Words: Chloe Metcalfe
Tanner Muller has always had a passion for creative writing, however the foundations were inexplicably laid during high school in English class. Reading books such as 1984 ignited a love for the creative writing industry, which inevitably lead to studying English and Creative Writing at UniSA and completing his honours.
After a number of years pitching stories and writing pro-bono, Tanner says he knew he’d need to build experience to gain a name within the industry and was always aware of that journey.
“I always told myself that if I got through the hard yards and built enough experience people would start to take notice,” he says.
While a notably driven writer and creative, Tanner admits after completing his degree he found himself stuck in a monotonous cycle that many writers will commiserate in feeling. Although a difficult period of his emerging career, he says he remained adamant to not let his creative spark dim and decided to apply for The Mill’s Writer in Residence program.
“Being accepted into the program gave me a lot of hope and almost validated what I’ve had to go through as a writer and I’ve found the experience to be incredibly rewarding,” he says.
“Not only have I been able to build my portfolio and gain this wealth of knowledge, but I’ve also met some incredibly gifted people along the way.”
Previously focusing on creative short stories and the occasional article, Tanner embraced the opportunity to further develop his journalistic skills - aided by the mentorship of Citymag’s editor Johnny von Einem.
“I guess it was something that I was working towards and I think now that I’m nearing the end of my residency I have the tools to be able to approach these types of publications and pitch the ideas I have for written work,” Tanner says.
“I think the mentorship aspect of Citymag has been a particular highlight of the residency. Johnny has been really incredible with the knowledge he has about the industry, we’ve been able to collaborate on ideas, figure out angles and focus for each article, he’s also offered some really valuable writing critiques as well which is something I find rare in the industry.”
Writing articles about everyday workers navigating COVID-19 and Restless Dance Theatre’s need for funding support during his residency, Tanner has since placed his focus on creating a collaborative zine - Regurgitate.
Using poetry as his voice, Tanner touches on some of the most challenging and difficult moments of his life, with the hope of creating additional awareness and an opportunity for people to not feel alone in their struggles.
“Writing these moments has not only been confronting but also strangely therapeutic because I’ve had to relive and re-introduce myself to the details and regurgitate what I’ve been feeling and put it on the page,” he says.
“I hope people will gain a bit more awareness around certain topics, such as mental health and being abandoned, and I also hope it creates a dialogue for people.”
When choosing artists to collaborate with, Tanner says he didn’t want to assume they would relate to his experiences. However, he felt the artists he selected would be able to respond to his poems and sentiments with relative ease.
Collaborating with The Mill’s Evie Hassiotis and Kirsty Martinsen, along with Aleda Laszczuk, Frances Cohen and Kathryn Ellison; the publication showcases the beautiful amalgamation between written word and visually diverse artwork.
“I chose these certain artists to collaborate with as I felt they’d be able to relate to my work on a personal level,” Tanner says.
“I guess there was an assumption in that regard, but at the same time I think I knew them well enough to decide they’d be the right fit and respond to my poems in a way that was authentic to them and connect to it in one way or another.”
Officially launching Regurgitate in The Mill’s Exhibition Space on Saturday, July 3, Tanner will also wrap up his residency with The Mill. After six months of connecting with artists and growing as a writer, Tanner recommends any emerging writers interested in the program to take the leap and apply.
“Don’t feel as though you have to be established or have the right answers just yet, obviously it helps to have an idea of what you’re going to bring to the residency and be able to communicate that effectively. But I think if you have a solid idea and are confident enough in your abilities and approaches I think there’s no stopping you,” he says.
“A lot of the time these ideas evolve, I read my application and the ideas I pitched were almost a starting point of where I was going to take the residency and I found that while the core of what I wanted to achieve was there it did change quite a bit.”
While his beaming energy and wonderful connection will be dearly missed at The Mill, there’s a general excitement to see the next steps of Tanner’s writing career - whether that’s as a creative writer, a journalist or a poet… or perhaps a flourishing combination of all of the above.
Regurgitate will be available for purchase on The Mill Shop from July 2.