The Creativity Cafe

Henna Bakhshi is a self-taught artist creating art for change and healing. Through her work, she strives to tell under-represented stories and start conversations that lead to connections, community, and liberation. Henna believes art has the power to change hearts and minds and hopes her art helps you see we are never alone, there is always hope, and that together, we can make change happen. Learn more about Henna:https://www.instagram.com/browngirlarthttps://www.browngirlart.co.ukLearn more about the hosts:Paige Baldwin Andohttps://www.wholeselfcreative.comhttps://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreativeJordana Matsudahttps://www.jordana-matsuda.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda.artist

Filiz Soyak is an interdisciplinary artist creating through intuitive mark-making in painting, fiber, clay, and installation, whose work has been exhibited and collected internationally for over two decades. Her work explores territories of intuition, subconsciousness, and is about creating and invoking peace, healing, and an appreciation for our natural environments, humanity, and the present moment. After becoming a mother in 2016, mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork became integral to her creative process and subject matter. Filiz is truly a global citizen and creating art has been the unifying language that helped her to process and adapt to so many diverse experiences. She was born to a Turkish father and Swedish mother, raised in Belgium, grew up in Japan and the United States, and after spending some time in Jordan, Barbados and New York City, is now settled in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York, with her husband and two young children.Find out more about Filiz and her art.https://www.filizsoyak.comhttps://www.instagram.com/filizsoyakhttps://www.instagram.com/breathflagsLearn more about the hosts.Paige Baldwin Andohttps://www.wholeselfcreative.comhttps://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreativeJordana Matsudahttps://www.jordana-matsuda.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda.artist

We are back with episode 1 of season 6, and we are so excited to be introducing you to some very special people from all over the world.Today, though, I am speaking to my co-host Paige about the work she does to help creative people bring their dreams to fruition.https://www.wholeselfcreative.com/https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative

Originally from Adelaide, Australia, songwriter, musician, poet, and podcaster, Sorcha Chisholm has been living in Tokyo since 2004. With a voice and demeanour that both soothe and intrigue, Sorcha's work invites us into a world that asks us to go deep and get real. Her monthly podcast, The Witch Way Spellcast, gives us the opportunity to explore the power of the witch, including alternative modes of thinking, challenging the status quo, and using art and magic as weapons of choice against depression, helplessness, and despair.  Find our more about Sorcha https://www.instagram.com/flyingsorcha https://sorchamusic.com https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/the-witch-way-spellcast/id1608496780 Contact us here: thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda

Originally from London, Raj Kaur has spent the last six years living in Bavaria, in the south of Germany. Combining her professional work as a freelance Design Director for Brands with her art and illustration practice, Raj's work covers a vast array of explorations. She strives to find the balance between ‘play' and ‘project creation' in the quest to build a body of personal work, which celebrates joyful creativity. Subjects vary from animals, portraits and life drawing - subjects which exude life and character. Raj strives to create work that is expressive and energetic, enjoying the freedom of bold mark making and colour.  Find out more: https://www.instagram.com/rajkaurartist https://rajkaur.substack.com Contact us here: thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda

Miho Murakami is a Filipino-Japanese fashion designer and self-taught muralist and painter based in Tokyo. She draws inspiration from the vibrant interplay of colors in nature, infusing her art with a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and feminine beauty. Her work is characterized by a seamless blend of art and fashion and with each creation, she tells a story that celebrates the harmony between the natural world and human creativity, offering a unique perspective that captivates and inspires.⁣ Find out more about Miho: https://www.instagram.com/miudelirium Contact us here: thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda

Jean Shields Fleming is an American novelist and both the founder and editor in chief of Certain Age, a magazine dedicated to unleashing women's power, one story at a time. Chock full of poems, reflections, and other features, Certain Age shares wisdom, perspective, truth-telling, and opinion with all the discernment that comes from having lived. Jean now lives, writes, and edits in a small village in Greece, where she's joined by her husband, five feral cats, and one fox.  Find out more https://www.certainagemag.com https://www.jeanshieldsfleming.com Contact us: thecreativitycafe@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda

Caroline Jariwala is an ethical mosaic artist based in the West Midlands in the UK. Caroline creates vibrant, lively mosaics with varied themes using chipped, rejected, thrown away and second hand crockery and cheap tiles that would ordinarily be destined for landfill. By using these materials, she gives them a new lease of life and creates objects of beauty that spark both conversation and joy. 

