Not Real Art

Welcome to episode 117 of the Not Real Art Podcast. In today’s show, host Erin Yoshi is joined by three more exceptional artists, Gloria Muriel, Amanda Lynn, and Mariella Ajras. These women are among the most influential and talented muralists around, and in today’s show, they share their stories, inspirations, and advice. We kick things off by hearing the origin story of each artist, as we find out Gloria’s shy beginnings, Amanda’s illustrative linework and decorative patterns, and Mariela’s focus on women and collective memory. Following this, our roundtable discussion touches on fundamental aspects of their careers in art. Amanda tells listeners about the genesis of her work, while Mariela explains how muralism led to opportunity after opportunity, with each being bigger than the last. Throughout the episode, each artist shares anecdotes about their experiences in murals. We hear about swing stages, gender inequality in the art world, and how feminism can take on different meanings. Toward the end of the show, Amanda, Gloria, and Mariela give advice to up-and-coming muralists wanting to break into the industry. They talk about the rules of the streets, how to find your style and how you should go about charging for your work. For more, be sure to tune into this rich and empowering episode.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s round table guests, Gloria Muriel, A Lynn, and Mariella Arias.
• Hear how each artist got introduced to muralism.
• Each artist tells us how murals became fundamental aspects of their careers in art.
• What their experiences were like some of only females in their industry.
• Our round table shares their experiences working alongside male skeptics. 
• Mariela tells us about swing stages and what it’s like using one.
• The round table gives advice to up-and-coming muralists wanting to break into the industry.
• How muralism has played such a strong role in the lives of our guests and host.
• Amanda tells us how she balanced a full-time job with being a freelance artist.
• Gloria talks about the pros and cons of working with galleries.
• Mariela tells us about her video project that reveals gender inequality in the art world.
• Mariela expands on topics of feminism and gender inequality.
• Amanda touches on her friendship with Lady Maggs.
• How Gloria’s motherhood has impacted her work.
• Hear about each artist’s latest work.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/gloria-muriel-amanda-lynn-mariella-aras

Welcome to another Not Real Art takeover hosted by Erin Yoshi for the month of March to celebrate National Woman’s Month. Today Yoshi sits down with two of her Trust Your Struggle crewmates, Nancy Hernandez and Cece Carpio. Trust Your Struggle is a crew of visual artists who partner with communities across the world to fight for social justice using murals and other forms of protest action. Nancy and Cece both have longstanding careers that occupy the intersection between art and activism, and we kick the show off by hearing about their individual backstories and the compelling projects they have been involved in. From there, Erin, Cece, and Nancy take a trip down memory lane and share their different experiences of working, painting, living, laughing, and fighting the powers that be together over the years. We hear about Nancy’s involvement in the painting of a two-block-long stretch of San Francisco's Montgomery Street in a protest that demanded banks stop funding the fossil fuel industry. Cece then talks about the work she did in collaboration with the Standing Rock project in reaction to the approved construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The theme of fighting for the preservation of our natural resources has been a big driver for many of the interventions done by the Trust Your Struggle collective, and Erin, Cece, and Nancy share some memories of working in the Philippines, Palestine, and other locations to align themselves with issues of water, mining, and more. To hear more about how Erin, Cece, Nancy, and the rest of TYS are fighting for what is right while weaving lifelong friendships at the same time, tune in today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A quick intro into Nancy and Cece and their careers in art and activism.
• The main aim behind the Trust Your Struggle collective of using art to fight for social justice.
• What drew Nancy and Cece to social justice projects that use creative strategies.
• Bonding experiences and memories of being on tour doing work as a collective.
• The place of art in social justice and Nancy’s perspectives on defunding the police.
• Nancy’s experiences protesting climate change on Montgomery Street.
• Cece’s and Nancy’s experiences being involved in the Standing Rock protests.
• Erin, Cece, and Nancy talk about painting across the world on the Water Writes project.
• Getting involved in the struggles against the extraction of resources in the Philippines.
• Nancy speaks about protesting Trump’s presidency by unfurling a banner off of a crane behind the White House. 
• Upcoming projects for Nancy and Cece, and how to find them online.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/nancy-hernandez-cece-carpio

