Process Piece

Taylor Drury is a Canadian born dancer, choreographer, and sometimes line-drawing artist with WobbleWorks. She is currently a full time company member with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. In this conversation we talk all about her path to becoming a dancer, which was full of the unexpected, as well as the period of doubting and questioning that often comes after graduation. We speak about conscious versus unconscious influences, the practice of improvisation and how it can be built into a full piece, and the life of being in a company as a dancer as opposed to working freelance. She also talks about her drawing practice, titled WobbleWorks, which is a series of one line drawings that she has expanded out into workshops and commissions. Full Show Notes Taylor's website & instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Sakina Saïdi is a French-Moroccan artist and illustrator based in London. Born and raised in France by Moroccan parents, Sakina grew up learning about different cultures and traditions. Her experiences nurtured her style and desire to represent this beautiful mix of cultures that now characterizes her personality and art. In this conversation, we talk about how she was raised to pursue “practical” careers, but how she eventually discovered her own purpose within the arts. We also talk about artistic validation, her thoughts on art and activism, as well as exploring identity as an artist, especially coming from a multicultural background. Full Show Notes Sakina's website & instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Created in response to the pandemic, ViVa marks the first collaboration between two giants in the dance world, the Miami City Ballet and the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Choreographed by Amy Hall Garner, ViVa was choreographed remotely and filmed in two different cities, premiering and streaming on the companies’ social media channels. In this special, shorter-form conversation, Ruby speaks with the two dancers in ViVa, Samantha Hope Galler and John Harnage, all about the process of creating this unique duet and what it meant to them to be able to dance and make art again after 6 months in quarantine. Full Show Notes Miami City Ballet website & instagram Paul Taylor Dance Company website and instagram Samantha Hope Galler website and instagram John Harnage instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Michael Novak is a dancer born and raised in Illinois. In 2018, he became the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s second Artistic Director after having danced for the company for 9 years. Previously, he also danced with Gibney Dance and the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, studied at Springboard Danse Montreal, and has performed works by Bill T. Jones, Vaslav Nijinski and Stephen Petronio. In this conversation, Michael talks about his creative background, how dance and drama became languages for him, and his path to where he is today as artistic director of a renowned company. He also speaks about his own creative calling with his work, as well as how he believes in dance as a way of supporting cultural healing, now, during a pandemic, and moving forward into a more connected, globalized future. Full Show Notes Paul Taylor Dance Company website Paul Taylor Company Instagram Michael's instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Dylan Frederick is an actor, writer and director who was born and raised in the Twin Cities. He has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BFA from The University of Evansville. Dylan recently made his Broadway debut in Matthew Lopez’s 7-hour play The Inheritance. He also makes music and summer camps. In this conversation between two old friends, we speak about how performance has always been parts of his life, despite being a shy kid, and the relentless process of auditions. We get into his Broadway debut in The Inheritance and being a part of a 7-hour long production, as well as the nature of theater itself as a non-stop cycle of life and loss. Dylan also reflects on the strangeness of traditional theater simply not existing in this moment with the pandemic, and he talks a lot about why he loves camp. Full Show Notes Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Cozbi A. Cabrera is a multimedia artist who lives in Evanston, Illinois. She paints, writes and illustrates children’s books, makes handmade collectible dolls, quilts, and designs clothing. In this conversation that weaves through the threads of all of her mediums, Cozbi and I speak about the senses and details of memory, how she took a non-linear path to becoming the artist she is today, and the importance of representation in the art world, not just for the people being represented, but for the consumers of the art to have their perspectives broadened. We each share big questions that are central to our work and Cozbi expresses how the little daily things enrich life and art. Full Show Notes Cozbi's website Cozbi's instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

Tamisha Guy and Donovan Reed are both dancers within the renowned company A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham. In this in-depth conversation on process, I ask them about their paths to becoming the dancers they are today and how they joined A.I.M., as well as what real collaboration looks like within the creation process of the company. Tamisha and Donovan also share their insights and thoughtful reflections on issues in the dance and art world, such as defining safety, being an advocate for yourself and others, and an artist’s role as a change-maker in the community. Full Show Notes A.I.M. website Tamisha's instagram Donovan's instagram Process Piece instagram Support Process Piece

