Self-Employed Happy Hour

Host Peri Pakroo talks with Monique Salhab and Kendra Toth about their firm, RACED, which helps clients build equitable and inclusive workplaces and organizations. By embracing their own identities and their strengths in holding space for uncomfortable conversations, Monique and Kendra are developing a powerful partnership that helps build capacity within other organizations to continue the important, ongoing work of dismantling white supremacy. Peri also shares a few announcements from Pyragraph and Tricklock Company, whose Revolutions International Theatre Festival is just about to kick off. Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsor Pyragraph. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

'Tis the season...of badass women stealing the show in the House impeachment hearings. ;) In this episode, host Peri Pakroo invites leadership coach, founder of Family Friendly New Mexico, and Producer/Host of The Well Woman Show Giovanna Rossi to talk about how women in leadership can maximize their effectiveness while staying physically and mentally well. With the holidaze looming, these tips are especially timely.  Peri also talks with Coffee + Creatives co-founder Ruth Dove about what leadership means in the world of small business, artsy collabs and indie working.  Tweener music: "Hold On" by Bellemah. Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Holiday market season is upon us! Host Peri Pakroo invites woodworker and maker of useful recycled wood items Allegra Howell into the studio to talk shop, craft markets and more. Allegra shares how she got into the biz of recycled wood handicraft, what makes a good market, and how she works on scaling her business while being a mom to a pre-schooler.  Peri also talks with A/V whisperer Stue Trory who shares recording tips in a new segment, "Checking Signal." Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

What a week! The second annual Unconference just wrapped, and podcast host Peri Pakroo exhales and recaps the highlights with Ruth Dove from Coffee + Creatives, the organizer of the event. This conference of educational and networking events serving Albuquerque's creative workers is growing into a powerful model for how to engage, serve and support a robust creative community. Photo by Jason Collin. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Host Peri Pakroo chats with Pilar Westell, owner of Zendo Coffee, a coffeehouse and art gallery in south downtown Albuquerque. We talked about the intersection between art and coffee, and the ins and outs of building and running a community space. Peri also chats with Ruth Dove from Coffee + Creatives about the upcoming Unconference week in Albuquerque, and the varied mix of venues that will host the week's events. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Ruth Dove. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Around ten years ago, Kei Tsuzuki and Molly Luethi wanted to create a social enterprise that would enable them to create quality jobs for refugees and immigrants. Today, Kei & Molly Textiles has made good on that mission, and has grown into a vibrant artisan manufacturing business that employs about eight full-time workers, and sells its screenprinted textiles at nearly 400 stores around the country. Host Peri Pakroo talks with Kei and Molly about the origins of their idea and how their values drive their business model. Peri also chats with Ruth Dove and Ayanna Nelson-Freeman from Coffee + Creatives about the role that employers can have in improving people's lives and communities. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Ruth Dove. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

I had the distinct pleasure of welcoming John Fugelsang to the studio to talk about comedy, politics, religion, and how he’s woven all those elements and more into his unique creative career. John is the host of the "Tell Me Everything" series on Sirius XM Insight (channel 121) and a frequent commentator and panelist. I chatted with him about how he got started in theater and comedy, and how he evolved into a funny-yet-incisive political commentator and broadcaster after a childhood suffused with religion and liberal thought. I also chat with Ruth Dove, co-founder of Coffee + Creatives about how her networking group helps creative folks in Albuquerque and beyond. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Marya Jones. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

When Danielle Vincent left her job at Oprah to start a soap-making business with her new husband, more than a few folks thought she was, well, crazy. Six years later, Outlaw Soaps is a success, propelled largely by Danielle's high-level marketing chops and time management skills. She has just written a new book, "You-Nicorn: 30 Days to Find Your Inner Unicorn and Live the Life You Love." Peri talks with Danielle about forging her own path and her passion for targeted, data-driven marketing.  Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

