The Eyed Entity Podcast

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This podcast is without guest, as Kimberly Koljat presents the full exploration of a paper written to graduate from Institute West, the San Francisco Institute for Developmental Transformations.  This discussion covers a paper written in three parts:  early grief, a one year project created to help re-acclimate after profound loss, and the questions, queries, and interests that emerged from and after the project completed.  Consider this the director's cut of a one year long project with fake DVD commentary.   

Kimberly unpacks the Eyed Entity Project, a one-year experiment built from Developmental Transformations (DVT) components, self-revelatory performance principles, grief work inspired by Megan Devine, and Sherry Turkle's work on our relationship with technology. You’ll hear how the recursive cycle of noticing, feeling, animating, and expressing changes after significant loss, why platitudes add pain, and why “we need tools to withstand grief” lands harder than any advice to heal or move on. She also shares a working idea she calls the absent other, the experience that remains when someone is gone, and how creativity and embodiment can help us stay with what we experience.

Primarily, Kimberly focus most of the discussion on how she translated DVT group stages into daily life: sound and movement as music, dance, and learning guitar; defining as themes that surfaced around identity and cultural expectations; defining and personification stages as the deliberate ways she carried her loved ones forward through symbols, playlists, and choice points, and re-integrating back into relationship following a pandemic and profound loss in attempts to build relationship again. Along the way, she wrestles with a very current question: can the internet act as a compassionate witness, or does online culture distort the very stories we most need held? 

If any part of this resonates, subscribe for part two, share the episode with someone navigating loss, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What role did grief change for you, and what would “do it anyway” look like this week?

Please note:  This episode contains a video component of a slide presentation with further information than what is verbally spoken.  For best experience, viewing the video contains the most information.

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A capstone that can break your heart and build you back up? Your host, Kimberly Koljat, IMFT-S, LMFT sits down with Audrey Grimes, MA, APCC, Drama Therapist, writer, and dancer, to unpack the self-rev: a personal performance in drama therapy where you turn lived experience into staged truth. We talk about how it feels before you begin, from “no paper, please” excitement to the dread of being that vulnerable, and why the fear is often a sign that something real is ready to move.

This candid discussion between Self-Revelatory Performance director and actor explores the parallel processes within the creative process from each role perspective.  From the outside, the creative process of exploring material, creating a script, and finalizing a performance from scratch is often left as a mystical, unknown phenomenon that somehow ends up making powerful pieces of theatre.  In this discussion, Audrey and Kimberly talk through the different stages of the process, what their individual experiences were step by step, and share clips of the final performance as example.  Though centered on the creative process for self-revelatory performance, this discussion has parallels to collaborative creative processes across multiple mediums- from theatre, to dance, to music, to writing, to art, and more.

We map the stages of the self-rev process the way we actually lived them: exploration filled with “what if” play, clarifying themes and aesthetics, then the creation phase where the script refuses to cooperate and you start battling your own patterns in real time. We also share why having a director with both theater craft and clinical training matters, especially when the work feels like therapy in a pressure cooker. Along the way we touch Developmental Transformations, metaphor, identity, grief, and the ambivalence of wanting help while also needing to claim your own voice.

Then we get to the part no rehearsal can fully predict: performance. We dig into the energy exchange of a supportive audience, the phenomenon of peak performance and flow state, and what changes when you let yourself be witnessed. If you’re curious about drama therapy, therapeutic theater, creative process, or what it takes to make something honest onstage, this conversation is a real behind-the-scenes look. Subscribe, share this with a friend who makes art to survive, leave a review, and tell us: what would you put in your self-rev?

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Therapy doesn’t usually come with stage lights, a hard deadline, and a room full of witnesses. That’s exactly why self-revelatory performance can hit so hard. We sit down with Aileen Cho, LMFT, registered drama therapist and board certified trainer, and incoming chair of the Drama Therapy program at CIIS, to break down what “self-revs” are and why they’re more than autobiographical theater.

We talk drama therapy fundamentals, then zoom in on how a self-revelatory performance asks the performer to work with real material that’s still alive to make an aesthetically poignant piece of theatre. Aileen explains aesthetic distance, the sweet spot between being flooded and being disconnected, and why the theatrical frame matters as much as the personal story. We also get honest about the director’s job: holding ethics, containment, craft, and the messy reality of making something out of nothing.