SHOW NOTES-Olaiya’s Lionesse website & instagram-Milly’s Kitchen-The Pantry, Seattle -Olaiya’s workshops and retreats-Motherhood Evolving column on Lionesse -The Holistic PsychologistThank you for listening!Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!let’s connect:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Ella Frances Sanders is an internationally-bestselling author and illustrator of three books. Her first book, ‘Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words' was published in September 2014 and became an international bestseller. It sat on the New York Times bestseller list for 4 consecutive months, was an Amazon Best Book of 2014, and has had multiple printings in multiple countries, including Japan where over 100,000 copies have been sold. Her second book, ‘The Illustrated Book of Sayings: Curious Expressions from Around the World' was published in September 2016 and has also been printed in over eight languages. Her third and most recent, ‘Eating the Sun: Small Musings on a Vast Universe', was published in 2019, and has also received a large handful of wonderful reviews and acclaim. Ella lives near a lovely windswept coastline in Ireland.SHOW NOTES-Ella’s website and instagram-Buy her books: Lost in Translation, The Illustrated Book of Sayings, and Eating the Sun-Subscribe to Ella’s newsletter-Brainpickings article on Eating the Sun-The illustration we discussed that asks questions-Books mentioned: Handiwork Sara Baume & The Craftsman by Richard Sennett-Ella’s interview with The One You FeedThank you for listening!Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!let’s connect:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Farida Hughes is an abstract artist working in mixed media, oil, and resin paint on panel. She developed her mixed media style after many years of painting with oil paint and experimenting with oil painting mediums. She studied Studio Art and English at Fordham University in New York and received an MFA in Painting from the University of Chicago. Her work is exhibited widely in galleries and art centers and is included in several private and corporate collections, including Target, United Health Group, and Chesapeake Capital. Farida is a 2013 recipient of an Artists’ Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and has worked with many arts outreach groups and grass-roots community arts endeavors. She currently maintains her studio in Baltimore, Maryland.In this conversation we get deep into her process- both technically and thematically. We discuss what drew her to abstract art and how she has developed her ever growing body of work, her multicultural background as a leading force in defining her artistic voice, and being comfortable with having a different perspective of the world.SHOW NOTES-Farida’s website and instagram -Farida’s gallery in Denver, Walker Fine Art-Bozzuto Greene Fine Art in Baltimore (upcoming show in 2021!)-Upcoming exhibition of Farida’s Blends paintings in Virginia at the Athenaeum in 2021-Common Threads and Blends paintings-Jumana’s episode on Process Piece-One Love by Bob MarleyThank you for listening!Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!Let’s connect:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

