Creatives On Deck

For our final episode of season 1, we talk to Baltimore based multi-disciplinary, Corynne Ostermann. Music from this program is provided by Full Bush INSTAGRAM WEBSITE NATURAL VELVET You can find more information about Corynne, our podcast, and leave a comment about the episodes at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends. Have a question? Email us at creativesondeck@gmail.com

Our next guest on deck is Heidi Cannon aka AmericanWastoid. A full time optician and a self taught hand embroidery artist, Heidi has worked in the service industry for over ten years in various places all over the country. In this episode, we cover the differences in working in smaller rural areas versus a bigger urban city. Anxiety about the thought of diving back into restaurant world after leaving which a lot of people are dealing with (and honestly perhaps why a lot of folks have not gone back). We also touch on being the voice for folks in a company who are too afraid to speak up for what they need/deserve. I feel like this has come up a lot with many folks in previous episodes which says a lot about the people we have been talking to. We also talk about the gymnastics your brain had to do during the height of the pandemic. The stress, the fear, the turmoil happening, and still having to go to work to survive. We also talked to Heidi about treating life outside of work with as much care as you do your job. Focusing on how we feel about ourselves and what we love instead of what someone else has said is the shit. And what has been interesting for me personally (Ade

This week our guest is Eva Martinez-Bond. A painter and illustrator currently based in Seattle, WA whose work explores the distortion of mind, body, and self in a capitalist reality. Using their own personal history and body as a reference, to reflect greater themes of loss, grief, and discomfort. Topics discussed include brown and black bodies being used as tools of "coolness" to draw in money while being constantly disrespected. Not being allowed to acknowledge the pain and abuse being inflicted because the owner of a business is popular. We also talk about the infamous fried chicken fiasco by a former business owner in Philadelphia. Losing yourself and identity to work when it was originally to supplement the creative life, and most importantly, joy being a form of revolution. You can find Eva's work at their website, on Instagram at @3vamade and all other things life and new puppy related things at their personal Instagram at @walkerlived You can find more information about Eva, our podcast, and leave a comment about the episodes at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck), subscribing and rating us five stars on Apple Podcasts, and sharing our podcast with your friends. Have a question? Email us at creativesondeck@gmail.com

Episode six features musician and Womanly Mag founder, Attia Taylor. Attia is a Brooklyn-based writer, musician, and content producer. She is the founder of Womanly, The Dorothy and a member of The Art Dept Collective. Her work is rooted in social justice, art, and design, to bring inclusive and culturally relevant content to sound, print and digital realms. She is passionate about building and cultivating communities through journalism, music, storytelling, and research. We touch on the intense nature of New York City and adapting to it, and how family practices and beliefs passed down from generation informs what you eventually believe. How sometimes you go interview at a place where everyone is a clone of you and apparently everyone who grew up in Philadelphia had their first job at Rita's?? The fallacy of midlife breakdowns mainly happening in your thirties but truly being burnt out in your twenties which leads to reassessing what time and abilities were worth and making mental health a priority. The best way to set up getting out of your boring nine to five, to do the things you enjoy in life which I believe you should break out that notepad app and take some fuckin notes babes. It's a genius set up. Attia on Instagram Girls Rock Philly You can find more information about Attia, our podcast, and leave a comment about the episodes at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends. Have a question? Email us at creativesondeck@gmail.com

This week our guest is Tsehaitu Abye. Tsehaitu Abye is a social strategist, entrepreneur, startup fixer, Founder of Black Dragon Breakfast Club, and a rising singer-songwriter. As an Ethiopian American growing up between Philadelphia and Hawaii, Tsehaitu gained unique perspectives of identity, race, class, immigration, community organizing, and leadership. We talk about building trust and space with other black folks to create the way we would like to and build in a way that we do not feel taken advantage of. Asking the real question of.. are hobbies really a thing? What the fuck are they? Exorcising people from your life who are only living for trauma porn and political organizing at a nonprofit vs union organizing/grass roots organizing. How the search for a woman producer was important for the creative process because men stay trying to take advantage of situations and not respecting women for their talent and only taking advantage of the situation to score a date or whatever else is on their minds. How the pressure of trying to be perfect in friendships, romance, work, can distract from the beauty of learning as you go and not being hard on yourself. Tsehaitu is an internet friend who has become an inspiration and passionate in real life force of nature. We go deep in this one and hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. One Fair Wage Tsehaitu's Links: INSTAGRAM BLACK DRAGON BREAKFAST CLUB SOUNDCLOUD You can find more information about Tsehaitu, our podcast, and leave a comment about the episodes at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends. Have a question? Email us at creativesondeck@gmail.com