We dig into the rehearsal process from dreaming and gathering to shaping, scripting, and making tough cuts, plus how self-indulgence can show up as difficulty in editing or as avoidance. Then we turn to the audience, not as passive consumers, but as compassionate witnesses whose presence can support transformation for the performer and spark healing for themselves too. If you’re curious about therapeutic theater, trauma-informed creativity, drama therapy training, or why real-life ritual feels so rare in an online world, this conversation gives you language and a roadmap.

Subscribe for more season two conversations, share this with a creative who needs a stronger container, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Guest:  Aileen Cho 

https://www.aileenbcho.com/

https://www.ciis.edu/academics/graduate-programs/drama-therapy

Host:  Kimberly Koljat

https://www.kimberlykoljatlmft.com/

Music:  Peter Joseph

Graphics:  Big Love Designs

https://www.biglovedesigns.com/

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In this conversation, we explore the intersection of musical theater, identity, and empathy through the lens of Gordon Leary's work. Gordon shares insights about writing characters that resonate on a human level, the collaborative process of creating musicals, and how personal experiences inform their storytelling. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding diverse human experiences and encourages audiences to engage more deeply with the narratives presented in theater. We also delve into the role of pop culture in shaping contemporary themes and the future of musical theater as a reflective art form.

• Gordon Leary discusses their journey as a musical theater writer 
• Exploration of empathy vs. sympathy in storytelling 
• The role of collaboration in the creative process 
• Reflection on the influence of pop culture in narratives 
• The importance of presenting complex characters vs. caricatures 
• Insights into the future of theater and evolving narratives 
• The challenge of self-definition in an artistic context 
• How personal experiences shape creative output 

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This episode delves into the often complex relationship between creativity and impasse, illustrating how moments of feeling stuck can actually serve as fertile ground for inspiration and growth. Marie Broadway shares insights on the importance of embracing the transformative process of creativity, emphasizing that impasse is not a barrier but a crucial stage that can lead to deeper understanding and connection to oneself. 

• Discussion of Developmental Transformations as a creative coaching tool 
• Defining creativity and its connection to multiple aspects of life 
• Exploration of the neuroscience behind creative processes 
• The significance of novelty versus repetition in creative practices 
• In-depth look at the concept of impasse and its relation to creativity 
• How empathy plays a role in navigating creative challenges 
• The impact of personal history on one’s creative journey 
• Insights into incorporating rest as a tool for creativity 
• The importance of space and environment in the creative process 
• Final reflections on making peace with creative blocks and embracing the journey.

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Celebrated musician and educator Craig Klonowski joins us to uncover the essence of creativity across multiple disciplines. With over two decades of experience, Craig shares his journey through a vibrant career that spans classical, folk, musical theater, and film scoring. Learn how he weaves resilience and renewal into his work, particularly in his debut album "Comeback Year," and discover his passion for nurturing young talent in New York City's public schools. His reflections on embracing vulnerability and imperfection in art provide a profound exploration of the artistic process and finding one's voice and identity through the arts.

Craig's personal anecdotes enrich our dialogue, from his love for bonsai trees to his adventures in acting. We tackle the struggle of inner criticism in performing arts, and the journey of evolving through artistic exploration. Discover how feedback, resilience, and the beauty of imperfection play crucial roles in personal and artistic growth. As we delve into Craig's musical journey and his students' achievements, this episode is a testament to the enduring allure and transformative power of the arts. Join us for an inspiring exploration of creativity that promises to touch the heart and ignite the imagination.

Craig can be found at www.craigklonowski.com or on social media as @craigklonowski

Hosted by Kimberly Koljat
@theeyedentityproject
[email protected]

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Welcome to The Eyed Entity Podcast!  This episode serves as an exposition and a foundation for what is to come from this space.  Though this will primarily be an interview podcast, the first episode lays the groundwork for how this podcast came to be. 

Based on a one year long project called "The Eyed Entity Project", the experience of identity in the face of profound grief and loss brought forth questions:  who am I when I am not who I was in relationship before?  What is most important?  How do we uncover our preferences?  How do we follow them?  How impactful are others in each chapter of our own individual identity?  

Join your host, Kimberly, an LMFT and creative in the exploration of themes around mental health, grief, relationship, creativity and the arts, how we find community, self-empowerment, and related psychological and sociological topics in coming episodes!

3:35: Who am I?
9:50:  What is this podcast and how it came to be
43:00: What you can expect moving forward
49:25: Where to find all things Eyed Entity Podcast and contacting me