Aisha Schliessler is a writer and director based in Los Angeles and London. A third-generation filmmaker, life behind the camera is in her blood. As a narrative director, Aisha is passionate about exploring the human psyche through a nuanced and stylistic lens. Her work emphasizes character and emotional storytelling, often infused with playfulness and irony. A love of architecture, fashion, and photography serves as a throughline in her work, as she strives to craft visually compelling worlds for her characters to inhabit. Drawing from her background in acting, Aisha brings a thoughtful, compassionate approach to working with talent and guiding performance. Her work spans a wide range of projects and has been featured on platforms such as Free The Work, Booooooom TV, Girls in Film, NoBudge, and Film Shortage. Her short film RHINESTONE BLUE, made in collaboration with Fujifilm, screened at several recognized festivals, including the Vail Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, and Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema. The film earned a Telly Award, a Cannes Corporate Media & TV Award, and multiple festival honors, including Best Short. Other notable projects include the short film THE CALL, starring Juno Temple, and most recently, the short documentary A GREAT LOVE, profiling the acclaimed equine sculptor, Charlie Langton. She is currently in development on her first feature film. Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• How Aisha got started directing films (00:03:09)
• Her film A Great Love (00:10:58)
• Being present in the journey (00:17:49)
• Aisha speaks about her process in filmmaking (00:24:15)
• Yoshino and Aisha speak about the process of acting and directing (00:32:26)
• Exploring subjectivity in art (00:48:46)
• Leaning into one's authenticity (00:56:34)

artistdecoded.com aishaschliessler.com instagram.com/aishaschliessler

Roy Dean is a martial artist, filmmaker, and creative storyteller whose work bridges the worlds of combat and art. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Roy Harris, Roy is known for his elegant approach to movement, mastery, and self-expression. Through his films, writings, and instruction, he reveals the artistry within discipline—showing how the resistance of training can refine both technique and character. His latest projects continue to explore the intersection of creativity, philosophy, and the martial path. Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Roy's origin story in martial arts and the philosophies that shaped him (00:03:23)
• Applying martial arts philosophy to everyday life (00:18:16)
• On letting go — acceptance, release, and personal evolution (00:34:38)
• Transforming stress into deeper empathy and expanded perspective (00:42:44)
• Men and masculinity — reflections on growth and identity (00:51:31)
• Mentorship — Roy on his teacher, Roy Harris (00:57:58)
• The duality of jiu jitsu: humbling yet deeply inspiring (01:06:05)
• The intersection of art and martial arts (01:11:38)
• Longevity in training — practical advice for recovery and staying in the game (01:18:44)
• Mastery and style — Roy speaks on mastery; Yoshino on artistic style (01:33:53)
• Refining fundamentals — patterns, basics, and the value of repetition (01:40:30)
• Value structures — understanding them and knowing when to transcend them (01:46:58)
• Embodiment and physicality in art (01:59:50)
• Roy Dean's upcoming jiu jitsu retreats (02:07:23)

artistdecoded.com roydean.com youtube.com/@roydean instagram.com/roydean_

Æmen Ededéen lived and worked in San Francisco and then Los Angeles for fifteen years before moving to Roswell, New Mexico in 2018 as a grant recipient of the year-long Roswell Artist in Residence Program. He and his wife, the artist Maja Ruznic, have since made New Mexico home and have recently welcomed their first child, a daughter, into the world. Hagler was born at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho in 1979 and is a first-generation college graduate with a visual communications degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Self-directed research and travel has underpinned Hagler's career and is essential to how the artist integrates creative influences with his life experience. 2018 saw two museum shows at the Brand Library and Art Center in Los Angeles and the Roswell Museum and Art Center in New Mexico entitled "The River Lethe" and "Love Letters to the Poorly Regarded" respectively. 2021 marks two solo exhibitions for Hagler with "Drawing in the Dark" at Cris Worley in Dallas and "The Living Circle Us" at Unit London, curated by David Anfam. He has exhibited paintings, sculpture, video, and animation in galleries and museums in North and South America, Europe, and Australia including a long list of solo exhibitions. Reviews and features about the work, as well as his own poems and essays, have appeared in a variety of publications and media outlets in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Æmen on Aletheia House and the inception of the residency (00:03:05)
• Creating art beyond self-satisfaction; maturing through service to others (00:10:45)
• Engaging with life soulfully (00:16:41)
• The film, Being There (Peter Sellers). and aligning with a higher calling (00:21:00)
• Franz Kafka's The Hunger Artist (00:28:27)
• Æmen on his relationship with his wife, artist Maja Ruznic (00:36:03)
• On becoming (00:46:55)
• On Æmen new book, Nihil (00:52:26)
• Yoshino and Æmen discuss spirituality and religion (01:03:46)
• Exploring values; deepening consciousness and awareness (01:19:06)

