Learning Vibes

Andrea Blevins is author of The Forty-Day Dreamer’s Journey:  A Guided Invitation to Clarify, Commit, and Create the Life You Were Meant to Live.  In this episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast, Andrea and podcast host, Da Knowlton, discuss the book.  You will get insights into the best ways to clarify, commit, and create the life that you want.  All artists and lifelong learners need to cultivate these valuable skills.

Olivia Gaines is an award-winning Indie author.  She also leads a Facebook group called “Journaling Lovers.”  That group is 70,000 members strong, and Olivia asks those group members to “focus on the moment of connection” as they journal.  In this episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast, you’ll hear Olivia talk about her writing process.  She also will help you expand your thinking about what a journal can be in your life as you pursue artisanship and lifelong learning.  

Last month, you heard Da’s discussion with four of his graduate students as they provided insights into learning within the design studio experience.  This month, you’ll hear more from those students—Kim Bahl, Tera Brasel, Marissa Herod, and Erica Kowalis.  In this episode, they talk about the process of learning through pure play and propping up the design studio experience by journaling.  While learn-by-play and journaling can leave students with points of aimlessness and moments of confusion, they also can be essential to artistic and lifelong learning efforts.  Ultimately, the aimlessness and confusion become productive.  You also in this episode will briefly hear from both Chicago-based choreographer and performer, Emma Knowlton, and indie writer, Olivia Gaines.  Olivia will be fully featured in next month’s episode.

In this episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast, you’ll hear from four of Da’s past and present students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  They talk about their studio experiences with design process, projects, and teams.  This discussion can help all artisans and lifelong learners reconsider their own learning approach and creative efforts.

Cosplay allows the inner child to come out and play.  Cosplay is a medium for pursuing excellence, passion, process, design, lifelong learning, and artistry.  It hits on all of the colors with which The Learning Vibes Podcast paints.  In this episode, you will learn more about cosplay from the mother-son duo of Heidi and Josh Smith.  Josh and Heidi have spent the last fifteen years in the cosplay world.  Their joy is infectious.  Their process is substantive.  Their explanations of how cosplay has enhanced their lives is worthy of your careful consideration.       

To hear the stories of two cosplay enthusiasts is to recognize that artistry, lifelong learning, and personal growth prevail in individual lives and within the cosplay community wholistically.  In this episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast, you will hear from Heidi Smith and her son, Joshua Smith.  They have been involved in Cosplay for over fifteen years.  You will learn about how they got involved in cosplay, and you will hear about their embodiment of multiple characters, including Harley Quinn, Spider Man, and more.  Within the discussion, you will learn of their passion for the freedom, aesthetics, and emotions that cosplay can provide.

Shelba Waldron from USA Gymnastics shares how a 2017 law changed the ethos of an entire support.  The "Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act" of 2017 shifted gymnastics--the way it was coached and practiced across the United States.  This episode, though, transcends gymnastics.  It will be a useful listen for coaches, athletes, performing artists, and parents across all sports and performing arts events.

This episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast continues a great discussion with Dr. Chelsea Pierotti.  Dr. Pierotti works with dancers by applying principles of sport psychology.  Sport psychology is for everyone, and its principles can be broadly applied.  Learn more about training for strong mental performance in all of your endeavors.  Also, in this episode, Dr. Pierotti and Shelba Waldron from USA Gymnastics share their thoughts on performing arts competition, its values, and its perils.  Da discusses with each of them what it means for performing arts and athletics competition to be done “well.”        

In this episode of The Learning Vibes Podcast, you will learn about mental performance for athletes, performing artists, and others who aim for a beyond-status-quo performance.  Our guest is Dr. Chelsea Pierotti.  Dr. Pierotti is a teaching professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and a consultant to performing artists.  Join us and find value in enhancing your mentality toward performance.  

Happy New Year from The Learning Vibes Podcast.  Vibe on this episode again.  It takes us all the way back to September of 2019--our second episode.  In this episode, you'll hear from Choreographer, Emily Ashburn; Visual Artist, Martha Kelly; and Musician, Nathan Sickmeier.  They share their artistic process and how learning is bolstered through that process.