Artist Decoded by Yoshino

Colborn Bell is currently the co-founder and curator of the Museum of Crypto Art (M○C△), an immersive digital art center in virtual reality. Unconstrained by the limitations of physical reality, the aim of this project is to create bridges to Metaverse spaces and usher in a creative renaissance that empowers digital artists and reawakens the imaginations of its participants. He is a long-time blockchain and venture investor.

Guest Interviewer: Jesse Draxler

Show Notes:

• 00:15:00 - Colborn's background
• 00:20:54 - The Museum of Crypto Art
• 00:22:57 - What Colborn specifically looks for in NFT Artwork
• 00:25:10 - The gift of an existential crisis
• 00:31:25 - The ecological effects of crypto currency
• 00:40:40 - Crypto art breaking down traditional barriers
• 00:44:27 - Preserving the pure nature of art / societal shifts
• 00:52:15 - What a good day looks like for Jesse and Colborn
• 00:55:17 - The future of NFT's
• 00:58:57 - M.O.C.A's Artist Residency & M.O.C.A's Genesis Collection
• 1:04:15 - Advice to artists
• 1:08:30 - Humanitarianism
• 1:10:42 - Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.twitter.com/co1born

www.museumofcryptoart.com

Hayden Silas Anhedönia, a Florida native better known as Southern Gothic musician, Ethel Cain, creates her art with the same simple intention behind a Sunday morning sermon; to not only be heard, but also felt. Combining her Southern Baptist upbringing with her love of folk, country, and rock music, as well as all things horror and drama, she aims to create nothing other than a visceral experience that lingers long after consumption.

Show Notes:

• The meaning of her tattoos
• Religion / Hayden's problems and fascination with Christianity and cults
• Her childhood experiences
• Social order, classism, eastern and western cultures
• Identity
• Cancel culture, honesty, and speaking freely
• The beginnings of "Ethel Cain"
• Mental health and dismantling the narrative
• Wrap Up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.instagram.com/mothercain

www.daughtersofcain.com

After studying filmmaking with Leslie Thornton at Brown University, and French New Wave director Eric Rohmer at The University of Paris-Michelet, Sam Levy began his professional career as an apprentice to cinematographer Harris Savides. Sam first gained recognition as a cinematographer in his own right when he photographed Wendy and Lucy for director Kelly Reichardt - voted one of the "Best 25 Films of the 21st Century" by The New York Times. Sam went on to shoot three films for director Noah Baumbach: Frances Ha, Mistress America, and While We're Young. Sam's recent films include Lady Bird - nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture - as well as two projects for director Spike Jonze: Changers and Untitled Frank Ocean Project. Sam has photographed commercials and music videos for such directors as Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, Fredrik Bond, Stacy Wall, Randy Krallman, Lisa Rubisch, and Brigitte Lacombe among others.

Show Notes:

• New experiences while shooting "Mayday"
• Sam's experience being a producer and cinematographer
• Logical and emotional headspaces
• The genesis of "Mayday"
• Women filmmakers
• Using reference material
• Sam's path into cinematography
• Spirituality
• The role of a filmmaker / How it's changing
• Sam's upcoming project
• Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.samlevydp.com

www.instagram.com/samlevydp

John Wentz is a contemporary painter born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel, he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator, and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue fine art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards.

Show Notes:

• Cultural nuances
• John's shift towards digital artwork
• Imposter syndrome
• The effects of COVID on people's consciousness
• NFT's
• The background to John's latest gallery show, "Liminal Spaces" at Stolen Space Gallery in London
• The Liminal Space
• Grieving
• The concept of "ritual"
• How painting has changed for John over the years
• The idea of self-expression
• Voice and style
• Intentionally living
• The future of gallery exhibitions
• Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.johnwentz.com

www.instagram.com/johnwentz

Books Referenced In This Yoshinocast Episode:

• "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley
• "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel
• "Atomic Habits" by James Clear
• "The Miracle of a Definite Chief Aim" by Mitch Horowitz

Link To Yoshino's Strava Profile:

www.strava.com/athletes/63049717

Other Links:

www.artistdecoded.com www.yoshinostudios.com www.nohwave.co

Joe Sill is a filmmaker and founder of world-building lab Impossible Objects. Joe likes to think big. He forged his path as a live-action feature and commercials director, often using visual effects to bring new worlds and ideas to life. His love for telling grand visual stories has led him to work with top brands such as Apple, NASA, Nike, and Tesla, as well as his first foray into feature filmmaking with "Stray". Recently, Joe decided to double down in the landscape of animation and virtual production, energized by the constant innovation and ability for artists like himself to imagine and create without limitation. Joe is currently developing an original television series with writer Matisse Tolin based on their short film, "Autonomous", with Jon Berg and Greg Silverman of Stampede Ventures producing.

Show Notes:

• Joseph Campbell on giving meaning to life
• Honestly expressing oneself
• Being journey focused vs. being results focused
• Turning interests into a career
• The role of the director on set
• The potentially toxic ideology behind the "self-starter"
• Joe's work as a director
• Bruce Lee's impact on culture
• The process of creation/ego
• Joe's reflections during the pandemic
• VR in cinema
• Social media
• Seeking validation
• Relinquishing ideas of ownership
• Joe's company, "Impossible Objects"
• Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.joesill.com

www.impossible-objects.co

Liana Finck, New Yorker Cartoonist, who has been deemed by ELLE, "Instagram's favorite cartoonist," and has been featured on Adult Swim and HBO's Very Semi-Serious, as well as authored multiple graphic novels and a cartoon book (and a forthcoming novel as well), and has drawn the cover for a Justin Bieber + Ariana Grande single.

