happy new year and hangling is back with an episode about grounding, confidence, and bird...

A catch up episode that explores the stories we told and are told by, where the raw, intimate truth may be buried deep underneath the "common" narratives. 

What does music mean to you? From the lens of the composer, crafting a piece of music can convey or represent many things, such as architecting an immersive space. This is what our guest today, Carlos, turns to during both his “6-to-8” as well as “9-to-5”. Carlos Meyers is a composer and conductor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His style is self described as neo-romantic, while often incorporating minimalist and spectralist influence. He established himself at a relatively young age as a creative and driven musician, with his pieces receiving several performances and awards in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI. Carlos is currently studying Music Composition (BM) with Concentrations in Conducting and Music Theory at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Check out Carlos’s work via his portfolio https://www.carlosmeyersmusic.com/ and Carlos could be reached at [email protected]

When was the last time that you had a popsicle? As a popslinger during the day, Chris gets to ask that question to new people of all walks of life and their stories behind these Popsicle memories every day. Whenever it is a hot summer day or a gloomy rainy day, a fresh popsicle could make the world feel so much better.

Chris has always been open to new opportunities and stepped out of his comfort zone by saying yes to things. During his years as a student at Vanderbilt, he has always taken that adventurous spirit from taking the lead role for the theater production Vanderbilt Off Broadway and starting his own business in college. When he explored financial industries, ran his own insurance agency and sales, and worked for a start-up, Chris then took on a completely new step when an opportunity emerged: being the neighborhood partner for Nashville King of Pops. This has been an incredibly fulfilling journey where he gets to bring joy and happiness and witness the magic of popsicle in making people's days better.

Tune in for this episode where Chris shares about his journey from college onwards and these adventures as well as the identity shift, regaining perspective and now fulfilling experiences involved with the popsicle stand.

Chris could be reached at [email protected], and the King of Pops Nashville instagram @kop_nashville.

Bonus #2 here! Lately, Hangling has been feeling a lot of things, which got her  thinking a lot about emotions, and the way we deal with these complex upheavals and emotional rollercoasters. To divert our attentions from these feelings vs don't cut away feelings? Let's catch up!

For Kevin, the job of the artist is to find things in the world that are beautiful- or have the potential to become beautiful. While many things may not initially seem - beautiful, all it takes is a change in angle, lighting, or color to bring out their true character. Something that is beautiful to him is not just something that is nice to look at, but something that fills your mind with wonder- something that  makes you stop and think.

Kevin is a senior from Boston, studying biochemistry, Spanish, and studio art at Vanderbilt University. On campus he conducts colorectal cancer research in the King lab at ESB and is also a member of the SyBBURE Searle Undergraduate research program. Kevin has also been the president of the Kefi Collective, Vanderbilt's public arts organization, for two years. After graduating, he intends to attend medical school for an MSTP program.

In this episode, Kevin takes us back in time to when he first fell in love with art, the transformative evolving relationships, and its delicate balance with nature, gymnastic, music and science. Let’s dive right into it!