artistdecoded.com instagram.com/aemenededeen aletheia.house

Manuel Mathieu (b. 1986) is a multi-disciplinary artist, working with painting, ceramics and installation. His work investigates themes of historical violence, erasure and cultural approaches to physicality, nature and spiritual legacy. Mathieu's interests are partially informed from his upbringing in Haiti, and his experience emigrating to Montréal at the age of 19. Freely operating in between and borrowing from numerous historical influences and traditions, Mathieu aims to find meaning through a spiritual or asemic mode of apparition. Mathieu has developed a distinctive abstract visual language, used to create phenomenological encounters that confront our didactic traditions. Amorphous forms vacillate and dissolve into one another, creating boundless landscapes traversable through desire. Through his quest for meaning, transparency and openness he undertakes a process of discovering his work, as opposed to creating it; by doing so the work holds its autonomy and can be assimilated into a space of collective consciousness. The vibrational effect of his work elicits physical and emotional frequencies that offer alternative methods for navigating the world. Drawing from a wide-range of subjects, Manuel's practice combines his sensibility and his formal arts education, which culminated in an MFA Degree from Goldsmiths, University of London.

artistdecoded.com manuelmathieu.com instagram.com/manuelmathieu

"I am a 34-year-old artist living and working in San Francisco, California. My work focuses on my perspective on life, identity, and empathy. I paint and draw people who are close to me, or if they have a story I can relate too. My style consists of meticulous studies of anatomy and form, as well as pieces that explore a more emotional and expressive theme. I have shown in galleries both across the United States and internationally." - Daniel Segrove

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Segrove and Yoshino talk about modern technology and how it affects artists (00:02:26)
• Living peacefully and solitarily as an artist (00:09:12)
• Self-realization through art (00:14:46)
• The early phases of Segrove's artistic journey (00:22:29)
• Intuition vs. impulsivity: balance, process, and letting go of outcomes (00:36:55)
• Staying spiritually youthful, following the truest path, and sensing others' energy (00:43:30)
• Writing to process emotions and trusting and owning our unique artistic processes (00:51:59)
• Breaking through social norms to discover the true self (00:59:53)
• The weight of stress on the body and how art offers release (01:11:27)

artistdecoded.com instagram.com/dsegrove/

Ray Barbee is an American skateboarder, musician, and photographer originally from San Jose, California. He started skateboarding in 1984, when he was in seventh grade, and has grown to become one of the most iconic skateboarders of his generation. His passion and do-it-yourself attitude, which distinguish him as a musician and as a skateboarder, also define his photography. He has been developing his own photos for the last sixteen years. Rarely without his Leica M6, Ray brings the same unique perspective to the art of black and white film photography that he has brought to skateboarding. His pictures manage to capture both the loud and soft sounds of life. They document explorations, discoveries and experiences, while casually speaking of his own life at the same time. Ray's seamless approach to capturing a moment while nurturing the image through the development process and bringing it to fruition in the darkroom make his photographs as humble and honest as the man behind the lens.

