Vulnerability in life and art

Conversations with creatives about taking risks and showing who we are through our work Please send feedback to [email protected]

Episode 97 Craig Harrison 11/24/2024

Episode 97 Craig Harrison 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: The Story of Maverick 41 for insight into what brought him to where he is now. PS: For those of you who caught this, you're right - I mistakenly referred to a book as The Artist Within when it really should have been The Artist's Way. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/34121036

Episode 96 Jason 'Blackbird' Selman 11/10/2024

Episode 96 Jason 'Blackbird' Selman 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 include “The Freedom I Stole” (2007, Cumulus Press) and “Africa as a Dream That Travels Through My Heart” (2016, Howl). And be sure to check out the documentary, Ninth Floor, on nfb.ca to learn more about the events that occured after a group of Caribbean students studying at Concordia University (which was then called Sir George Williams) accused their professor of racism. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/33866212

Episode 95 Aki Matsushita 11/06/2024

Episode 95 Aki Matsushita 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 and illuminating, so I kept it in. It’s something I don’t know much about (obviously), so I thought it might be useful for others to hear about as well. Learn more about Aki and her work through the Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal website at playwrights.ca/who-we-are as well as her Instagram @kikimg07 /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/33682172

Episode 94 What's Your Thread? 10/25/2024

Episode 94 What's Your Thread? 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. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/33613872

Episode 93 David Gordon 10/13/2024

Episode 93 David Gordon 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 out for Turkey, the Bird Dog Arts Gallery cat - he has his own instagram #isawturkey /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/33433247

Episode 92 Anna Wojcik 09/20/2024

Episode 92 Anna Wojcik '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 and grow. Check out what Anna is up to through instagram @coach_anna_inc And if you're looking for a personal trainer and coach, she offers great sessions live and via zoom. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/33130032

Episode 91 Claire Hankey 09/08/2024

Episode 91 Claire Hankey 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. And how might have you affected others? You can learn more about Claire and her work at clairehankeyartist.com and on instagram @clairehankeyartist. If by any chance you're in Leigh-on-Sea at the right time of year, be sure to enjoy the local art trail (or find one near you). And have a listen to her podcast! /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/32898772

Episode 90 A Reckoning 08/18/2024

Episode 90 A Reckoning This is an episode about feedback, reacting, and learning from what we hear from others. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/32625827

Episode 89 Andi Strachan 08/10/2024

Episode 89 Andi Strachan 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 on instagram @andi.strachan and by watching the amazing work she creates with friend and gardener Helen Lockwood on the Netflix series The Big Flower Fight. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/32484322

Episode 88 Duane Toops 08/10/2024

Episode 88 Duane Toops 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. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/32347122

Episode 87 Rachel McCrum 07/11/2024

Episode 87 Rachel McCrum I enjoyed a quickening conversation with poet Rachel McCrum about interpreting the crafts of writing and painting, poetry as a space of ambiguity and uncertainty, and burnout. She shares this beautiful line from Inua Ellams - 'poetry is the cheapest way to be free.' And the podcast she references is The Blindboy Podcast by Limerick-born musician and author David Chambers, also known as Blindboy Boatclub. To learn more about Rachel and her work, you can explore online and @kicking.paris on instagram. For sight into another aspect of Rachel's artistic practice, check out her vocals as a member of poetry noise bogrock band Pigs&Wolves at (their EP 'The Unfortunate Waggle' is due out late October 2024). /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/32051362

Episode 86 Nola McConnan 06/25/2024

Episode 86 Nola McConnan Nola McConnan is unapologetically herself in the best ways, determined, self-reliant, and charmingly fierce. She has supported herself as an artist throughout her career, with mentorship and support, despite failing grade 13 French, and she turned a rec room into a room of her own. Please take note - when she talks about Sheilah, that is one of her older sisters. And due to timing, I wasn't able to include the amazing account of her family's connection with Emily Carr. Please be sure to check out her website https://merriweatherdesignstudio.com/ /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/31874067

Episode 85 Tribe 06/09/2024

Episode 85 Tribe This is an admittedly odd little episode about tribes, belonging, support, feedback, inspiration, and propaganda. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/31667667

Episode 84 Corina Kennedy 05/28/2024

Episode 84 Corina Kennedy It was fun (and somewhat nerve-wracking) to speak with my drawing teacher Corina Kennedy about making art, being a magpie, taking risks, and the story behind a lovely piece of hers called Work Force/Wind Force. She reminds us of the importance of remembering what it's like to be a beginner and taking the chance to learn something new, allowing our work and ourselves to be seen. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/31477537

Episode 83 Stefan Lorenzutti 05/28/2024

Episode 83 Stefan Lorenzutti I enjoyed a lovely conversation with Stefan Lorenzutti, poet and co-publisher who runs Bored Wolves with his wife Joanna. He shares stories about becoming a poet, inspired by Frederick the Mouse, sharing his work with friends after hours spent at the copy shop, moving to Poland and feeling isolated and alone until creating the growing community of poets, artists, and artist-poets whose work is now published by Bored Wolves. You can learn more about Stefan and Bored Wolves by checking out boredwolves.com and on instagram @boredwolves /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/31239757

Episode 82 Matthieu Cheminée 04/29/2024

Episode 82 Matthieu Cheminée I talked with Matthieu Cheminée about his journey to becoming a silversmith, his travels to New Mexico and West Africa gaining inspiration and insight into metalworking techniques and designs, being an artist versus an artisan, and what it meant for him to stop making work to please other people and instead create exactly what he wanted. Be sure to check out his work at matthieucheminee.com and on instagram @mattieucheminee /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/31032483