In this conversation, we cover so much ground including her history working in the circus arts and finding her identity as an artist, her personal experiences dealing with mental health and how that has led her into the world of healing practices such as Breathwork and shadow work, looking at the creative practice from a trauma-informed lens, and the parallels between the artistic practice and polarizing politics. Antonia speaks with a sense of active and curious wisdom, and I believe that the powerful work she is doing is so necessary, not only in our chaotic 2020 reality, but for anyone and anytime to begin healing from the inside out. Show Notes-Antonia’s instagram-Antonia’s performance show reel and promo for her act “Spacial Reverb”-Cirque de Soleil’s Quidam diablo act-École Nationale du Cirque in Montreal-Batsheva and 'Echad Mi Yodea' (also known as the chair dance) from "Decadance"-Gaga dance-Mithoefer study on MDMA microdosing-The Breathwave method of BreathworkThank you for listening!Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!let’s connect:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Aida Azlin is a writer, creative, and a proud believer fiercely committed to serving and championing women from all over the world, and doing so mainly through the work on her website, aidaazlin.com. Every Tuesday without fail, she sends out a personally hand-crafted Love Letter to over 60,000 Sisters from diverse countries and backgrounds. These letters tell stories, share insights, and are her regular creative writing practice. Over the years, she has also found joy in making short Videos on YouTube about similar subjects of faith, empowerment, entrepreneurship, and living a creative and full life. Because she is a writer who also loves to talk, she also started a podcast titled 'The Aida Azlin Show' which is a series of frank conversations between her and weekly special guests. Aida considers herself to be a Singaporean through and through, but also calls Seoul, Tangier and London her other homes.In this conversation, we cover quite a lot of ground. We talk about how Aida started writing, how it has changed over time, and her very specific routine that kickstarts her writing mode. We discuss how human connection is the most important thing in art and in life, made especially clear during the pandemic we are in currently, the idea of “humanity before religiosity,” and how practicing Islam relates to practicing art. Because we held this conversation during Ramadan and it is coming out during the final days of this sacred month, we also talk about Ramadan itself and how it can reset our personal intentions and open up more space for creative work.SHOW NOTES: -Aida’s website, instagram and youtube-Subscribe to her Tuesday Love Letters-The Aida Azlin Show podcast-Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert -Becoming Wise by Krista Tippett -More Myself by Alicia Key audio book-Instagram post about the 4 pillars of your daily scheduleTHANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Kennedy Muntanga is a movement artist born in Ndola, Zambia where he resided until he was 7. Moving to Leeds (UK), Kennedy’s passion for movement came from his wholesome relationship between dance and culture. Kennedy furthered his training and graduated in Ballet and Contemporary Dance at the Rambert School in July 2019. He is now a dancer with Akram Khan Company and has also worked for companies and choreographers such as Phoenix Dance Theatre, Humanhood, Robert Cohan, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Alesandra Seutin & Raman Schlemmer. Two years ago he founded his own company, Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theater (KMDT) and continues to create, perform, and work with the connections between the stories he grew up with, personal narrative, and deep movement exploration. Check out his work here, on instagram.In this conversation, we discuss the intersection between his cultural heritage and dance, how narratives bring empathy to art, why he feels like he is still at the very beginning of creating his voice in dance, what it means to be a dancer, especially during this time of global crisis when no one can perform or teach in person, and how his christian faith deeply influences and drives his work.~SHOW NOTES-Kennedy’s company instagram and his personal account (where you can find info on his quarantine virtual classes)-Trailers & clips from his company’s performances Nebuchadnezzar and Genesis-CAPA College-Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance-Akram Khan Company -William Forsythe -Michael Keegan-Dolan -Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Max Richter Arrangement-Kanye West (of course)THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Because I like the idea of podcast episodes having a sense of timelessness about them, I have usually shied away from news and current events in these conversations. However, lately that hasn’t felt possible. What we are experiencing currently with the COVID-19 pandemic is going to echo throughout the future in ways that we can’t even predict right now. That Is why when a family friend introduced me to Elin Kelsey and her work, I knew I had to have a deeper conversation with her about her unique, evidence-based hope perspective of the world.Elin Kelsey, PhD is an award-winning author and internationally-recognized thought-leader for hope and environmental solutions. Her work focuses on the study of the reciprocal relationship between humans and the rest of nature. Her newest book for adults, Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical For Solving The Environmental Crisis will be published by Greystone Books in October 2020. Her influence can be seen in the hopeful, solutions-focus of her clients, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and other powerful institutions where she has served as a visiting fellow including the Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Stanford University in the Graduate School of Education. She co-created #OceanOptimism, a twitter campaign to crowd-source marine conservation solutions which has reached more than 100 million shares since it launched in 2014. As an Adjunct Faculty member of the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies, she is consulting on the development of a solutions-oriented paradigm for educating environmental scientists and social scientists. Elin is passionate about bringing science-based stories of hope and multi-species resilience to the public and is not only a popular keynote speaker and media commentator, but she regularly serves as an author/artist in residence, leading hopeful environmental workshops with kindergarten to university students across North America and around the world. She is a feature writer and podcast host for Hakai Magazine and a best-selling children's book author. You can learn more about her work at www.elinkelsey.orgIn this both timely and timeless conversation, we talk about what led Elin to write and create children’s books specifically, as well as how to us books and art as vehicles for larger narratives and heavier conversations. We dig into her research process of writing a book and discuss the intersection between poetry and science. I love the way Elin speaks about reframing the pervasive “doom and gloom” narrative about the environment to one that is more hopeful. She elaborates on this concept and talks about how the same reframing can be applied to our current quarantined reality, finding hope in the chaos.~SHOW NOTES:-Elin’s website and all of her books-Her newest adult book (coming out October 2020), Hope Matters : Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis-Her newest children’s book (recently published!), A Last Goodbye-Artist & Illustrator Soyeon Kim -Brainpickings article about her book You Are Stardust-The Open Space method of meetings-Brian Keating, conservation advisor for the Calgary Zoo -More on how trees communicate with each other-Solutions Journalism Network -The rise of #oceanoptimism -American Revolutionary: a documentary on Grace Lee Boggs