Welcome to another podcast takeover with Erin Yoshi. For International Women’s Month, we are going to talk to some of Erin’s favorite women in the creative field, each offering something brilliant, raw, and powerful. Today we talk with guests Heidi Johnson and Maria Jenson about marketing artists and art events. Heidi is an accomplished public relations strategist, artist manager, and self-made entrepreneur. Maria, our other accomplished guest, a leader in advancing innovative strategies to sustain creative communities in the midst of a rapidly changing urban environment. We open the show by asking Heidi and Maria about their journeys into the arts and what their responsibilities include. After hearing about the various galleries and artists they work with, Maria tells us more about one of her projects, ArtPad, explaining its evolution and aims. Following this, Heidi opens up her marketing strategy playbook and shares a handful of her most useful marketing tools. She touches on some of her favorite PR methods and tells us about how the experience should be at the center of your efforts as a PR manager. Toward the end of the episode, we find out how artists can prepare themselves to work with publicists along with the importance of networking. To conclude the show we find out from Maria and Heidi about their exciting upcoming projects.  

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing Erin Yoshi, our Not Real Art podcast host for the month of March.
• We welcome today’s guests, Maria Jenson and Heidi Johnson.
• How Maria and Heidi were drawn into the arts.
• Maria talks about the boutique experience she was offering with ArtPad.
• Heidi shares some powerful PR strategy tools.
• What Maria’s marketing events focus on.
• Maria and Heidi talk about how to create simplicity out of chaos.
• How Heidi has honed her skills in the PR space.
• How artists can prepare themselves to work with publicists.
• Why it is important for artists to learn to speak their narrative. 
• Heidi shares her parting thoughts.
• Hear about Maria’s current projects.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/maria-jenson-heidi-johnson

For women, the time is now. Today Erin Yoshi begins her month-long takeover of the Not Real Art Podcast with a focus on uplifting women in the arts. We kick things off by finding out a little more about Erin, who is a creative strategist that paints stirring murals. As a curator, producer, former nonprofit executive, and now podcast host, Erin interviews two raw and powerful women for today’s episode: Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin. To start, listeners will learn about Favianna’s journey through art and how it has served as a way for her to express her experiences and the struggles of the oppressed. We then find out from Anne about her own history in art, the intricacies of printmaking, and the substantial value that comes with it. Following this, we tuck into the subtle and not-so-subtle undertones of Favinanna and Anne’s artwork before we unpack why prints can be so empowering. Both Favianna and Anne open up on the democratizing nature of prints and why tier value to society is misunderstood. After packing away print myths, Anne shares takeaways from her successful print clients. She expresses the importance of brand while Favianna doubles down on how artists can create fellowship. Toward the end of the episode, Favianna and Anne share their personal stories and touch on their respective vocational endeavors: The Center for Cultural Power and Sugar Press, respectively. To hear more on the power of print, women and marginalized empowerment, education, and wealth generation be sure to join us today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Our exciting changes for the month of March.
• Introducing your takeover host, Erin Yoshi!
• A little bit more about Erin.
• We welcome our guests Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin.
• Favianna on the social justice undertones in her work.
• Anne talks about her early art experiences.
• Favianna walks us through her printmaking process. 
• Why printmaking does not devalue work and is still authentic.
• Printmaking and its power of accessibility.
• Anne’s takeaways from clients who are successful in prints.
• The relationship between art and fellowship.
• Anne talks about the ethics behind Sugar Press.
• Favianna shares details on The Center For Cultural Power.
• How Favianna has become a successful artist.
• Anne shares insight into how her artist clients have created their success.
• Favianna’s recipe for success.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/favianna-rodriguez-anne-martin

With International Women’s Month just around the corner, we decided to dedicate today’s show to previewing the exciting month we have ahead. As our guest and official occasional-co-host, Erin Yoshi joins us today to talk about what makes next month so special and how she is going to bring an edge to the Not Real Art podcast. We kick things off by finding out what Erin enjoys about hosting podcasts, as she tells us how each guest offers something unique in every episode. Following this, we talk to Erin about joining us at the Not podcast on a more regular basis and brainstorm how our future together might look. Returning to International Women’s Month, we then dive into the shows you can expect in March, as Erin gives us snippets about themes and guests you can expect to hear from. Adding to this, Erin talks about why it is so important for women to not only be given voice and opportunity during International Women’s Month but throughout the year as well. We draw the episode to a close by touching on how Erin’s latest project is going. Listeners will find delight in her intriguing medium of choice: billboards. To find out about the critical messages these billboards will carry, be sure to join us in the episode! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• What you have to look forward to on our podcast during March.
• How Erin Yoshi is going to celebrate and honor the power of women on our show.
• Erin talks about her enjoyment of hosting podcasts.
• We ask Erin if she will add podcasts to her collection of mediums.
• Erin’s take on becoming an occasional-co-host on the Not Real Art Podcast.
• Sourdough and Erin brainstorm Women’s Month and how they’re going to celebrate it.
• What Erin has learned from the women she has interviewed.
• Sourdough and Erin talk about the relationships they have with their partners.
• Erin previews some of the Women’s Month guests for the Not Real Art podcast.
• Some of the topics Erin covers with her Women’s Month guests.
• Why it’s important to give women opportunities.
• How video can add a whole new dimension to podcasts.
• Erin shares an update of her latest project.
• Why Erin chose to use billboards as a medium.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/erin-yoshi

