Not Real Art

Instantly recognizable and beaming with positivity, Michelle Hoogveld’s colorful, kaleidoscopic murals demonstrate the power of love, connection, and color. Her graphic, geometric compositions weave an intricate tapestry of joy and passion, the relationships we form with each other, and the one thing that connects us all: love.

“I chose February 14 as my first day as a professional artist because I wanted to choose love,” Michelle says. “I wanted that to be my day of choosing the thing that brought me the most joy and passion. At that time, I had no idea that my art would be about love and connection, so it's a symbol and a meaningful date because it's not only just about love romantically for the world, but it became a catalyst for this career change and my goal as an artist moving forward.”

In today’s podcast episode, host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Michelle to discuss the Canadian artist’s practice and creative process. A former athlete, Michelle shares the valuable lessons she picked up playing soccer and how it helped her in the studio. “[Being an athlete] taught me determination, [motivation], and hard work ethic,” she says. “You put in the time. That very much translates to running your own business and being an artist. You have to put in the time, you have to dream big, and you have to have goals of excellence.”

Michelle and Scott also chat about the motivating effects of self-care, why her practice remains mostly a “one-man show,” and the importance of “just showing up.” Tune into today’s episode with Michelle Hoogveld for a conversation about color, connection, and creating a brighter world.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Some of the colorful, eye-catching murals Michelle has done in LA.
• The massive studio she recently found that can accommodate her large-scale work.
• Insight into her creative process and why she mostly remains a “one-man show.”
• What Michelle learned about putting in the time and dreaming big from being an athlete.
• Why she chose February 14th as the first day of her career as a professional artist.
• Influential people in her life and how the painter Andrew Salgado has inspired her.
• How seeing others chase their dreams gives you permission to try.
• Advice for young artists who are trying to find their voice in the art world.
• Reasons that love, connection, and color are at the core of Michelle’s work.
• A look at her daily schedule and routine and the power of just showing up.
• How self-care informs motivation and even inspiration for Michelle.
• What the future holds for today’s guest and where you can view her work.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/michelle-hoogveld

Despite its short lifespan, Black Mountain College (BMC) left a lasting legacy as an influential pioneering arts institution that challenged traditional academic structures and fostered a unique community of creative thinkers. Founded in 1933 just 20 minutes outside of Asheville, NC, the college emphasized holistic learning and the study of art as central tenets of its educational philosophy. While BMC closed in 1957 due to funding issues, many of its faculty and students were or would become influential in the arts, including Josef and Anni Albers, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, John Cage, Ray Johnson, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly. 

In today’s special crossover episode from our friends at ArtsvilleUSA, we welcome Kate Averett Anderson, a writer, curator, staff historian, project coordinator, and board member at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (BMCM+AC). The museum works to preserve the legacy of educational and artistic innovation of BMC through exhibitions, conservation, educational events, and public programs. “It's not about having a gallery space where you walk in and you go, ‘Here is the history of Black Mountain College from beginning to end,” says Kate. “You can come in and have hands-on experiences with different exhibitions that tell a lot of different stories.”

In this episode, you’ll discover the fascinating connections between BMC and the iconic Bauhaus movement, relive the vibrant atmosphere of the college's legendary parties, and uncover the pivotal role of the BMCM+AC in keeping BMC's spirit alive. From exploring historical parallels to celebrating the creative freedom that BMC championed, this episode offers valuable insight into the birthplace of the American avant-garde. “[Black Mountain College] was a haven for a lot of people,” says Kate. “It was a place where a lot of people had the freedom and ability to explore different elements of their identity.” 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to Kate, her career journey, and her role at BMCM+AC.
• The origin story of BMC (which starts with a scandal, like all good stories do).
• Insight into founder John A. Rice’s educational philosophy on hands-on learning.
• Nazis, the final days of the Bauhaus, and how Josef and Anni Albers found BMC.
• Influential figures that attended BMC and the relationships that developed between them.
• The legendary parties that were thrown at BMC; such as Jean Verda’s Greek party.
• An overview of the communal, democratic, non-hierarchical structure at BMC.
• How a young Robert Rauschenberg was profoundly influenced by his time at BMC.
• Some of the many famous student revolts at BMC; including one known as The Split.
• Cultural and political shifts that impacted the college in the late 1950s.
• The important role that BMCM+AC plays in keeping the BMC legacy alive.
• How the BMCM+AC differentiates itself from the typical stagnant museum institution.
• Different stories that BMCM+AC hopes to tell about BMC, not just its history.
• Looking to the future in the ReVIEWING Black Mountain College conference.
• Reflecting on the history of identity intersection and racial integration at BMC.
• A closing anecdote about Harriet Sohmers Zwerling and sexual liberation at BMC.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/black-mountain-college

