Artist Decoded by Yoshino

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Article Mentioned: Why Your Brain Needs To Dream by Matthew Walker Podcast Mentioned: Sleep Is Non-Negotiable: Dr. Matthew Walker | Rich Roll Podcast Yoshino's Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Show Notes: Giving space for one's own stream of consciousness to flow The power of writing daily "What is your identity?" Awakening the spirit Yoshino's Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Lidia Yuknavitch is the nationally bestselling author of the novels The Book of Joan, The Small Backs of Children, and Dora: A Headcase, the story collection Verge, and the memoir The Chronology of Water. She is the recipient of two Oregon Book Awards and has been a finalist for the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize and the PEN Center USA Creative Nonfiction Award. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Topics Discussed In This Episode: "One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are, and to live without belief—that is a fate more terrible than dying." - The Book of Joan Having grit and an unwillingness to surrender as an artist False notions around the idea of transcendence Social conditioning Patriarchy The umbilical cord as a metaphoric symbol in Lidia's writing Objective correlatives Intergenerational trauma Her writing center "Corporeal Writing" How her newest book "Thrust" is a love letter dedicated to her son and mother "The edges of everything are always shimmering" - Lidia Enzo circles Having a competitive spirit as an athlete Lidia feeling comfort in the water The connection between colonization and the way we view the gender binary Lidia's process of researching while she is writing a book People / Artists Mentioned: VOWWS (Band) Jesse Draxler (Visual Artist) David Lynch (Filmmaker) Melissa Febos (Writer) Terese Marie Mailhot (Writer) Judith Butler (Philosopher) Danez Smith (Poet) David Cronenberg (Filmmaker) Viggo Mortensen (Actor) Kristen Stewart (Actor) Jane Campion (Director) Philip K. Dick (Writer) Brandon Cronenberg (Director) Percy Bysshe Shelley (Poet) Elizabeth Moss (Actor) Margaret Atwood (Writer) Books Mentioned: The Misfit's Manifesto Thrust The Book of Joan It Didn't Start With You Frankenstein Films / TV Shows Mentioned: eXistenZ (1999) Crimes of the Future (2022) Titane (2021) Blade Runner (1982) Dead Ringers (1988) Possessor (2020) Mary Shelley (2017) Shirley (2020) The Handmaid's Tale (2017) artistdecoded.com lidiayuknavitch.net instagram.com/lidiamiles twitter.com/LidiaYuknavitch

Martin Wittfooth was born in Toronto, Canada in 1981 and works in two studios in Kingston, New York, and Savannah, Georgia. He earned his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2008. Wittfooth's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Akron Art Museum in Ohio, and La Halle Saint-Pierre in Paris, with solo exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Copenhagen. His paintings have also appeared in numerous publications, including Juxtapoz, The New York Times Art Review, and Vice, and cover features in New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose, Chronogram, and American Artist Magazine. Wittfooth's paintings, drawings, installations, and sculptural works investigate themes of the intersection and clash of industry and nature, and the human influence on the environment. Many of his works explore the theme of shamanism - rituals and practices as old as our species - through which we have attempted to dialogue with nature: the nature outside of ourselves and the nature within. His creative language uses the combination of allegory and symbolism to convey visual narratives. Martin Wittfooth is represented by Gallery Poulsen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Martin's upcoming solo exhibit "The Plasticene Era," which opens on September 17th, 2022 @ Gallery Poulsen in Cøpenhagen The longest amount of time he has spent on one painting Getting inspiration from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles The pre-career retrospective Creating an exquisite corpse with oneself Martin growing up in Finland Martin working as an illustrator directly out of college 3D printing World building Speaking about one's personal observations of the world through one's paintings The Siren in Greek mythology Google's "sentient" AI, LaMDA Creating meaning out of one's own life Balancing being a working artist and having a family Being a community-focused artist People / Artists Mentioned: Gerhard Richter (Visual Artist) David Cronenberg (Director) Bret Easton Ellis (Writer) Darren Aronofsky (Director) Adrian Ghenie (Painter) Justin Mortimer (Painter) Cecily Brown (Painter) Anish Kapoor (Sculptor) James Turrell (Artist) Albert Einstein (Physicist) Blake Lemoine (Google AI Engineer) Books Mentioned: American Psycho Less Than Zero Films / TV Shows Mentioned: Crimes of the Future (2022) Mother! (2017) The Shining (1980) martinwittfooth.com instagram.com/martinwittfooth