Training across New York, Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo, Brazil, regional Australia, and her purple bedroom, Vanessa Marian Varghese is particularly fascinated with street dance and the way it is born outside of the dance studio context. In 2016 Vanessa founded Groove Therapy, aimed at making dance accessible to all walks of life. The program has brought dance to at-risk youth, Indigenous communities, dementia sufferers, refugee girls and the every-day person, using the political and healing foundations that these street dance styles are built upon and mindfully appropriating it in new communities to help spark global conversation and cultural understanding. As a dance professional, her other credits include an Adidas sponsorship and movement direction for Victorias secret, nike, Bonds, G-Star Raw and MTV. However, at the base of it all, dance for her has always been a way of finding more mental well-being. Vanessa is both a lifelong student and working teacher and you can take classes with her through groove therapy’s online platform. Check out her work through her portfolio and if you want to take some dance classes head over to Groove Therapy’s website.~SHOW NOTES-Vanessa’s portfolio website and instagram -Groove Therapy’s website and instagram -Kuchipudi Indian traditional dance -Routines and Ruts podcast interview -Musician: FKJ-Daughters Opera in Dehli -The Wing co-working space-The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy-Amy Zhang, dancer & new Groove Therapy managerTHANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Anna Brones is a writer, artist, and producer living in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. In this talk we get in deep into the cultural and societal values of work and productivity, how multifaceted creator like Anna decides what is work and what isn’t and when to say yes or no to a new opportunity, enjoying what she aptly calls the “marination phase” of the creative process, and, something that we can all relate to lately, how limitations and restrictions can actually enhance the artistic process instead of hindering it.~SHOW NOTES-Anna’s website, instagram & facebook-Creative Fuel Newsletter & the creative fuel challenge for isolated times-All about the Women’s Wisdom Project -Comestible - her illustrated food zine-Lisa Congdon & her Venn Diagram Illustration-Not sure if it’s the exact one mentioned, but here is an interview with Cheryl Strayed on her writing process -Kickstarter’s “Make 100” campaign -Broad Strokes by Bridget Quinn -The Unsung Heroines instagram-The Second Sex by Simone de BeauvoirTHANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Natalia Fernandes is a Brazilian choreographer and performer based in Madrid since 2016. She studied dance at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil and has completed her training with various courses and workshops. Her career includes working as a performer for choreographers from Brazil, Germany, Israel, India and the USA. She has been also working as a contemporary dance teacher since 2013 in different cities in Europe, Africa and America and in 2016, Natalia started a project on body awareness and contemporary dance classes for refugees in Madrid.Natalia began to explore her own choreography through the project The Oldest Thing in the World, a series of solos that she conceptualized and directed. Now, as a self-titled dance company, Natalia Fernandes has 5 pieces in her repertoire: Anatomy and Strategy which won the 29th Choreographic Competition of Madrid; the solo La Femme Qui Marche, Desnaturaleza, Laberinto which received a grant from the Madrid City Council in 2018, and her newest piece Lingua which has already won an award in the 33rd Choreographic Contest of Madrid. Natalia is currently a performer in the production Gran Bolero by Jesús Rubio and Las Cosas Se Mueven Pero no Dicen Nada by Poliana Lima.SHOW NOTES:-Natalia’s instagram & facebook-Her work we referenced: La Femme Qui Marche, Laberinto (article in spanish), Anatomía & Estrategia, Lingua-The Oldest Thing in the World (our piece together in Morocco)-De repente, California by Lulu Santos -What was Your First Question? Article by Courtney Martin-Sandra Cisneros On Being interview -Vipassana meditation and Ho’oponopono meditation~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Akeisha de Baat is contemporary dance artist turned online fitness enthusiast for dancers, based in Vancouver, Canada. She loves to create new works, self produce shows, and encourage other artists to go after their dreams. After 6 years of running Warehaus dance collective, her body had enough of suffering from overuse, fatigue, and compounding small injuries. Akeisha chose to seek the unconventional route of a personal trainer to help her recover and get back to being herself. Through this process, she started to connect with more dancers with similar stories and from that created the Resilient Dancer program, which provides dancers world-wide with monthly workouts to support healthy dancing.

In this conversation in our living room, my husband Marouan and I go back and forth about topics relating to art-making, relationships and where the two subjects intertwine. Most notably, how we worked together and what our collaboration process looked like for our full-length dance performance piece titled Marked Territory, plus what being an artist means to each of us and separating artistic spirit from artistic profession. We discuss the fact that a stigma still exists claiming that true artists can’t devote time to stable relationships or marriage and we also get into the benefits of having someone close to you in your life with whom you can be totally vulnerable and talk to about your process. We also received several questions from friends and podcast listeners, so we answer those sporadically throughout this chat. We are hoping this conversation will give you a glimpse into just one example of what two artists coming together in a relationship can look like from the inside, going through the process of making a life and making art side-by-side.Show Notes:-Marouan’s instagram and youtube -Ruby’s instagram -The Sunday Pancake newsletter-Délégation du Ministère de la Culture in Tangier (where Marouan studied theater)-The Riddle (short film)-Marked Territory -Dancing for the Trees -Nusha Martinuk (Oberlin professor)THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on Facebook

Sharon Picasso is a Minneapolis based movement and interdisciplinary artist. Her creative work incorporates her rich background in dance, theater, somatics, music and design. She invests in cultivating an inclusive and sustaining creative environment and above all, values the process. She studied Theatre and Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and earned a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from The Boston Conservatory. In this episode we discuss her beginnings in theater and psychology and why she took a break from dance for two years, how becoming a mother positively impacted her career as a choreographer and how she makes life and work sustainable, being a self-proclaimed “slow cooker” in terms of creative process, her thoughtful and special relationship with failure, plus she shares a couple of my favorite answers that I have heard so far in terms of what her daily rituals are for creativity.

