Mike and Elizabeth discuss the great dilemma faced by all GREAT artists who STRUGGLE, as all great artists must: Should you quit your day job?  Short answer: It depends. Long answer: You'll have to listen to the podcast.  Music licensed through Creative Common license - https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250750/

Dargan Ware is a poet, novelist, and consumer protection attorney who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the author of the novel, The Legend of Colgan Toomey, available on Amazon. In this interview we discuss Dargan's unique creative journey, his writing process, story as the bedrock of civilization, his novel, the process of publishing and marketing his work, creative writing vs legal writing, and many other topics. You can check out his novel here -  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V65G33J/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Mpho Molepo is our first South African guest. Mpho is an actor, writer, producer and musician. He achieved wide recognition for playing Digger in Zone 14, and Fats in Rhythm City. Mpho is is also very active in the South African theatre scene. Most recently he's created the Covid awareness show Sanitized Ville available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBQageI6HfFlr-G52E8EEiA In this interview we discuss Mpho's varied and successful career, the importance of his relationship with his father, the legendary South African artist, Arthur Molepo, how art is a great tool for communicating important messages, the importance of staying connected with your spirituality if you want to be creative, and much more.  Music licensed through Creative Common license - https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250750/

If you want to share your creative projects with the world you have to use social media. The only problem is, social media has the tendency to make us go INSANE! How do we navigate these treacherous waters? As usual, Mike and Elizabeth (resident geniuses) have some AMAZING answers. 

Bill Moran is a performance poet and former medic from Houston, TX. He is a two-time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, and has an MFA Poetry degree from Louisiana State University. He has toured regularly since 2011, performing and teaching throughout Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the US. His work has been featured on Button Poetry (video), University of Hell Press, Alien Mouth, Pressure Gauge Press, and Phoebe. He currently lives and works in Houston as a teaching artist for Writers in the Schools. Check out his work here -  http://www.billmoranpoetry.com/ Music licensed through Creative Common license -  https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250750/

It isn't all doom, gloom, and Zoom. Dark times call for creative minds.  In this episode Mike and Elizabeth discuss how this time of Covid-19, and other difficult eras in history, have affected creative living and artistic output. Some BIG names are dropped, including Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, and Zadie Smith, all of whom are HUGE fans of the podcast.  Music in this episode is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. In order of use:  https://freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250750/ https://freesound.org/people/ispeakwaves/sounds/439877/ https://freesound.org/people/makenoisemusic/sounds/422441/ https://freesound.org/people/sebane1/sounds/165858/

In this episode we speak to Phillip Counselman, visual artist, sculptor, potter, boat maker, and professor, about living a creative life, the role that formal education and mentors play in shaping an artist's life, the role and function of art in society, and other topics.  You can see some of Phillip's work here - https://www.phillipcounselman.com/ 

Mike and Elizabeth (with their usual mix of wit, charm, and casual brilliance) discuss a strange phenomenon in the life of the creative type: Awkwardness in telling people about your dreams and goals. Perhaps you've had this experience yourself? Either way you should DEFINITELY listen to this. 

Cheryl is a transplant from the east coast, living and working as a professional artist in the mountain west. She draws, illustrates, photographs, and designs things, mostly out of compulsion but also for money. Besides art, she loves people, music, nerdy books, and travel, specifically to Mongolia, over and over again.   Take a look at her work here -   cherylsart.squarespace.com 

In which Mike and Elizabeth ask and DEFINITIVELY answer this beguiling question.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app