Musings of the Artist: (Honest) Conversations with Montse Andrée

Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart, and the essay collections, Abandon Me and Girlhood. Her craft book, Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative, will be published on March 15th.

In this episode, Melissa and I chat about her wonderful book Body Work. We talk about writing as a spiritual practice (and mode of discovery), learning to quiet that pesky voice saying “who cares?” while making art, and some of the other common fears and worries creatives face.

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

David Hilliard is a fine art photographer based in Boston. He received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, and his MFA from Yale University. Through the use of diptychs and triptychs, his beautiful work documents his life and the lives of those around him. 

In this episode, David talks about his life in photography and how his love of theater, film, and storytelling influence the images he makes. We also chat about the perks of middle age, on being introverted as an artist, and what it’s like when personal work becomes public. 

Photographers David mentioned in this episode: 

Cheryl St. Onge: https://cherylestonge.com/

Corinne May Botz: https://www.corinnebotz.com/

Billie Mandle: https://www.billiemandle.com/

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Fernando A. Flores is a writer based in Austin, TX. His books include the collection Death to the Bullshit Artists of South Texas, the novel Tears of the Trufflepig, and his upcoming book is Valleyesque.

In this episode, Fernando and I talked all about the ups and downs of the creative life, on living between cultures, the difference between writing vs. publishing, and the question Fernando asks that I’d like to put on a t-shirt: “Is this good for my creative brain?”

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Michael Kleber-Diggs is a poet, essayist, and literary critic. His debut poetry collection Worldly Things was published last year and he is also a contributor to the book There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis. Michael teaches creative writing through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and at colleges and high schools in Minnesota.

In this conversation, Michael and I discuss his writing story, hope and sorrow, the power of mentorship to change a life and more.

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Janelle Lynch is a New York-based artist whose images reveal an inquiry into themes of connection, presence, and transcendence.

She uses an 8x10-inch view camera, and her recent work is deeply informed by her training in perceptual drawing and painting.

Janelle’s photographs are in many private and public collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the International Center of Photography, New York; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

She has three monographs published by Radius Books: Los Jardines de México (2010); AIGA award-winning Barcelona (2013), which also features her writings; and Another Way of Looking at Love (2018).

In this deeply honest conversation Janelle speaks about influence in art, her practice, her expanded view of the word “family”, and ambiguous grief. If you’d like more of this conversation there is a written interview with Janelle here.

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Jill Andrews is a musician and songwriter living in Nashville. Her EP "Ellen" was released this fall. In this episode Jill and I chat about the perils and gifts of being highly sensitive, moving out of our 30s, art-making, and more. Plus, find out the book Jill would like to put in people’s stockings!

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Daisy Hernández is a writer and cultural activist. She is the author of the award-winning memoir "A Cup of Water Under My Bed" and coeditor of "Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism". Her latest book is "The Kissing Bug: A True Story of an Insect, a Family and a Nation's Neglect of a Deadly Disease". In this episode, we have a wide-ranging conversation about spirituality, writing, the nuances of language and cultures and more!

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Aline Smithson is a visual artist, editor, and educator based in Los Angeles. She is also the Founder and Editor- in-Chief of Lenscratch, a daily journal on photography. 

In this conversation, Aline talks about her trajectory to fine art photography: from painter, to fashion editor to photographer. We discuss roadblocks and fear, long-term projects, the nuances of rejection, building community in the art world, and much more! 

If you are feeling a little stuck creatively then this is the episode for you. Get ready to be inspired!

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Emily Bernard is an author and professor. She holds a B.A. and Ph. D. in American Studies from Yale University. Her most recent book is the essay collection Black is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Emily speaks on motherhood, fear, forgiveness, rejecting shame and staying true to who you are as an artist. We also dive deep into having “the blues” - and I truly think it was the most joyful conversation on depression I’ve ever had!

Emily radiates kindness, and is just a remarkable person. 

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Mary Gauthier is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, and author. She has a gift of making outsiders feel like insiders, which is a beautiful thread throughout her new memoir “Saved by a Song.”

We talk about making a life out of being creative, the vulnerability of performing, the beauty and wonder of being a late bloomer, and why the maybe’s we get are worse than the “nos”.

This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.