Sam, 25, and Alex, 26

What do you do?
Alex: I'm a waitress at a restaurant. I've worked there about two-and-a-half years. Before that, I hosted at a lot of restaurants in Wisconsin Dells. Big tourist attraction there. 

It's been my experience that there's a lot of sexual magic surrounding the service industry. Have you had that experience?
Alex: There is a lot of magic. The restaurant I work at is very low-key. Dating doesn't really happen between coworkers. There's just a lot of flirtation, and there's probably a lot of sexual harassment. But it's a part of the industry.

How long have the two of you been together?
Alex: About a year and a half.

What do you do, Sam?
Sam: I'm a painter. I was born and raised in Madison.

Do you think there's a good art culture here?
Sam: Not really.
Alex: We're thinking of moving soon.
Sam: I'm probably going to move to New Orleans at the end of the summer. I mean, I don't think there really needs to be an artist community here. I don't really need one. I have a studio here, and it's enough. But I just want more weirdness. And there's not a lot of weirdness in Madison.
Alex: It's not Portland, Oregon weird.
Sam: Right. I went to school in Portland, and it's different. You have this saying: "Keep Portland weird." And I think when you even have a saying like that, it makes people want to be weird in an unnatural way. You have people trying to be weird instead of it just being fucking weird weird.
Alex: But what other kind of weird are you looking for in terms of your art?
Sam: I guess I just want to be somewhere where there's culture, and I don't feel like there's culture in Madison.
Alex: There's culture.
Sam: But what is the culture? I mean, there's a college town, drinking culture. You have the farmer's market...
Alex: It's a very liberal town, but on a smaller level.

Do you thrive in an atmosphere unknown to you?
Sam: I do. When I'm comfortable, I'm not really inspired. I'm more stimulated in places where I'm not exactly sure how things are going to go. I don't feel that way in Madison.

In that kind of atmosphere, do you think the excitement transcends into your relationship or what you look for?
Sam: Well, that's interesting. I do find that when I'm in a comfortable relationship, it's a low point for my creativity.
Alex: I think it can be both ways with you. I mean, comfortable with past relationships where you just got into a groove...
Sam: I think that creativity comes from love and stress compounded. So if you're too comfortable in your relationship and in your life, it's hard to push that creativity out. But when I'm in a comfortable relationship, I'm happy, I mean, it's a great thing...

Are you happy or are you content?
Sam: Both. It's easy for me to find that, but not find inspiration from it. It's beautiful in that sense, but it becomes an issue. It's not very stimulating. What's more important? You have happiness and comfort, but what more is there to look for and want?

That's an interesting line of thinking. Do you think other people share a similar view?
Sam: No, I think most people look for contentedness and happiness.
Alex: I don't think they seek out stress the way artistic people do.
Sam: I think non-creative people are looking for stability, period. I think most people just want to be comfortable.
Alex: And I think a lot of other careers can separate their work and home lives.

So in this stressful kind of situation, do you sacrifice the relationship for the sake of creativity?
Sam: No. Art takes a back seat. That's something I struggle with. I don't know what's more important than love. To live is to love, so I don't know what better way to live. Because of that, art takes a backseat. A lot of my creativity is derived from instability. So, if I fester and focus on that, it causes me to do things like cheat or stir things up in my relationship that cause a lot of drama. I can't decide which is more important.

Seems like a difficult situation. You're in a happy relationship, but you don't want to completely cut art out of your life. How do you maintain a relationship with that attitude?
Sam: I think that's why I want to move to a place like New Orleans. That way, my life outside of the relationship will be stimulating while allowing me to maintain a healthy relationship. An uncomfortable level of chaos outside of the relationship will allow me to have a comfortable life in the relationship. That's my theory. I don't know if it's going to work or not.

Want to talk to strangers in your town? Email submissions@nerve.com. Interested in meeting an attractive stranger for a different kind of interview? Meet them on Nerve.