In a world full of digital noise, street art can tell vital stories, rejuvenate urban spaces, and bring communities closer together. For over 10 years, creative agency Beautify Earth has collaborated with artists and brands to connect communities through murals, street art, and strategic marketing. Today’s guest, Beautify Earth CEO Moral Masuoka, joins host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power to discuss her organization’s commitment to positive social and environmental change through public art. 

“People are starting to think about the spaces that they live in, especially when it comes to community and how we’re relating with the people around us, getting out of our own houses, and trying to be engaged in the places that we live,” says Moral, who combines her love of contemporary art with social policy and urban design to create community engagement. “Street art does an amazing job of that. People can be connected by a piece of artwork in their community. It’s something that you can talk about and [identify with]. It can also become a representation of the stories and the people who live there.” 

In today’s episode, Scott and Moral discuss public art as a vehicle for placemaking, balancing professionalism with creativity and spontaneity, and the importance of cultivating creative habits daily. The two also explore  the complex relationship between street art and gentrification: 

“[Street art can either be] a tool of people trying to gentrify neighborhoods or it can be a powerful tool to represent the people that are there, amplify voices, and show the people in the community that need to be prioritized, not displaced,” says Moral. 

To find out more about Beautify Earth and its mission to elevate street art and advocate for its practitioners, listen to our conversation with CEO Moral Masuoka on the player above. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• The origin story of Beautify Earth and how it utilizes art as a tool for positive social change.
• How the perception of street art has progressed and how it can connect communities.
• Street art as a vehicle to amplify community voices versus as a tool for gentrification.
• Different roles that art can play and why situational awareness is key.
• Opportunities for connection within the network of artists that partner with Beautify.
• Ways that Beautify caters to the constantly evolving needs of artists.
• Common career challenges that Beautify works with artists to overcome.
• How Beautify educates clients (and artists) about the economic impact of art.
• Lessons that Moral has learned as Beautify has grown into a creative agency.
• Balancing professionalism versus spontaneity in street art.
• Insight into Moral's career journey, her love for art, and how it led her to Beautify.
• Why Moral believes it’s important for everyone to cultivate a daily creative practice.
• Reasons that drawing should be considered as crucial a skill as writing or math.
• Moral’s parting thoughts about the unique value of art as a communication tool.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/moral-masuoka-beautify-earth

“First, do no harm.” Written nearly 2,500 years ago in Greece, the Hippocratic Oath and its principles hold a sacred place in the hearts and minds of doctors to this day. Traditionally sworn by graduating medical-school students, the Oath remains the gold standard for ethical practices in Western Medicine. While codes of ethical conduct are commonplace throughout medicine and science, the art world is sorely lacking a similar system to hold industry professionals accountable for their actions. What would it look like if artists had their own version of this solemn pledge? 

“I think that artists need to swear an oath as well,” says NOT REAL ART founder and podcast host Scott “Sourdough” Power in today’s episode. “An oath of ethical behaviors, an oath to a certain level of performance that's based on a mutually agreed upon set of ethics and values so that artists, art buyers, and arts professionals [are] confident and comfortable that people are behaving well and not behaving badly.”

Picture a code of conduct tailored for artists, patrons, and creative professionals alike, a compass to help navigate the complexities of artistic endeavor. In these uncertain times, we at NOT REAL ART believe the need for an effective creative code is more pressing than ever. In today’s episode, Scott delves into what this oath might entail and how it could benefit artists in the long run: “If [artists] could create a culture that's rooted in a mutual set of ethics and values that we all agreed to and we had our own pledge, our own oath that we swore to that everybody knew what it was and held us accountable, we would behave better, and we would do better.”

Want to be part of a more ethical art world? Tune in to today’s episode, then submit your own version of the artist’s ethical code for a chance to be featured on NOT REAL ART.