In episode four, we talk to Sarah Thompson. A culinary school attendee, who like a lot of our guests, has worked in multiple roles in restaurants and coffeeshops. She learned how to brew beer before heading off to New Zealand for a year to learn charcuterie. Since she's been back in the states, Sarah has been putting together all that she has learned under the moniker, Tall Poppy Projects, making delicious, mouthwatering, fatty biscuits and bagels and so much more. We talk about reciprocal collaboration within and outside of the food world and how personal history can inspire your goals. This conversation with Sarah gave us a larger view of how service workers are treated in other countries - like New Zealand - where Sarah worked for several years. But also that while people are provided better job security and better wages, it doesn't mean those countries aren't still problematic in their wealth distribution or their treatment of native people, immigrants, and people of color. We also touch on Adesola's favorite concept to shit on fusion food (read, most hated concept). How it is often synonymous with cultural appropriation and how prevalent that is in Philadelphia's restaurant scene. We dive into the controversy over Mission Taqueria's team of chefs uninvitedly inspecting the kitchen and questioning the head chef and owner of South Philly Barbacoa, Cristina Martinez and then copying her barbacoa recipe for their restaurant. Head chef and owner of South Philly Barbacoa, Cristina Martinez wrote about the experience in 2016 of the controversy over Mission Taqueria's team of chefs copying her barbacoa recipe for their restaurant. in an article called “Don't Call It Barbacoa” Eater has an article about the same controversy Sarah talked about the persisting racism that exists in places where people believe the concept has been wiped out. Please do yourself a favor and learn more about the Maori people. Sarah talks about her involvement in two local Philadelphia organizations that try to provide equity in the service industry and encourage collaboration. - 215 People's Alliance : a multi-racial collaborative dedicated to fighting for equity and justice in Philadelphia - Philadelphia Coalition for Restaurant Safety and Health : “ We provide education through intersectional sexual harassment prevention trainings, legal guidance on implementing anti-harassment policies, and resources on how workers can build solidarity and organize their workplaces.” You can find more information about Sarah, our podcast, and leave a comment about the episodes at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends. Have a question? Email us at creativesondeck@gmail.com

In episode three we chat with erotic laborer, writer, educator, indie event coordinator and reproductive justice, human rights and sex worker's rights advocate Jessa Jordan. How she created her own role and identity in the adult modeling field (i.e. refused to be pigeonholed as the “Alternative Black Girl”) and how many of her jobs forced her to develop a thick skin. (Stripping and the racism/body shaming from clients - i.e. her body type was not appreciated at the “urban” clubs but at the predominantly white male clubs she was fetishized.) How various service jobs taught her about unfair fees and dues, the devaluation of workers, and thus why she decided to be her own agent, promoter, and manager in her erotic modeling and film career. Photographer elitism much like tattoo artist elitism. Fighting for yourself as a model and what you deserve when this is your livelihood. An industry where survival is based on word of mouth teaching and warnings. We also talk about the popular weird milk bath photos, Kamala Harris and the poor way that black and brown people are shot in photos and film, and sketchy situations that owners and bosses put us in, especially earlier on that condition us as we move through the working world. You can find more information about Jessa and our podcast at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends.

In this episode we chat with long time food and beverage industry professional, D'Onna Stubblefield. After taking a much needed break after being burnt out and feeling used up by the industry, D slowly inched her way back in with some new perspective on how to move in the space and setting boundaries to protective herself. We dig into the type of toll it takes working at these types of jobs and how they rob you of energy and time to take care of yourself. We also touch on white guilt in the form of tiny amounts of money being given to black people to assuage any culpability white folks felt. How working twice as hard as a black person when others give half as much to be recognized, wine, the love for Philly's aggressive love, and so much more. Burn out is real, especially in the restaurant industry where it is accepted to treat employees like crap and use them up with little to no pay. This episode is a beautiful guide in how to take a step back, re-asses to see what is important, and coming back on your own terms. You can find more information about D and our podcast at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends. Be Wary Spreadsheet Reply All episode

We kick off episode one of season one with Philadelphia based tattoo artist, Cassie O'Neal. We talk about tattooing on all types of skin tones and pushing back against the false narrative that darker skin tones are "difficult". We also talk about building and understanding self worth in the workplace and as an artist, mutual aid in the tattoo community, and staying open to growth. It's nice to start off this way because when the general public thinks of customer service, several jobs - like tattoo artists - are often missing from the narrative.. You can find more information about tattooing, Cassie, and our podcast at our website: www.plantainsandgin.com/creativesondeck You can support us by following us on Instagram (@creativesondeck) and sharing our podcast with your friends.

Get to know about Creatives On Deck, a podcast where we talk about how we all try to balance art & work. And how none of us get it right all the time. First episode drops Sunday April 11th, 2021