Poiesis Podcast: Recent Episodes

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I recently met Miranda Aisling Hynes at a event called Makers Monday at the Artist's Asylum in Somerville, MA. The event itself is sponsored by Miranda's Hearth, an Organization founded by Miranda with the mission of bringing people together around doing creative work and building relationships. Maker's Monday is one of a number of recurring, monthly event's run by Miranda's Hearth members (aka. Embers). Other monthly events include a potluck dinner, a waltz night (often with live music), book club gatherings, a creative writing night, and more.. Talking with Miranda that night I became intrigued by her philosophy on art and making, and sensed a potential connection with what she is doing and my own explorations around the concept of Poiesis. Miranda studied fine art painting during her undergrad years and went on to earn a masters in Community Art Education from Lesley University. In this episode Miranda shares many useful insights on a range of topics including:

• the creative process
• the notion of Art vs. making
• how to build relationships
• entrepreneurship for artists and makers
• and more...

Links from the show:
Miranda's Hearth
Miranda's paintings
Don't Make Art, Just Make Something
Abstract Expressionism
​Stanley Lewis
Ablerto Giacometti
​The Tempest
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Masters program at Lesley
Community Art Hotel

People mentioned:
Jaclyn Wood
Mathew Reese
Kara Kulpa

​Show notes:

• Origins of the name Miranda’s Hearth. [4:09]
• A community based on creative exploration and authentic relationship. [6:42]
• One of the most common forms of creating common shared experiences is creativity. [8:06]
• Miranda talks about viewing Art as a vehicle for creating community. [8:35]
• Don’t Make Art, Just Make Something. [9:53]
• Because I couldn’t draw realistically with a Pencil, thought I couldn’t be an artist. [12:16]
• Abstract Expressionism and Miranda’s thought’s where her paintings might go. [16:34]
• How Miranda is able to be attentive to the many varied projects of the ‘Hearth’. [19:32]
• Why most entrepreneurial ventures fail. [20:54]
• An introverted extrovert. [24:12]
• Inviting to participate vs. asking people for help. [26:08]
• Making a business out of confronting your flaws and working your growth edge. [27:22]
• Miranda talks about finding a healthy relationship between business and Art. [30:43]
• ‘…just make something…’ [33:51]

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Josh Brogadir is a man on the go. When he's not anchoring the early morning news, or filling in on the sports desk at WCVB Channel 5 in Boston, he is likely acting in a locally shot movie or commercial. He also co-hosts the Framingham Access tv show, Novel Ideas, reviewing books and interviewing authors. In addition to reviewing books, he has done voice-over work on numerous books and video games. Josh thrives on being involved in a variety of different projects. In this interview we explore the ins and outs of what goes into making a decision to follow your dreams, and how to assess the risks involved. Josh shares great stories about his journey from being a school teacher in Framingham, to moving across the country with his wife, to becoming a news anchor, and then an actor in film, television and commercials.

Links from show:
JoshBrogadir.com
Patriot's Day
Novel Ideas
Old Colonial Cafe
Consiglios
WCVB Chanel 5
Access Framingham
WBUR 90.9
WRNI
NECN
NBC Universal
Boston Casting
CPcasting
Hollywood East
Christine Wyse
NewEnglandFilm.com
Impact Unit
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Cajon
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Hotel New Hampshire
The World According to Garp
The Son of the Circus
The Almighty Buck
Cold Car
The Bourbon Chasers
Slackville Players
Strong Poison

People mentioned:
Howard Cosell
Dicky Barrett
John Irving
Carol Lynn Luck
Tim Koh
Kerry Flynn
Dorothy Sayers
William LaBov
RD Sahl

Show notes:

• A passion for storytelling. [4:48]
• Josh’s thoughts on good reporting. [6:12]
• Finding balance between one’s own interests and the bigger story. [7:09 ]
• Josh does not want Chicken Parmesan every Thursday night at Consiglios. [10:14]
• We could all definitely get better and smoother and more polished... [12:28]
• On always wanting to be a sports guy and live a multi-tiered existence. [14:58]
• Josh on being a school teacher, and making a choice to pivot careers. [16:48]
• On assessing risk with regard to career stability. [23:02]
• How freelance news reporting allows Josh freedom to audition for acting roles. [27:15]
• In search of stories with more depth. [29:49]
• That time Josh’s sister goes on a job interview, and finds Josh a wife. [33:15]
• The benefits of a supportive spouse. [35:40]
• Playing the trumpet. [38:17]
• Using voice to develop characters. [45:06]
• What Josh’s news tone isn’t. [48:25]
• Josh’s mentors. [50:00]
• Josh's unique approach to reading books. [53:50]
• On staying fit and being a competitor. [58:32]
• Thoughts on good acting. [61:01]
• Tips for actors in the city of Boston. [68:08]

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The first incarnation of this blog and podcast, Poiesis Studio, was actually a practice group for actors and filmmakers. We used to meet at the Democracy Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge. It was there that I first met, Nicole Mazzeo. Her educational organization Pleasure Pie was sponsoring an ongoing discussion group called Sex Positive Boston. Curious to see what they were about, I eventually ventured into one of the meetings. A bit nervous, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself welcomed into a meeting space of very diverse folks talking with one another openly and honestly about their sexuality. I was struck how genuine and sincere people were, and how much they seemed to get out of having this space to share their thoughts and feelings on sex and relationships. As someone who leads therapy groups, I felt keenly aware of the presence and skill with which the facilitator, Nicole led this group. Nicole thinks outside of the box, and brings a boon of wisdom in this episode. Enjoy!

Links from the show
Pleasure Pie
Bitch Magazine
Sex Positive Boston
Center for Sexual Pleasure and HealthPervocracy
Weebly
Shamble Meditation Center Brookline
Occupy Boston
Her
Towel Head

People mentioned
Megan Andelloux
Nina Hartley

Show notes

• Nicole talks about sex eduction and what the term Sex Positive means [4:39]
• The beginnings of Nicole’s journey toward becoming a sex educator. [7:37]
• Nicole talks about early challenges around sexuality. [10:12 ]
• Feminism, Bitch Magazine, and Sex positivity. [11:58 ]
• Zine making and the origins of Pleasure Pie. [14:51]
• The ups and downs of teaching teenagers about consent. [16:53]
• Slut and prude shaming. [23:08 ]
• Nicole’s approach to leading discussion groups. [27:54]
• Some of Nicole’s inspirations. [32:38]
• Response to some random questions. [35:20 ]
• Nicole’s final provocative question for listeners. [43:07]

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Susan Campbell's writing on communication and personal coaching consultations have helped me greatly. She is a psychologist, a prolific writer, and a life coach in Sebastopol, California. Her latest book is 5 Minute Relationship Repair. I also highly recommend her other books Getting Real, and Truth in Dating. She has a passion for inspiring and fostering progressive change in the world, and channels this through her writing, work with clients, and training of other coaches in her Getting Real approach. I’m excited that she is on this podcast. Her wisdom flows with such ease, it could be easily missed if you’re not paying attention. I recommend listening closely and/or repeatedly, as she relates profound and practical thoughts, ideas and perspectives on such thing as:

• Exponential change
• Getting real
• Coaching organizations
• Communication during conflict
• The current political climate
• and more...

Links :
SusanCampbell.com
Getting Real
5-Minute Relationship Repair
Truth in Dating
Authentic World
NTL Institute
T groups
Human Potential Movement
Gestalt Therapy
The Tim Ferriss Show
MakeTheFuckingFilm.com
Music from the show

People mentioned:
Virginia Satir
Fritz Perls
Rollo May
Jim Bugental
John Grey
George Leonard
Marilyn Rosanna Barrett

Show notes:

• The big picture - culture change, conflict, and adaptation. [4:25]
• Exponential change - population, animal species extinction, climate. [5:44]
• Susan’s early skills in high school leading to a career in helping. [8:57]
• Susan’s mentors. [9:50]
• In love with the Gestalt Therapy and Human Potential point of view. [11:35]
• The Getting Real Work. [14:02]
• Noticing the difference between reality and fear stories. [15:50]
• Thoughts on coaching for organizations of people. [18:13]
• Developing the witness. [22:10]
• Communication in times of political conflict. [23:22]
• The recent election and developmental tasks. [26:24]
• Taking the blame out of it. [28:58]
• A new world view. [31:28]
• A bridge from a new world to us as individuals. [33:39]
• Susan’s passion for training and mentoring coaches. [37:16]
• 5 Minute Relationship Repair - Susan’s most recent book. [39:07]
• Mindfulness [42:09]

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I had a chance meeting with Menon Sudheepabout a year ago, and quickly found myself in a conversation about trance music, Brian Eno, andIndian micro-tonal composition. I had a feeling I would be talking with him again. I recently caught up with Menon via Skype in Bangalore India. He was kind enough to take some time and share of his thoughts on music composition for film.  In the conversation we touch on among other things:

• Menon’s current film project in India
• How to approach scoring an Indian Film.
• Contrasting song structures between western pop and Indian musicals.
• Harmonic music vs. tonal and microtonal music.
• Bach. Aaahhh, Bach...

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I first encountered Stephen Levine through his writing. In particular his book, Poiesis: The Language of Psychology and The Speech of the Soul, which I began reading in the summer of 2004, before I started the Expressive Therapies graduate program at Lesley University. If you have noticed the name of my blog and my podcast, you can see that this book, along with Steve's chapters in the book Principles and Practices of Expressive Therapies, made just a wee bit of an impression on me. While I was at Lesley, Steve was not faculty there, and I only encountered him once in a brief workshop on creative process. I remember thinking that the way he talked reminded me of Christopher Walken. I now know Steve is a Brooklyn boy. Maybe there’s a connection? A quick google search reveals that Christopher Walken grew up worlds apart, in Queens.

In any case, Steve’s accomplishments are too numerous to cover here. Briefly though, he is the Paul Celan Chair of Philosopy and Poetics in the Arts, Health, and Society Division at The European Graduate School in Switzerland. He is also the Dean of the Doctoral Program in Expressive Arts there. He along with his wife, Ellen Levine, founded THE CREATE INSTITUTE in Toronto, in 1994. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, and another in anthropology. He is a trained psychotherapist and Expressive Arts Therapist. He has authored numerous books, and is a passionate social/political activist. I was both thrilled and terrified when he agreed to be on my podcast. I felt as though I had wandered into a dragon’s den. As it turned out, the dragon was exceptionally kind hearted and down to earth.

In this episode, we cover a lot. Steve shares some of the stories and numerous pearls of wisdom from his poietic life journey. I can't help but feel we only scratched the surface. There are a couple of glitches with the sound, but over all it does not interfere, or matter so much, as we settle into our conversation. There is one point around the 20 minute mark where my audio freaks out and goes into skip mode. You might notice a quality change in the microphones I'm using after that. I didn't edit this out because I feel like the discussion around this part is an important part of the conversation. So listen in as Steve shares stories on everything from:

- his involvement with Students for a Democratic Society
- his thoughts on social political critique
- the meaning and practice of poiesis
- therapeutic presence
- approaching art-making
- the history of philosophy and Heidegger

and more...

Links:
The European Graduate School
CAET Creative Arts in Education Therapy: Eastern and Western Perspectives
THE CREATE INSTITUTE
The Living Theater
Poiesis: The Language of the Psychology, and the Speech of the Soul
SDS
Lesley University
Principles and Practices of Expressive Therapy: Toward a Therapeutic Aesthetics
The Imperative of Responsibility
Being and Time
The Denial of Death
I am Love
The Golden Notebook
Giovanni’s Room
Rashomon
Butoh

People mentioned:
Martin Luther King Jr.Paul Celan
Denise Fujiwara
Heidegger
Ellen G. Levine
Judith Malina
Julian Beck
Hans Jonas
Aron Gurwitsch
Husserl
Ernest Becker
Paolo Knill
Shaun McNiff
Elizabeth Gordon McKim
Hegel
Marx
Jacob Moreno
Donald Trump
Bernie Sanders
Doris Lessing
James Baldwin
Roy Hart

