Q&A: Carl Atiya Swanson

Age: 28. Neighborhood: Lyndale, Mpls. Occupations: Executive assistant at Springboard for the Arts, blogger at CakeIn15.com, principal at Crown & Sparrow, company member at Savage Umbrella.
Q: You're a big proponent of local theater and the arts. What is something you feel like the local arts community is lacking?
A: I always want there to be more cross-pollination between music, theater, art, dance, lit and fashion, and their audiences. That goes double for exchanges between our bigger institutions and independent artists — those benefits aren't mutually exclusive.
Q: Being involved in the arts directly in addition to covering them for your blog CakeIn15, what draws you to be involved both on the stage and as an audience member?
A: It helps me be better, smarter and more compassionate, by working to see the action from all sides and criticizing from a place of at least trying to know.
Q: When do you find time to sleep?
A: From 11:52 p.m. to 7:13 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month. I'm trying to be better about saying no to things and balancing out schedules, but if I owe you something, I apologize.
Q: You're rarely seen without a bowtie. Where do you shop?
A: Blacklist Vintage, martinpatrick3 and the miracle of the Web.