Episode 81 C S McIntire 04/14/2024

Episode 81 C S McIntire There's a theme that runs throughout my conversation with C S McIntire - what it means to be seen and not seen. We talk about his work and life, coming out, balancing the soft with the rough, and deserving to create. Be sure to check out his work at csmcintire.com and on instagram @csmcintire /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/30805568

Episode 80 Copycat 03/31/2024

Episode 80 Copycat As one of the tenth episodes this one is just me, sharing a story about being called a copycat and what it means to me now. The title of the book about hawks is H is for Hawks by Helen Macdonald, and the intervening work by Ludwig Wittgenstein is The Blue and Brown Books. I'd love to hear what you think about copycats and originality, and what your sources of inspiration may be. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/30613358

Episode 78 Melza Harvey 03/28/2024

Episode 78 Melza Harvey Melza Harvey integrates multiple materials with her beloved clay to create provocative and playful pieces (I somehow figured out how to record my voice over her audio through an OG Walkman embedded in one of her sculptures). Melza shares stories about gender fluidity, expressing herself through her work, making brave choices to pursue her passions as a person, artist, and parent, and the roles of determination and fear in her ongoing development. The take home message is to go after what fulfills you. You can learn more about Melza and her work at melzaharvey.com and on ig @melzaharvey /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/30218833

Episode 79 Riel Hahn 03/18/2024

Episode 79 Riel Hahn The conversation does opens with some tears, both in content and tone. Riel shares her experiences as a writer and performer, from growing up with parents in the arts, to touring with a horse and wagon travelling theatre company, to discovering and sharing her most integrated self on stage while learning to manage crippling stage fright. You can see what Riel is up to on instagram @hahahahnsy and @i_see_voices /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/30424723

Episode 73 Susan Homa 02/28/2024

Episode 73 Susan Homa I talked with Susan Homa, wellness multipreneur, about her journey from traditional roles as interior designer and real estate broker to creator of Welmä Studio, a nurturing space for self-care, expression, and discovery. As we move into a new year, consider what you may want to leave behind and what you want to welcome in 2024. And don't feel you have to stay in your lane. Learn more about Susan and Welmä Studio by checking out and instagram @welmastudio /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/29307613

Episode 77 Christopher Sicat 02/21/2024

Episode 77 Christopher Sicat Observing without intent, to see what's truly there rather than what we think we see The nature and purpose of collaboration, of creating collectively with others Willingness to fail, as a greater opportunity for learning than success Multidisciplinary artist Christopher Sicat goes deep into the nature of art, process and object, artist and subject, and self-expression. At heart, he is a poet and a dancer. Be sure to check out his work on instagram @christophersicat /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/30031568

Episode 76 Susan Hensel 02/05/2024

Episode 76 Susan Hensel Susan Hensel is an experienced multidisciplinary artist working in media ranging from drawing with graphite to digital embroidery. I very much enjoyed our conversation, as we covered topics including the nature of beauty, the physics of light in triangular polyester thread, and just showing up, even if it's for only five minutes, as part of building a practice of competence and confidence. Check out Susan's work online at susanhenselgallery.com and on ig @susan_hensel_multimedia_artist /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/29813833

Episode 75 H of H Playbook 01/28/2024

Episode 75 H of H Playbook This is an odd duck of an episode. I intended it to be a review of H of H Playbook by Anne Carson. It turned into a bit of a ramble about Anselm Kiefer, Heracles, the Vulnerability Journal Project, and a walk between darkness and light. I'd love to hear what you think. You can email me at Anne Carson is a Canadian classicist, poet, translator, and professor. She has written a wide range of books, including and Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor who has been creating monumental work throughout his career to ensure our collective history is not forgotten. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/29679423

Episode 74 Mariette Baptist-Fruin 01/16/2024

Episode 74 Mariette Baptist-Fruin In this conversation, Mariette shares stories about what carried her and her husband Raymond from The Hague to Corrahopple in Ireland, how she opens herself to insights from the beings that surround her, the communities and larger families she connects through walks and conversations, and her reliance on intuition. Learn more about life at Corrahopple through instagram @mariette_baptist /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/29432713

Episode 72 Gerry Bohan 12/23/2023

Episode 72 Gerry Bohan I 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 /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/29213873

Episode 71 Anna Agapova 12/03/2023

Episode 71 Anna Agapova My conversation with designer Anna Agapova was impactful for me, and not just for learning about how she designs spaces with such attention to the influences of nature and art to meet the needs of each client. I was impressed by her focused energy, especially as she faces new challenges and opportunities to work in different ways. The Greek root of Agapova is 'agape,' the highest form of love, and you can hear that in her voice as she describes what inspires and drives her. Check out her work at oa-london.com and on instagram @annagapova /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/28687933

Episode 70 Telling our stories 11/13/2023

Episode 70 Telling our stories Time again for self-reflection... I've been working through the idea of what it means and why it matters to share our stories with each other. I may have talked myself in circles. This is something I need to put more effort into understanding. Any feedback would be very welcome: [email protected] /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/28619413

Episode 69 Valentine 11/02/2023

Episode 69 Valentine I'm not sure it's possible to embody vulnerability and resilience more than Valentine when we spoke, wrapped in a Red Cross blanket, hours after her home had burned down and just a few weeks before the vernissage for her work Play Bodies. Her passion for painting, curiosity, openness, and capacity for holding space are absolutely inspiring. Check out her work on instagram @vvv.alentin.aaa and at valentinemakes.art /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/28494206

Episode 68 Vincent Larnicol 10/17/2023

Episode 68 Vincent Larnicol Vincent Larnicol shares his experiences of collecting art, beyond the prosaic purchase of pieces. Vincent engages passionately in conversations about art and philosophy, the relationships he cultivates with the artists who create the works, and his role in conserving these sources of beauty in the world. /episode/index/show/vulnerability-in-life-and-art/id/28341407

Vulnerability in life and art

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