Creativity in Motion by Penumbra Entertainment

Creativity In Motion is on hiatus for a few more months. In the interim, we are publishing an encore of our favorite episode from Season One of the show. It features painter and pioneering educator Dr. Leo Twiggs. We think Dr. Twiggs's story illustrates perfectly what it means to be creative. In a practical sense, being creative is how we solve problems and overcome obstacles. As you will hear in our conversation with Dr. Twiggs, he has overcome many obstacles. Along the way he gained tremendous insights about art, including not only how to make art, but why you should make art.We recorded this episode sitting in Dr. Twiggs's home studio in Orangeburg, South Carolina, among many canvasses and finished pieces that were being sent to various galleries in the southeast. We had an incredible visit with him and were fascinated with his stories about how he came to paint the way he does. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

Chef Anthony Mandriota began his culinary training at the home of his grandparents in Astoria, Queens, New York. His Grandmother Josephine's simple message was: start with the best ingredients, do not crowd your pan, and eat with your eyes first. Those principles have guided him for his entire career.His heritage is Italian, and he loves cooking and eating Italian cuisine. At the age of eight, Anthony tasted Classical French Cuisine, a Bordelaise sauce, and for the first time, he knew what he wanted to do with his life.In this episode, Chef Mandriota talks about his life creating and preparing food for others, the personal nature of food and the intense satisfaction he feels when he watches people enjoying his meals.

George Walker IV is a second-generation photojournalist who has worked around the world for the past three decades covering some of the biggest events. Based in Nashville, he has photographed the Tennessee Titans since their move to Tennessee in the late 90s. He's also  covered local, regional and national stories for The Tennessean, USA Today and many other news organizations. In February, he spent two weeks in China covering the 2022 Winter Olympics.In this episode, George talks extensively about how he uses photographic techniques to unlock his creativity in making images; how the switch to digital cameras impacted his work, and how he relies on his people skills to help him get unique and original photographs.

On episode 23 of the podcast, find out what made Jeron Bray leave his career as an MMA fighter and turn his attention to fight choreography. In this conversation Jeron shares how he got started choreographing fight scenes and what he likes about training actors.He also talks about the team of stunt performers he's assembled and how they work together with directors to create the action scenes necessary for music videos and films.Please be sure to subscribe to the Creativity in Motion podcast on your favorite player. If you liked this episode, please consider leaving a review on our Apple Podcasts page.

Television producer Bret Wolcott started High Five Entertainment at a Spaghetti Factory in Los Angeles in the early 80's with two other USC film school buddies. In the forty years since, he has produced shows for all the major networks and is currently producing live tv for the Circle Network.We'll be talking with Bret about starting up his company right out of film school, collaborating with others and his love for storytelling and more.

Twenty years after taking an “Intro to Woodworking” class, Brad Rodriguez's hobby has become a full-time career, leading him away from corporate America and into the upper echelons of YouTube content creation. His YouTube channel, “Fix This Build That” has over 1 million subscribers and he is well known online as a master DIY-er and woodworker.Chris and Mark sit down with Brad to discuss how his engineer's mind was able to make room for his creativity and how that combination changed his life.

Episode 20 of Creativity in Motion finds Chris and Mark talking about collaboration. What makes a good collaboration? What makes a good collaborative partner? They discuss successful collaborations and how a good collaboration can be fulfilling even if the results fall short of expectations.They talk at length about what makes them good collaborative partners for each other, how to know when you're really collaborating with someone instead of just “working with them” and making room for other peoples' creative ideas so that your idea can be improved.Anyone who's ever been part of a team, especially a creative team, will find plenty to take away from this conversation.Please be sure to subscribe to the Creativity in Motion podcast on your favorite player. If you liked this episode, please consider leaving a review on our Apple Podcasts page.

In this episode, Chris and Mark visit with Grand Ole Opry member Mark Wills who talks about making career choices, calling “dibs” on a song that's already on hold by another artist and the story behind getting to meet country music legend George Jones as a teenager.

In episode 17, Chris and Mark talk with social media marketing expert Courtney Alexander about the constantly shifting social media industry. Courtney has managed social media campaigns for The Grand Ole Opry, Ole Red by Blake Shelton and the Southeastern Conference athletic program.Discussion topics include the new paradigm of digital marketing; old-school advertising and marketing philosophies; how COVID has changed people's online behaviors, and The Algorithm.