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Links from the show:
This is My Brave
Weighted blankets
Wasted
Madness
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Blue Day Books
Girl Interrupted
Shawshank Redemption
Inside Out
Stress Balls
Jenga
DBT Skills Training Manual

People mentioned: Joanne's Mom
Brené Brown
Marsha Linehan
Marya Hornbacher
Andrew Solomon
Carl Rogers
Kurt Vonnegut

Show notes:

• Joanne’s super cliche answer to Rob's super cliche question. [3:31]
• Joanne’s various friend crushes. [5;50]
• Why Joanne chose occupational therapy over clinical psych. [7:20 ]
• Full-on sensory integration. [10:29]
• The magic of weighted blankets. [13:34]
• Back to the friend crushes. [16:42]
• This is My Brave. [20:07]
• Suicide Prevention. [22:28]
• Joanne and I attempt to explain axis 2 disorders. [24:49]
• Defining Depression. [27:19]
• Occupational therapy applications for treating depression. [28:27]
• Getting rained on. [30:02]
• Jenga as therapy?! [31:08]
• Rob tries to impress Joanne by using the word ‘proprioceptive’. [33:17]
• Free puppies for all, and advocating for ground up, community based programs. [33:40]
• Books Joanne has gifted. [36:27]
• Planning OT groups in acute inpatient psych hospitals. [38:32]
• Joanne’s morning routine. [40:12]
• A visit from future Joanne. [42:20]
• The best laid plans.
• How Joanne got through her own bout with depression. [47:18]
• Rapid fire questions (more theft from Tim Ferriss). [48:47]
• Joanne’s nuanced belief’s about forensic patients, et. al.. [50:42]

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In this episode, Canadian born filmmaker, Albert M. Chan, known for his films, The Commitment, and, Ancestors of the Future, Descendants of the Past, talks about success, and how he balances his various careers as an actor, a filmmaker and an electrical engineer who holds a Ph.D. from MIT…not to mention being a Dad, and a husband.

Also in this episode Albert talks about:
- how he was able to cast Golden Globe, Emmy, and Drama
Desk nominated actress, Tina Chen for one of his films.
- How he got his first breaks as an actor in Boston.
- His approach as a filmmaker.
- How his background as an engineer informs his acting and filmmaking.
- And the current screenplay he is working on.

Albert's website
MIT
Descendent’s of the Past Ancestor’s of the Future
Sag-Aftra
The Commitment
Straeon Studios
The Crying Game
CP Casting
Boston Casting
LDI Casting
Christine Wyse Casting
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Brotherhood
The Actors Green Room in NYC and LA
Sundance Screenwriter's Lab
The Opposite of a Fairytale - short film
Vanu inc.
Stage - Bowie live album
MaketheFuckingFilm.com

People mentioned:
Tina Chen
Cira Felina Bolla
Kevin McCormick
Bill Doherty Jr.
Ross Meyerson
Minor White
Vanu Bowes
Amar Bowes
Adele
David Bowie
Mackelmore

Show notes

• While getting Phd in Electrical Engineering, Albert discovers MIT’s offerings in tennis, basketball, and photography. [4:04]
• Working as an engineer for a start up, enables Albert to be selective about his acting. [8:21]
• How Albert uses his engineering skills in acting and filmmaking. [10:00]
• How Albert was able to cast Golden Globe, Emmy, and Drama Desk nominee Tina Chen, for his film Descendents of the Past, Ancestors of the Future. [12:50 ]
• The 180 rule. [14:21]
• Albert’s advice on camera movement for independent filmmaking. [16:25]
• Immigration story from China. [18:37]
• Directing while you’re acting, and how it’s about the team. [21:31]
• Albert’s film, The Commitment, and the power of Storytelling to make sense of things. [27:43]
• What sets Albert apart as an actor? [29:33]
• Albert’s frequency of training classes. [33:25}
• Adventures in coaching. [35:09]
• Rob goes on a 5 minute rant about the expense of acting classes. [36:36]
• Albert deftly and gracefully extolls the virtue’s of being coached and doing scene work.[40:48]
• Albert’s current feature film project, Incarnations. [48:42]
• Working on screenplay for Incarnations, and submitting it to Sundance Screen Labs. [50:49]
• Rob becomes concerned he ‘may be missing things’. [55:38]
• Pause for albert to greet the babysitter. [56:59]
• Albert’s near term, non-bucket list. [58:47]
• Knowing your type as an actor. [1:00:02]
• Vanu Inc. the startup Albert works with designs cellular infrastructure. [1:03:32]
• Albert’s views on success. [1:08:09]

