BEYOND + BACK PODCAST: Episode 1 with Nathan Carter

1: Letting it Rip with Nathan Carter

TRT: 57:58 - EXPLICIT language // ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 8/18/18

Nathan Carter

In this debut episode of the Beyond and Back podcast, I speak with my friend fine artist and musician Nathan Carter in his Brooklyn art studio.

We're hearing from Nathan at a time when he's just spent about three years working on an entirely new project, a real departure from his previous work, and fortunately it's proving to be a success for him. 

Nathan barely graduated high school, but went on to art school and then graduate school at Yale, and we discuss the natural tension between learning art theory and just making a lot of art.

Nathan shares some formative memories he has about being a creative child. We talk about what it's like to have two parents who supported his creativity and believed that being an artist is a legitimate life choice. These types of experiences color our attitudes about creativity and whether or not we believe that we're allowed to be creative. 

We also discuss Nathan's approach to creating, which invites some vulnerability, a healthy feeling of fear and an element of risk and recklessness.

This conversation is free form and we use words that some people find offensive. You'll also hear two songs from The Dramastics that might whip you into a frenzy. So listen with caution.

LINKS:

• Follow Nathan Carter on Instagram

• Casey Kaplan Gallery

• The Dramastics on SoundCloud

Here's a video of Nathan and the Dramastics performing live at his exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. Nathan and I designed the capes together and I sewed and painted them.

BEYOND + BACK PODCAST: Episode 2 with Allison Anders

2: Taking Creative Risks with Allison Anders

TRT: 1:00:11 - EXPLICIT language - ORIGINAL AIR DATE 8/18/18

In this episode we go Beyond + Back with award-winning independent filmmaker Allison Anders.

How do I introduce Allison Anders? I will give you the highlight reel: 

• Her films include Border Radio, Mi Vida Loca, Gas Food Lodging, Sugartown, Grace of My Heart

• She’s received a Peabody Award and a MacArthur Genius Grant

• She's a loving mother and friend, a multi-faceted survivor

• And she's badass

I interviewed Allison at her home in Pasadena, California. Before I finished setting up the microphones in her cozy kitchen, we were already having a great conversation. I gotta tell you, we get real right away — In the first few minutes, we discuss her film Things Behind the Sun, which deals with the subject of sexual abuse similar to what Allison experienced in her own life, so be advised if that’s a sensitive or triggering subject for you.  

Other topics we discuss include the state of the DIY ethic, how mentorships should come about, how to connect with actors, and how she often starts a project with a question.

It’s really fun talking with Allison Anders. I love her warmth, her wisdom and her humor. I’m inspired by her bravery in writing through very difficult subjects with honesty and heart. That’s a level of openness and vulnerability that leaves a lot of room for discovery.  And it engages the healing potential of creativity. Healing for her as the creator, potentially healing for the people who watch her films, too.

The songs and snippets you heard throughout the interview were from Allison’s films:

• Snippet 1: "Sixteen Ways" by Green on Red from Gas, Food, Lodging soundtrack

• Snippet 2: from the trailer for her film Border Radio

• Snippet 3: audio excerpt from her film Mi Vida Loca

• Snippet 4: from her film Border Radio

• Snippet 5: audio excerpt from Gas Food Lodging

LINKS

• Allison Anders on IMDB

• Ring of Fire

• Things Behind the Sun

• Gas Food Lodging

• Mi Vida Loca

BEYOND + BACK PODCAST: Episode 3 with WK Binger

3: Following the Thread with WK Binger

TRT 1:01:01 // ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 9/1/18

In this episode, we go beyond & back with WK Binger.

He’s owned a tree removal service for over 30 years but recently he opened the Vintage Sewing Center & Museum in Tulsa Oklahoma. Yes, you read that right. 

On a recent trip to Tulsa, I decided to find the vintage sewing machine museum my aunt had told me about. I knocked on the door of what looked like a residential home. When a man with a grand mustache answered, I have to admit I thought I was in the wrong place. But as we’ll find out, WK Binger is a unique individual.

Sewing is very dear to my heart, in fact I named my company Featherweight Studio after my 1948 Singer Featherweight sewing machine. But this episode is not just for sewing enthusiasts. I invite you to slow down and listen and open your mind. This episode may inspire you to take a left turn creatively and remind you it’s never too late to learn something new. In fact, if you don’t try new things you might miss out on part of your calling.

It’s about falling in love with a machine and giving back to a community. 

It’s about creating without fear and being open to following the thread to see where it takes you.

It’s also about opening doors, because when I opened the door to the vintage sewing center & museum I had no idea what I was in for.

He just wanted to upholster his boat and go fishing, and a year and a half later he’s the founder of the Vintage Sewing Center & Museum — which is now open in Tulsa Oklahoma.

I hope that listening to this episode inspires you to open your mind or to open a new door — listen to someone or something you might not normally listen to, learn a completely new skill, maybe give something away, or somehow challenge yourself to find that edge of failure and see how it opens up your creativity.

I’ve been guilty of talking myself out of many things, many ideas and opportunities. But if we just follow the thread of our creativity, what might unfold? Where might we find ourselves, a year and a half from now?

AUDIO featured in this episode:

• Theme music by Davíd Garza

• My own recordings of vintage machines from the museum:

1. Wilcox and Gibbs chainstitch 1928

2. Wheeler & Wilson W-9 1889

3. Samantha (7-33)

• "The Sewing Machine" by Betty Hutton with Joe Lilley and His Orchestra and Vocal Group

LINKS:

• Vintage Sewing Center & Museum Facebook page

BEYOND + BACK PODCAST: Episode 4 with Kime Buzzelli

4: Getting Unblocked with Kime Buzzelli

TRT 55:14 // ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 9/15/18

In this episode, we go beyond & back with Kime Buzzelli.

Kime is an accomplished painter and owns The End Yucca Valley, a vintage oasis in the Mojave Desert featuring clothing, jewelry, textiles and art.

I spoke with Kime in her secret new art studio in the high desert near Joshua Tree, California.

Kime’s new studio in the high desert of California

I met Kime a couple years ago on my first trip to Joshua Tree. I came to know her as a tastemaker, stylist, costume designer and a supporter of artists - she was one of the first shop owners to carry my one-of-a-kind art-to-wear jackets. 

For a long time, I had no idea of Kime’s career as a painter — she’s shown in galleries and had partnerships with major brands. It wasn’t something she readily mentioned, which still kind of shocks me.

I was really curious why she didn’t mention that sooner, and I wanted to see her new work. That’s when I found out she hadn’t been painting.

What would cause an accomplished artist to experience a creative block?

In this episode we talk about that creative block, putting in the hours toward your creative practice, what we’ve learned from our work and much more.

AUDIO featured in this episode:

• Theme music by Davíd Garza.

• First break: “Waves” by Chelan

• Second break: “Dear Miracle” by Chelan

• Third break: “What We Know Now” by Chelan

• Fourth break: “What We Know Now” by Chelan

• Fifth break: “Dear Miracle” by Chelan

  All Chelan tracks from the new record Dear Miracle
  

Special thanks to our episode sponsor:

The Hole in the Wall

LINKS:

• Kime Buzzelli’s website and Instagram and Twitter

• The End Yucca Valley’s website and Instagram

• The now-closed Show Pony shop