Emma Ruth Rundle is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and visual artist. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Emma leaving Cal Arts to move to Wellington, New Zealand Outsider art Yoshino's introduction into photography Finding one's flow state Tapping into the collective consciousness within one's art Exploring the role of an artist Her newest album and visual art project "Dowsing Voice" Traveling to Wales to record "Dowsing Voice" Unblocking the gateway of the mind to allow the muse to enter Emma exploring getting her MFA Journaling Arthurian legends and Celtic myths Feeling less lonely when you can connect with an artist's body of work Finding people you can connect with along the way Post-narrative work People / Artists Mentioned: Henry Darger (Artist) Maja Ruznic (Painter) Vivian Maier (Photographer) Francis Bacon (Painter) Sibylle Baier (Folk Singer) Nick Drake (Singer-Songwriter) Joan Didion (Writer) Margaret Atwood (Writer) Olivia Laing (Writer) Phil Hale (Artist) Shape of Despair (Band) Patrick Walker (Musician) Lidia Yuknavitch (Writer) Mizmor (Band) Mary Maddux of Meditation Oasis Wim Wenders (Director) Andrei Tarkovsky (Director) Dave Elitch (Drummer) Books Mentioned: "Everybody" by Olivia Laing The Mabinogion Poetic Edda "The Misfit's Manifesto" by Lidia Yuknavitch Films / TV Shows Mentioned: Wings of Desire (1987) Midsomer Murders (1997) Slow TV - Norway Stalker (1979) artistdecoded.com emmaruthrundle.com instagram.com/emmaruthrundle twitter.com/emmaruthrundle

There is a way a voice can cut through the fascia of reality, cleaving through habit into the raw nerve of experience. Nika Roza Danilova, the singer, songwriter, and producer who since 2009 has released music as Zola Jesus, wields a voice that does that. When you hear it, it is like you are being summoned -- not to somewhere new, but to a place that's already wrapped inside you, somewhere previously obscured from conscious experience. This place has been buried because it tends to hold pain, but it's also a gift, because once it's opened, once you're inside of it, it can show you the truth. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Nika's newest album "Arkhon" Accepting the past and exploring the unknown How her life drastically changed after the release of her album "Okovi" in 2017 Her journey creating her albums: Taiga, Okovi, and Arkhon "When you're trying to make music to fit into a world that already exists. It's much less interesting." - Nika Problems with viewing one's art within the lens of commerce and commercial viability Having confidence in one's own unique process The healing powers of meditation Having full faith and trust in the muse Transcendental Meditation Creating music in isolation The Definite Chief Aim Losing touch with one's internal dialogue Cultivating purpose Returning to nature to understand that we are part of a greater ecosystem Human hubris Being mindful of how one expends their energy Changing the world through our artistic contributions Being completely honest with oneself Subverting the algorithm Defining success and value for ourselves Exploring ideas surrounding monetary success and prosperity "If you could only have a couple of things in your life, what would they be?" - Nika Existentialism "I want to focus on my experience. Not on how other people are experiencing me." - Nika People / Artists Mentioned: Alex DeGroot (Producer & Musician) David Lynch (Filmmaker) Andrei Tarkovsky (Director) Mitch Horowitz (Writer) Jesse Draxler (Artist) Napolean Hill (Writer) Margaret Atwood (Writer) Joan Didion (Writer) Books Mentioned: "Catching The Big Fish" by David Lynch "The Body Keeps The Score" by Bessel van der Kolk "Daydream Believer" by Mitch Horowitz "The White Album" by Joan Didion "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion Films Mentioned: Arrival (2016) Don't Look Up (2021) artistdecoded.com zolajesus.com instagram.com/zolajesus twitter.com/zolajesus

Jay Cheel's career in non-fiction filmmaking has focused mostly on character-based portraits of quirky, passionate obsessives, realized in a highly cinematic style. His debut feature Beauty Day premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of their Canadian Front Programming Series. The film was also an official selection at the Hot Docs International Film Festival and was nominated for a Genie Award in 2012. His second feature How to Build a Time Machine premiered at Hot Docs and went on to screen at AFI Docs, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and DOC NYC. His latest is Cursed Films, a five-part documentary series produced for AMC Networks and Shudder. The show focuses on the legends surrounding some of Hollywood's most troubled horror film productions and has gone on to become the highest-rated documentary series on the platform. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Jay's short film Twisted Him being exposed to horror films at a young age Recognizing the importance of a director in a film production at a young age What piqued Jay's original interest in entering film as a career His podcast Film Junk, which holds a Guinness World Records for the longest-running film podcast His short film Beauty Day Creating deep interpersonal connections with crew members on a film set The need for control as it relates to artistic pursuits How Jay's perspective of curses has changed while working on the Cursed Films project How the film, The Exorcist, negatively impacted the cultural lexicon by reinforcing the existence of the devil Predatory capitalism Personal tragedies that happened for Jay while filming Cursed Films The importance of providing context in a documentary project The Manson murders The murders and tragedies that have occurred in Benedict Canyon in LA Ethical decisions they had to make regarding what scenes to show in Cannibal Holocaust Naive actors getting involved in Cannibal Holocaust, and Carl Gabriel Yorke signing on without reading the script People / Artists Mentioned: John Carpenter (Filmmaker) Lidia Yuknavitch (Writer) Gary Oldman (Actor) Robert Deniro (Actor) Tim Burton (Director) Bill Pullman (Actor) Steve Rash (Director) Judy Garland (Actor) Lorna Luft (Actor) Roman Polanski (Director) Dianne Lake (Writer / Former Manson Family Member) Julian Wasser (Photographer) Ruggero Deodato (Director) Andrei Tarkovsky (Director) Cursed Films Episodes Mentioned: Twilight Zone: The Movie The Exorcist The Wizard of Oz (S2 E1) Rosemary's Baby (S2 E2) Stalker (S2 E3) The Serpent and the Rainbow (S2 E4) Cannibal Holocaust (S2 E5) TV Shows + Films Mentioned: The Day After (1983) The Thing (1982) Big Trouble in Little China (1986) They Live (1988) Prince of Darkness (1987) Be Kind Rewind (2008) American Movie (1999) Ed Wood (1994) Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1977) Weekend (1967) Andrei Rublev (1966) artistdecoded.com jaycheel.com instagram.com/jaywesleycheel twitter.com/JayCheel

