The Creativity Cafe

The Creativity Cafe

By The Creativity CafeArts
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The Creativity Cafe episodes

  • Inspired Glass Mosaics with Siobhan Allen

    Inspired by the interplay of light and colour with geometric patterns, and the work of the great Catalan artist Gaudi, our guest Siobhan Allen creates multi-hued stained glass mosaics that express the sacredness and divinity inherent in the world around her. Previously a bodywork therapist specializing in massage and cranio-sacral therapy, Siobhan is entirely self-taught in the art of stained glass, bar a few evening classes. What began as a hobby gradually became her full time work in 2015 or 2016. Now from her home [studio?] in North Devon in the UK, Siobhan creates colourful stained glass pieces that are as inspiring as they are inspired.


    Find out more about Siobhan's work here:


    https://www.siobhanallen.co.uk

    https://www.facebook.com/SiobhanAllenArts

    https://www.instagram.com/siotara


    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment?

    Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes.


    Paige Baldwin Ando

    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com

    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative


    Jordana Matsuda

    https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration

    https://www.jordana-matsuda.com



    58 min
  • Wrapping up Season 3
    Season three has finished, and Jordana and Paige share their thoughts about what themes came up throughout the season. Thank you for listening and for all your wonderful questions throughout the season. We look forward to seeing you again in 2024 for season four.
    27 min
  • Through a Devoted Lens with Lisa Knight

    Born in Sydney, Australia, self-taught photographer and videographer Lisa Knight now makes her home here in Tokyo, Japan. Through her work for Tokyo Weekender, Tokyo's longest-running English-language magazine, Lisa provides glimpses into life in the capital that reveal the pulsing aliveness of her subjects. But her lens isn't fixed solely on urban life. Through her photos, Lisa shares her travels both within Japan and abroad, and lets us see people, places, and interiors through her exquisitely-rendered perspective. Whether she's sharing ethereal and riveting photos of natural beauty, or highlighting details that might otherwise go unnoticed, Lisa's work invites us to engage more sensitively with what we see. 


    Check out Lisa's photographs here

    https://www.instagram.com/lisainjapan/?hl=en



    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment?

    Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes.


    Paige Baldwin Ando

    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com

    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative


    Jordana Matsuda

    https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration

    56 min
  • Celebrating the Intersectional with Nina Alberg
    Hailing originally from the Caribbean island of Curacao, Nina Alberg has lived in the Netherlands since the age of 17. Under the name Mimi Moffie, she creates bold, vibrant digital illustrations inspired by women, and that represent Black women in particular. Combining evocative words with vivid images in a way that inspires both thought and action is something that Nina does expertly in her work. The people she draws brim with so much confidence, intelligence, and verve that you can't help but be drawn into their world. Bringing both audaciousness and comfort with their self-expression, the women Nina draws remind us that we're free and welcome to be who we really are.
    https://www.instagram.com/mimimoffie
    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. [email protected]
    Paige Baldwin Ando
    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com
    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative
    Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration
    1 hr 8 min
  • How Things Go Together with Kat Chetram
    Originally form London in the United Kingdom, Kat Chetram has lived in Tokyo since 2014. While her primary medium is photography, Kat also dabbles in graphic design, writing, and painting. Kat's street photography invites viewers to get curious about ourselves, others, and the world around us, so that we might find presence, compassion, understanding, and connection. While those invitations may be issued most of the time through her camera lens, Kat explores a wide variety of ways to share and connect creatively including curating a map of her favorite coffee spots around Tokyo. 
    Find out more here:
    https://instagram.com/katologs
    https://papersky.jp/en/
    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. [email protected]
    Paige Baldwin Ando
    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com
    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative
    Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration
    1 hr 20 min
  • Sustainable Art with Melissa Finkenbiner

    Having been born and raised in rural Ohio in the United States, Melissa Finkenbiner has now lived and created art in the US, Myanmar, Armenia, Zimbabwe, and Japan. As a cross-disciplined fine artist and metalsmith, all of Melissa's work is linked by recycled and sustainable materials with earthy elements.

