Creative Guts

In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Sarah Wrightsman chat with Isabel (Izze) Ardito Lebo, the creative behind Cheeky Neighborhood.

Originally from Portsmouth, NH, Izze possesses an unwavering passion for creation as she works in oil painting, drawing, sculpture, rug hooking, and tufting. She recently earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada. 

In our conversation, we discuss the story behind Cheeky Neighborhood and her iconic star characters, the bias against some of her art mediums that she has faced from peers and professors, the difference between tufting and rug hooking and her journey to learning and teaching, and so much more. We also chat about her upcoming rug hooking workshop Creative Guts is co-hosting at Art Up Front Street in December! Learn about that event at www.creativegutspodcast.com/events.

Check out Izze’s cheeky work online at www.cheekyneighborhood.com; on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cheekyneighborhood; and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Cheekyneighborhood.

Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

A special thank you to Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter for providing a space where Creative Guts can record! This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

Creative Guts is thrilled to partner with the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts to present Kaleidoscope, a colorful, open call exhibition. This group show will include works from 30 artists from New England. The exhibition will be on view in the Bernier Room at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts from November 5, 2023 through January 5, 2024.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. 

In addition to the exhibition, all works selected for this show will be featured in a Creative Guts' zine! To see past editions of the zine, please visit www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com/zine. 

Get all the details about this show at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com/events. 

As always, hang out with Creative Guts on Facebook and Instagram where our handle is @CreativeGutsPodcast and visit our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Creative Guts is a small nonprofit, but our work is far bigger than this podcast. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Sarah Wrightsman chat with artist, curator, poet, and educator Fallon Rae. Fallon’s name was mentioned when Creative Guts interviewed Mike Howat last year, and Fallon’s been on the list ever since. 

Fallon’s currently in a state of transition with her personal art, moving from themes of outer space to something more figurative. While she’s evolving, she has plenty to keep her busy with the brand new gallery, Pillar Gallery + Projects, in Concord that she’s opening with Mike Howat and the Mini Museum at Concord Mart! In this episode, we cover a host of topics from the pressure to make money as an artist to the pitfalls of social media to why showing your art in small businesses is actually awesome.

Check out Fallon’s work on the web at www.fallonrae.com and on Instagram and Facebook at www.instagram.com/byfallonrae and www.facebook.com/byfallonrae.

You can find Pillar Gallery + Projects online at www.pillargalleryprojects.com, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pillar_galleryprojects, and in person at 205 N State St, Concord, NH 03301. 

Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

A special thank you to Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter for providing a space where Creative Guts can record! This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

The holiday season will be here before you know it, so it seems like the perfect time to remind you about our #ShopNHCreatives directory! Creative Guts created this directory to make it easier for shoppers to find and support New Hampshire creatives and makers!

So, if you are interested in investing your dollars in the creative community of New Hampshire, consider shopping from local artists this holiday season and throughout the year! This list includes only a fraction of what is out there, and we’re committed to adding to it continuously. If you are a maker in NH who sells your work and would like to be added to the directory, please submit your information at our website. There is no cost to be on the list; we only require you to be a resident of New Hampshire. 

Check out the directory and shop at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com/shop-nh-creatives. 

As always, hang out with Creative Guts on Facebook and Instagram where our handle is @CreativeGutsPodcast and visit our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Creative Guts is a small nonprofit, but our work is far bigger than this podcast. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

In today’s episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Sarah Wrightsman chat with Jason Moon! Jason is the Senior Reporter and Producer on New Hampshire Public Radio’s Document team. Document is NHPR’s award-winning longform, narrative podcast series, and Jason specifically has covered topics ranging from unsolved murders to presidential elections to secret lists of police officers. Jason’s work includes Bear Brook, seasons 1 and 2.

In this episode, we cover the power of silence, go behind the scenes on the collaborative process at NHPR, and discuss the emotional weight of Jason’s work (and his light and breezy fantasy career)!

Check out Bear Brook and more from Jason and the Document team at www.BearBrookPodcast.com and www.NHPR.org/document. 

Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

A special thank you to Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter for providing a space where Creative Guts can record! This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

The Creative Guts’ team is back with another installment of Creative Catalogues! In these mini episodes, someone from the Creative Guts’ team will share a glimpse at the inspiring, creative things and folks they think you ought to know about. This week’s episode is being hosted by Laura, one of the co-founders and hosts of Creative Guts and the artist behind Artful Harper Studios.  

