Vulnerability in life and art

Jo Ann Chaus is a New York-based photographer who explores identity, memory, aging, and expectations of women through deeply rich and personal self-portraits, still lifes, and landscapes.

Drawing from a background in retail fashion, she uses garments that had belonged to women from previous generations of her family, including her mother, along with props, lighting, and reflections, to create images - performances - that lead through a metamorphic journey of self-inquiry toward self-determination. In its way, Jo Ann's work pays homage to the tremendous effort it takes to break through social convention.

I also really enjoyed what she shared about the role of instinct in creating work, and how the unconscious moves so much faster than the conscious mind.

Learn more about Jo Ann and check out her latest book, Unspoken, at joannchaus.com and on instagram @joann_chaus

One of the things that really struck me during my conversation with Steven was when he said: "People don't want work that is difficult."

In anticipation of speaking with artist, poet, and philosopher Steven Seidenberg, I explored two of his pieces in particular, one literary and one visual: Coda and Kanazawa Vacancy. My experiences with these two works inspired a lot of our conversation, as well as years at university reading philosophical texts I read over and over to try and understand.

As Steven explains, it's not easy to create pieces that people might find confusing. But through struggle we generate meaning. Even better if we can let go of the need to 'understand' and instead open up and read a book, or look at a series of photographs, and discover what meanings may emerge.

To learn more about Steven and his work, be sure to check out stevenseidenberg.com and also instagram @steven.seidenberg

And you can listen to Steven read Coda on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hBUV7uKPhASJS5ckzginO

This is a reflection on Quality in this podcast and how it relates to video and audio conversations.

Entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and founder of Serapex, Philipp explains that our existential fears of life and death are our primary drivers. He helps people uncover the deeper meaning and purpose that underlie their fears, so they can reframe those fears and determine the best ways to work through them.

Through his experience in design, branding, and strategy as well as study of existential psychology, Philipp developed insights that are meaningful to a broad audience, including his conviction that the real art is the act of becoming the artist - someone who creates - rather than whatever is created, which is just a by-product of the process.

To quote from Philipp's latest post on substack (18 Sep 2026):

Don't panic. Hold the line. Create the multi-layered art that is locked up in your soul right now.

Learn more about Philipp and his work by exploring serapex.com - and there is a link to the archteype quiz on the home page. You can also check out his writing on substack @philipp

Photographer and wild horse advocate Carol Walker talks about how she first started in photography and what led her to capturing images of families - the stallions, mares, and foals living in the wild in Wyoming.

Carol's passion and commitment to raising awareness of the precarious plight of wild horses today come through not just her words, but the images she captures of horses as individuals, from Blue Zeus and Picasso to Washakie and Thor.

Have a look through her photos on livingimagescarolwalker.com and on instagram @wild_hoofbeats to learn more about her work and the challenges facing wild horses today.

Entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and founder of Serapex, Philipp Kiesele explains that our existential fears of life and fear of death are our primary drivers. He helps people uncover the deeper meaning and purpose that underlie their fears, so they can reframe those fears and determine the best ways to work through them.

Through his experience in design, branding, and strategy as well as study of existential psychology, Philipp developed insights that are meaningful to a broad audience, including his conviction that the real art is the act of becoming the artist - someone who creates - rather than whatever is created, which is just a by-product of the process.

To quote from Philipp's latest post on Substack (18 Sep 2026):

Don't panic. Hold the line. Create the multi-layered art that is locked up in your soul right now.

Learn more about Philipp and his work by exploring serapex.com - and there is a link to the archteype quiz on the home page. You can also check out his writing on Substack @philipp

David Deane Haskell is a musician as well as the author of several books, including Wounded Angels and The Solarian Deep.

We talk about how drumming led him to writing a personal memoir about trauma and inner child healing, essays capturing daily slices of life, and speculative science fiction.

Ulimately he sees all the pieces he creates as opportunities to communicate with others in a meaningful way - to be heard and understood, and also to hear and understand how others react to what he shares.

David shares his experiences of vulnerability, both as a person and an artist, with great openness and self-awareness.

You can learn more about his work at daviddeanehaskell.com and on instagram @daviddeanehaskell

Ivana Bajic is a multimedia producer drawn to stories where nature, emotion, and human transformation intersect. Through surfing, she discovered the ocean not just as a place, but as a force of healing, grounding, and deep connection among women.

Author of Nature of Surf Women, creator of the podcast Nature of Surf Women - Waves of Women, and curator of surf and wellness retreats, Ivana is currently working on a documentary about surf therapy and the healing power of the ocean.

Among my favourite parts of our conversation was talking about the tremendous value of caring and community.

Learn more about Ivana and her broad scope of work on instagram @ivanabajic and @nature_of_surfwomen and online at natureofsurfwomen.com

Mark Connor is a boxing trainer and writer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hearing Mark read from his book, 'It's About Time (Millions of Copies Sold for Dad),' reminded me how precious it is to have the opportunity to listen to a writer read their words aloud.

As Mark says, 'God breaks my nose; I'll break his nose.' In other words, fight for what feels right.

And the idea that once your feet hit the ground, you have to keep the momentum going, whether it's running, writing, painting, playing music, however you want to express yourself - that speaks to me. We always have to start by getting the momentum going, by becoming the kind of person who does what we value most.

You can learn more about Mark on instagram @writingboxer and online at boxersandwritersmagazine.com. His book - It's About Time (Millions of Copies Sold for Dad)' - is available on Amazon.

I've called at least one other episode in this podcast an odd duck. I think this may be a much even odder duck. The theme is ruminations I guess on the fifth birthday of the Vulnerability in life and art podcast.