    In her work as a metalsmith, she repurposes vintage silver and copper, or uses recycled metals, including brass. In other works, Melissa uses a variety of materials, sometimes combining ink with plant-based acrylic, undiluted watercolor, conte, and pastels. Most notably, she uses discarded surfaces from glass bottles to tree bark, or sustainable papers from bamboo and recycled pulp. Sustainable practices are at the heart of her process and her packaging. 

    Over the past 12 years, Melissa has had 21 gallery exhibitions including her 2023 solo show “Elements of Nature Between Skyscrapers” in Ginza, Tokyo. In 2019, the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies program purchased three of her mixed media portraits for U.S. Embassy Harare in Zimbabwe.  


    https://www.melissafinkenbiner.com

    https://www.instagram.com/melissafinkenbiner


    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. [email protected]


    Paige Baldwin Ando

    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com

    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative


    Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration

    1 hr 2 min
  • Shaping Functional Art with Ceramicist Laura Pearson

    Originally from Scotland, ceramicist Laura Pearson has lived in Japan for 8 years. Now based in Shonan Kamakura--a seaside town about an hour from Tokyo--Laura creates unique homeware pieces that center the user's connection with the items they use every day. Paying mind to the textural and sensory experiences people have when using her pieces, Laura hopes to bring joy to people's everyday lives as they undertake daily rituals like drinking a cup of coffee. The organic forms and textures of her pieces evoke the forms and textures of the natural world, and allow their users to form a connection with each of them as unique works of functional art. With a background in textiles, costume, and fashion design, Laura also hopes to incorporate her past experiences into fabric homewares for her brand in the future. 










    1 hr 5 min
  • Getting on Stage with Kate Sikora
    Kate Sikora is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey, USA, who now lives in Tokyo, Japan. Kate has been writing lyrics and poetry since she could pick up a pen, and started learning guitar at age 12 in order to turn her poetry into songs.
    Kate’s emphasis has always been on lyrics, with the music taking shape around them. She's been compared to artists such as Liz Phair, Belle and Sebastian, Feist, and Suzanne Vega. Her biggest achievements to date have been playing Fuji Rock in 2009, touring with members of Deerhoof, writing and singing for commercials and the big screen, releasing several albums, and opening onstage for her idol, Liz Phair.
    Kate is a mom and preschool teacher as well as a songwriter and works hard to keep the passion for creating and performing alive in order to be an
    inspiration for her kids.
    https://katesikora.com
    https://www.facebook.com/katesikoramusic
    https://www.instagram.com/k8sikora
    https://katesikora.bandcamp.com/album/the-days-we-hold-on-to
    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners.
    Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes.
    Paige Baldwin Ando
    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com
    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative
    Jordana Matsuda
    https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration
    1 hr 5 min
  • Intuitive Seascapes with Jo Payne

    Originally from London, Jo Payne has spent the last ten years living on the North Devon Coast, by way of Surrey and Kent. A self-taught artist, Jo creates atmospheric and elemental sea and sky paintings that are riveting in their scope and emotional impact. Driven and inspired by her coastal surroundings, Jo's paintings explore the endless changing flow of the natural elements present in her daily life. With her intuitive, free style of painting, Jo often has several works on the go at once, and approaches each one as the feeling draws her. 

    https://www.seapainterstudio.com

    https://www.instagram.com/seapainter_jo



    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners.

    Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes.


    Paige Baldwin Ando

    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com

    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative


    Jordana Matsuda

    https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration


    1 hr
  • The Power of Voice with Tenie Sangma
    Since moving to Japan from India in 2007, Tenie Sangma has made Tokyo her home. Using her vast array of skills in the field of Speech and Drama, Tenie helps young people develop confidence and build skills in communication, and in expressing their creativity. Making self-expression accessible to everyone, no matter their background or skill level, is central to her mission.
    https://www.learningcircle.jp
    https://instagram.com/thelearningcirclejapan
    Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners.
    Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes.
    Paige Baldwin Ando
    https://www.wholeselfcreative.com
    https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative
    Jordana Matsuda
    https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration
    1 hr 20 min

About The Creativity Cafe

From the publisher's feed

For the creatively adventurous, this is The Creativity Cafe Podcast. Hosts Paige and Jordana answer your questions about creativity, share ideas to spark your creative practice, and interview creatives from all over the world. So grab a cup of tea and join us in discovering new creative landscapes, here on The Creativity Café.