Joshua Hagler (b. 1979, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) is a first-generation graduate with a graphic design degree from The University of Arizona. A 2018 grant recipient of the Roswell Artist in Residence Program, Hagler has since made New Mexico his permanent home. Currently, he lives with his wife and daughter in the high desert village of Placitas at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. In recent years, his practice has been guided by an approach he calls Nihil, a set of nine self-imposed principles that have grown out of solitary excursions throughout the state. These principles determine all aspects of the work from its imagery and process to the media and objects comprising it. Concept and meaning, as such, naturally unfold out of synchronistic experiences occurring over time.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Romanticizing solitude and isolation (00:05:53)
• Joshua describes his meditative practice (00:09:06)
• Yoshino reflects on how names and labels impact our perception of reality (00:14:15)
• Joshua discusses his project "Nihil" (00:17:24)
• How Joshua's personal grief has shaped his work (00:23:28)
• Joshua and Yoshino share personal anecdotes and experiences with encountering spiritual signs (00:29:41)
• Yoshino discusses the challenge of describing spiritual experiences. Joshua adds that people often exist in a projected reality, shaped by narratives and labels, which sometimes diverge from actual reality (00:46:21)
• Exploring ideas around purpose (00:51:23)
• The danger of equating success with self-worth (00:58:39)
• Joshua shares his experiences about how his project "Nihil" began and ended (01:17:45)
• Yoshino uses the metaphor of the "Easter egg" in video games to explain an artist's desire for others to understand the depth of their work (01:25:41)
• The benefits of living in simplicity and not being attached to outcomes (01:30:47)
• Joshua shares a recent interaction with a younger artist, offering advice on handling the pressures of age and expected timelines (01:37:59)

artistdecoded.com joshuahagler.com instagram.com/aemenededeen

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Yoshino's Links: yoshinostudios.com yoshino.substack.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios x.com/yoshinostudios

"As an artist, I am interested in observing the transmutation process of unconscious material moving into conscious awareness. I work in painting, photography, writing, performance and video. My paintings utilize inner visions and depth psychology to form works layered with symbolism and metaphor. In photography, I employ an experimental process on film that focuses on Jungian Intuitive and Feeling typology. By blurring, altering or disrupting the straight forward information in a photograph, the image moves from analysis to an abstraction - allowing the viewer's point of focus to relax, moving closer to the body and the Self. This subtle shift of perception is why I describe my photographs as Portals of Feeling."

Nouel Riel is a Los Angeles based Artist. Following many years performing as a competitive gymnast she earned a full athletic scholarship to The University of Minnesota. There she studied Apparel Design, continuing that focus at The Art Institute of Portland. Since receiving her BFA from Santa Fe University of Art and Design in 2014, she has shown in solo and group exhibitions in Santa Fe, NM, Los Angeles, New York, and London. Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Yoshino and Nouel reconnect after not seeing each other for over four years (00:06:30) 
• Nouel reads The Layers by Stanley Kunitz, and the conversation explores the poem's meaning and personal resonance for her (00:08:23) 
• How Yoshino and Nouel met (00:13:05) 
• Archetypes and Jungian psychology (00:18:56) 
• Nouel talks about her background in competitive gymnastics (00:24:24) 
• Finding art as a tool for self-discovery and healing (00:38:52) 
• Giving a voice for our dark energy and integrating with our shadow-self (00:48:38) 
• Embracing different types of intelligences and trying to not take things personally (00:56:23) 
• Exploring loneliness and how it could relate to the missing connection with the Devine feminine and masculine (01:08:20)
• Nostalgia, popular culture, and the perception of self (01:25:21)
• The importance of representation in mass media and Yoshino's personal experiences dealing with racism (01:32:12)

artistdecoded.com nouelriel.com instagram.com/nouelriel

Sah D'Simone is a dynamic spiritual leader and global humanitarian who has made profound contributions to mental health, spirituality, and social welfare. As the founder of the Somatic Dance Institute and creator of the Somatic Activated Healing (SAH) Method, he has empowered millions to heal from trauma and foster spiritual growth. Sah's work extends across multiple fields, from his role as a spiritual teacher to his achievements as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, published author, and host of the podcast Solving the Riddle of Being Human. Blending Buddhist practices, contemplative psychotherapy, kinesthetic learning, and clinical spiritual care training from Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Sah's trauma-informed approach has earned worldwide acclaim. His holistic perspective informs his humanitarian efforts, which have garnered recognition like the City of Los Angeles CARE Award. A prominent figure in media, Sah has been featured in major publications and has spoken at esteemed institutions such as Columbia University and the United Nations. Through his innovative healing methods, bestselling books, and transformative retreats, Sah continues to bridge the gap between spirituality, mental health, and social consciousness, impacting lives globally. Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Sah's early life in Brazil (00:04:00) 
• Immigrating to the U.S. at 16 and the cultural transition (00:06:57) 
• Grief, loss, and the impact of losing his mother (00:12:16) 
• The Camino de Santiago (00:20:03) 
• Traveling, becoming nomadic, and understanding personal values (00:36:36) 
• Trusting ourselves and listening to intuition (00:42:12) 
• Training in martial arts to overcome inner demons (00:43:23)
• Co-founding Bullett Magazine and working in fashion (00:53:22) 
• His newest book, Spiritually We (01:06:28) 
• Advice for seeking connection and dealing with loneliness (01:14:37)