Show Notes:

• 00:03:34 - Artistry and childhood
• 00:05:26 - Different modes of creating art
• 00:10:45 - Finding one's voice as an artist
• 00:12:54 - Liana's artistic evolution
• 00:15:11 - Naive art and perfectionism
• 00:18:12 - Finding one's rhythm
• 00:20:55 - Cities being a hub for a variety of people and perspectives
• 00:26:45 - What we say vs. what we mean
• 00:31:02 - Personality tests
• 00:34:20 - The anxiety of being around people
• 00:40:58 - Life changes
• 00:47:55 - Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.lianafinck.com

www.instagram.com/lianafinck

Ayoto Ataraxia 鄭博榕; pingyin: Zheng Borong; born 23 August 1985) is an artist, director, writer, performing artist, producer, poet, and musician. He graduated from Istituto Europeo di Design with cum laude in 2009, and from the School of Visual Arts with honors in New York City, 2013. His works have been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and are part of the Beyond Fashion exhibition of the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography. He is currently hosting Asian Provocation, exploring queer Asian diasporic identities through conversations and stories

Show Notes:

• 00:04:55 - Ayoto's reflections time in New York
• 00:09:06 - The dangers of romanticizing working artists
• 00:12:18 - Artistic expression
• 00:16:42 - Modern American culture / getting lost in the American dream
• 00:19:52 - Considering what we truly value in life
• 00:22:14 - Observing people in different dimensions
• 00:27:24 - The illusion of control
• 00:29:08 - Identity
• 00:35:37 - The background to Ayoto's original name/freedom from dogma
• 01:00:23 - Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.instagram.com/ayoto.ataraxia/

www.ayotoataraxia.com

NYC-based Iranian songwriter, producer, and vocalist Kris Esfandiari, also known as King Woman, is set to release a striking full-length album, Celestial Blues, on July 30, 2021, via Relapse Records. Kris Esfandiari (NGHTCRWLR, Dalmatian, Miserable, Sugar High, i8i) founded King Woman in 2009 — a solo project which later gained the talents of guitarist Peter Arensdorf and drummer Joseph Raygoza. Now wiser and holding less animosity than King Woman's previous sentiments on 2014 EP Doubt and the highly-esteemed 2017 full length Created in The Image of Suffering, the fantasy world that once plagued Kris' psyche is dancing in a new light on Celestial Blues. Feeling compelled to reshape the biblical archetypes that once bound her, Esfandiari has created a theatrical tale of rebellion, tragedy, and triumph — a metaphor for her own personal experiences over the years — Celestial Blues was born.

Show Notes:

• 00:05:17 - Monotheism/experiences with Christianity
• 00:17:16 - The fluidity of expressing emotions through music
• 00:21:08 - Opening up to her creative spirit
• 00:25:44 - The current state of the music industry
• 00:27:22 - Surrounding oneself with the right people
• 00:29:12 - Her newest album with her band, King Woman, entitled, Celestial Blues
• 00:36:14 - Art being a gateway
• 00:38:17 - Deconstruction
• 00:44:00 - Kristina's multiple side projects
• 00:50:00 - Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.instagram.com/kngwmn

www.kingwoman.bandcamp.com

Poet, artist, and Daughters vocalist Alexis Marshall has announced his solo debut LP HOUSE OF LULL. HOUSE OF WHEN for July 23rd via Sargent House and along with it the first song and video for "Hounds In The Abyss". Directed by Jeremy W., Marshall notes of the video's concept "The long stare into the room of self—the universe's middle distance—the many hidden doors we locate, the many rooms we find. Populated not only by whom else we are, but by places, we have been. The places we are. We don't always pull away from the hot stove."'

Produced by Seth Manchester the album is crafted around moments of spontaneity and sonic detritus. For the album, Marshall brought together an impressive group of collaborators to execute his vision, a vision that for the first time was under his full creative direction. Jon Syverson (Daughters), Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota), Evan Patterson (Jaye Jayle, Young Widows) joined Marshall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island at Machines with Magnets studio with no material. The strategy was to embrace new sounds, employ the element of chance, and capture the creative process in a song format. The genesis of a song could be anything—a fragmented piano line, a drum pattern—but the impetus was often a non-musical sound. Marshall sourced a lot of his textural contributions from a hardware store all contributing to a proto-industrial rattle-and-rumble reminiscent of early Einstürzende Neubaten. The resulting material stands to be the boldest and exciting work of his career.

Show Notes:

• 00:06:21 - Artwork acting as a mirror to the viewer
• 00:08:12 - Positive and negative feedback from his band, Daughters
• 00:10:54 - Alexis's personal growth
• 00:14:48 - Success, addiction, and trauma
• 00:21:30 - Romanticism and selfishness
• 00:25:17 - Discussing the progression of society
• 00:32:45 - His new solo album, "House of Lull. House of When"
• 00:40:14 - Arts affect on Alexis
• 00:48:37 - The recording process for "House of Lull. House of When"
• 00:53:46 - Lessons from Daughters comeback album and subsequent
• 01:02:34 - Wrap up

www.artistdecoded.com

www.instagram.com/asfmarshall

Alexis Marshall's "House of Lull, House of When" on Bandcamp