Key Points From This Episode:

• What the Hippocratic Oath is and what it means for physicians
• Reasons that the art world needs its own Hippocratic Oath
• How a mutually agreed upon set of ethics and values could benefit artists
• Listener challenge: submit your Hippocratic Oath for artists!
• Why an artist’s reputation is so important at the end of the day

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/hippocratic-oath

Editor’s note: Today’s special episode comes to us from our friends at Laugh Gallery, who operate under the Crewest Studio network of podcasts alongside NOT REAL ART.

Despite what your parents told you, comedy is an art. Comedy writing is difficult, and crafting laughs is no easy feat, especially when the stakes are so high. “Funny” varies from person to person, and there’s no hell deeper than the punishing silence after a failed joke. 

Welcome to Laugh Gallery, a podcast that celebrates—and elevates—the art of comedy and the comedy of art. In this introductory episode, NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power and Laugh Gallery host Katie Love take you behind the curtain for an inside scoop on the what, why, and how of the podcast. “Laugh Gallery is an honorary, beautiful way to celebrate the art of comedy and the comedy of art,” says Katie, a Los Angeles-based writer and comic. “The wonderful thing about being in L.A. in the comedy scene is you can literally take yourself to school. There’s a lot of comedy classes out there. But if you really want to learn comedy, buy yourself some tickets because you're going to see the best comics come through Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and they're often working on their stuff here in cafes, coffee houses, bars, and weird little shows.”

Scott and Katie discuss the origins behind Laugh Gallery, the importance of stage time and money for comedians, and the similarities between visual artists and comedians. As Scott says in this episode, “Comics and visual artists have so much in common, in that they are struggling to break out and to be appreciated.” Listen to this special crossover episode on the player above, then subscribe to the Laugh Gallery podcast for side-splitting comedy with a dash of wisdom. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• What Laugh Gallery is, where the idea came from, and why we’re doing it.
• Similarities and shared struggles between the art world and the comedy scene.
• Stage time and money: the two most important things for comics.
• Insight into Comedy 420, four comics doing 20 minutes of standup.
• Our vision for the Laugh Gallery Podcast and where you can see Comedy 420.
• Some of the amazing comics you’ll get to laugh with on Laugh Gallery!

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/laugh-gallery-podcast

As you may or may not know by now, we share some compelling creative conversations from the NOT REAL ART archives a couple of times a month. In today’s very special replay, we're throwing it all the way back with a truly historic episode: the very first one! As you’ll discover, it isn’t quite as polished as the podcast you’ve come to know and love. In fact, it’s a little bit of a mess, but you can’t deny that it’s raw and authentic! Listening in, you’ll hear NOT REAL ART Founder Scott “Sourdough” Power and the one and only Man One chopping it up and solving all the world's problems as they find their feet in the podcasting world and put the show you’re listening to today in motion. Stay tuned to enjoy this blast from the past!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The raw, authentic roots of the NOT REAL ART Podcast.
• Why we started a podcast when the last thing anybody needed was another podcast!
• Where the title, NOT REAL ART, came from.
• Insight into the culture of graffiti from Man One’s perspective.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/numero-uno

Former software engineer John Houck is a multidisciplinary artist whose work examines human perception and memory. From subtly folded and rephotographed pieces of paper to paintings of psychological landscapes overlaid with personal objects, John explores how shadows can act as signatures of both the condition and the limits of our experience, playfully navigating the intersection between reality, memory, illusion, and imagination.

In today’s podcast episode, host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with John Houck to discuss the artist’s thought-provoking practice, which marries visual art with his background in technology. “I love thinking through code as a tool to work creatively and playfully,” he says. “Then I [also] get to be in my studio. It's the best of both worlds for me.” In our conversation, we also investigate John’s fascination with psychoanalysis and find out why he believes that therapy is more effective than grad school for artists who want to get in touch with themselves and their artwork. “Being in therapy did more for me than grad school ever did,” he says. “It was way more effective and helpful in terms of getting in touch with who I am [and] the art I want to make.”

Listeners will also learn time-management techniques for better focus and why truly great artists are constantly “emerging” as opposed to becoming firmly established, as the art world would have us believe. As John comments during our conversation, being alone in the studio is vital, but “at some point, you have to go out into the world and emerge.”