We are doing things a little differently today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast. There’s no guest, just news. Good news. Random news. News you never knew you needed. While Man One is still away on assignment, Sourdough opens the show by discussing what this extra format is bringing to the table. We started off by asking: how do we bring value, how do we add more interesting stories, and do we need a different podcast? With these three questions in mind, we decided to trial this new show format. In this episode, Sourdough tests out our groovy new soundboard with rim shots, canned laughter, and live call-in capabilities. Just like the first pancake of the camp-out, this first episode is going to be something of an experiment. With this particular experiment, we are going to throw a range of topics into the mix, like the Not Real Art Artist grant, women in the art world, the importance of diversity, free speech in social media, and which glue works the best for modelers. If this sounds deliciously interesting to you be sure to join us! And remember, every camp-out pancake is better than the one before. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s topic: experimenting with a new style of podcast!
• Sourdough shares how he intends to experiment in future episodes.
• Hear about some of the new equipment Sourdough has bought. 
• Sourdough shares one of his favorite new songs with listeners, using his new soundboard.
• Enjoy some brand new sound effects that could make their way into future shows.
• The challenge of trying to cover daily events with late-to-air shows.
• How would a daily show sound? 
• Interesting topics Sourdough would like to cover in episodes to come.
• Hear about the Not Real Art Artist grant.
• Sourdough tells us about the qualities grant-winners should have.
• Hear the names of artists who were given Not Real Art Artist grants.
• The brand new feature on the Not Real Art blog.
• We take a few moments to reflect on our recent interviews with esteemed guests.
• Sourdough’s take on cancel culture.
• Hear Soudough’s thoughts on LACMA.
• The best glue for model-making.
• Celebrating artists of color and women. 
• Sourdough talks about a new streetwear brand.
• Instagram is now giving out harsher punishment for hate speech and direct messages.
• Sourdough ponders free speech in social media.
• The new artificial neural platform that converts text captions into art.
• Why the Clubhouse rabbit hole isn’t worth Sourdough’s time, for the moment at least.
• Answering the question: what would you do with a 27-hour day?
• The new global podcast conference.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/scott-power

In today’s episode, we sit down with Scott Bedbury, world-renowned brand consultant, author, and speaker who has played a central role in the success of massive names like Nike, Starbucks, and Airbnb. His bestselling book, A New Brand World, is a must-read for anyone working in business today. In this show, we talk about the erosion of trust in an internet age of powerful corporations, the need to return to a culture of empathy, and the radically human spirit behind the campaigns he worked on while helping build some of the biggest brands on the planet. We kick off the discussion hearing about the themes in Scott’s new book, where he describes the threats to values like authenticity, empathy, and trust posed by profit-hungry corporations leveraging the power of the internet. We then move onto hear the many incredible stories of the brands and people Scott worked with. He tells tales such as the one where he created the transcendent Just Do It campaign with his creative partners at Weiden+Kennedy which featured a young Michael Jordan and a young Spike Lee during his early days as Head of Advertising at Nike. The people and teams Scott worked with were special, driven by a different set of motives to the cold, profit-driven culture that fuels most big businesses today. Scott describes Petri dishes of authentic innovators who valued courageous creativity, openness to mistakes, gut instincts over data, and the notion that customers are first and foremost people. Scott’s central message is that with great power comes great responsibility, so be sure to tune in for this legendary discussion.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Themes of the erosion of trust and authenticity in the internet age in Scott’s new book.
• The power of the internet for good and bad and the responsibility this puts on us.
• Conscious Capitalism and millennials: Movements toward a culture of ownership
• Scott’s perspective that the missing piece in corporate philosophy is empathy.
• The focus on ideals like inspiration more than the product itself.
• The repositioning behind the Just Do It campaign and how inspirational/disruptive it was.
• What led to Scott becoming the CMO for Starbucks and what he learned in this role.
• The theme of the need for humanity in Scott’s dream for how companies should treat people.
• Themes of finding core values and making the world better in the story of working on the Airbnb ‘Belong’ campaign.
• How important it is for companies to have a noble, driving purpose.
• Meeting Mark Zuckerberg; perspectives on Facebook and surveillance capitalism.
• Memories of Jeff Bezos sketching out the idea for recommendation algorithms.
• IQ without EQ; what visionary disruptors may have overlooked due to their foresight.
• Working with Phil Knight and the culture of innovation and openness to mistakes at Nike.
• The idea that creativity is nothing without courage.
• The gut-based approach to ‘marketing’ at Nike versus data-driven insights of today.
• Remembering the culture of willingness to make discoveries working with Weiden+Kennedy and Nike shooting a commercial with Michael Jordan and Spike Lee.
• The role of education in combating power plays like the spread of divisive information in elections.
• The need to expose kids to making art because of the added awareness it gives you.
• How companies need to start recognizing customers as people.
• A story about Michael Jordan showing empathy to his fans that we can learn a lesson from.
• Heartening facts about a new reality where Black leaders aren’t unusual.
• The need to instill a sense in our children that we are here to serve.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/scott-bedbury