artistdecoded.com sahdsimone.com instagram.com/sahdsimone tiktok.com/@sahdsimone

When I was a child, I was repulsed by my father's smoking addiction. I can still smell the acrid scent of his clothes, laden with a residual stench that never quite went away. He used to carry an old handkerchief in his front shirt pocket. Even at a young age, I thought it was odd when he would blow his nose into it and then stuff it back. I found it even more disgusting when he would spit on it and then subsequently wipe my face with the same putrid handkerchief. I felt a sense of betrayal enter my body whenever he would do this. Maybe he thought of me as some sort of sick puppy, like how a dog licks the fur of it's young as an act of compassion. Perhaps his dad did the same thing to him too? I guess I'll never know.

Around the age of six or seven, I asked my father if he would quit smoking. He replied, "I will quit when you turn nine."

Can you guess what happened when my ninth birthday came around?

This cycle of broken promises continued for the next few years until he and my mother divorced when I was 14. That same year he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

When I was 16, I visited him at my grandmother's house. I opened the front door and locked eyes with him. He was ecstatic to tell me a story about where he had recently traveled. I was confused because he wasn't allowed to go anywhere unsupervised by this point.

"Son... I have to take you to this place! We... we were traveling in a helicopter to this beautiful remote island. There were all types of dinosaurs there. From brontosaurus to pterodactyl... I even saw a T-Rex!!!"

It was such an absurd thing to say; it took me a while to process what he was telling me.

"Dad... are you talking about Jurassic Park??" 

"You've been there already!" he replied with a sense of disappointment on his face.

After this instance, I rarely visited him. My mother had custody over me, so I watched him from afar as he slowly began to deteriorate. It was a confusing emotional time for me back then. Looking back now, I know I distanced myself as a defense mechanism. I was ashamed of what my father was going through. While other fathers seemed to be present in their children's lives, mine was dwindling away, becoming a fragment of his former self. I didn't understand what he was going through then. How could I have?

I remember a few family members telling me I would regret not visiting him more before he passed away. But to be honest, I don't regret distancing myself. After his death, I learned about my father's checkered past. I'm still processing the things I found out about him—how he was a gambler, a womanizer, and a failed businessman. He lived his life in ways I disagree with. In many ways, I have tried to be the exact opposite of him.

The photos you see here were taken for several reasons. First, I find the graphics on these cigarette packages to be disturbing, hilarious, and problematic at the same time. The disclaimers are, for lack of a better term, utter bullshit. The cigarette companies don't care about the health of the people who purchase them. But I guess that's a symptom of living in a society that values predatory capitalism. Finally, these photos are for you, Dad. May you rest in peace. I'll see you in the next life so we can reconcile our differences. Hopefully.

_

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded.  Yoshino's essay "Cancer Sticks" can be read at Yoshino's Diary on Substack. Yoshino's Links: yoshinostudios.com yoshino.substack.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Jia Sung is a Singaporean Chinese artist and educator whose practice spans painting, artist books, textiles, printmaking, writing, and translation. Drawing on motifs from Chinese mythology and Buddhist iconography, Sung uses the familiar visual language of folklore to examine and subvert conventional archetypes of femininity, queerness and otherness. Her recent work explores threads of ecofeminism, ethnoecology, the ecological capacities of the body, invasive species as family, and the potentials of collective and constant human transformation through interspecies dynamics. Her approach draws from that of the Chinese zhiguai tradition, that genre of 'strange tales' cannot be translated directly through the lens of horror. The supernatural, the monstrous, the spiritual, seep into the tidy confines of ordinary existence, often humorous, arbitrary, smearing at the boundaries of our reality and then slinking away just as rapidly. Here is shapeshifter, here is trickster, things that inhabit liminal space and refuse to be held in place or form; the profane invades the interior, wilderness enters the domestic space, phenomena defy causation and morality, creature refutes taxonomy. Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Jia's childhood, early influences, and why she chose to dedicate her life to the arts (00:06:14)
• Formative books, films, and mythologies for Jia, Jennifer, and Yoshino (00:08:05)
• Art as a lifestyle and sketching/journaling as a form of expression (00:15:52)
• Jia explains her experiences going to RISD (00:17:03)
• Teaching art and guiding students – Jia shares her approach to teaching, focusing on personal expression over technique (00:18:46)
• Returning to unfinished work (00:22:42)
• Balancing chaos and creativity – reflections on how emotional turmoil can fuel or take away from creative work (00:28:11)
• Identity, ego, and output in art – how artists' identities are tied to their creative output and the challenges that brings (00:33:32)
• Discussing various levels of consciousness (00:40:44)
• Challenges of art school and institutional expectations – Jia reflects on the pressures and baggage that come from a formal art education (00:43:48)
• Breaking away from art jargon and structured critique to find a personal voice (00:54:27) 
• Lightheartedly discussing astrology (01:04:04)
• The Artist Decoded Tarot and Jia's "The Trickster's Journey" tarot (01:10:27)
• Discussing the potential future of AI (01:18:17) 
• Jia's advice to her younger self (01:30:41)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com jia-sung.com instagram.com/jiazilla