Hicham Gardaf is a photographer who was born in Tangier, Morocco, and is currently based in London. Gardaf’s work at its centre poses questions that investigate transformations of contemporary landscape, spatiality and politics of space. Although it’s true that his main medium of expression is photography, he often incorporates various forms of image experimentation such as video and installation into his work as well. His work has been shown at Guest Projects in London, Museum of African Contemporary Art AL Maaden in Marrakech, Beit Beirut in Beirut, La Friche La Belle de Mai in Marseille, Bibliothèque Nationale de France and Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.While he was back in Tangier for a brief trip home, I invited Hicham over for coffee and this conversation, in which we dove into how his lifelong love of looking at pictures and images transformed into taking and curating them into his own art. In his soft-spoken and uniquely humble way, Hicham shared how he got to where he is as an artist by recognizing opportunity, his interests in the relationship between photography, painting & cinema, some of Tanger’s history that he has been documenting and researching in terms of development and architecture, his interest in “vague space,” and why, for him, the creative process of being a photographer is backwards.- SHOW NOTES-Hicham’s website & instagram -Magnum Photography books-Hicham’s influential photographers: Gary Winogrand, Stephen Shore, Lewis Baltz, William Egglestone-Influential cinema: Michelangelo Antonioni, Michael Haneke -Think Tanger, a local arts association-Gerhard Ritcher (overpainted photographs)-Georges Perec, French writerSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereWant to support the future production & growth of this podcast? You can Buy Me a Coffee!LET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramFollow along on FacebookRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

A short solo episode for the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, looking back on how I got started with this podcast, sharing how I prep for interviews, 3 major lessons I’ve learned in the first 9 months of podcasting, and gazing forward to the future.~SHOW NOTES:-You can now support Process Piece by Buying Me a Coffee!-Follow Process Piece on instagram & facebook-I mentioned researching conversations a couple times, here were some of my favorite resources:-We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee-The Better Conversations Guide by On Being, and generally listening to that podcast-Women at Work, an anthology of interviews by The Paris Review-One Part Podcast with Jessica Murnane-Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 2 with Anne Butera & Episode 7 with Vinny Balbo-Cooper Lee Smith’s music on Spotify

Abigail Hing Wen was born in West Virginia and raised in Ohio as a child of immigrant parents, both of Chinese descent. While she began to write creatively and tell stories from a young age, she studied what was seen as more “practical” subjects, graduating from Harvard University and Columbia Law School and then going on to work in Washington DC for the Senate and as a law clerk for a federal judge. She later earned her Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She now works in Silicon Valley in venture capital, artificial intelligence, and of course, writing novels, intuitively choosing to pursue multiple passions. Her debut book, Loveboat, Taipei, is coming out on January 7th and is a fictional story for young adult readers based off of her own memories of attending Chien Tan, a language immersion program for teens in Taiwan, but is more infamously known as “Loveboat.” In this conversation, Abigail and I not only got into to process of how she wrote this wonderful book, but we connected on so many levels- as dancers, creative & intuitive thinkers, and musical lovers. We explored how she has felt the calling to write her whole life, the on-going balancing act of juggling her intensive jobs, writing career & family life, why she had to write her book in full four different times, how her MFA program created a community around writing, how we each define creative freedom, and so much more.

Ellen Humphreys is a New Mexico-based actress, originally born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she got her first on-set SAG film experience fresh out of high school as a stand-in, driving double, background casting associate and more. After receiving her BFA in Theatre Arts, she moved to Los Angeles and discovered Lesly Kahn’s Comedy Intensive. With a year of audition practice and practical job skills beneath her belt, she moved to New Mexico to find her place in its blossoming film & television business. Her love of acting was founded upon, and will forever be fueled by her absolute adoration of the spoken word. Some of her past productions include In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) by Sarah Ruhl, Home with a View of the Monster, and the films Outlaws Don’t Get Funerals, and Running with The Devil.In this conversation, we talk about her path to becoming the actor she is today, language and a fascination with people being her starting point of her career, the importance of community and her personal process of preparing for a role, the conversational nature of acting, and we have a great discussion on whether being an actor is more of an art or a craft.~SHOW NOTES:-Ellen’s website and IMDb -Ellen’s instagram, @themaverickess-Lesly Kahn & Co.-More about the film Ellen did lead casting for: The Daily Life of Mistress Red directed by Peshawn Bread-Interrogation (new series coming this year through CBS All Access)-In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

In this solo episode I’ve decided to begin to reflect on some of the common themes that keep coming up over and over again in my conversations with diverse artists. Namely, the power of intuition in the creative process. I cite past episodes where it has been discussed, try to define what intuition means, and tell my own story of listening to my inner intuitive voice in order to make a huge, life-changing decision. I also include a little Q&A with listener questions about what inspires me and life as a woman in Morocco.~Show Notes:Notes-Process Piece instagram & my dance work/personal instagram-Episode 11 with Sanne Clifford, choreographer & maker-Episode 4 with Renee Byrd (sound bite in the beginning)-Episode 9 with Yahia Lababidi, on faith and the creative process-On Being interview with Mary Catherine Bateson-With a Daughter’s Eye by Mary Catherine Bateson-Brené Brown, Dare to Lead & Daring Greatly-Episode 5 with Jumana Al Refai, seeing choreography in everything-Subscribe to The Sunday Pancake-Cooper Lee Smith on Spotify~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me here