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Inversion Art makes John’s practice easier (and introduced him to Not Real Art).
• What it means to him to be a creative technologist and how it influences his work.
• The language of programming, how it relates to art, and how John navigates both worlds.
• Fascinating ways that art-making “amplifies” his humanity.
• The evolution of John's iterative artworks and the mediums he uses to create them.
• Insight into his transition from photography to painting and how he “found his voice.”
• The inspiration behind his current exhibition, Perfect Temperature Lava in New York.
• Why hope, joy, and play are more important than they might seem.
• Work-life balance for artists and how self-care keeps John focused.
• How the Pomodoro time-management technique can benefit artists.
• John’s emergent vision for himself and his practice in 2024 and beyond.
• The power of therapy, putting yourself out there, and other advice for aspiring artists.
• Reflections on what it means to be a truly great artist.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/john-houck

Performing for a live audience in a new, unpredictable setting requires tremendous concentration. The stage is bigger than your studio, someone sneezes or coughs, a cell phone rings, and your costume is way itchier than your practice sweats. How do you stay focused when your performance space is full of distractions and irrelevant stimuli? Enter the dress rehearsal. 

“A dress rehearsal will give you information that you just can't get otherwise,” says host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power, who discusses the benefits of rehearsing a dry run in today’s podcast episode. “[Making] the effort to go through the motions and do the dress rehearsal is going to be hugely powerful for you in terms of giving you confidence, empowering you, and giving you agency.”

Dress rehearsals aren’t just beneficial to those in the performing arts. Anyone can benefit from a confidence boost before a nerve-racking event. “If you find yourself in a situation where you're nervous, you've got a big meeting, you've got a big interview, you've got a big presentation, and you want to alleviate or mitigate some of those nerves, some of that anxiety, do a dress rehearsal,” says Scott, who tells listeners about a successful dress rehearsal of his own in this episode. 

Scott doles out practical advice for making the most of your rehearsal, so whether you’ve got a big presentation, interview, or performance coming up, this episode is here to help.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A story that illustrates the everyday power of dress rehearsals.
• Sourdough’s key takeaway from his example of a dress rehearsal.
• How he changed his mind after a meeting (and why you should always take the meeting!)
• Why he believes it was the dress rehearsal that ultimately led to his success.
• Practical applications for dress rehearsals in your personal and professional life.
• The confidence-boosting power of taking the time to “go through the motions.”
• Information you can gain from a dress rehearsal that you can’t get otherwise.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/dress-rehearsal

Editor’s note: Today’s special episode comes to us from our friends at The Conduit, who operate under the Crewest Studio network of podcasts alongside NOT REAL ART. 

In the ‘90s, rock was rock, hip-hop was hip-hop, and never the twain did meet. Then, at the turn of the century, a 73-minute, genre-bending bomb exploded onto the music scene, shattering notions about the limits of creativity and collaboration. Uneasy Listening, Vol. I, a joint record from like-minded DJs P and Z-Trip, broke genre conventions by mixing rock ‘n’ roll mainstays like Rush and Pat Benatar with dance and hip-hop cuts from Madonna, Redman, and The Pharcyde.

Welcome to The Conduit, a podcast featuring candid conversations with professional musicians who give listeners the unvarnished truth about being an artist in the music industry. In today’s episode, L.A.-based DJ, producer, and musician Dan Ubick (aka Constantine “Connie” Price) sits down with Zach Sciacca (better known as DJ Z-Trip) to discuss the musician’s pioneering work as a key player in the mash-ups movement.

“It wasn’t like I set out to become a DJ,” says Z-Trip, whose Uneasy Listening arrived on the scene in 2001, just as samples, remixes, and mashups were gaining credibility as a valid form of self-expression. “It was very much about me having this music and wanting to share it,” he continues. “Once I realized that I could put it together and I could expose people to the things that I liked, the DJ thing came into play.” 

Widely known as both the godfather of mashups and “America’s Best DJ,” an award he received in 2009 from the DJ Times, Z-Trip is also renowned for his technical abilities and production skills. Over the years, he’s collaborated with innovative artists like Nas, Beck, Public Enemy, and DJ Shadow, remixing songs from artists as varied as Bob Marley and the Butthole Surfers. In his interview, Z-Trip shares the brightest pearls of wisdom he’s pocketed along the way: “One thing I learned through the arc of my whole career is take chances,” he says. “Be risky, try to push boundaries. Don’t always play it safe. There’s a time to play it safe, there’s a time to lock in.”

