I Loved This Conversation: Recent Episodes
Alex Salsberg
Conversations with creative people about what they’re currently going through in their creative lives.
I loved these conversations and I haven't stopped thinking about these moments from Season 4! These moments cover figure drawing empathy, magical career paths, film school work ethic, political theater pet peeves, head coaching your inner team, ideas about Israel and Palestine, hard things & fun flings, and much more. Featuring Ohad Salem, Ori Ashkenazi, Hanadi Elyan, Andrew Fox, Sally Fox, Michael Maria and Molly Cutler.
I loved this conversation with art studio founder Ohad Salem! We talked about how figure drawing supports body neutrality and fosters empathy, creating a welcoming space for artists, feeling like an outsider, examining long held beliefs, always being in the middle of the journey, and much more. SOMA Studio: @soma_studio_tlv
I loved this conversation with writer and artist Sally Fox! We talked about when the need for external validation gets in the way of internal creativity, designing days with the best rhythm for creating to avoid burnout, reframing limited beliefs that we learned a long time ago, connecting with the inner muse and keeping that conversation going, and much more. Sally's Blog: engagingpresence.com Sally's Book: Meeting the Muse After Midlife
I loved this conversation with musician and orchestrator Andrew Fox! We talked about creating art that can elicit multiple audience reactions at once, art that creates community vs. art that creates in-groups and out-groups, where politics and culture meet, how spending time abroad creates tectonic shifts in perspective, Andrew's creative decision-making around his new play, and much more. Andrew's TikTok: @andrewfoxmusic Andrew's Instragram: @andrewfoxmusic Andrew's Website: andrewfoxmusic.com Andrew's Band: joyandthewildfire.com
I loved having ANOTHER conversation with actress, nutritionist, health coach and disability advocate Molly Cutler! We talked about writing personal work and how it helps us discover things about ourselves, dating and relationships, committing to social media, Molly's mission to portray disability better on screen, how Molly's career path influenced her relationship with food and her body, and much more. Molly's Instagram: @mollyrcutler Molly's Website: mollyrcutler.com
Rewind Episode from September 2022 in anticipation of tomorrow's NEW Molly Cutler Episode! I loved this conversation with nutritionist, health coach and disability advocate Molly Cutler! We talked about keeping parts of our creative life sacred, wanting to be influencers, representation in online body image and wellness spaces, how Molly became more open about her disability personally and more visible through social media and modeling, and much more. Molly's Instagram: @mollyrcutler Molly's Website: mollyrcutler.com
I loved this conversation with film festival programming director Michael Maria! We talked about creating and gathering during times of trauma, the power of art and film to share both heavy topics and peoples' every day lives, whether social media is a good place for conversation, fears and fearlessness about sharing art and opinions, parenthood, music, Michael's path to becoming involved in the Boston Palestine Film Festival, Michael's journey of identity as a Palestinian-American, and much more. The Boston Palestine Film Festival Website: bostonpalestinefilmfest.org Michael's Email: michael@bostonpalestinefilmfest.org
I loved this conversation with magician Ori Ashkenazy! We talked about magic, truth and lies, "honest lies," developing a style, finding a path back to your original passion, protecting the integrity of your art form, creating for different countries/cultures/languages, experimenting with new ideas, Ori's mission to use magic for healing and therapy, and much more. Ori's website: orimagic.com
I loved this conversation with filmmaker Hanadi Elyan! We talked about choosing your next project, navigating the overwhelming logistics of big projects, letting go of control to be more collaborative, getting messages across without being preachy, how to learn a work ethic, Hanadi's experience shooting a feature in Jordan, Hanadi's goal of breaking stereotypes of Arab women, and much more. Hanadi's Instagram: @hanadielyan Hanadi on X: @hanadielyan Hanadi's website: hanadielyan.com. Salma's Home available on Netflix in the Middle East/North Africa region.