Vie Boheme is a Motown native, as she says, blossomed in Pittsburgh and refined in Minneapolis. She is a multimodal artist; a dancer, singer and choreographer. She brings athletic agility to her vocal performance through both song and dance and her sound is a fusion of Soul, Funk, Jazz, R&B and Pop. In 2018 she released a solo album titled Swoon and has created two major solo performance art pieces- Centerplay and Viva Black Volume 1. She is a former vocal artist, choreographer and co-creative director for Stokley Williams and is also a former dance artist with Camille A. Brown & Dancers, TU Dance and a founding member of The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. She has choreographed and performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Guthrie Theater, and The Children's Theater in Minneapolis. Vie was trained at Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts and The Ailey School. Over the course of her career she performed the works of Kyle Abraham, Gregory Dolbashian, Dwight Rhoden, Uri Sands, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Sidra Bell. As a soul, funk, jazz vocalist, she has opened for international acts Little Dragon, Bilal and J*Davey. She is also a Vinyasa yoga instructor with her own philosophy that has nurtured her versatility and prepares her body for her rigorous solo work.~SHOW NOTES:-Vie’s website, instagram, and facebook-Swoon - Vie Boheme’s solo album on Spotify-Her performance pieces: Viva Black Volume 1 & Center Play-Vie’s TEDX talk in Minneapolis Musical/Artistic Influences:-Karen Clark Sheard-The Winan’s Family-Destiny’s Child-Betty Davis (great article on her)-Josephine Baker-Dinah Washington-Ella Fitzgerald-Nina Simone (interview clip talking about blackness)-Eartha Kitt-The Pillow Project-Alvin Ailey’s Summer Intensive & Revelations-Corepower Yoga-Body Cartography (Olive and Otto)-Walker Art Center Choreographers Evening-Camille A. Brown & Company-TU Dance~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Caleb Hinz is an artist from Saint Paul, Minnesota that seems to do everything. I was introduced to him through his solo music projects, but later learned that he is mostly known for his musical work with The Happy Children and Baby Boys, as well as running the umbrella clothing brand and community movement that is Normal Parents. You can also find Hinz producing music for artists all over, directing music videos, working on his house and creating the occasional painting here and there.SHOW NOTES:-Normal Parents website and instagram-Caleb’s solo music work-Listen to The Happy Children (RIP)-Listen to Baby Boys-Hippo Campus music + website-Scary Mama (the bloody Santa Claus)-Early Musical Influences: The White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Oracular spectacular by MGMT, Radiohead-Baby Boys Wannabe music video-Queer Eye (mentioned multiple times)-Music mentioned: Frank Ocean-Baby Boys song Kleenex (the creative explosion)-Art Changes Nothing shirtOther artists Caleb is currently producing:-Kate Malanaphy-Good Luck Finding Iris-And finally, listen to Cooper Lee Smith’s debut album~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

