several, for me, important people such as Cheri Snook, pastor Steve Harms, Jj Hollingsworth (who arranged the orchestra) I also received a financial contribution for the tour from Barbro Osher's Pro Suecia Foundation.
In 2007 it was time again to write new music to Spoon's poems. The work, which was also for choir and orchestra, was called Words of Realness. In 2009 it was time again for a new tour and this time there was talk that we would get to do a concert in New Folsom prison! I could not have dreamed of that in my wildest imagination! To be able to perform my music, live, in front of Spoon and more than 90 other prisoners in the exercise yard was an experience I will never forget. I don't think anyone who was there will forget it either. Through Jim Carlson and Cheri Snook, this became a reality. After the concert, Jim Carlson, who worked in the prison, came out to us in the bus and explained that we had experienced something unique. The prisoners had sat down and even lay down in the grass to listen to the music. Jim explained that it never happens otherwise because they always make sure to keep their backs clear, so no one comes and attacks from behind. It felt incredibly big!! That we had been able to give a moment of freedom and peace for a while! Spoon himself was extremely proud. We also received financial support from Barbro Osher's Pro Suecia Foundation. This meant that we also got to do a concert in San Quentin prison. In Nevada City, KVMR, the local radio station, broadcast the concert all over the world.
Peace Lutheran Church in Danville with its pastor Steve Harms is also of great importance for this. Later, I have been invited to perform my music at the UN's 70th anniversary in 2015. Then with music for choir and a saxophone quartet to Dag Hammarskjöld's texts. And this year me and my wife Maria have done a tour in the Bay Area where we have performed music that I have written for organ and synthesizer. Of course, this would never have happened if I hadn't gotten in touch with Spoon and his poems. As I said, I could write so much more about this.
Stefan Säfsten, 11 January 2026