Fresh Aesthetic with Stephen Garton

Your story is worth sharing! As Brené Brown would say, "owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as  spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and  joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are  brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” The process of editing is simply stripping away anything that is detracting from this message and striving to make the delivery as powerful as possible.

From small town country boy to living in the big smoke, Jaden shares some great insight from his journey so far. This was a really fun conversation that touched on themes of identity, sexuality, and finding your way without worrying about what people think of your journey. We had a lot of laughs and really enjoyed the dynamic of a 3-way conversation as it added a new flavour to the show and overall vibe of the episode.

This episode was deep, even by our standards! We touch on what Western culture defines as success, and how it can be such an empty pit or a forever elusive mirage. We also talk quite a bit about burnout later in the conversation and how to maintain healthy boundaries between personal life and work life.

Travis Bloem is a director at PDC Creative and swung by the studio to impart some of his wisdom. He shares some of his story and struggles with mental wellness, along with plenty of practical approaches to creativity. The episode also focuses on the importance of acknowledging the part the ego plays in driving motivations to create, and if left unchecked can be extremely unhelpful. 

Would it be a true episode on writer’s block if it wasn’t released late made from a completely blank ideas page? This episode tries to offer a balance between the line of thought that writer’s block is just an excuse for lazy artists who have nothing to say, and the feeling that there is no gas in the tank when you sit down to create.

Tim Buchanan has a wealth of wisdom and life experience and it was fun to be able to sit down with him in a non professional context. It was so encouraging hearing his thoughts on topics like creativity, mental health and the latest scandals with churches in New Zealand. 

CW: Sexual abuse and rape briefly mentioned from 49:50 - 50:45

Losing yourself in the weeds of details can cripple you with ineffective time management on a project if you don’t keep an eye on it. However, it’s also an extremely effective way to make your creative projects stand out from the crowd. So, how do you manage your time effectively while maintaining high quality standards in your work? 

Episode 15 is out now! 

In this interview with Aaron Hardy from Te Rautini, I was absolutely blown away by his reflections on things such as white supremacy, pushback from the church towards te reo Māori in songs, and just general racism in Aoteaora. We have a very complicated and troubling history here in New Zealand and I was both saddened and inspired by this interview. I hope you enjoy our discussion - please send through your feedback! 

Make sure to check out Te Rautini here: https://www.terautini.com/

And their music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tdwiSwwKUKn4HiyKfCVsN?si=InmyJQAxQMCMwDnuvyMIyg

In today’s episode we continue on in the creative process by talking about the problem with trends and how quickly and badly things can date. We also throw around ideas about why we feel like we need to keep up with the times and copy what other people are doing. 

Elsie Andrewes is an extremely talented illustrator from Northland, New Zealand and talks candidly in this episode about all things art, creativity, and finding your voice. You can find her work on Instagram here @elsieandrewes_illustration, or on her website here https://elsieandrewes.com/