As a self-proclaimed maker, Sanne Clifford uses the languages of dance, movement, words and film, choreographing them into moving stories and conversations. She is a Dutch artist and choreographer, living and working in Amsterdam and touring her work abroad. She presented her first professional choreographed work in 2009 and from 2012 to 2015 was the co-founder, co-director and house-choreographer of New Dance Company, a platform that takes initiatives to help young choreographers and dancers in their artistic development. Recently, she founded her own project-based dance company, Sanne Clifford & Co and teaches dance classes as well. Her way of working involves initiating a certain concept, and then inviting other artists to join in and co-create. Her passion for collaborations and explorative research led her to co-found and co-direct Choreolab Europe in 2015, a workshop platform for choreographic research and play. Choreolab Basel in 2017 is how the two of us met and ever since, I have loved watching the journey of her work unfolding. SHOW NOTES:-Sanne’s website, facebook page, and instagram-Note to Self, one of her recent creations that we talk about-Choreolab Europe (also I wrote an old blog post about my experience in Basel with them)-Anja Gallagher, co-founder of Choreolab Europe-ImpulsTanz Vienna Summer Intensive-Dare to Lead by Brené Brown-Henny Jurriëns Studio Summer Intensive-Morning pages from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron-Akram Khan & Hofesh Shechter-Cooper Lee Smith’s first album!~THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Shana Kaplow is a visual artist working with large-scale, ink-on-paper installation, sculpture, and video. Her images of mass-produced household objects peruse the familiar and the enigmatic confronting a society organized around ever-expanding consumption and exploitation. Her work has been featured in exhibitions and screenings at Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, Asheville Art Museum, Franklin Art Works, Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, The Soap Factory, and others. She is the recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant for Painters and Sculptors, The McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, and the Arts Midwest/NEA Artist Fellowship. She was an artist in residence at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, the Red Gate International Artist Residency in Beijing, and the Vermont Studio Center. Kaplow received her MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in visual studies and her BA from Connecticut College. She lives and works in St. Paul, Minnesota and is a Professor in the Art Department at St. Cloud State University.Show Notes:-Shana’s website and instagram-PBS “Minnesota Original” interview with Shana-“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” -Cesar A. Cruz* -news on her book coming soon! *THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Yahia Lababidi is an Egyptian Lebanese poet, writer, and aphorist. He grew up in Egypt, attended university in the states and eventually moved there later in life and is still based in Florida to this day. He has written several critically acclaimed books including his first book of aphorisms, Signposts to Elsewhere and a collection of poetry, Balancing Acts, that came in as number 1 on Amazon's Hot New Releases list. His newest compilation of aphorisms is titled Where Epics fail: Meditations of Live By and has already been featured on PBS’s Newshour. His books have been translated into nine different languages and he has participated in international poetry festivals around the world. Yahia is a collector of words and wisdom and has a way with using language to enlighten and inspire.~SHOW NOTES:-BOOKS: Where Epics Fail- (Unbound publishing or Amazon) Signposts to ElsewhereBalancing ActsThe Artist as Mystic - Conversations with Alex Stein-If you want to get in touch with Yahia, here are his instagram and twitter accounts-On Being podcast, plus here are a couple pieces he’s written for them-Khalil Gilbran (The Prophet, Sand and Foam)-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde-Sinead O’Conner “reverting” to Islam-A list of books by Rumi-Karen Armstrong - On Being Interview (how I had heard of her)~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Radia Bakkali is a musical artist, pianist, composer, and teacher. She began practicing piano and music theory at the age of 8 at the Tangier National Conservatory. She obtained her diploma in piano studies from the National Exam of classical piano in Rabat and then began to teach at the national conservatory of music in tangier. Her studies continued in Spain, where she trained at conservatories in Grenada and now in Ceuta. She has participated in a number of International concerts, events, and competitions including those in Spain, Belgium, Serbia, Germany and Morocco. Radia has collaborated with other musicians in chamber music concerts, played solo performances, creates visually stunning cover videos and also writes her own compositions.~SHOW NOTES-Radia’s youtube channel (where you can see all of the videos we discuss), instagram, and facebook page-Le Conservatoire d’Art et de Musique de Tanger-The Departed Soul (her first composition)-Game of Thrones (it came up a lot)-Some of her favorite musical influences: Chopin, Ramin Djawadi, Hans Zimmer, Coldplay, Le Trio Joubran~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagramSubscribe to the newsletter

Vinny Balbo is an Actor, Dancer, And Director living and making work in Los Angeles. From making the tough decision to drop out of school in order to pursue his art, to living full time as an artist, Vinny is determined to create work that engages and inspires. Both Vinny and I grew up in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and I knew him originally as a dancer and movement artist, later learning that he is also wildly creative when it comes to photography, directing and producing short films and video clips. He has a fascinating and naturally creative mind and I came away from this conversation feeling a deep need to go create something. That’s the effect he has- inspiration by example.~SHOW NOTES-Vinny’s youtube, instagram, vimeo and facebook-Vinny’s photography work-B-Boy Junior-ONU Clothing Collection / video collaboration directed by Vinny~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

Houda Rahmani is a Moroccan artist, illustrator, graphic designer, and photographer. She studied fine art at Institut National de Beaux Arts in Tetouan and later completed a masters program in cinema. Her work has won numerous awards and has been commissioned by local businesses in Tangier, where she is based. She has experience in a wide variety of mediums, exploring and playing with what art-making means to her. She is currently pursuing a PhD in fine art, working on personal projects, and teaches graphic design at a local university. Houda’s work is both delicate and powerful, as are her thoughts and ideas about art and it’s importance to her personally and to the wider world.~SHOW NOTES-Houda’s instagram and portfolio-Oud Studio instagram (her personal design studio)-An example of gnawa music-Kabaret Chikhats (and a french article about them here)-Design Matters by Debbie Millman, and the Ten-Year Plan~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

Jumana Al Refai is a professionally trained dancer and choreographer in ballet and modern dance. She has over 20 years of experience and has trained, performed, and worked with internationally recognized dancers and choreographers. She holds a BFA in dance from the George Mason University’s School of Dance and completed her training with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater school recently in New York City. Today, she teaches and choreographs students of different ages and dance experience in Kuwait, where she is originally from. Her path of deciding to become a professional dancer and pursuing it with determination and without looking back is seriously inspiring, especially coming from a country where contemporary dance isn’t a part of the surrounding culture.~SHOW NOTES-Jumana’s website, instagram, + facebook page-The Alvin Ailey School of Dance & Theater-Gaga people- more about gaga dance and where to find workshops + classes-Jacob’s Pillow-Akran Khan Dance Company~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email Ruby hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