It's a hairy world out there, and Kyle Malone has a comb for it. Kyle had been running his branding firm Kinfolk Branding when he had the idea for an heirloom-quality beard comb, and he ran with the idea. Peri and Eph Sharpe talk with Kyle about launching Big Wood Beard Co, learning about his audience, and where the beard trend is going. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Building a business takes resourcefulness, resilience and often a lucky accident or two. No one knows this more than Sheri Crider, who has built a life as an artist and founder of visual art centers (currently, the Sanitary Tortilla Factory in downtown ABQ), despite challenges of addiction and incarceration in her early life. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Sheri about the intersection of "businessperson" and "artist" and how she built upon skills in drawing and construction to create a rewarding, creative self-employed life.  Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Today on Self-Employed Happy Hour we get our activism on and talk with Maggie Byers and Emilie De Angelis of Moms Demand Action NM, a bi-partisan grassroots organization fighting the epidemic of gun violence in the US. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Maggie and Emilie about the group's advocacy for common sense gun control legislation and how regular folks can get involved.  Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Today on Self-Employed Happy Hour we talk wellness with coach, educator, bass player and grateful human Antonia Montoya. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Antonia about how to carve out time and intention for self-care within a busy self-employed life. Peri also shares a slice of her self-employed juggle this winter, from her frosty living room studio. Segment music by Eph Sharpe. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

We're back with our second episode of 2018, featuring a fantastic conversation with Burque Noir founder Ebony Isis Booth! Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Ebony about how she created a showcase for Black performers in Albuquerque, and how she balances the many different identities — poet, organizer, marketing pro, auntie-mom, holder of the mic — that make her who she is.  Audio clip courtesy of Ebony Booth. Segment music by Eph Sharpe. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

The mimosas are cold, the burritos hot, and Self-Employed Happy Hour is back! In this episode Peri welcomes a new co-host, artist and emcee Eph Sharpe, plus talks with Keif Henley, the owner of The Guild Cinema, Albuquerque's last indie cinema, about how to stay indie in a megaplex world. AND, Snap Judgment storyteller James Judd shares a story about being haunted by voices telling him he's not "really" working. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox.  Story underscore by Peri. Be sure to Like our Facebook page! Theme song: "You Do Your Own Thing" by Sam Miller.

Host Peri Pakroo is back at the podcast mic, processing the 2016 election and figuring out how to fit political organizing into her self-employed life. In this episode she interviews Eric Griego, longtime progressive politician and organizer who has served on Albuquerque's City Council and the New Mexico State Legislature, and is currently the State Director of the New Mexico Working Families Party. Eric and Peri talk about moving past grief and blamestorming after the election, and how progressives can build upon the momentum that was generated by Bernie Sanders and others to fight back against the "machine" politics that dominate both major parties. Eric fills us in on what he's doing with the Working Families Party, as well as what many other organizations in New Mexico are up to, and how they are coordinating to build inclusive, diverse coalitions and bring regular people into government.  Listen below and/or subscribe at iTunes! Our rad theme song is “You Do Your Own Thing” by Sam Miller.

Host Peri Pakroo is back at the mic with more tales from the self-employed front. She interviews Collin Troy, a.k.a. Eph Sharpe, known to hip hop fans for his work with 2bers, but who also has a crap-ton of other creative ventures on his plate, including a new solo music project called Factory on Fire. Collin's also a graphic designer, visual artist, event organizer and all-around maker of creative things.  Collin and Peri talk about how he fell into graphic design and entrepreneurship in order to support his creative work. He also shares what's up with his new solo project, and how he deals with the always unpredictable juggle involved in being both a parent and a creative person.  Song clip: "Break Me Down" by Eph Sharpe. Be sure to Like our Facebook page! Theme song: "You Do Your Own Thing" by Sam Miller.

Business author and Pyragraph Publisher/Editor Peri Pakroo takes a break from her crash course in landlording to share more tales from the self-employed front. She interviews glitter-dusted musician and practicing Buddhist Little Bobby Tucker about this particularly surreal and scary political season, and talks with conceptual artist Jessamyn Lovell about her new work in progress, The P.I. Project, in which she is documenting the process of obtaining a private investigator license. Special thanks to Clarke Condé for his special appearance. Theme song "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon, other music by Peri.

Peri Pakroo returns to the dining room podcasting studio with more tales from the self-employed front, including an interview with social media strategist Roxanne Blair, and gallery owner Nancy Zastudil. Peri shares the latest news from her creative career magazine, Pyragraph, including their launch of coaching services and membership packages to support artists and creatives on a budget.  Theme song "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon, other music by Peri.

