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Social proof: testimonials

Electrifying

Courtney Armstrong

"That is what Frankie Rollins is to the writer: coaxing, encouraging, electrifying, a trusted creative who generously shares her own experiences with writing, who selflessly extends her knowledge and connects with the writer's soul."

Possibility Fuel

Hannah Ensor

"Frankie Rollins is perhaps the most fiercely creative person I've ever met. Insistent, powerful, clear-visioned, focused (while still being a synthetic, integrative, possibility-fueled thinker! not the kind of reductionist/minimalist/eliminationist focus that I'm so used to), both for her own creativity and for other people's creativity."

We are all together on this adventure of creative writing, Frankie Rollins included.

Lee Fike

"She is not like some stern teacher who pretends to know everything (although she pretty much does). Rather, she is a mentor, a guide, someone who knows our struggles well, having experienced them herself. We are all together on this adventure of creative writing, Frankie Rollins included. The difference is that she has been here before. She knows the terrain, she recognizes the landmarks, and she's already climbed many of the mountains."

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

Diana Jaramillo

"Frankie builds communities wherever she goes and teaches by example; her recipe includes care, smiles, affirmations, hugs, patience, listening, and time. She provides a lifeline for lost and hurting souls, even from hundreds of miles away. Recently, when I told her I was drowning in my depression and solitude, she asked me if I was writing. If I was 'writing, crafting a story, letting the demons take their space on the page rather than in (my) heart?' 'You know,' she said, 'that I believe that writing for writers, someone like you, is the golden ticket out of hell.' Frankie taught me that everyone has a story to tell; she helped me see that writing can be my comfort when everything around me may feel unsafe. Beyond creative writing, she supported me in seeing what I could not see in myself. In all our conversations over ten years, I leave every one of them with a new lesson, a new tool to make the best decision for me. But, here is the brilliance of Frankie Rollins: she does not take an ounce of credit. Instead, she reminds me of how, all along, I possessed the tools.

FAQ

  • Why Should I Take One of These Classes?

    After teaching in colleges for over twenty years writer and teacher Frankie Rollins decided to stop fighting the institution and turn to innovation instead. These classes are crafted to honor the creative person. They are built with the belief that each person has something valuable from their experiences, knowledge, and insight to share. The Fifth Brain Collective believes that the human race must become inventive, flexible, and empowered. The Fifth Brain Collective is doing its part by connecting people with their imaginations, hearts, and intellects, without inane and outdated rules, grades, and hierarchies. We believe in equity, diversity, inclusion, and creativity. You should take a class if you want to create something, if you want to think, if you want to know yourself better, if you want to find a thoughtful, empowering community.

  • What is the Fifth Brain Collective?

    The Fifth Brain Collective evolved from Frankie Rollins’ concept of the fifth brain, something she developed in her creative writing classes a few years before she wrote Do You Feel Like Writing? A Creative Guide to Artistic Confidence. When Frankie brought a draft of this book back from a sabbatical in Cyprus, she knew that the fifth brain was not just a part of the individual artist’s creative process but also an energized collective artistic discovery and practice. Frankie and her writing group (Eric Aldrich and Sandra Shattuck) decided to create the Fifth Brain Collective on Instagram and invited writers, visual artists, musicians—all kinds of creatives—to post their work and share it. Three years later, the Fifth Brain Collective website is home to Frankie’s book, her coaching business, and these self-paced online courses geared toward any artist’s desire to develop fifth brain creative beliefs, practices, and tools. The Collective is growing and we plan to offer a wide variety of classes related to creativity on this platform. You are witnessing the beginning of a collective devoted to human creativity!