I loved having ANOTHER conversation with LA filmmaker and festival organizer Peter Levine! We talked about making huge life changes without talking ourselves out of them, choosing cities to thrive in creatively, fears about being accepted, wanting to work with the people who inspired us, falling in love, dating other creative people, Peter's impending move to LA next week (as of recording), and much more. Peter's Instagram: @levinep90 Peter's Website: peterlevinevideo.com
Rewind Episode from July 2022 in anticipation of tomorrow's NEW Peter Levine Episode! I loved this conversation with Boston filmmaker and festival organizer Peter Levine! We talked about whether having multiple creative paths is a weakness or a strength, sustaining artist communities during the pandemic, the choice to create in Boston, our uncomfortable fears of settling in our careers, and much more. Peter's Instagram: @levinep90
I loved this conversation with NYC musician Joanna Schubert! We talked about rebelling against your previous work, creative maximalism, going back to your roots as an artist, making peace with knowing more about your art than anyone else will, being less sure of your identity in a good way as you progress, the directness of processing emotions through music, Joanna’s recent album Waiting for the Sky to Speak and much more. Joanna's Instagram: @_oropendola Joanna's Website: joannaschubert.com Joanna's Patreon: patreon.com/Oropendola Joanna's Bandcamp: oropendola.bandcamp.com Interview w/ Joanna (mentioned in the Podcast): Northern Transmissions Interview
I loved this conversation with Tel Aviv cartoonist/illustrator, originally from Barcelona, Ana Tirado! We talked about obsession with a new idea, imposter syndrome, our shared love of newspaper comics, being motivated by people not understanding your ideas at first, our changing identities living abroad, Ana's Barcelona to Tel Aviv love story, and much more. Ana's Instagram: @pork_less
It's a bonus episode. I'm still on paternity leave! We had lots of leftover letters from YOU, the Convos, that we didn't get to in "We Love Your Conversation" #1 and #2. With the help of those leftover letters, I talk about finding time to prioritize art, finding creative fuel that isn't your own mental illness, charging enough, AI, letting the state of your industry affect your individual morale, how to fall asleep, and much more.
It's a bonus episode. I'm on paternity leave! So I put together a supercut of conversations with creative folks who also happen to be parents. In these conversations we talk about how having kids helps you prioritize, how to think of time differently, being inspired by your kids, how kids view your creative career, experiencing things through their eyes, and much more. Featuring Anthony Marquette (@pixelsandpolygonsschool), Matt Woodruff, Nancy Schön (www.schon.com), Sarah Lynne Reul (@thereul), Erik Wilson (@wilsonerikb) and Yoni Gordon (@yonigordoni).
I loved this conversation with LA actor, singer, writer and filmmaker Jake Novak! We talked about creating for yourself vs. creating for an audience, fertile periods of creativity and slow ones, REALLY wanting to get noticed for our talent and hard work, writing clever and meaningful lyrics, Jake's thinking behind his "SNL video," how Jake is finding his humanity after going viral and being widely mocked online, and much more. Jake's website: whoisjakenovak.com Jake's Instagram: @whoisjakenovak Jake's TikTok: @whoisjakenovak
I loved this conversation with Santa Cruz/Oaxaca/Boston-based artist and musical theater director and composer Alysa Escobar! We talked about hard choices when changing careers, healing your relationship with your creative inner child, impatience when you have a flood of ideas, mortality, finding a local art community, finding community while traveling, Alysa's life changing decisions after being diagnosed with cancer that eventually led to her musical "Beautiful Broken Piece" and much more. The musical: beautifulbrokenpiece.com Beautiful Broken Piece on Instagram: @beautifulbrokenpiece_musical
I loved this conversation with Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi! We talked about having professional success without personal success, finding comfort in the quieter, less funny moments, creating in multiple languages, how growing up feeling like an outsider leads to an identity centered around humor, the power of comedy to share unfiltered truth, reaching audiences you disagree with, how Noam's upbringing in a mixed Israeli Palestinian village and work in the United Nations led to her career in comedy, and why she carries both hope and the intense weight of trying to make things better. Noam's Edinburgh Show Noam's Instagram: @noam_joon More About Noam: coexistencemyass.com
It's a bonus episode. Nice! Recently I appeared on Behind the Pixel, hosted by last week's guests, Kathryn Taccone and Will Colón. Hear me discuss how I think about myself as an artist, how my freelance work has evolved, how I work with teams of artists, how I set expectations with my clients, "great grand-clients," what I'm excited about creating next, and much more. Behind the Pixel Podcast: https://www.openpixelstudios.com/behindthepixel Open Pixel Studios: openpixelstudios.com Their Instagram: @openpixelstudios