For the past year and a half, Albuquerque's beloved dance studio Keshet has been running a new arm of operations: the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Center (KIIC), a nonprofit arts incubator providing education, mentorship and rental space opportunities to local artists. KIIC's Program Coordinator Emily Dunkin and its Communications Director Carolyn Tobias joined us in the Pyragraph studio to talk about the resources they offer to creatives of all kinds—not just dancers—simultaneously benefiting both the artists themselves and our local creative economy. Also on the podcast is George Kenefic, Director of Enterprise at The Loan Fund, a community development financial institution that offers microloans to artists and other small businesses to help them grow.  We talked about the resources that artists need, whether artists really are such bad businesspeople after all, how small loans can help creative businesses go to the next level, and more. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Josh Stuyvesant.

Roberto Appicciafoco turned his love for film into a career as a film festival organizer and curator, most notably as the Founder and Festival Director of the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (SWGLFF). On the eve of the 13th annual fest, running Oct. 9 to 18 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Roberto joins us in the Pyragraph Studio for our first Self-Employed Happy Hour of the Fall 2015 season! We chat about how he got started in film festivals, the joys of dealing with taxes when you're self-employed, how SWGLFF fits into the broader circles of film festivals, how emerging filmmakers can up their chances of success on the festival circuit, and a whole lot more. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Creative Director Clarke Condé.

Just in time for summer vacay, we wrap our second season of Self-Employed Happy Hour by inviting all our guests from this season (plus a few more) and popping open the bubbly for a Season Finale & Awkward Office Party. We're joined by Ashlee Renz-Hotz, Roxanne Blair, Jared Tarbell, Erin Phillips, Jesse Littlebird, Clarke Conde and comedian Rusty Rutherford. We chat about the latest developments with Creative Mornings in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the Albuquerque Game Developers Guild, Tricklock Company, the state of publishing in New Mexico and more! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Jeremy Kinter and Josh Stuyvesant. Have a great summer and check back in the fall for new episodes!    

Sisters Antonia and Cherie Montoya are like a microcosm of creative self-employment. Antonia is the founder of Our Gratitude Collective, runs a wellness and gratitude coaching business, and has played music both solo and in various band projects for many years. Cherie is the owner of Farm & Table, a restaurant and farm in Albuquerque's bucolic North Valley that also serves as an unofficial center for a community passionate about locally grown food and artisan food-makers. Both Antonia and Cherie are active in the local business community and regularly host or participate in events promoting both personal wellness and healthy local economies. We were thrilled to have them on the podcast to talk about all these interesting angles and connections between creativity, community, wellness, food, art, family and culture. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Jeremy Kinter and Josh Stuyvesant. 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably noticed there's an awful lot of buzz around creative industries and entrepreneurship. As Director of Programs for the business accelerator Creative Startups, Roxanne Blair is squarely in the middle of this phenomenon. She joins us in the Pyragraph studio to talk about the best strategies for building creative industries, what kind of support artists need to build their ventures, and what Creative Startups offers growth-oriented creative firms. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Josh Stuyvesant.

Comedy lovers in Albuquerque may know him as their favorite and funniest baby in diapers, but Rusty Rutherford has a few other acts up his sleeve. Besides doing stand-up comedy and organizing/hosting events like the Third Thursday Comedy Contest at Tractor Brewing, Rusty also recently founded Duke City Dream Lab, a photo, video, and recording studio created to help teens and artists of all ages channel their creative energies and learn new media skills. We had a swell time chatting with Rusty in the Pyragraph studios about the comedy scene in Albuquerque, how twisted you really need to be to become a comedian, and what Duke City Dream Lab does for the community. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Jeremy Kinter.

As a freelance graphic designer and principal of Design5sixty4, Lori Patton knows her way around design. In addition she is President of AIGA New Mexico, the professional association for designers in the state, so Lori has excellent insight into what it takes to make it in the saturated design industry. She joins us in the Pyragraph studio to talk about getting started in graphic design, getting and keeping clients, dealing with software and technology, the burgeoning creative economy in New Mexico and a whole lot more. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter.