“…self-doubt is indeed part of the problem. But contrary to what we’d expect, confidence is not the solution. The solution is having a new relationship to one’s own self-doubt.”-Tara Mohr~SHOW NOTES-This is my brother who I mention, Cooper Lee Smith-Playing Big by Tara Mohr-Subscribe to my newsletter~THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Subscribe & leave a review on iTunesHave any questions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

I originally met Renee Byrd through her beautiful food blog, Will Frolic for Food, but quickly discovered that she is also a talented musician, yoga teacher, photographer, poet, helps run a chocolate and coffee business called Frolic Chocolate, and a whole lot more. Renee is based in a small town in Virginia and on her blog she shares vegetarian recipes along with conversations about holistic wellness. She views self-care and personal healing as a vital part of living a full, creative life as an artist of any medium. As a musician, she is a part of the musical trio Larkspur and is starting a new project with her husband titled Blondechalant, which we really get into in this chat.Show Notes-Renee’s website and instagram -Listen to Larkspur, get their music and follow them on instagram -Follow her new music project, Blondechalant -Purchase Renee’s lightroom presets -More on being a multipotentialite -Dr Elaine Aron’s work on Highly Sensitive People -Joseph music-Annabeth sings patron (her fellow bandmate’s personal project) -To Be Magnetic course with Lacy Phillips -The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer -Morning Pages from the Artists Way by Julia Cameron-5Rhythms ecstatic dance classes~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesQuestions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

Laura Jean is my kind of traveling artist. Multi-passionate, adventurous, thoughtful, and out-side-of-the-box. She is writer, poet, photographer, podcaster and editor of Dame Traveler. Her blog, Roam + Go Lightly, was born in 2014 out of a simple travel diary to keep in touch with her family while she explored the greater half of Europe. After returning stateside, she decided to keep Roam + Go Lightly as a journal, the place to share her daily keepings while she adventures around home and abroad. It is now the creative space where she shares her heart’s truest loves: travel writing, exploring “the heart” of travel, creative exploration ideas, city guides, tips and tricks, and musings from life on the road and at home. Her dream is to write this world a love letter to be sent around the world to encapsulate its beauty and mystery in prose and short stories, which is exactly one of the main things we talk about in this fun, in-depth conversation.Show Notes-Laura’s lovely website and instagram -Passports & Pizza, Laura’s new podcast with Sara Cornelius-Dame Traveler-”I Fall in Love with Places” by Laura-Nicole Ziza Bauer - Travel Field Notes-Read more about the Feast of St Pizza -The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton -Anthony Bourdain - Parts Unknown, No Reservations -My Favorite Murder podcast~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGSubscribe & leave a review on iTunesQuestions, comments or guest recommendations? Email me hereLET’S CONNECT:Follow the Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

Anne Butera is a self-taught artist living in Wisconsin- a fellow midwesterner- who finds inspiration in the beauty of her garden and the magic of nature. We met through another internet friend and I have been following her blog, where she writes beautifully about art and creativity, for several months now. Anne works primarily in watercolor, but is a brave artist in that she also loves challenging herself to try new mediums. She strives to seek out and celebrate life’s little joys and daily graces, which is exactly what we get into in this conversation.Show Notes:-Anne’s portfolio and blog: https://www.mygiantstrawberry.com/-Anne’s instagram-Take classes with Anne here-Botanica: An Encyclopedia of Inspiration-Spice & Sprout (our mutual blogging friend)-White Pine by Mary Oliver (quote source)~THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review.LET’S CONNECT:Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

“Dance for love”That is what Pina Bausch told Pau early on when he began dancing in her company, Tanztheater Wuppertal in 2005. He has taken this advice to heart and it shows in his passion and curiosity for the process of making and performing dance. Pau Aran is a choreographer, dance teacher, and performer based mostly in Germany, but he frequently travels to pursue collaborations and other artistic projects.Show Notes-Pau’s website + portfolio: https://www.pauaran.com/home-eng-Pina - a documentary by Wim Wenders-Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch website-Festival Dansez Maintenant (the “castle” where we first met)-Quince años tiene mi amor- Dúo Dinámico (the song Pau tries to sing)-Bamboo Blues - Solo performed by Pau Aran Gimeno from Pina~THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGIf you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review.LET’S CONNECT:Process Piece instagramRuby’s instagram

In this episode you will learn more about the host of this podcast, choreographer & contemporary dancer Ruby Josephine Smith, plus what inspired her to start this project. Connect with Ruby through instagram.Follow Process Piece on instagram.