Artist Decoded by Yoshino

Originally hailing from Toronto, Canada, Michelle Groskopf is a Los Angeles based photographer. Her work is a mix of photo journalism, portraiture and street photography. She holds a BFA in film and video production from the School Of Visual Arts in New York where she also taught as an adjunct professor in the graduate film and video dept. She is a member of the celebrated flash photography collective Full Frontal Flash. Michelle is dedicated to empowering youth through photography and education initiatives working with the Lucie Foundation, Educare and Youth Arts to inspire the next generation of photographers and artists. Her work has been shown around the world and featured in publications such as The British Journal Of Photography, American Photo, The Huffington Post, Vice Magazine and It's Nice That, among others. Her clients include, Refinery 29, Bloomberg Businessweek, Vice Magazine, Marie Claire France, Aftenposten, and Stern Magazine. Her first monograph is being published by The Magenta Foundation and will be released in the fall of 2017. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Making thematic work Her early life/work as a filmmaker and producer How she became a photographer Visual iconography Outside forces polluting ideas Her experiences living in Hollywood The path of least resistance Physical and emotional stress Larry Sultan Thinking about life as a marathon as opposed to a sprint Changing the idea of success Romanticizing the artist lifestyle Seeing the light at the end of a dark and hopeless tunnel Looking at other mediums of art for inspiration Over intellectualizing artwork The "Full Frontal Flash" photography collective Finding a community www.artistdecoded.com

Writer / photographer, Scot Sothern, bounced around for forty years. In 2010, at 60, his first solo exhibit, LOWLIFE, photos and stories of life with street prostitutes, was held at the notorious Drkrm Gallery in Los Angeles. His first book of the same title was published in the U.K. by Stanley Barker in 2011. The British Journal of Photography called LOWLIFE, "The years' most controversial photobook." Scot's work has since been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, and Paris. In 2013 he began a biweekly column, Nocturnal Submissions, for VICE Magazine, and Curb Service: A Memoir, was published by Soft Skull Press. STREETWALKERS, stories and photographs was published by powerHouse Books in February 2016. Writer, Jerry Stahl, called it "An absolutely amazing and essential book." BIG CITY, published in 2017 by Stalking Horse Press, is Sothern's first novel. Guest Interviewer: Nolwen Cifuentes www.artistdecoded.com

GEMS is the evolving ethereal pop project of former lovers Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher. After an agonizing romantic split, the duo are continuing to make music together with the project: 'Every Full Moon'. The full moon represents a time of culmination and fulfillment, of coming full circle, and a symbolic illumination in our inner lives that is mirrored in the night sky. GEMS will be releasing a new song with every full moon as they work through the ghosts of their past and face the uncertainty of the future. Their hope is that the music they create can serve as a vehicle to transform the pain and work through things that otherwise seem totally overwhelming. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Being able to separate yourself from your art Constantly investigating and navigating the world Neil Young, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell Astrology Releasing their songs at the end of the full moon cycle Changes the duo has been going through both personally and with their musical career Technological advances The music industry Getting trapped in systematic styles of living / thinking Social and emotional education Positivity through individuality Artwork affecting culture www.artistdecoded.com

"I'm an art director, motion designer, and illustrator from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I've been working online since 2003 with an extensive list of creatives in music videos, live visual packages, lookbooks, and everything art related. I have studied Beauty Arts in Bachillerato de Bellas Artes in my natal city, La Plata. I also have a teaching degree in Beauty Arts." - Gustavo Torres (aka Kidmograph)." Topics Discussed In This Episode: His beginnings as a painter then transitioning to digital art Juxtaposing disparate elements together His daily flow Staying disciplined Looking inward for inspiration www.artistdecoded.com

John F Simon Jr. is a multimedia artist and software art pioneer who work and installations are found in the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others. In 2011, he collaborated with Icelandic singer Bjork to write an app for her album, Biophilia. Simon's newest publication, Drawing Your Own Path: 33 Practices at the Crossroads of Art and Meditation, is out now by Parallax Press. Simon grew up in central Louisiana and currently lives and works in Sugar Loaf, New York. Topics Discussed in this Episode: Creative ruts leading to personal creative breakthroughs His experiences going to Brown and SVA How he started to experiment with digital imaging Communal VR and AR spaces "Snowcrash", a book by Neal Stephenson Classic panopticons His research into AI The "no-self" experience Discussing the idea behind his book "Drawing Your Own Path" Understanding and dissecting meditation "Secret of the Golden Flower" (book) Mindfulness being executed when the verbal and non-verbal parts of the brain sync up The personal narrative Bruce Lee Creating your own reality www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Casey is a painter based in New York City. Topics discussed in this episode: Accepting imperfections Explanation of his upcoming solo exhibit, "Exposed" Being honest with oneself Creating visceral and guttural artwork Absorbing inspiration and life experiences Taking risks Balancing artistic, creative, and business practices Setting up monetary systems to allow yourself the freedom to create art for a living Tony Robbins Films Comparing films to paintings www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Rebecca Farr (b. 1973, Los Angeles, California) Lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Rebecca Farr recently exhibited her most recent show at Klowden Mann, Out of Nothing and was reviewed by New American Paintings. In 2015, Farr was awarded a residency at Kaus Australis in Rotterdam, and was featured in a group exhibition at Kaus in the Fall of 2015. Farr has exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Houston, Istanbul, Rotterdam, and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her work is held in private collections both nationally and internationally, and she recently completed two years as faculty artist in the education department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where she has been developing youth driven public works. Rebecca is the founder of CREATE/ACTION, an artist driven community organizing collective based in Los Angeles. www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

https://www.patreon.com/artistdecoded This podcast episode was originally recorded in Los Angeles, CA @ NOH/WAVE's event entitled MIND/WAVE on March 18th, 2017 with guest speakers Joshua Hagler, Jarell Perry, Maja Ruznic, and Yoshino. www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Unit London is an arts space and gallery founded in 2013 by Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt. Unit London was born from a desire to break down the barriers of elitism and to include people in the contemporary art world - whether they are enthusiasts, first-timers, new collectors, or seasoned collectors and institutions - they strongly believe that everybody should be able to enjoy the world's most amazing art. Topics Discussed In This Episode: The next generation of galleries Pop-up gallery experiences Making art more accessible Unit London was started with the approach of identifying 3 problems in the art world and a need to change these problems: art being exclusive and elitist, certain deserving artists not being celebrated, artists not having social recognition and relevancy. Defining your "why" and your "story" The importance of starting a business that connects with their audience on an emotional level www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Justin Hopkins interviews Martin Wittfooth and Sergio Barrale. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Being in control of yourself even if you're not in control of outside forces Sergio's car exploding while driving cross country Plant medicines Letting go of materialistic possessions The importance of family Not letting bad situations dictate your happiness Psychedelic experiences Martin leaving NYC to live in Woodstock Reflections on Martin's dog Luna Lessening one's own ego Being lost in a big city How Sergio and Martin met each other UFC Martin explains his work Terence McKenna www.artistdecoded.com www.instagram.com/artistdecoded www.twitter.com/yoshinostudios