It's an artful life!

Today's conversation touches on the music industry and how the experience is pushing people to perform and sing live. My guest is Agata Dutkiewicz Sultan, a Polish teacher and photographer living in Pakistan. You can see her work (photos and bts videos) at @music.inthebox and https://www.youtube.com/user/msaadsultan. She's also done photos for the @daachi.foundation . You can follow her on instagram at @agatacaptures.

As positive as this time can be for some artists, there is a certain heaviness in the air. How does it affect us and our art? That's the discussion for today. My guest is Sarah Mumtaz, a visual and performing artist. Follow Sarah on instagram @sarahmumtaz346 and @thegalwholostthings

In today's conversation we talk more about the film industry as opposed to performing arts and how it is more affected. My guest is Hashim Khan, filmmaker and director. To see some of Hashim's work, check out the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR7tIJlZ3PY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3S5tcbvXdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sj_3pjTq5o

A lot of our conversations thus far have been very positive, but there is a great deal of anxiety in the world, which today's interview touches on. We also discuss the deep impact that this 'morphic resonance' will have not only on our future but future generations. My guest is Mobeen Ejaz, graphic designer and Assistant Professor at Institute of Art and Culture. Follow Mobeen on Instagram @mobeen.ejaz1

Today's conversation revolves around the digital revolution of the arts going on and what of that will continue after this crisis is over. We also touch on the potential impact of racism on the arts. My guest is Vicky Zhuang Yi-Yan, co-founder of Olomopolo Media and blogger. Find out more about Vicky at the below links; www.facebook.com/thecheenichronicles (blog) www.facebook.com/olomopolo Instagram @thecheenichronicles and @vixzhuangyiyin

In this episode, our conversation centers more around the economic impact and challenges facing artists during this time. My guest is Saad Sheikh, founder of Sway Dance Project and The Colony Lahore. The Colony; https://web.facebook.com/thecolonylahore and Instagram @thecolonylahore Sway Dance Project: Insta @swaydanceproject Saad is also on instagram @thesaadsheikh

In this episode, we talk about how the quarantine has inspired more collaborations and the responsibility of the artist not just now, but after this is over. My guest is Affan Alam, a designer and founder of Duck. Find him on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/affan.alam Instagram: @affanalam Twitter; @alamaffan

How is the arts industry shifting during this time? What opportunities and challenges are there for artists and how are they dealing with it? Should we rush to social media, or not? I talk about all this and more with storyteller, writer, and traveler Ibrahim Rana. He also runs The Playhouse in Pakistan, which you can find out more about here: https://web.facebook.com/theplayhouse22/

To some outsiders, it seems like art is something to be consumed. But it's more than that - it's something to be lived, to be experienced. Jackie Hurwitz, who works in VR filmmaking in Brooklyn, talks about her life surrounded by and immersed in the arts, and what she does to continue that. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-11-jackie-horowitz-918c8567c5ee

We've all heard the expression that success is not the destination, it's the journey. But it also applies to art -- art is as much about the process as it is the result. Most of the time, we aren't aware of that process, and deal only with the result or outcome. Still, the magic of art in the making can't be denied! Today, I chat about this with Julius Bachmann, guitarist of Berlin-based alternative rock band, The Candidates (thecandidat.es). Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-10-julius-bachmann-b0650d99993a

Even though the arts are everywhere, the imagined barriers to being able to experience and participate with them - especially the fine arts - are strong. Today, I chat with Oh-So-Arty founder Sarah Peguine on how she breaks down these walls by offering private arts tours in Tel Aviv and around the world. To find out more about her work, visit http://www.ohsoarty.com. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-9-sarah-peguine-8e8295fef2fb

Art in itself is something beyond language, but describing it often requires many words. Sometimes we can lose ourselves in words, and forget what they actually mean. I Today’s interview is a good reminder of the pure energy and joy we can find in art. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-8-allie-armitage-101f58b1f2c9