Featured in this episode:

Josse, the Tiger, and the Fish | www.crunchyroll.com/series/G3KHEVQ95/josee-the-tiger-and-the-fish

Lyndsey Macdougall | www.lyndseymacdougall.com

Project Hail Mary  | www.andyweirauthor.com

Hang out with Creative Guts on Facebook and Instagram where our handle is @CreativeGutsPodcast and learn more online at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

If you love listening, consider showing Creative Guts your support! You can leave a review, make a tax deductible donation, buy some merch, or interact with our content on social media. Learn more about us at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Sarah Wrightsman sit down with Rachel Sotak, the Concord-based artist behind RS Creative! Rachel embodies both creativity and guts. She is a graphic designer whose style is illustrative and colorful. Rachel manages to balance her client work with self-driven work, but spends a lot of her time helping small businesses with their branding. 

In this episode, we talk about adventures in mural making, why artists are the best, and a real-life story about faking it until you make it! We also manage to cover seaweed that tastes like bacon. 

Take a peek at Rachel’s work at www.rachelsotakcreative.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/rscreative_studio. 

Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

A special thank you to Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter for providing a space where Creative Guts can record! This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

Remember Amanda Kidd-Kestler from last week’s episode of Creative Guts? Amanda was gracious enough to record an installment of Creative Catalogues to share with all of you!

In these mini episodes, someone from the Creative Guts’ universe will share a glimpse at the inspiring, creative things they think you ought to know about. We’re back with another installment today!

In this episode, Amanda talks about:

• The Art Center in Dover, NH www.theartcenterdover.com
• First Fridays in Portsmouth, NH www.portsmouthnh.com/first-fridays
• Chase’s Garage in York, ME  www.chasesgarage.com

Learn more about Amanda and the New Hampshire Art Association at the links below, and by tuning into episode 170 of Creative Guts!

• NHAA website: www.nhartassociation.org
• NHAA Instagram: www.instagram.com/nhartassociation
• NHAA Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhartassociation
• WC Gallery Instagram: www.instagram.com/wcgallerynh
• Amanda’s art: www.kidd-kestler.art
• Amanda’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/twocatpress

As always, come hang out with the Creative Guts team online at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

Special thank you to Bug for the tunes. Find Bug on Instagram at @TypicalBug and listen online at www.soundcloud.com/musicforbugs. 

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Creative Guts is a small nonprofit, but our work is far bigger than this podcast. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

Creative Guts is back with a brand new interview episode! In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Sarah Wrightsman talk with Amanda Kidd-Kestler, executive director of the New Hampshire Art Association!

The New Hampshire Art Associate serves established and emerging artists to cultivate creativity, community, and culture through education, events, and exhibitions. NHAA is located in downtown Portsmouth — an arts hub of NH! The New Hampshire Art Association is also the home of WC Gallery, a bathroom and installation space!

In this episode, we talk about how NHAA and Amanda support emerging artists and help them advance their careers and the importance of finding your art ancestors. We also get to know Amanda and her work a little better! Originally from New York, Amanda works in printmaking, photography, ceramics, and drawing. Amanda’s art is inspired by femininity, sexuality, art history, and the environment. 

Find out more!

• NHAA website: www.nhartassociation.org
• NHAA Instagram: www.instagram.com/nhartassociation
• NHAA Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhartassociation
• WC Gallery Instagram: www.instagram.com/wcgallerynh
• Amanda’s art: www.kidd-kestler.art
• Amanda’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/twocatpress

Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. 

This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.

Creative Guts is back! 

It’s been a busy year and Creative Guts has a lot to share. First, some news: Creative Guts is honored to have been selected as the recipient for the 2023 NH Governor’s Arts Award for Creative Communities. The NH Governor’s Arts Awards publicly recognize outstanding contributions to the state’s arts and cultural life made by individuals, organizations, and communities and are given every other year. There will be an awards evening on October 23rd and watch parties are being planned around the state to expand the celebration, so stay tuned for more information on that!

In this episode, we’ll cover some upcoming events for this fall!

Creative Guts’ first Arts Market will be this Saturday, September 9th from 10 am until 4 pm at Art Up Front Street in Exeter! There will be live music from Atlantic Canyons and Clandestine!

Creative Guts is hosting a unique event for people who can’t draw a stick figure. Art ‘Round the Room is a speed dating-style event where attendees have the opportunity to “date” various art mediums (with the support and guidance of professional artists). 

Creative Guts has partnered with the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts for Kaleidoscope, a colorful, open call exhibition! The show will be on view in the Bernier Room at the Rochester Community Center between November and January.

Get all the details about all of these events at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com/events. 

As always, hang out with Creative Guts on Facebook and Instagram where our handle is @CreativeGutsPodcast and visit our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. 

If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Creative Guts is a small nonprofit, but our work is far bigger than this podcast. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.