He is also a recipient of the Transworld Skateboarding "LEGEND" Award and in 2020 was inducted into The Skateboard Hall of Fame.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• How Yoshino and Ray both grew up in the Bay Area (00:02:36)
• Yoshino and Ray share stories about professional skateboarder Jerry Hsu (00:05:36)
• The origins of Ray's journey into the world of skateboarding (00:10:00)
• How skateboarding can transform your creative mindset 00:17:24)
• The art of trial and error (00:22:03)
• Ray's journey into becoming a musician (00:27:02)
• Naivety as a powerful tool, and how it has shifted due to advances in technology (00:31:06)
• Building resilience (00:38:09)
• "The gym of life" and building character through experience (00:43:39)
• How Ray's location influenced his skateboarding and opportunities (00:51:45)
• Ray's approach to photography (00:58:17)
• Ray's newest photography book: The Joy is in Capturing the Journey (01:10:03)
• Staying curious (01:20:56)

artistdecoded.com instagram.com/r.barbee

Yulia Bas's artwork explores the fragmentation of contemporary individuality, healing, and the body as a somatic memory tool. Across her paintings, sculptures, and installations, equilibrating between figuration and abstraction, Yulia employs unconventional materials to explore her perception of physical and mental thresholds, transitional states, and subjective wholeness. Guided by her personal journey of transformation through body therapy and meditation as well as her immigrant background, Yulia's work embodies her experience of multiplicity of self. She searches for ways to show the tension that comes from the necessity of coexisting with different identity faucets, real, digital, and imagined ones.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Yulia and Yoshino discuss creative struggles (00:03:05)
• How Yulia got her start in the arts (00:06:57)
• The importance of micro and macro decisions in life (00:10:15)
• Structuring and creating order, and knowing when to break out of it (00:15:02)
• Negative stereotypes of being an artist (00:17:44)
• Allowing vulnerabilities to inform us, and tapping back into a childlike mindset (00:24:53)
• Questioning what art is and expressing oneself honestly (00:37:05)
• Taking time for rest and contemplation, and trying not to overwork the process (00:43:11)
• Yulia talks about her painting process (00:49:28)
• Yulia speaks about experimentation and stepping into performance art (01:05:13)
• Yoshino speaks about studying martial arts and observing false narratives around masculinity and femininity (01:11:47)
• Advice Yulia would give to her younger self (01:36:57)

artistdecoded.com yuliabas.com instagram.com/yulia__bas

Iranian-American director and writer Saman Kesh has the most Vimeo staff picks, ever. He attributes this accolade to excessive consumption of rocket fuel and a knack for combining the human experience with a healthy dose of controlled chaos. Saman gained recognition with popular music videos like Cinnamon Chasers: Luv Deluxe (which won 'Best Video' at SXSW), Kygo: Stole The Show and Basement Jaxx: Never Say Never, along with videos for Calvin Harris, Ed Sheeran, and Placebo. He has also directed award-winning commercials for major brands like Zoom, Google, Uber, Toyota and Nintendo. Saman has written and directed industry-hailed short films, CONTROLLER and HIT TV, and is currently developing several feature films. On his off hours, he plays video games and trolls racists.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Yoshino and Saman catching up (00:02:14)
• Imbuing authenticity into commercial creations (00:05:54)
• Saman speaks about his experience shooting the "Azizam" music video for Ed Sheeran (00:20:38)
• Saman reflects on 15 years in the film and commercial industry (00:29:43)
• Saman discusses dealing with triggering moments on set, and how he has learned to comport himself appropriately in those situations (00:39:04)
• Yoshino asks about romantic relationships and finding a shared rhythm with a partner (00:43:44)
• Knowing how to make the most truthful decisions for our lives (00:49:56)
• Getting out of analysis paralysis (00:56:24)
• Saman reflects on how his past self might perceive who he is today (00:59:00)

artistdecoded.com samankesh.com instagram.com/saman_kesh

Tomas Watson (b.1971) is a British artist who has lived and worked in Greece since 1994. He studied at the Slade School of Art in London. In 1998, he won the BP Portrait Award and was subsequently commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint the author John Fowles. This portrait is in their permanent collection. He is represented by the Jill George Gallery in London (www.jillgeorgegallery.co.uk) and Accesso Galleria in Tuscany (www.accessogalleria.com)