Lee Percy and Eric Schunk are friends who live in Atlanta. Besides being longtime architects, each with a wide variety of experience in the field. they also share a passion for illustration and drawing. Every couple of weeks, they get together and venture out into Atlanta in search of something to draw.In this episode, Chris and Mark talk with Lee and Eric about how switching gears and going out into  public spaces to practice their craft informs their professional work as architects, designers and project managers. Topics also include the importance of being present while you're creating and tips to get you started when you find yourself with “blank page syndrome”.

Chris and Mark talk with sound designer and game developer Russell Mehringer about making the transition from working at a creative business to owning that same creative business. Among other topics, they talk about the business aspects of running a creative company and how business limitations can impact creative decisions. Also, Russell details his process of creating the sound design that the client wants.

In the episode, we speak with author Lacey Johnson about how to know if what you create is good, why  the reticular activating system (RAS) is so important to creativity and what happens when your subconscious erupts.

In the episode, romance novelist Marty Chester talks to us about her writing career and we talk about the difference between being skilled, talented and being technically proficient.

In this episode, Mark and Chris revisit the first 11 episodes and the guests that they had the chance to interview including three guests they met on a week long road trip through the Carolinas.Then they talk about the different stages in their careers and how some of those stages are best left in the past.

Dr. Leo Twiggs was born and raised in St. Stephen, South Carolina. He navigated his way through some of the most tumultuous years in US history, including the civil rights movement, to become the first African-American student to receive a Doctorate of Arts from the University of Georgia.He created the Fine Art Department at South Carolina State University, where he taught for 25 years. Along the way, he became an accomplished batik artist, whose works are held in public and private collections around the world. In this conversation, Dr. Twiggs talks about his early family life growing up in The South, finding his voice as an artist, how he converts ideas into images and why he chooses to incorporate the Confederate flag in much of his art.It's a conversation that is guaranteed to make you think about how you create your own work.

In 1987, Jeff Storer and Ed Hunt opened Manbites Dog Theater in Durham, NC. They wanted to use the theater to bring awareness to the Durham community about the different forms of theater and prove that live theater can be a powerful tool in opening people's minds, eyes and hearts. They hoped they would survive for a couple of years. Thirty-four years later, they are still going strong.In this episode of Creativity In Motion, Jeff Storer shares with us some of the ways they have been able to stay true to their mission, while at the same time growing their company into a foundation that supports theater arts across the region.It's a revealing conversation about doing whatever it takes to keep moving forward.

In this episode, photographer Steve Whitsitt shares highlights from his 30-year career as a professional photographer. He takes us through his early days when he realized he wanted to pursue photography, how he decided to go to photography school and the significant events and opportunities that led to his diverse bodies of work. Key topics include Steve's discovery of what motivates him creatively, his time working with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and his personal beliefs about what it takes to create an authentic portrait. It's a fascinating journey that touches on many different aspects of creativity.

In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Hayley Malone, Brenden Barraza and Savannah Lingle. These photography students are at the beginning of their professional careers and are "in the trenches," learning how to be creative on demand, 24/7. Among other things, we talk about what inspires them daily, their early misconceptions about what it takes to make great work and their feelings about social media. It's a frank discussion with three people who are on their way to being creative professionals.

In this episode, we talk with Emmy Award winning special effects makeup artist Ben Rittenhouse about his long career in film and TV production and his enthusiasm for teaching young people the finer points of his craft. Among other things, Ben talks about what inspired him as a young person, the many ways that failure has made him a better artist and how his personal work has sustained him during difficult times.

In this episode of the Creativity in Motion podcast we talk with Vince Moreno about moving to Nashville from Arizona to pursue his music career and what it takes to captivate an audience.

In this episode of Creativity in Motion we'll be talking with acting coach and choreographer Katy Arnold about her life as a choreographer and moving her acting studio from Los Angeles to Nashville.

 In this episode of Creativity in Motion we’ll be talking with singer songwriter Rae Solomon about maintain her singer/songwriter career and specifically how she decided to create her own music festival.

In Episode 03, Chris and Mark talk with Nashville photographer and musician Bill Steber about what it’s like to maintain creativity on a project that spans nearly 30 years plus how he embraces southern blues in his own band the Jake Leg Stompers.

In this episode of the Creativity in Motion podcast, Mark and Chris talk with filmmaker and graphic designer Elvis Wilson about how he manages to strike a balance between being creative at his day job and also in his filmmaking career.

In this first episode of the Creativity In Motion podcast, Mark and Chris discuss why sometimes it’s so hard to just get started on a new project or venture even though you’re sure it’s a really great idea! What's holding you back?