This week's podcast is a little different. Pyragraph Publisher and Editor Peri Pakroo was deep in No Rooz mode, getting ready for Persian New Year—which is today, March 20 at 4:45pm MT. (Happy new year everyone!) So Peri turned hosting duties over to Contributing Editors Jeremy Kinter and Josh Stuyvesant who did a late-night, after-hours special edition. Starting at 1:19am, full of gin and Tractor beer, Josh and Jeremy talked about things they always talk about and called it Self-Employed Happy Hour. As creative partners, co-owners of an Albuquerque-centric arts cooperative, and up-and-coming writers, Josh and Jeremy's topics of conversation cover: when we're allowed to call ourselves writers, wearing many hats, commiserating over the writer's hooching habits, and the sometimes symbiotic, sometimes predatory relationship one has with his/her audience.

"When most people are growing up, they don't say to themselves, 'I'm going to work in a brewery some day!'" This observation from Skye Devore (who clearly didn't watch "Laverne and Shirley" as a wee lass) was true for herself, yet by various twists and turns she is now the co-owner of Tractor Brewing Company, one of New Mexico's most beloved craft brewing operations. Skye joins us to share how she fell into the brewing industry, how Tractor plays an active part in supporting arts and culture in Albuquerque, why craft brewing is so hot in New Mexico, and what it takes to get into brewing as a business. She is joined by special guests General Manager Alana Jones, and Laboratory/QC Manager Monica Mondragon, both of Santa Fe Brewing Company. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Jeremy Kinter and Outreach Director Cara Tolino.

During the month of March 2015, more than 70 events will take place in Albuquerque and Santa Fe as part of the 10th annual Women & Creativity, an event celebrating creative women across the spectrum. The event was founded by arts consultant Shelle Sanchez and is co-coordinated by Valerie Martinez of Little Globe, and Julia Mandeville of Harwood Art Center, who all joined us in the Pyragraph studio to share details of the month's events and activities. Kristi Welton-Kidder also joined us to talk about how her group Women in Technology is participating in the month's events and representing women who pursue creativity through engineering, programming and other tech-based angles. We had a great talk about the unique ways that women approach creative pursuits, how to build professional opportunities for creative women (and men) in New Mexico, and how to celebrate and support creative women year-round. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph's Outreach Manager Cara Tolino. 

Freshly home from Japan, photographer Wes Naman joins us with his assistant photographer Joy Godfrey to help us kick off Thursday morning with mimosas aplenty and the backstories behind some of their most excellent photographic adventures and projects. Besides sharing the insanity of their recent TV appearance in Tokyo, Wes and Joy chat about their 505 Faces project, going viral with his invisible tape series, and what it means to pay your dues as a freelancer. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Josh Stuyvesant.

New York-based actor and writer Ashlee Renz-Hotz is neck-deep in creative work. She joined us in the Pyragraph studio to chat about her work on stage and in film, her post-apocalpytic Greek tragedy screenplay, living and studying in England and Australia, and whether 50 Shades of Grey is worth the hype. We didn't let her leave without promising to write more about the actor/writer's life for Pyragraph! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter.

You may or may not know that Self-Employed Happy Hour is produced by Pyragraph, an online creative career magazine for creatives worldwide. It's Pyragraph's second birthday, so we thought it would be a grand idea for Pyragraph's founder Peri Pakroo to chat with the other editors and core Pyragraph folks about Pyragraph's first two years, and how Peri found herself launching an online magazine after a couple decades working in publishing. We also talk about Albuquerque's burgeoning creative scene, the challenges of online publishing, struggling to untangle TinyPass and MailChimp, whether Pomplamoose are sellouts, and so much more! Peri is joined by Pyragraph editors Sage Harrington, Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter; Outreach Manager Cara Tolino, Creative Resident Mary Holyoke, and JAK Media owners/photographers Kendra Crooks and Austin Madrid.

Zach Sutton has built his professional photography business not just on crack photog skills, but by becoming an in-demand writer and speaker about photography as well. We share mimosas and burritos with Zach at the Pyragraph studio to talk about his client work, his writing gig at Fstoppers, his workshops across the US, and how he fits it all together. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter.

Actor MorningStar Angeline and Production Designer Kevin Pierce join us in the Pyragraph studio to chat about their film Drunktown's Finest, about life in and around Gallup, New Mexico. Writer and director Sydney Freeland calls in from Sundance to talk about the long screenwriting process and how she eventually scored Robert Redford as an Executive Producer. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Josh Stuyvesant and Outreach Manager Cara Tolino.

