Introducing Quinn Oslo
My Creative Alter Ego That is Not Moving in Silence
Hey Quintessential Readers! Many of you know me from real life, and many more of you only know me as Quinn from Quintessential, but I’m here today to introduce Quinn Oslo, my creative alter ego.
I’m writing this piece as an open invitation to myself to move forward with my creative pursuits.
I’m Too Scared to Commit to Being a Creative
Even drafting this piece feels so hard right now. I’m so nervous that identifying myself as someone who really wants to be creative, let alone actually trying to commit to it will be a humiliating endeavor.
What if I’m just stupid, what if I’m extremely bad at it, what if everyone I know is going to laugh at me for putting myself out there and being publicly authentic?
With these thoughts spiraling around, I’m going to do the brave thing and post this article anyways. The truth of the matter is that when I take out the question of perception, I love to put my thoughts and ideas out in the world. The practice of fleshing out my one-line ideas and telling a story is one that promotes presence for me and makes me feel like myself.
So, my compromise is that I won’t commit to chasing the life of a creator since I’m not sure I have it in me, but I’ll publicly announce that I am practicing creativity through several mediums and I’ll share that process with the world. You may never see or hear anything great, but you’ll see what has been created with love and care.
The Power of a Stage Name – Why I’m Quinn Oslo
As I mentioned in a previous article, I’m 40 Now, stage names are a powerful tool for escaping the expectations that are placed on your real identity. It is a totally weak attempt to distance my creative self from my professional self, but it is enough to motivate me to start releasing content without the fear that every single person I’ve ever met in a professional capacity will be reading and hearing my inner-most thoughts at all times. Only the ones who care enough will check it out.
Ironically, the name Quinn Oslo is inspired by my professional industry working with cities. As a networking tool, I choose to only remember someone’s first name and assign them a last name based on the city they are affiliated with. I am in no way affiliated with the City of Oslo, I just thought it sounded cool. This Hannah Montana-esque disguise is also reminiscent of old traditions where someone’s last name was indicative of their profession, think Smith, Barber, or Miller. I’m a city girl, what can I say!
Why Do This Now?
People who have known me for a long time know that creativity, specifically music and performance, was a pivotal part of my personality growing up. I was 15 and extremely serious about making it as a performer. People that may have met me more recently, post-undergrad, might have some idea of my creative inclinations, but haven’t seen me truly in my element yet.
After a couple of years of being swept around by life – the career hunt, family and relationship drama, large-scale culture shocks from moving around – I’ve finally found myself in a stable place. The chaos settled and for the first time in years I feel completely in control, I feel like myself again. With that, the urge to create crept back into my life.
It started small last year with the creation of Quintessential. Short, infrequent posts sparked my imagination and made me interested in reading and writing again. Then I gained confidence and started finding more inspiration in the small things. My blog has been a safe space to lay out my thoughts, and I’ve been surprised by the connection it has brought me to my friends and family, and I’m stunned by all of the readers that come through despite never having met me.
Last Summer, I stepped back into music in a big way by purchasing a smart, stringless guitar (Liberlive c1). I’ve never been able to play any stringed instruments as my dexterity in my hands and fingers is just a little too poor, but I thought this concept seemed accessible so I went for it. My first month with it, I learned over a dozen songs and performed a piece for my Grandpa at his 90th birthday party.
As my guitar skills improved, I started to experiment with recording guitar tracks and overlaying some vocals. I’ve always loved singing, so I used some free online programs and my built in computer mic to record covers to send to my musically inclined friends. One of my biggest inspirations, my friend Lila Danielson Wong (stream here) was extremely encouraging and let me in to her process a little bit about how and why she releases music.
With that burst of inspiration and encouragement, I got the Ableton free trial in October. I wanted to see if I could combine my love for writing with my love for music and write a song. Turns out I could.
From there, my creative journey took off, and my level of self-confidence and general outlook on life changed for the better.
So now, in February of 2026, I feel the most like me I have in years, I’m working diligently to develop new skills for my old passions, and I have the confidence to put it all out there. So yeah, this is the birth of Quinn Oslo. Right now is the time to strike.
My Vision for Quinn Oslo
The people who prefer to take a winter arc and move in silence as they prepare for something big are going to hate this, but here is my ideal vision for Quinn Oslo, and the ways I think I could reasonably achieve it:
Quintessential
Quinn Oslo’s main hub for sharing creativity will be right here on Quintessential. I’ll stray away from posting content about work-related things and focus on authentically representing myself through written medium. I made a promise when I joined Substack that my blog would always be free, even if I became the most famous person in the world. That stays true. Quintessential will always be a free look into my life.
Quinn Oslo Music
Making music, singing, and songwriting are my most enjoyable outlets for expression. There is currently a 50/50 split between songs I see myself releasing and genuine music therapy to help me process life as it continues to happen. I see myself releasing anything that find to be at an acceptable quality. So, you may hear some music that aligns with my favorite commercial styles or the songs that are my feelings translated into wave form. Either way, I will be releasing music under the stage name Quinn Oslo.
In fact, my first release is scheduled for 3/20/2026! Stay tuned for an official announcement…
Zines
I’ve been extremely into Zines for the past year. I like to tell goofy stories and make little illustrations. I like to distribute physical copies of my Zines, but I may begin to explore free digital distributions as well. I do not claim to have talent in the physical arts, it is purely for fun and communication purposes.
Check out my Zine Local Gov Is Romantic:
How to Support Me
Quintessential readers, I think the only thing more embarrassing than going on a creative journey is attempting a creative odyssey and then quitting really fast. If you catch me falling off, all I ask is for soft encouragement to continue. Creativity is an extremely positive force in my life, and giving up would be self-abandonment. I don’t seek anything from this except the personal satisfaction of getting to be myself.
Here’s to the beginning of a new chapter!
About Quintessential
Thank you so much for reading! Quintessential is a collection of personal writings about how I am managing to live my life authentically as myself. You may be interested in this publication if you:
Are a young woman trying to make it in this world;
Enjoy niche topics;
Care about your communities around you;
Don’t take life too seriously; and
Want to know what makes me, me!