Mia Bergeron's Bio Mia Bergeron is a classically trained oil painter that uses modern techniques and concepts to create layered imaginative works. Imagery in her work often oscillates between the fictitious and the observed in equal parts. Rooted in her upbringing in New York City with continuous exposure to modern art, her paintings also reveal her choice to study classical painting in Florence, Italy under Charles H. Cecil in her twenties. Heavily influenced by historical artists such as Diego Velázquez, Titian, Anthony van Dyck, and John Singer Sargent, her paintings are also shaped by contemporary artists such as Alex Kanevsky, Ann Gale, and Adrian Ghenie. For Mia, the process of making paintings is similar to meditation. Each painting is the listening and contemplating of the surrounding world. The minutes at the easel are similar to focusing on the breath- there are times when the scrutiny is welcomed and quiet, and other times when the mind is loud and unintelligible. It is this dynamic contrast that is at the center of Mia's paintings. This dualistic nature of life is what pushes and inspires her work. Mia has been published numerous times in international magazines. Her painting "Tranquil Ghosts" was the cover image for the January 2022 Issue of American Art Collector Magazine. She continues to teach throughout the United States and Europe. She and her husband, artist John McLeod, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. John McLeod's Bio Living and working in Chattanooga, Tennessee, John McLeod graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi in 2001. His earliest influences come from studying ancient Mesoamerican and Egyptian sculpture and imagery. John works with a wide range of materials and methods to explore emotional experiences, communicate beliefs in visual terms, create enigmatic situations, or simply to share beauty, pain, or both. Featured in Beautiful Bizarre and American Art Collector magazines, his work is collected internationally. John is currently represented at Abend Gallery. Topics Discussed In This Episode: How Mia and John originally met Their experiences living in Chattanooga, Tennessee Their newest duo show "Totems and Vessels" @ Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina Mia and John describing each of their processes Cultivating a solid relationship Creating a work/life balance in their lives How John sees the confluence between all of his vast interests and hobbies Finding a meditation practice through physical activities The joy that comes from having multiple creative outlets The anxiety of constant self-improvement Meditative qualities and subject matter within Mia's work Understanding the technical aspects of a painting in order to express more personal ideas Books Mentioned: "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion artistdecoded.com miabergeron.com johnmcleodart.com robertlangestudios.com/shows/totems-and-vessels

Riley Stearns grew up in Pflugerville, TX, a suburb of Austin. His feature debut FAULTS premiered at SXSW in 2014 and went on to play festivals around the world. THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE, his second feature, also premiered at SXSW in 2017. The film was released by Bleecker Street domestically and Universal Pictures internationally. DUAL is Stearns' third feature as writer/director and first as a producer. When not making films you can find Stearns on the mats training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Riley's origin story Riley's first memories of growing up The memory retention of "highly sensitive people" Riley's past life as a musician How Riley started writing short films and feature films Riley initially finding his voice through mimicking other people's writing styles When Saman and Riley met at SXSW in 2013 Where the initial idea of Dual came from How Riley creates the tone in his films Riley's time working as a staff writer for TV shows Riley speaks about legacy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Logistics for getting films made Artists Mentioned: Aaron Paul (Actor) Karen Gillan (Actor) Jim Jarmusch (Director) Yorgos Lanthimos (Director) Aaron Stewart-Ahn (Filmmaker) Jack Nicholson (Actor) Watch the video version of the podcast here artistdecoded.com instagram.com/rileystearns twitter.com/rileystearns

Saman Kesh (born Saman Keshavarz) is an Iranian-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his narrative music video work for notable artists such as Basement Jaxx, Calvin Harris, Kygo, Placebo, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Vitalic, Apparat and Porter Robinson. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Living and being isolated in the desert The Definite Chief Aim - a concept by Napolean Hill through way of Mitch Horowitz Grieving the death of his girlfriend Jean Guo Gaining momentum through commercial success Understanding purpose Working through failures Accepting ourselves Being magick Balancing out the need for control Changing negative perspectives "Hollywood has this ability to arrest you in this psychosis of delusions" - Saman Kesh The gift of an existential crisis Power in analyzing dreams Functioning under depression Saman's "Zoom" call analogy Martial arts Books Referenced: "Fierce Intimacy: Standing Up to One Another with Love" by Terry Real Artists Mentioned: The Daniels (Directing Duo) Martin Scorsese (Director) Jonah Hill (Actor) Joyce Carol Oates (Writer) artistdecoded.com samankesh.com instagram.com/saman_kesh twitter.com/ghibli303