I loved this conversation with Massachusetts animation studio founders Kathryn Taccone and Will Colón! We talked about identity crises, long-term planning as an art business, leadership, how networking events can be so much more welcoming, how trauma can fuel creative passion, how and why Kathryn and Will founded Open Pixel Studios, balancing their relationship with their business relationship, and much more. Open Pixel Studios: openpixelstudios.com Their Instagram: @openpixelstudios
I loved this conversation with Boston-area sculptor Nancy Schön! We talked about building a good reputation with clients, making tactile work that encourages interaction, balancing creative ambition with being a mom in the 1960s, the importance of routine and making use of small windows of time, meeting world leaders, how Nancy's Make Way for Ducklings sculpture changed her life, Nancy's new political work and much more. Nancy's website: schon.com
I loved this conversation with Boston-area animator Ariel Grubb! We talked about being utterly called to a hyper-specific idea, feeling like a mad scientist while deep in a creative project, seeking feedback from non-artists, teaching, the existential crisis that led Ariel to change their career and their personal life all in one night, Ariel's experience graduating college in 2020, and much more. Ariel's Instagram: @arielegrubb Ariel's website: arielegrubb.com
What's up Convos? In this special episode, we (myself and guest co-host Whitney Tressel) loved hearing from YOU! With the help of your letters, we sat down for a chat about balancing personal and professional work, losing your identity as an artist, when to monetize a hobby, creating just to create, being patient during major creative blocks, maintaining long friendships and much more. Whitney's Instagram: @whitneytravels. Whitney's website: whitneytressel.com
I loved this conversation with Boston-area artist and illustrator Michael Talbot! We talked about the blessing and curse that is too much freelance work at the same time, having variety in your career vs. narrowing down to one kind of work, public art and public reactions to it, why it's great to have an "Art Rival," Michael's adjustment to school and life in the US having grown up in Jamaica, and much more. Michael's Instagram: @talbotsart Michael's website: talbotsart.com
I loved this conversation with Boston-area dancer, choreographer, teacher and community organizer McKersin! We talked about the urgency of spreading happiness and resources through art, the pressure that comes with positive attention, the challenges of teaching the arts to kids in a variety of settings, how we deeply underestimate inner city kids, McKersin's unique creative process of creating dance pieces, and much more. McKersin's Instagram: @mckersin Lakai Dance Theatre: lakaidance.org
I loved this conversation with Atlanta immunologist, writer and science communicator Matt Woodruff! We talked about the creativity involved in scientific research, building a brand, not taking feedback personally, asking yourself if you've communicated your ideas clearly, Matt's passion for communicating science to the public in a more open and transparent way and how that builds trust, and much more. Matt's articles for The Conversation: theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-woodruff-1155340
I loved this conversation with Boston-area ceramic artist Erik Wilson! We talked about feeling your work isn't progressing, showing up for your art consistently, answering "what do you do?" when your passion isn't your day job, the ups and downs of measuring success with sales and money, resting to avoid burnout and repairing our relationship with social media. Erik's Instagram: @wilsonerikb
We're recording our next audience participation episode this Saturday (2/25) and we need your submissions. We want to discuss:
What is something you are CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH in your creative life, or where your creative life overlaps with your entire life? (could be a problem, a decision, something you feel angst about, or good about!)
Anything you want ADVICE on from Alex and his guest co-host? (upcoming guest co-host is especially knowledgeable about career changes, mental health, therapy, relocating and travel)
Any other RANDOM QUESTIONS for Alex and his guest co-host about art, work, life, or literally anything? (Sort of like a lightning round)
You can submit to ilovedthisconversation@gmail.com or go to @lexsalsberg or @ilovedthisconversation on Instagram and hit the link in the bio. (Or go directly to https://forms.gle/8Z88bEXpoQkd26Hq8
Thanks and can't wait to hear from you!
--Alex
I loved this conversation with Boston-area children's book author and illustrator Sarah Lynne Reul! We talked about incorporating playfulness into working hard, the endless cycle of making work and finding more work, the difficulties of time management, showing up to events when it's nerve-racking, parenthood, and Sarah's journey from growing up viewing art as an unstable career to taking the leap and becoming a working artist. Sarah's website: reuler.com. Sarah's Instagram: @thereul
I loved this conversation with Boston-area musician and songwriter Yoni Gordon! We talked about bringing online dating experiences into our art, balancing our outside influences with our own sensibilities and instincts, our writing processes, feeling more out of touch with an art scene than before the pandemic, and Yoni's journey from quitting music to work on himself to re-entering music in a healthier way. Yoni's Instagram/Twitter: @yonigordoni. Yoni Gordon on Spotify.