The 15th annual Revolutions International Theater Festival, put on by Tricklock Company, is just getting underway, bringing incredible productions from all around the world to Albuquerque for a 3-week orgy of theater! Tricklock's Hannah Kauffmann, Erin Phillips and Shastyn Friedman come to the Pyragraph studio to tell us all about it—from the history of the festival to the logistics of getting everyone here, to the inevitable mental health breakdowns in trying to pull off an event of this magnitude. The mimosas were flowing and it was a great way to kick off Self-Employed Happy Hour's second season with Pyragraph! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter.

To close out the year we figured why not throw a party—hell, why not our very own Awkward Holiday Office Party for us creatively self-employed? We went and did it—and what a party it was!  We invited everyone who appeared on the show this season—plus new guests Andy Lyman and Adrian Toto from The Tan, painter Laila Cola Weeks and artist Billy Joe Miller—to talk about what's going on in their creative worlds...from starting an unofficial Appl'e Store to painting floaty cubes to wizard duels! We also talk with 516 ARTS' Suzanne Sbarge and The Curious Townie Steven J Westman about more art and creative happenings in New Mexico! It was a blowout! Watch our site and our Facebook page for photos from JAK Media's Kendra Crooks and Austin Madrid. Thanks Kendra and Austin!  Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Editors Sage Harrington, Josh Stuyvesant, Jeremy Kinter and Eva Avenue. Happy holidays everyone! We'll be back in mid-January 2015.

All-around creative volcano Crispin Hellion Glover (Willard, River's Edge, Rubin & Ed, Back to the Future) lays it down on how to be an independent artist in a corporate funded world. In this extended interview we chat about his self-financed films (What Is It? and It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine), his books (Rat Catching and Oak Mot, among others), his frustration with sanitized media, his craft as an actor, and more. A whole lot more.  Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Editors Sage Harrington, Josh Stuyvesant, Jeremy Kinter and Eva Avenue.

Beth Moore-Love paints amazing, disturbing, reality-shattering artworks. Documentary filmmaker Larry Wessel made a film about her, LOVE: The Art of Beth Moore-Love, which is currently showing across the US. Beth joins us at the Pyragraph studio to talk about her work, her evolution as an artist, working and showing internationally, and what it was like to be the subject of a documentary. Keif Henley, owner of The Guild Cinema, also joins us to talk about the film, and about Beth's amazing work.   Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter. LOVE: The Art of Beth Moore-Love is screening in Albuquerque at The Guild Cinema Dec. 1 to 4, and we can't wait! Beth will speak on Dec. 1. Prints of Beth's work will be available at some screenings!

Sex shop talk! Owners of Self-Serve Toys/Sexuality Resource Center Molly Adler and Matie Fricker chat about starting and running a progressive, sex-positive adult business in Albuquerque. They also share the history of Pornotopia, the adult film festival they founded in 2007, and what's on the bill for this year's fest which starts Nov. 13! Keif Henley, owner of The Guild Cinema, also joins us to talk about hosting Pornotopia and the legal drama that went on for years — with a recent victory for Pornotopia in the New Mexico Supreme Court!  AND—as if that's not enough—Inga Muscio, author of Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, calls in to chat with Molly and Matie about sex ed and how to nurture healthier sexuality. Hot!

Think you understand how to develop a winning brand? Len Romano—who along with his wife Donna founded the award-winning marketing and branding design firm Ripe Inc.—takes us into the mind of marketing, how Ripe went about creating Marble Brewery's new look, how Albuquerque seduced him and his wife, and more! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant, Jeremy Kinter and Contributing Editor At Large Eva Avenue.

How do you find your way through the brambles of online galleries to find the one that offers what you're looking for—as a buyer, or as an artist? OAC Gallery founder Sarah Biondi talks about starting an online contemporary art gallery, the business of art consultants, and her background in the film industry and in marketing. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Contributing Editor At Large Eva Avenue.

We get to the raw, bloody heart of filmmaking today. Emily Best of Seed&Spark, a crowdfunding and streaming distribution platform for independent filmmakers, talks about her new magazine Bright Ideas, adventures in filmmaking, and why artists are more crucial now today than ever. Catch her on her informational cross-country #StayIndieTour to learn how to make the most of your crowdfunding campaign! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter and Contributing Editor At Large Eva Avenue.