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Tomas recounts where his artistic journey began (00:02:11)
• The importance of mentorship (00:07:46)
• Tomas's experiences at Slade University in London from 1990 - 1994 (00:09:28)
• Discussing mark-making (00:14:42)
• Having the courage to trust your artistic vision and perspective (00:26:22)
• Tomas winning the BP Portrait Award in 1998 (00:35:33)
• Cultivating a creative community and creating collective dialogue (00:43:35)
• Tomas discusses his process of creating carborundum etchings and using various other mediums (00:54:01)
• Tomas speaks about the Sigri Arts Retreat, the artist retreat he co-founded with his partner, Cindy Camatsos, in Lesvos, Greece (01:10:56)
• Living alternative lifestyles, staying patient, and allowing oneself to grow over time (01:18:36)

www.artistdecoded.com www.tomaswatson.com www.sigriartsretreat.com

Pasqual Gutierrez is a writer, director and actor. Sundance 2025 Comedy "Serious People" was his debut into feature filmmaking alongside veteran documentary filmmaker Ben Mullinkosson who co-wrote and directed. Gutierrez is also 1/2 of music video directing duo CLIQUA who has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Rosalia, Madonna, and more. Gutierrez is developing his second feature, a sequel to Serious People.

Ben Mullinkosson was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and trained in directing at Chapman University. After graduating Ben spent 15 years directing commercial work and documentary films between Los Angeles and Shanghai. Ben's newest film, SERIOUS PEOPLE, directed with Pasqual Gutierrez premiered at Sundance 2025 Film Festival. The film is sold by 2AM.

He is most well known for his feature length film DON'T BE A DICK ABOUT IT which won the Audience Award at the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam in 2018 and is currently distributed in North America by Oscilloscope Laboratories. en also recently premiered his five-year project, THE LAST YEAR OF DARKNESS, which won the Special Jury Mention prize at CPH:DOX in March 2023 and was sold to MUBI. The film was represented for sales by CAA and a is co-production between Kindred Spirit (Executive producer of THE FAREWELL and HONEY BOY) and /avelength (Executive producer of CUSP and WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR). Among Ben's advertisements, SAMSUNG: VOICES OF LIFE with Agency Leo Burnett won a silver lion at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival in 2016. His UNESCO World Heritage Ad with agency TBWA, THE LEFT HAND, was nominated for the ADC awards in 2020. His other clients include Facebook, Beats, Vivo, Yelp, The Home Depot, VANS, Converse, Apple, Red Bull, VICE and Nowness.

His short film, GNARLY IN PINK, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 and premiered online as a NYT Op-Doc. A number of his other short films have received Vimeo Staff Picks and others have millions of views.

Ben is repped for commercials by Florence in Los Angeles. He also speaks Chinese fluently and is an X Games gold medalist for halfpipe skateboard competition in China.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• How the idea for Serious People came to Pasqual in a dream (00:03:15)
• Pasqual and Ben's writing process for Serious People (00:08:26)
• Developing the film's narrative and structure (00:11:38)
• Casting Miguel Huerta as the doppelgänger (00:16:17)
• Pasqual's reflections on parenting (00:23:46)
• Friendship, the creative process, and working with friends (00:29:23)
• Being authentic and leaning into one's childlike sensibilities (00:45:32)
• Shifting our perspective and opening ourselves up for magic to be observed (00:59:36)
• Final thoughts and future plans (01:09:26)

artistdecoded.com Ben's Links: benmullinkosson.com instagram.com/benmullinkosson Pasqual's Links: pasqualgutierrez.com instagram.com/pasqualgutierrez instagram.com/cliquamundo