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Emily Sheehan is an upcoming, award winning, filmmaker fresh out of the Boston University Graduate Filmmaking program, who has been featured in Variety Magazine as a filmmaker to watch.

Her short film, After, won 3rd place in the Boston Redstone Film Festival in 2015. In the same year, she was awarded the $5000 Adrienne Shelley Production Grant for young female filmmakers, to make her film, Skipping Stones. Her documentary, Adaptation, also won 3rd place in the best film category for the 2016 Boston Redstone Film Festival.
She is currently in post-production with her film Borderline, which explores the devastating effects of addiction.

Emily is well spoken, charming, and funny. Whether you are brand new, or a seasoned veteran with the process of making film, this episode covers a lot of ground, and provides some great nuggets of practical information for filmmakers.

In this conversation we delve into Emily's creative process, discussing:
* Emily’s journey from theater to filmmaking * Developing a story idea into a screenplay * As a director, exploring themes and questions * Thoughts on vulnerability, nudity, addiction * Short film form vs. longer narrative formats * How to communicate with actors * Pros and Cons of various cameras * Being stranded on a desert island

Links from the show: Emily's website
Her director's reel
Emily's film, After
Boston University
The Golden Compass
Wheel of Time series
Pan’s Labyrinth
Justified
t3i
Alexa
Canon c100 camera Emily used for After. Great camera, but not the best for low-light.
Sony f3 camera used for Skipping Stones - higher dynamic range
Shogun External Recorder
Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera very high resolution, and versatility with the lenses
DaVinci for color correcting and color grading
5d mark III has a full frame sensor
MaketheFuckingFilm.com

People mentioned:
Bryan Sih
Jan Egleson
Guillermo del Toro
Philip Pullman
Tim Ferriss

Show notes: * How Emily goes from theater in High School to Filmmaking at Boston University [4:15] * The art of making a short film vs. a longer/ feature length film. [9:05] * Exploring the feeling of a fragile reality breaking in Emily’s film, After. [11:07 ] * In short film, having one theme, and asking the audience a definitive question/s. [16:31] * Emily’s latest film Borderline, exploring the impact of addiction. [18:55] * Art/ filmmaking as therapy. [20:18] * To be or not to be, vulnerable? [24:32] * Emily’s friend, Bryan Sih, suggests interviewing people. [26:20] * Trauma, body image, nudity, self acceptance. [28:13] * Emily reflects on words of her mentor - filmmaker, and BU professor, Jan Egelson. [34:45] * The development of Borderline’s screenplay [35:46] * Breaking the story down into clear beats - Emily (and Jan’s) approach to screenwriting. [37:03 ] * Emily sense of freedom while shooting her documentary, Adaptation, in China. [44.24] * On directors working with, and communicating with, actors. [46 :54] * Cameras, Emily’s thoughts on. [56:40] * The difference between color grading, color correcting, and the Black Magic Pocket [1:00:16] * Emily says, full frame is the way to go. [1:07:22] * The one tv series Emily would choose were she stranded on a desert island. [1:11:05] * What Emily attributes her award winning success in filmmaking to. [1:15:48] * Emily’s morning routine. [1:19:02] * Last thoughts on becoming a filmmaker: don’t be the tool. [1:30:03]