I loved this conversation with Boston DJ Mickey Grouse! We talked about rethinking career balance after burning out, combining artistic vision with client expectations, handling rejection, misconceptions in the art of DJing, how to gauge a good party, being in a city for the long haul, and much more. Mickey's Instagram: @mickeygrrrouse Mickey's Facebook Page: "The Mickey Grouse Club"
I loved this conversation with Santa Fe art therapist Whitney Tressel! We talked about how to know when to make a big career change, listening to your gut, therapy, learning about yourself through solitude, crying, Whitney's former career as a photo editor and her two-year journey living in a camper van, and much more. Whitney's Instagram: @whitneytravels. Whitney's website: whitneytressel.com
I loved this conversation with North Carolina copywriter and business coach Samantha Pollack! We talked about personal work vs. client work, procrastination, bringing humanity back into business communication, perfectionism, burnout, approaching social media authentically, Samantha's journey to create more ethical marketing, and much more. Samantha's Instagram: @cultofpersonality.co. Samantha's Website: cultofpersonality.co
What's up Convos? In this special episode, we (myself and guest co-host Matt Bruneau-Richardson) loved hearing from YOU! With the help of your letters, we sat down for a chat about burnout, social media, quitting your day job to make art full time, standing up for your values while making art for others, coming out, what's inspiring us recently, and much more. Matt's Instagram: @tinysirentoons
I loved this conversation with Boston-area educator, animator and animation school founder Anthony Marquette! We talked about balancing work with family, taking care of our health when things are so busy, the challenges of learning and teaching art, Anthony's non-traditional education background and the non-traditional art school he founded, and much more. Anthony's school, Pixels and Polygons: pixelsandpolygons.org
I loved this conversation with LA animation storyboard artist and writer Angela Entzminger! We talked about changing careers, staying humble while working from the bottom up, being patient while feeling like you should be farther along, planting lots of seeds in your career, Angela's journey with her faith, and much more. Angela's Instagram: @sketchysoul. Angela's Website: sketchysoul.com
I loved this conversation with Boston-area chef and restaurant owner Max Ritcey! We talked about finding the right way to relax, gratitude, balancing business and creativity, self improvement and self care, cooking, family, Max's very public transition and his journey with sobriety, and much more. Max's Instagram: @its_all_ritcey. Ritcey East: ritceyeast.com
I loved this conversation with NYC actor, singer and stuttering advocate Marc Winski! We talked about living authentically, representation, audition anxiety, the challenges of creating on TikTok, Marc's journey from hiding his stutter to stuttering openly, and much more.
I loved this conversation with Seattle-area singer-songwriter Julia Mark! We talked about not treating everything too preciously, keeping track of ideas, turning moments into songs and stories, how being more personal in art invites the audience to open up, Julia's songwriting and album creation process and much more.
I loved this conversation with Tel Aviv nutritionist, health coach and disability advocate Molly Cutler! We talked about keeping parts of our creative life sacred, wanting to be influencers, representation in online body image and wellness spaces, how Molly became more open about her diability personally and more visible through social media and modeling, and much more.
I loved this conversation with Boston artist and animator Sarah E. Jenkins! We talked about the fear of finishing a project after many years, how deep focus and creativity can feel like getting away with something, the joys and anxieties involved in posting on social media, how moving from rural Appalachia to Boston led Sarah to bring more research about her roots into her work, and much more.
I loved this conversation with Boston indie animator Matt Bruneau-Richardson! We talked about how childhood creativity leads to adult success and failure, winding paths through freelance animation, when career highs coincide with personal lows, how Matt's recent diagnosis with ADHD helped him start a feature film, and much more.
I loved this conversation with Boston filmmaker and festival organizer Peter Levine! We talked about whether having multiple creative paths is a weakness or a strength, sustaining artist communities during the pandemic, the choice to create in Boston, our uncomfortable fears of settling in our careers, and much more.
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