Episode 97 Craig Harrison
Vulnerability in life and art
I had the pleasure of speaking with Craig Harrison - former British Army soldier, author, and Maverick Survival School course leader - not being quite sure how his story fit with the other conversations I've had over the past 3 and a half years. And he was a perfect fit. How he spoke about his life with PTSD, the importance of communicating and connecting with others, and the restorative power of time in nature was brave, gentle, open, and generous. You can check out and instagram @cohcraigharrison to learn more about what Craig is up to today, and read his military memoir The Longest Kill:...
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Episode 96 Jason 'Blackbird' Selman
Vulnerability in life and art
Jason 'Blackbird' Selman is a spoken word artist, poet, and trumpet player. In this conversation, Jason shares his insights into the freedom of poetry, Carribean community and cultures, and what it means to be a good man out in the world. Who am I, where do I come from, what does that mean, can I afford to be vulnerable... We can return to these questions, over and over, throughout our lives and experience how our responses evolve in time. If you're interested in learning more about Jason and his work, you can check out his instagram @jason.b.selman. You can also look for his writings, which...
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Episode 95 Aki Matsushita
Vulnerability in life and art
Two aspects of this conversation with dramaturg Aki Matsushita stood out to me most. One was learning what the expansive field of dramaturgy is all about. As Aki says, it’s an art practice that doesn’t necessarily show itself to people outside the development process. The practitioners themselves don’t even agree on how to pronounce it. My biggest takeaway was that the dramaturg can help answer the question, 'why this story now?' The other is a tangent I went on somewhere in the middle about cross-cultural communication. I was planning to remove it, but Aki’s response was both generous...
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Episode 94 What's Your Thread?
Vulnerability in life and art
This is an episode about what it means to know your thread, if it's important to know what your thread is, and the relationships between who you are and what you do.
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Episode 93 David Gordon
Vulnerability in life and art
This is my conversation with David Gordon - artist, landscape designer, and owner of Bird Dog Arts Gallery in California's San Joaquin Valley. I probably should have edited out even more of our conversation about growing up in the 80s but David is sharp and insightful; I couldn't help it. Listen for David's insights into vulnerability, both for artists and also for people who buy art, people who then express a lot about themselves through pieces they have chosen to put on display. Learn more about David and his work on instagram @davidgordondrsigns and online at birddogarts.com. Keep an eye...
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Episode 92 Anna Wojcik
Vulnerability in life and art
'Failure is a lesson...I won't take one failure as a complete failure.' That adaptability and openness to learning stood out to me during my conversation with Anna Wojcik, a fitness entrepreneur in continual development, always finding new ways to challenge herself and her clients (including me). She warns against remaining comfortable with what we know, encouraging us instead to break out of the bubble to take risks, fail and succeed, and keep looking for opportunities to learn new things, for both body and mind. In Anna's words, step outside your daily. Be coachable. Start small. Take risks...
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Episode 91 Claire Hankey
Vulnerability in life and art
Claire Hankey first began making collages as a young child. Today, inspired by her father's brushes and paints, she creates fragile, dreamy pieces, in veils of mixed media. Her work reflects early childhood memories - her family home and garden, her glamorous grandmother Evelyne. Reflections on the past also inspired her podcast series Where the Art Began. A poignant moment for me is when Claire speaks about the importance of how we talk to people - children, young people, adults - about their art. Consider how you may have been affected in the past by what people have said about your work....
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Episode 90 A Reckoning
Vulnerability in life and art
This is an episode about feedback, reacting, and learning from what we hear from others.
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Episode 89 Andi Strachan
Vulnerability in life and art
As you listen to my conversation with gardener Andi Strachan, see if you can look under the covers at what a garden - as art, creation, growth, and development - might mean to you. Where do you see yourself and your work within this ongoing process of dynamic and ongoing setbacks and bursts; natural individual beauties that develop over hours, days, and years; design through light, colour; sharing knowledge; social pressures and wildness versus cultivation; and 'the relentless emergence of life?' This really was a walk through life and art as garden. You can learn more about Andi and her work...
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Episode 88 Duane Toops
Vulnerability in life and art
This episode, my conversation with collage artist Duane Toops, got me thinking. I got caught up in multiple dichotomoies - art versus craft, intuition versus analysis, conduit versus creator. And then, as Duane says, there's the quiet space between things, the unseen. Dichotomies set up false choices. What are you noticing? What’s coming up for you, ‘when this piece touches this piece?' You can learn more about Duane and his work here and on instagram @duanetoops.
info_outlineI enjoyed a lovely conversation with Gerry Bohan, farmer and author living in County Leitrim, in the northwest of Ireland. I was touched by his first experiences with writing as a child, having his copy book thrown to the floor by impatient teachers.
Gerry talks about finding safe spaces to perform one's work, writing for self-expression, and sharing a way of life unique to his family and their connection to the land.
To learn more about Gerry's writing, you can check out https://www.leitrimobserver.