Why Not Both

Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  We partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Best selling author/podcast host/journalist Dana Schwartz and writer/actress/educator Korama Danquah have respectively worked on a truly impressive array of creative projects but few things compare to their collective encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture and history. If you ever wanted to hear hot takes on everything from race relations and religion in Twilight to why we use forks as an act of diplomacy, this episode is for you. 

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  We partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Emilia Richeson is the magical musical mind behind Pony Sweat, the dance aerobics phenomenon you never knew you needed in your life until you get absolutely hooked. As she puts it on her website, "Pony Sweat is a practice in anti-perfectionism and radical self acceptance," a practice in joy and embodiment that focuses on using movement to cultivate care for ourselves. We loved chatting with her about how her love of music led her to embrace dance and ultimately how she fought back against the narrative of being good enough by simply doing her best. 

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Sometimes you have to retrace your steps to discover parts of yourself that you may have lost along your journey. Zola Jesus took this literally and moved back to the woods of her childhood where she crafted her new album Arkon and spent time rediscovering who she was outside of the life she had constructed over the years in LA. We have nothing but respect for our feral queen and are truly inspired by her fierce creativity and her outspoken support for artists.

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

You know that friend introduces you to brand new ideas and is always showing you something that becomes wildly popular months later? Ellie Pritts is that friend. From her collaborations with AI on her Frogeforms project to her striking images of Joshua Tree, Ellie consistently creates art that makes you see the world a bit differently as we are so lucky to spend time in her visions.

Check out her collection of Frogeforms

Get your own piece from her Reverse Zoology collection

Head over to her website to keep in touch

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

As a sexual content creator, columnist, author and all round brilliant lady of the internet, Stoya has become a rare sort of artist, both venerated and simultaneously accessible. Her followers come to her not just with adoration but with the genuine desire for connection and advise. We chatted about where to draw the line between education and entertainment in the sexual spheres along with the importance of mental health advocacy and support for creators of all kinds all while discussing the finer points of glueing cat hair to your face to amuse your friends during the early days of quarantine. 

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Katie Thiroux brings a beautiful sense of calm strength to all she pursues, from jazz festivals to teaching at USC. We got to chat about how she cultivated a collection of music students around the world over the last few years during the pandemic and the importance of embracing the different seasons of life we find ourselves in. It's a gift getting to hear from an artist who is so dedicated to embracing the practice of her craft and reminding us that it's ok to say yes to all the adventures that it might bring.

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Nabil Ayers didn't set out to write a book about his family history but after his essay about being biracial went viral, he simply ran with the idea and My Life In The Sunshine was born. Taking a spark and running with it seems to be a common theme in Ayers life as his mutual love of music and business led him to his current role as US president of Beggars Group all while he drums in various bands and runs his own label The Control Group. It's dizzingly inspiring to chat with someone who is so open to new ideas and a welcome reminder to listen to that hint of inspiration as you never know where it might lead.

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Sometimes you have to hop into someone else's' story to better understand your own. Mal Blum learned this over the past year as they spent the majority of their time providing hospice care for their beloved next door neighbor, an elderly woman with a feisty disposition and fascinating life. Their time away from their usual routine as a touring musician inspired them to jump into new creative territories, co-writing songs with friends and trying out acting, crafting handmade benches and modeling. We are delighted to see what comes next (and not so secretly hope it's a podcast about their amazing neighbor).

Listen to Mal's latest e.p. Ain't It Nice.

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

How do you have a private life when the personal is both political and the source of your creative work? We chatted with Polaris Prize winning rapper Cadence Weapon about the intersections between community, activism and art on the eve of the release of his book Bedroom Rapper. It was fascinating to hear his takes on how to balance tending to one's community and tending to one's self as we create a more interdependent world through our art. 

Listen to Cadence Weapon

Read Bedroom Rapper out May 31 2022

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Why Not Both is an exploration of how our multiple passions shape our identity, hosted by musician and therapist Pam Shaffer and produced by writer and photographer Laura Studarus.  For our fifth season, we partnered up with Under The Radar to explore the lives of musicians, writers, actors, and creatives.

Geography is often a vital collaborator for Simone Merli and Stephan Crasneanscki of Soundwalk Collective, which made their album Lovotic a fascinating experience of how to summon the influence of space in the digital realm. We spoke with Simone of the importance of transcending the self through the experience of different cultures and how valuable it is to lose yourself entirely in your own work. Ultimately some of our best creations come when we stretch ourselves past what we believed to be our limits.

Listen to Soundwalk Collective's latest album Lovotic

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