Craft Talk

This solo episode was recorded during a time when it felt impossible to schedule the next interview for Craft Talk. Up until this time, the excitement of starting this new audio interview series pushed me to get a handful of interviews knocked out really fast. However, after releasing 5 episodes, it got more and more difficult to schedule the next one. Why is that? What do we do when the work feels paralyzing and it feels like taking the next step feels impossible? I don’t have all of the answers to that question, but what I can share is one simple story that has helped me process this experience. By the title of this episode, you can guess that it has to do with a little encouragement. Enjoy!

Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website -  titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda  ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

Sheli Báez is a bi-lingual voice actor based in New York City. She has been on a wide variety of projects ranging from broadcast radio , TV, animated shows, toys, educational software, and many other mediums. In this interview, Sheli shares how she accidentally  stumbled into the world of voice over work, and how it eventually transformed into a career that brings her a lot of joy and fulfillment. We also broke down some of the processes involved when it comes to auditioning for a role, how a character’s voice gets developed, and also the important changes going on in the industry when it comes to the representation of people of color. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope that you do as well!

Get in touch with Sheli on Instagram @shelibaez and check out the work she’s doing!

Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website -  titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda  ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

Kurt Brown, sometimes known as “Big Kurt” is a golf professional, social media personality and also a Lululemon Ambassador. Currently he is the Director of Instruction at Encanto Golf Course in Phoenix, Arizona. In this episode, Kurt shares his journey of being a lifelong golfer and talked about the ups and downs, the challenges and wins that led him to the path of where he is today. We also discuss the topic of “Is there such a thing as a perfect swing?” I really appreciate Kurt’s enthusiasm when it comes to self improvement. I can tell that not only does he want his student to succeed and get better at their game, but he’s constantly pursuing different avenues to improve himself in all possible aspects. Ultimately this mindset translates into becoming a better player, instructor, and also a more diverse human.

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

For this solo episode, I share some of my thoughts about feeling insecure about sharing our work. This internal conflict that is at work within me constantly. If you know me on a personal level, you would know that I tend to be more introverted, quiet and a private person Ironically, there’s the creative side of me that wants to tell you stories, share my work, and entertain. Living with both is a balance that I’ve been trying to better at with my journey as a creative individual, and for this solo chat, I talk about some of the little things that have helped me feel more accomplished with my work. Enjoy and let me know if anything sticks out to you.

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

For this episode of Craft Talk, I’m very excited to have the one and only Frank Rose on the show. Frankie has so many disciplines, and in all of those avenues, he’s guaranteed to be the life of the party. From performing music as an emcee, being a hair stylist, hosting his own podcast to even being the go-to officiant for his friend’s weddings, Frankie is a natural when it comes to understanding what the vibe is and knowing how to keep it going. In this interview, he shares some early memories that could have contributed to that skill, how it was harnessed while he established himself into all of these aspects of “hosting” and we also got to talk about some of the lessons he’s learning that will help him keep improving his craft and his life.

Find out everything that Frankie does on Instagram @iamfrankrose and also check out his podcast, “Keeping it Rosey” available on all streaming platforms.

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

I’m so happy to interview Chris L.Stump for this episode of Craft Talk. Chris is a self-published author of fantasy novels and has always had a passion for writing all the way back when he was just 6 years old. In this interview, Chris shares the journey of writing his debut novel, Thalen and the Spark of Ancient Fire: First of the Lost Scepters. We talked about how the idea for book came about, the process of how the story unfolds and also got to hear about the challenges, internal doubts and fears that come along with it.

He is currently in the process of writing the 2nd book to this 3 part series and I’m very glad to see Chris continue his passion of writing.

Connect with Chris by joining his email list on ChrisLStump.com or say hi on Instagram @chrislstump

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

For this episode, I am joined by super awesome artist and friend, Laura Hobson. Laura is a multi-talented individual with a focus on visual arts (paintings and drawings) and she is also the singer-songwriter behind the band, Phabies.

In addition to her art and music, she also has an affinity to the practice of gardening and caring for plants. In this interview, we discover how this passion for plants came about and hear about her philosophy in how to care for them.

Ultimately, gardening has opened up levels of awareness within herself, her art, and her surroundings. This conversation had great breath to it and I enjoyed taking the time to learn more about this discipline. I hope you enjoy this episode and start your own garden as well!

To learn more about Laura, check out @laurahobsonartist on Instagram and also support and follow her band @phabiesband

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

In today’s episode, I am joined by Joshua Albert. Josh is a licensed barber and is a part of the Avenue Barber Shop Team, a modern yet traditional shop located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Before Josh jumped into the world of barbering, he actually started off in a completely different profession and was (and technically still is) a registered nurse. Through his experience with nursing school and being on the job, he quickly realized that nursing was not the right path for him. This conversations takes us on his journey in discovering barbering and the steps he needed to take to get there.

I really appreciate him sharing his story with me and I hope that his experiences help others make the bold moves required in order to pursue a life that ultimately makes them happier.

Say hello to Josh on Instagram @joshuamalbert and support @avenuebarber and get yourself a haircut!

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

In addition to interviews, I thought I'd occasionally do a solo episode where I expand on some thoughts. For this episode, I talk about my intro segment that plays before each interview. This 24 second segment, gives the overall base and idea of what this podcast is and what I hope to get out of it. Even though this was a quick audio sound bite, the process of writing and putting it together took longer than I anticipated. The excruciating back and forths, and editing to finally get to a seemingly simple statement about my idea is something that all of us have to go through when presenting something effectively. Before we can start going into the details, how can we quickly communicate our idea in a way that is clear, but also gets other excited about it? The process may be different for everyone, but I hope sharing my experiences help you think about more approaches in tackling your own ideas. Enjoy!

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )

Being a DJ is more than just putting together a playlist. Aside from representing the deep history and the basics of the craft, understanding how to create an atmosphere and vibe is also an important aspect of art form. In this interview, we hear about Julius’ process and thoughts about building skills, creating the vibe and atmosphere in his sets, and also reading the crowd in a way that informs his creative decisions. Julius “DJAY TRON” Rogers has been performing his craft for over 10 years and plays events and mediums ranging from festivals, clubs, weddings, radio shows, and much more. Julius is also B-Boy and involved with different dance groups and organizations.

Check Julius out on Instagram @djaytron and hire him to spin at your next event!

About this Podcast : Craft Talk is a collection of interviews with people of different disciplines ranging from creativity, business, and lifestyle. By diving into guest's story and learning about how they approach their craft, I hope that these conversations help you find different ways to improve your own!

Say hi to me on Instagram @titodoes

Website - titomendoza.net

Craft Talk Theme Credit: "Lazy Day" by David Renda ( Background Music - Royalty free music from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com )