What are the essentials of preparing a space for awe? When do you choose to control and let go? How do you tackle the biggest project you've ever done? ...and how does that apply to tupperware bins?April Jennifer Choi is a 24-time Guinness World Record holder in whips and circus arts. She is also an aerospace engineer for NASA. Her highest expertise is in the physics of whip performance and the science of stage craft. She is a fire performer, chains aerialist, magician, musician, and her international television and stage performances have mesmerized audiences worldwide. You might also know her and her wife as the flaming lesbians who went viral for their wedding photos in which they are literally on fire.Trigg Watson blends an incredible mix of theatrical storytelling, technology, and human connection into modern magic. He's originally from Australia, started out in Texas producing many of his own shows, and from there has gone on to be an internationally performing magician who's been seen on TedX, Masters of Illusion, Penn & Teller's Fool Us, Masters of Illusion, and The Magic Castle.

What does it mean for art to truly matter?In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most important questions facing artists today: how can creative work make a real impact in a world overflowing with noise, complexity, and crisis, both personal and collective?Joining us are two extraordinary guests whose careers sit at the intersection of art and healing.Kate Smith is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist with over a decade of experience as a professional actor and opera singer. She's the creator of One Woman Hamlet, a solo show featuring a full cast of puppets exploring themes of mental health, and now runs Mythos Lens, a fantasy portrait photography experience that helps clients discover and embody their deeper selves through character and story.David Roston, better known as Esmeralda the Puppet, an iconic figure in the Los Angeles puppet scene, is also a guitarist and vocalist with the band Shahari.What makes this conversation especially fascinating: both guests bring a public health lens to their creative work. David holds a master's in public health, and Kate is a trauma-informed yoga teacher and somatic healer.This is a conversation about getting attention and deserving it, about healing yourself, healing your audience, and why art still matters.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of creativity, culture, and healing.Kate Smith @mythoslens David Roston @esmereldathepuppet @shaherimusic @djcaesarsalad

In this second episode, host Chloe Baldwin (“Christian Rock”) sits down with two fellow drag artists, Viv Gould (“Watson Side”) and Kyle Cragle (“Scarlett Business”). We cover everything from finding artistic practices you have to grow into to the relationship between “drag” and “clown” to what audiences expect in different cities.

Guests: Viv Gould @watson.side on Instagram

Kyle Cragle @scarlettbusiness on Instagram

This episode is sponsored by Silver Lining Coffee - silverliningcoffee.com

Watt's.side grinch video from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSiPStFj0Lu/

In this inaugural episode, Chloe Baldwin sits down with Andi Gladwin & Erik Tait, two creatively comedic magicians who bridge business and art in their own performances and in their work with magic publishers Vanishing Inc. & Penguin Magic, respectively. We're coming right out the gate with with this collaborative conversation that spans everything from 10,000 hours of practice to navigating dealers rooms. This episode is made possible by Mystify Magic Festival & Wendy Gomez. What we cover: - Erik's comedy degree vs. Andi's school of hard knocks. Two very different paths to comedy magic - The single piece of brutal feedback that transformed both their careers - Why Andi says running Vanishing Inc. accidentally ruined him as a magic performer - How Erik builds magic tricks around Finland conspiracies, robot combat & Schrödinger's cat - Making a trick truly yours and why the best ones can never be released - Dealer's rooms, dopamine hits, and how to buy magic tricks like a pro - "I steal from dead guys" the creative philosophy every magician needs to hear - The Penguin Magic vs. Vanishing Inc. arms race to make the most beautiful magic books Guests: 🔗 Erik Tait — eriktait.com | Penguin Magic Podcast 🔗 Andi Gladwin — illusionist.co.uk | Vanishing Inc. The Variety Pack Podcast is made possible by Mystify Magic Festival.