Having gone through the arduous task of completing his two year masters thesis on Jazz Diplomacy during the Cold war at San Diego State University, writer Mike Campbell finally decided to take on a more personal project, a script that's been gnawing at him for years inspired by his time living and working in San Francisco. And although the project is still in its relative infancy, I was eager to speak with him about how he finally came to the table to start writing, and what he's learning through the process.

In our conversation Mike discusses his trick to finding the motivation to begin a new project, valuing the journey of the process over the destination, holding himself accountable when working on something personal, and his daily routine, an interesting regiment of tasks split in 3's.

https://www.instagram.com/mike_camp__/

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon.

Originally from Turkey but now living in New York City, Poyraz Aldemir is a professional drummer who has been perfecting his craft for over 20 years. In our conversation Poy discusses the art of practice (a ritual he has kept daily for years), how practicing consistently can open a path to creative new ideas, and how, by profoundly embarrassing himself in front of one of his drum heroes, he learned what it really means to be a great musician.

Musician Ben Cook details his creative process working on his records GUV III and IV, living in an artist commune during COVID, and the romance of cosplay.

Ben Cook is a musician and songwriter originally from Toronto, Canada. He is one of the founding members of hardcore band No Warning and former guitarist of Fucked Up. His current solo project Young Guv showcases his impeccable talent for pop-centric rock and roll songwriting. To date Young Guv have released five records and several singles, remixes, and other collaborations.

https://www.youngguv.com/

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon.

Embroidery artist Wells Brown speaks on how following a thread can lead you to a meaningful artistic medium.

Wells Brown is Los Angeles based artist working primarily in Chainstitch Embroidery.

https://www.wells-brown.com/home

Listen to Part 2 on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/creativebearhug

Artist Ilani Fay speaks on healing and growing through casting your fate to the wind.

Ilani Fay is an artist from Los Angeles, California. Not held by any one creative discipline, Ilani dabbles in writing, illustration, music, and sound healing.

Artist Nadair Asghari speaks on the inspiration of romance and the benefits of surrounding yourself with ambitious people.

Nadair Asghari is an artist from the San Francisco Bay Area currently living in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been featured in several exhibitions at key galleries and museums, including the Part 2 Gallery, Oakland.

Multimedia artist Brain Vu speaks on finding creative purpose through his community and the silver lining of burnout.

Brian Vu is New York-based multimedia artist – mainly working in the medium of photography – who has made a name for himself capturing the creative and LGBTQ+ community around him. He has worked with the likes of Aquaria, Kim Petras, and Jazelle as well as creating colorful creative looks on himself.

https://www.instagram.com/brianvu/

Musician Aria Rostami speaks about his key to prolificity and how keeping a healthy routine helps sustain creative output.

The creative process is an intoxicating experience, but it can quickly become hopelessly cruel.

Feelings of self-doubt, alienation, and despair are common among artists, and yet we press on, unable to outrun the inscrutable, instinctive desire to create.

The question is: why?

Creative Bear Hug is a podcast delving into the artist’s psyche, structured around in-depth interviews with creatives of all sorts, covering rituals, techniques, struggles, breakthroughs, and more.

True to its name, Creative Bear Hug’s goal is to provide solace to struggling artists—to remind them that they’re not alone, that their work is valued, and that they occupy an important place in the artistic tapestry that binds us all together.