Today’s guest is Juergen Berkessel, founder of Polymash, here to talk about podcasting as a content strategy and the false distinction between career paths that occupy creative versus so-called ‘commercial’ spheres. Polymash is a boutique digital marketing agency based in Florida, and Juergen has become a close friend of Sourdough’s because Polymash has been advising on the subject of content strategy for the Not Real Art podcast. Juergen is a true polymath with an inspiring career trajectory and personal journey. He is a professional photographer, computer programmer, app developer, digital marketing expert, and podcaster who immigrated from Germany to the United States. Our conversation begins with Juergen telling the story of this journey. We hear him talk about how he got into photography, how he lived off rice and beans in New York as a struggling photographer, and how he made a career pivot into the world of software development thereafter. Here we talk at length about how the creative discoveries Juergen made after he pivoted make the fine art community’s distaste at the idea of ‘selling out’ seem extremely petty and shortsighted. From there, we take a deep dive into the work Juergen is doing today with Polymash. He speaks about how to make your content more SEO compatible as an artist, weighing in specifically on how to fit podcasting into these strategies and build your network at the same time. He also shares a few pro tips for how to make your content benefit you rather than falling into ‘digital sharecropping’ by making your website the central hub of all of your content output. Tune in for today’s inspiring and educational conversation with Juergen Berkessel!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An intro to Juergen Berkessel and his content strategy business, Polymash.
• How Juergen met Sourdough and they connected through a mutual love of art.
• A window into Juergen’s multifaceted career and involvement with art and business.
• Juergen’s thoughts on combining creativity and analytical skills in his career.
• How Juergen found photography and took it up after moving to America.
• Juergen’s memories of studying art and working as a commercial photographer thereafter.
• How Juergen got exposed to large format cameras working for a photography studio in New York.
• Being uninspired working as a freelance commercial photographer and how Juergen found his creative voice.
• The story of how Juergen made a career pivot and entered a career in programming.
• Perspectives on ‘selling out’ considering this being frowned upon in fine art communities.
• How the democratization of creative mediums is changing negative perceptions of commercialization.
• Critical thoughts about the so-called gap between high and low art.
• How podcasting fits into the democratization of art and Sourdough’s work with Juergen.
• Content strategy tips from Juergen; how he helps businesses through Polymash.
• The need for artists to have their own website to fight ‘digital sharecropping’.
• Prioritizing subscribers to your email list over people who downloaded your podcast.
• The usefulness podcasts provide for building a sense of intimacy with guests that turns into future business relationships.
• How podcasting becomes a content strategy by generating content that can be shaped for SEO.
• Juergen’s explanation of domain authority, how to build it, and how it makes your website more searchable.
• The significance of the idea that podcasts get new listeners primarily through Google searches.
• Thoughts on the educational power of podcasts and how to make them more accessible.
• Juergen’s wife Robyn’s expertise in positive thinking and how she applies it in her podcast.
• Final thoughts on juxtaposition and identity: ‘A thing is what it is only in relation to what it is not.’