In a world that ever seeks to define things, arts is one of the few places where things are allowed to be contradictory, and not seem so. It is one of the few places where complexity can be a value, and indeed, it can frame complexity in a way that we can understand. This is one of main themes of today's interview with Marcel Hagen, a young man who left his work as an engineer to pursue a career in acting. To find out more about Marcel, visit www.marcelhagen.com. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-7-marcel-hagen-4c37e7215754

There are a thousand ways to view art - as intentional acts of creation, as beauty, as a way of seeing, as nature. Many of these different perspectives, and how they might interact, came up in today's interview with visual and performing artist, Bernadette Vincent. The full transcript is available here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-6-bernadette-vincent-a85161294cdf

Just barely forty years ago, thousands of years of Cambodia's artistic and cultural history were almost destroyed during the Pol Pot Regime. Since then, one of the most influential organizations in restoring and regrowing the traditional arts is NGO Cambodian Living Arts. Today, I talk with CLA Executive Director Phloeun Prim on the power of arts as he sees it, and his own interaction with it. To learn more about Phloeun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phloeunprim/ To learn more about Cambodian Living Arts: http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/ Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-5-phloeun-prim-60952abc45dc

When you think of culinary arts, you might think of Michelin star chefs and beautiful, painting like creations that may or may not fill your belly. But that's not the only way art and food collaborate. Nutrition and wellness, and the art of creating good food for your body with the ingredients available can be just as creative. That's one of the main themes of today's interview, among others. The full transcript is available here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-4-darcy-rhodes-adef1e1cb782

As co-founder of the Avenir Institute (http://www.avenirinstitute.info/) and having worked all around the world as a curator and analysis, Denis Maksimov has an incredibly deep perspective on the interchange of politics and art, as well as the intellectual impact of arts in daily life. To find out more about Denis' work, you can also visit maksimov.eu!

"Wake up and smell the roses." It might seem naive, but at the end of the day, it's a good reminder that sometimes we need to shake off the daily routines and engage with the world around us. Today, with service designer and movement enthusiast Michelle Lim, we chat about the difference between being aware of the art around us, and actually engaging with it. The full transcript is available here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-2-michelle-lim-3b92362aecaa

It's an artful life returns for season 2 with a special interview with Angel Vigil, who recounts many of his adventures and thoughts from over four decades of living and working as an artist. From "a little brown boy" from whom nobody expected anything to a full and varied career in performing arts, writing, and circus, Angel is full of stories and wisdom. To find out more about Angel, visit www.angelvigil.com. The full transcript is here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/season-2-episode-1-transcript-angel-vigil-d08c5804d552

Innovative design, stunning graphics...these commonplace descriptions of new technology hint at a deeper collaboration with the arts, but how deep does it really go? What have the arts brought to technology, and what could they bring -- not just to tech, but beyond? Today I talk with journalist Nastaran Tavakoli-Far around these ideas. To find out more about Nastaran, follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/misstavakoli. Transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-april-10th-2017-interviewee-nastaran-tavakoli-far-efee5c4e460e

Is creativity a talent or a skill? Most people view creativity as something they have or something they don't. That's often why art is viewed as something most people can't understand. But perhaps the problem is simply exposure. That's what Marine Tanguy, CEO of MTArt and today's interviewee, thinks. We chat about developing creativity, nurturing artists, and the escapism and determination that art can bring. To find out more about Marine and her work, check out www.mtart.co.uk and https://www.marinetanguyart.com/mtart-artists.

Dystopian futures are often portrayed as artless, or at the very least, emotionless -- and many times, whether or not the arts are named as such, this is the reason these fictional societies fail. It seems impossible to imagine a world in which we have no medium of expression. This is one of the ideas and theories in today's interview, as well as the differences in producing and receiving art. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-march-27-2017-interviewee-c%C3%A9line-ethevenin-cf26c1382bc7#.1v8fwnfjs

In the world of modern art, high intellectual discussion and its exclusive nature causes many people to feel frustrated or uninterested in it. It tends to reinforce the idea that art is exclusive to all but those who are deeply integrated in the scene. This topic is at the forefront of today's interview with designer Ryan Cole. To find out more about Ryan and his work, check out www.askdesigners.eu and www.tellmesomethingnice.com.