Commercial sensibilities combined with artistic imagination equal workable success! Artists Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters, founders of Stranger Factory, join us to talk about the art business, running a gallery, the history of Stranger Factory and Circus Posterus, Kathie and Brandt's personal work and career backgrounds, and so much more! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing-Editor-At-Large Eva Avenue.

Hey, you gonna smoke that? Editors from Pyragraph, Humbird and Nightly Noodle Monthly gather at Pyragraph Studios to talk about Albuquerque's writing scene, art-career author Jackie Battenfield, writer Mike Smith, and other people and happenings in our writers' worlds. We also chat with call-in guest Brendan Doherty, the Weekly Alibi's former music editor, about leaving the self-employed life to serve the Man. All this, and so much more! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter and Contributing Editor At Large Eva Avenue.

I know Billy! Billy McCall joins us to talk about refereeing the imminent Zine Olympics at ABQ Zine Fest, his band Rudest Priest, pinball, stories from the casino floor and so much more! Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter and Contributing Editor At Large Eva Avenue.

Eryn Bent is a fiery singer-songwriter who plays indie folk originals with both power and softness. Eryn joins us to chat about being an independent musician, recording her latest album Firefly, and building her music career one lesson at a time. She sings some gorgeous songs for us to boot.  Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter. Theme song: "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon (featuring Sam Miller). The video is rad.

Eric Renz-Whitmore is a ninja-level organizer, networker and promoter within Albuquerque's tech scene, and just wrapped an amazing Tech Fiesta ABQ week. He is Community Manager at the NM Technology Council, Organizer at One Million Cups, and Organizer at Startup Weekend New Mexico. We chat about cool stuff happening with art and tech, news on start-ups in NM and more. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter, and Contributing Editor at Large Eva Avenue. Theme song: "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon (featuring Sam Miller). The video is rad.

Kendra Crooks and Austin Madrid are a year into their photography business, JAK Media, and besides developing an impressive reputation and body of work, they've also gone through ownership changes and are in the middle of a rebranding campaign. They share their story and lessons learned with Pyragraph's editors Peri, Josh and Jeremy, including tips on how to deal with kooky clients and what details to make sure to spell out in client contracts.  Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter, and Contributing Editor at Large Eva Avenue. Theme song: "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon (featuring Sam Miller). The video is rad.

Fresh off the plane from a summer in Europe playing backup in another band's tour, Sam Miller comes to the Pyragraph Studios to shake off his jet lag with mimosas and breakfast burritos. He tells us about the recording of his debut solo album You Need to Hear It, how he uses social media platforms for his music, and how his previous bands morphed into the solo career he's pursuing today.   Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Senior Contributing Editor Sage Harrington, Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter, and Contributing Editor at Large Eva Avenue.    Theme song: "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon (featuring Sam Miller!). The video is rad.

After a two-year hiatus, we are re-booting Self-Employed Happy Hour! Host Peri Pakroo is now Publisher and Editor of creative career magazine Pyragraph, so her co-hosts, guests and topics will focus on creative careers and the many ways creative workers manage self-employment.   In this Reboot Edition, Peri is joined by Pyragraph Senior Contributing Editor Sage Harrington, Contributing Editors Josh Stuyvesant and Jeremy Kinter, and Contributing Editor at Large Eva Avenue.    Theme song: "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon. The video is rad.

I chat with the owner of one of my very favorite shops, The Octopus and the Fox, Jessi Campbell. (Her co-owner Belita Orner couldn't make it. :( ) Nicknamed OctoFox, their über-sweet boutique showcases handmade (and way-affordable) art, fashion and gifts from dozens of local artists and designers. I get the scoop from Jessi on how she started, how she merges art with business, and how we love the sweet small business scene in Albuquerque.

I chat with Marie Abaya, owner/operator of Simeona Gardenaire, a landscape design firm specializing in art- and pet-friendly xeriscaped gardens. Marie has had an eclectic career as a designer and artist, including working in architecture and fashion (and making an amazing pair of handmade leather boots!). We talk about working with plants, earth, art, and clients.