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Yoshino's Links: yoshinostudios.com yoshino.substack.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

"Born in the UK I now live and work in Los Angeles. I studied fine art at UCA just outside London in the early 90s then moved to Italy for 7 years to immerse myself in classical art. On my return to London I started a successful fashion career that took me around the world, shooting for esteemed clients and magazines for 15 years. In 2013 I decided to return to fine art. This coincided with a move to Los Angeles, where I built a studio practice that broadened my horizons to include sculpture, painting, installation and video works. And this is where I've landed and feel comfortable, in that liminal space between art and commerce, recording the body clothed and unclothed using photography, video and 3 dimensional form making. The merging of these disciplines is what inspires me, creating immersive installations that ask questions of who we are and how we interact with each other, how our bodies are perceived in societal roles and how we can move past these structured ideas." - James Mountford

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• How Yoshino and James originally met (00:02:13)
• The beginning stages of James's artistic journey (00:04:10)
• James starting his photography career in Rome (00:11:18)
• How the role of a professional photographer has changed (00:14:41)
• James starting to paint again after stopping for many years (00:20:16)
• Creating sustainable homes and studios in the Mojave Desert (00:23:14)
• James's current photography practice (00:31:12)
• James talks about his favorite artists (00:35:25)
• Using social media and how it can impact one's artwork (00:42:18)
• Photography, nostalgia, and James's collaborations with NOH/WAVE (00:44:20)
• Finding a balance between personal and professional pursuits as a full time artist (00:48:43)
• Staying athentic to oneself (01:01:42)
• Yoshino's experience doing The Camino de Santiago (01:06:36) 

artistdecoded.com jamesmountfordstudio.com instagram.com/jamesmountfordstudio/

Justin Tyler Close (b. 1984, Toronto, Canada) is an award-winning director, photographer & visual artist. Justin founded the internationally distributed arts publication The Lab Magazine and was the active editor-in-chief/creative director from 2010-2018. The interview magazine featured artists, designers, filmmakers, and activists such as Marina Abramovic, Wes Anderson and Noam Chomsky. In 2020, Justin created his audio-visual installation titled The Fifty Eleven Project, which was exhibited at the prestigious Copenhagen Contemporary Museum. Soon after, Justin wrote and directed two award-winning short films, Like Father Like Son and Where The Time Goes.  He is currently developing several projects, and set to direct his debut his feature film in the fall, 2025.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Justin's life in Athens, Greece (00:02:07)
• What Justin has been focusing on recently (00:05:09)
• The beginning stages of Justin's painting process and nostalgia (00:08:45)
• Being nomadic, defining a home, and socially imposed ideals (00:12:26)
• Justin's daily process and finding a flow state (00:22:06)
• Justin's thoughts about turning 40 and what he learned in his 30s (00:27:49)
• Finding a balance between personal and commercial work (00:28:20)
• Finding our artistic voice (00:41:07)
• Justin's advice to his younger self (01:00:02)

artistdecoded.com jaeclose.com instagram.com/justintylerclose

Rose Ides is an artist from San Diego specializing in veristic surrealism, and a writer exploring the sociology of the arts in the United States. With a background in sociology, education, public health, and art, her work aims to participate in creative liberation and artistic compassion. She has published two illustrative projects with Running Press, the Oracle of Pluto deck and the illustrated astrological compendium The Cosmic Symposium, which you can pick up at all major book retailers. You can connect with her on Instagram at @idesofrose.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Why Rose decided to pursue art full-time (00:02:08) 
• Artistic insecurities developing in childhood (00:04:49) 
• The history of the word "art" (00:11:15) 
• Breaking through illusions to simply "be" (00:15:24)
• Using our emotions to fuel our creativity (00:25:34)
• Translating the dreamworld (00:29:47) 
• Working through educational trauma and Rose wanting to begin her PhD program in Indigenous Rights (00:40:43) 
• Rose's advice for the audience (00:47:50)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com roseides.com roseides.substack.com instagram.com/idesofrose