Sometimes the only way to begin is to end, and sometimes the end is the inspiration for a beginning. Today's interview spans from this idea of finding beginnings in ends to the art of living well. My guest, Ryeon Hwa Mok is a young Korean woman in dance training at the same studio with me. (No transcript at this time -- please check back later)

Is living artfully an art form in itself? From family businesses to the moment of learning what art can mean, this interview with Orbis Terrae media head Ramia El Agamy Khan spreads over a wide range of perspectives on living artfully. To learn more about Ramia's work, check out www.tharawat-magazine.com and www.womeninfamilybusiness.org. Full transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-march-6th-2017-interviewee-ramia-el-agamy-khan-b6db6560c9d8#.e3724h21g

What makes something beautiful, and what gives it meaning? Can something be beautiful, but have no meaning? This interview I speak with Nakyung Kang from South Korea, a young woman who studied film, but works now in teaching. The full transcript is here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-february-27-2017-interviewee-nakyung-kang-29eb2ce1478e#.6nqz48nme

"If you have no hope, invent." This quote from Cirque du Soleil, in its irrepressible optimism and creativity, is particularly applicable to this interview. Abhineet brings a delightful perspective living in the town where Buddha achieved enlightenment, and talks about this optimism in the search for relevant and exciting art. To learn more about Abhineet and his work: www.linkedin.com/in/abhineetsays Transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-february-20-2017-interviewee-abhineet-kumar-b8240dcb09ac#.j8vglzu8o

Is art that you hate still art? And is the experience of viewing/dealing with art actually a whole process? This idea of resonance, as well as the multiplicity of art are at the center of today's interview. My interviewee, Daniel, has an incredibly broad spectrum of experience in a variety of sectors and industries, and it shows in his answers. To find out more about Daniel: www.about.me/karpantschof Transcript: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-february-13-2017-interviewee-daniel-karpantschof-7d0bb00193b8#.gzajwrbex

There exists a whole subgroup of older women who are trying to undo years of feeling like they aren't allowed to be creative or pursue creative endeavors. In this interview, I talk to one of those whose journeys I've seen from up close -- my mother. Her answers show a methodical and determined practice of getting out of her own way and learning to call herself creative. Janet's Medium profile: bookitmama">medium.com/@bookitmama Full transcript: medium.com/its-an-artful-life/…c1354e30#.7wplc02z5

The past two interviews I've talked to artists. Today, I chat with someone who just appreciates the arts, and sees it manifesting differently as she travels around the world with her boyfriend. We talk about the difference between being creative and being artistic, and how different cities appear more or less artistic to her. Note: There is some background noise on the recording this interview. I have tried to remove as much as possible. The full transcript is here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-jan-30-2017-interviewee-mariana-bergnes-c8c33a60ba5b#.juffwvgxw

In this interview, I chat with Charles Michel, an artist who started as a chef in Michelin rated restaurants, but left the restaurant business to research aesthetics and sensory perception. We chat about his journey, his awareness of beauty, and his quest to assemble artists to create truly immersive experiences of art. To find out more about Charles, visit www.charlesmichel.co . For the full transcript of this interview, visit https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-jan-23-2017-interviewee-charles-michel-e5406a9480c4#.4ea5inoqy .

In this first interview, I chat with actor and fight choreographer Scott Leslie. In an incredibly descriptive, storytelling kind of way, Scott describes what he thinks the world might be like without art -- so I keep pushing him to keep imagining it! To find out more about Scott, visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4617982/. The full transcript is available here: https://medium.com/its-an-artful-life/transcript-jan-17-2017-interviewee-scott-leslie-152e981e41aa#.cfamsc8uf