Z-Trip also touches on his favorite genre-bending tracks (see Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock”), why creative consistency trumps big milestones, and how to find like-minded artists traveling a similar career path. His advice to aspiring DJs? “Every gig, go into it like it’s your first [and last],” he says, adding, “put your heart and fucking soul into it because you never know who’s watching.”

Key Points From This Episode:

• How the contrasting worlds of New York and Arizona influenced Zach’s taste in music.
• The diverse collection of 12-inch singles that led him to become a DJ.
• Why ‘Rock the Bells’ by LL Cool J epitomizes Zach’s genre-bending style.
• Zach’s belief in pushing boundaries rather than chasing money or trends.
• The unique sense of discovery that attracted him to hip-hop.
• Talent over appearance: the freaks, geeks, and outcasts that were also drawn to the genre.
• Insight into Zach's process of producing his own music; which started with pause tapes.
• The story of the ‘Rockstar’ track on Return of the DJ that caught the attention of his peers.
• Why open-mindedness is an essential component of the mashup.
• Benefits of working with someone who’s “in your trajectory” versus an established artist.
• Key lessons from Zach’s career: be risky! Push boundaries! Take chances!
• Reasons that getting signed is only the beginning of your career.
• Why, not how: the perspective Zach gained from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• How live streaming and virtual raves influenced his practice and mindset.
• What it looks like to define true success by the aggregate, not the benchmarks.
• Playing every gig like it’s your first and last: Zach’s advice for aspiring musicians.
• Why he recommends building a small passionate community over chasing the numbers.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/z-trip

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this episode ran in March 2021 and has been updated with a new introduction. 

Historically, street art has been used as a powerful tool for community engagement thanks to its ability to transcend physical and social boundaries. In today’s special podcast episode, guest host and muralist Erin Yoshi sits down with public arts luminary Judy Baca to discuss the painter’s pioneering social work in the urban environment of L.A., the former “mural capital of the world.”

“Long before the predominance of graffiti art on the street, there were writings on the street," says Judy. “There was no control over who could paint where, and it was in that climate—1972—that I stepped out onto the street.” 

Soon after, In 1974, Judy founded the City of Los Angeles’ first mural program, which produced over 400 murals, employed thousands of local participants, and eventually evolved into the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), where she continues to serve as artistic director. “The work I was doing needed to be institutionalized in educational systems,” she says. “There was so much work to be done around the kind of training that we needed to get another generation of artists into the world, to [give] another generation of young people the stepping stones to advance, and [without] having to start at the very beginning, as I did. So it became increasingly important to me to do the teaching, to see SPARC thrive and continue.”

Judy attributes SPARC’s success to their unique participatory model, which allows community members to contribute their ideas and talents to local murals. “I was interested in a participatory methodology that not only included the ideas of the people but included them in the process of the making,” says Judy, who observes a vast cultural distinction between murals in different L.A. neighborhoods. “Whose memories are saved?” she muses. “Whose stories are told? Whose history is taught? That became a quest that has been my life's work: the land’s memory, whose stories are told and remembered, and how we come up with the real story of America.”

Key Points From This Episode:

• Insight into Judy’s start as a muralist in LA, the former “mural capital of the world.”
• How permitting and bureaucratic control have hindered the creative process of public art.
• Ways that SPARC sought to change the face of LA by representing the people in it.
• The genesis of SPARC and what Judy’s cross-cultural vision for it entailed.
• Judy’s unifying ambition to excavate unknown stories that led to The Great Wall of LA.
• What she learned about dynamic imagery from the late great David Alfaro Siqueiros.
• Steps for creating a participatory community-based project like The Great Wall.
• Relationships built during the creation of The Great Wall that are still intact today.
• The drive to institutionalize her work that led Judy to become a professor at UCLA.
• Why she decided early on that she wouldn’t try to “make it” in the world of fine art.
• Unpacking the hierarchy of the arts that deems community art “low brow.”
• Reasons that The Great Wall is so critical at a time of heightened awareness of injustice.
• How SPARC has become a modern marvel with an inspiring heritage.
• The future of women’s leadership that Judy’s Matriarchal Mural addresses.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/judy-baca