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/juergen-berkessel

If we told you that the Mona Lisa was missing, you probably wouldn’t believe it. But this was the case in 1911 when, for two years, the world’s most famous painting was nowhere to be found! Our guests today, Joe Medeiros and Justine Mestichelli Medeiros are experts on this fascinating story and have produced a documentary called Mona Lisa is Missing, where they take viewers on their journey as they unearth the truth about this great heist. Surprisingly, the story is not that well-documented and, where it has been recorded, the truth is twisted. Joe and Justine came at it from a different angle, wanting to present their findings with accuracy and integrity. In this episode, we hear about this passion project and how reading one line in a book about Leonardo da Vinci and the painting’s theft ignited an insatiable curiosity in Joe to discover the truth. We also learn more about the connections that Joe and Justine made, including with Celestina Peruggia, the thief, Vincenzo Peruggia’s daughter. This film, while entertaining, is about a lot more than that. It is a historical document where this story lives on. Our conversation also touches on what it was like to produce a film independently, the power of connection and fate, and why the film is the gift that keeps on giving. To hear more about this incredible tale, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Joe and Justine have been faring during the pandemic and sheltering in place.
• Hear how Joe managed to make the documentary while working as the head writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
• The timeline of producing the documentary and what sparked Joe’s fascination with the story.
• Why technology was a large component of making the documentary possible.
• Joe and Justine’s lifelong love of art and music and the way it brought them together.
• Their experience of meeting Celestina Peruggia, Vincenzo Peruggia’s daughter.
• How Joe and Justine created a genuine connection with Celestina.
• Why it was so important for Joe and Justine to produce something based on evidence.
• The twofold reason Joe wanted to make the documentary: Entertainment and education.
• Joe and Justine’s experience with people in Italy and the open way they were received.
• What motivated Joe and Justine to finish the documentary, even when things got tough.
• Why the unpredictability of the story is what makes the documentary so engaging.
• Telling Celestina the truth about her father: Hear what this was like for Joe and Justine.
• The smoking gun: Finding the records that revealed the real story.
• Serendipitous encounters that proved Joe and Justine’s mission to them.
• Some of the unexpected good things that have come from making the documentary.
• The argument that the theft actually turned the Mona Lisa into the famous painting it is.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/joe-medeiros-justine-mestichelli-medeiros

Art is important for more reasons than will ever be possible to count. From aiding cognitive development and critical thinking skills to beautifying the world we live in, art matters to us all. Today’s guest, Mary Farmer, is an internationally-recognized encaustic painter based in Asheville, North Carolina, whose work creates a portal into a timeless, transcendent state of consciousness. Interestingly, Mary’s paintings serve as a counterbalance to her firebrand spirit. Tireless in her pursuit of liberty and equity, she has put herself in harm’s way time during her lifelong fight for social justice and women’s rights. In this episode, we hear about Mary’s life, what growing up in Alabama was like, and some of the admirable work she has done establishing abortion clinics in the South. Mary then shares details about her art practice, including insights into the encaustic technique, where wax – rather than oil or water – is used to carry pigment. We find out how she came to choose this method and the different relationship she has with her work as a result. Our conversation also touches on the business side of an art career, why artists should not shy away from this, and the power of language in reframing arguments to enable change. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Mary and her husband dealt with the shutdown and how it affected her art practice.
• The strength that Mary found when she was able to vocalize her sexual assault.
• Why Mary is such a strong advocate for school nurses and counselors.
• Mary’s experience of going to school in Alabama the year public schools were integrated.
• Why Mary had to leave Alabama as soon as she could.
• The contrast between Mary’s firebrand spirit and her soothing, calming art.
• Hear about some of the work Mary has done for women’s reproductive rights.
• Beautiful things that have happened in Mary’s community before and during the pandemic.
• What Mary’s studio practice looks like and how she structures her days and workflow.
• An explanation of the encaustic painting technique and how Mary discovered it.
• Why encaustic has taught Mary to not make assumptions and preconceived notions.
• The main thorn in Mary’s side as an artist – Why she hates writing artist statements.
• How the business side of Mary’s art practice has improved over the years.
• Mary’s strategies and tips for avoiding exploitation as an artist.
• Why having a clear business plan as an artist is so empowering.
• The incredible contribution that art makes to all of our lives.
• What Mary has gained from Asheville, a city with such a rich culture.
• This scarcity mindset that is so prevalent pits us all up against one another.
• Language matters; it is important to reframe arguments to get things done.
• Moving artworks is an art form in itself, so you have to find people who know what they’re doing.

For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/mary-farmer