Ema Shin is a Melbourne-based artist who was born and raised in Niigata, Japan. After studying printmaking at Tama Art University in Tokyo, Ema completed a Master of Fine Art Degree at Aichi University of the Arts in Aichi, Japan. Her recent solo exhibition, Hearts of Absent Women, is a celebration of the lives and energy of anonymous women refracted through personal experiences with her own culture as well as Australian society. Her inter-disciplinary practice, application of historical techniques, and use of tactile materials result in contemporary artworks that express femininity and sexuality through embroidery, three-dimensional fabric sculptures, tapestry, and printmaking. Over the span of her career, Ema has exhibited prolifically in Australia and in various other countries around the world.  https://www.instagram.com/ema.shin Cover photo credit: Oleksandr Pogorily Contact us: thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordana.matsuda

We are so excited to be back with you all and today to kick off season 5 we are catching up on how we are both feeling and what we have been up to since the end of season 4. As always, if you have a question for us for our regular Ask Us Anything segment, please get in touch with us by email or via Instagram. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast

We have a special episode for you today! Paige and Mioko Mochizuki (Season 1 guest), sit down with Jordana, Haneka Azuma and Laura Pearson to discuss a deeply meaningful project Paige and Mioko started over a year ago, The Motherhood Project. The Motherhood Project was born when Art Educator Mioko Mochizuki and Creativity Coach Paige Baldwin Ando began discussing themes related to motherhood, and how they might be explored through art. Together, Mioko and Paige designed unique art-making experiences that combine profound questions with an image-making process that takes the artist into her subconscious mind. Take a listen to find out more about how these 5 creative mothers came together to make some deeply personal and beautiful pieces of art. Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com/ Mioko Mochizuki https://www.eduart.jp Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com Laura Pearson https://oceanridgekiln.com Hanaka Azuma

We have a special episode for you today! Paige and Mioko Mochizuki (season 1 guest), sit down with Jordana, Haneka Azuma and Laura Pearson to discuss a deeply meaningful project Paige and Mioko started over a year ago, The Motherhood Project. The Motherhood Project was born when Art Educator Mioko Mochizuki and Creativity Coach Paige Baldwin Ando began discussing themes related to motherhood, and how they might be explored through art. Together, Mioko and Paige designed unique art-making experiences that combine profound questions with an image-making process that takes the artist into her subconscious mind. Take a listen to find out more about how these 5 creative mothers came together to make some deeply personal and beautiful pieces of art. Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com Mioko Mochizuki https://www.eduart.jp Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com Laura Pearson https://oceanridgekiln.com Hanaka Azuma

Ava Roth is a Toronto-based encaustic painter, embroiderer and mixed-media artist who's spent the past decade working almost exclusively with beeswax. Ava is fundamentally guided and inspired by the organic and local materials she relies on, such as Canadian beeswax, foraged wood, birch bark, foliage and horsehair. One of her current projects is an inter-species collaboration with local honey bees. This work begins in her studio with the creation of encaustic collages which are suspended in embroidery hoops. The hoops are then fixed to custom-made frames, and placed inside honeybee hives where thousands of bees embed the work in comb. This project, like all her work, explores the boundaries of where humans collide with the natural environment, and imagines a more beautiful outcome of the encounter. http://www.avaroth.ca

In her abstract pieces that blend mesmerizing colors and shapes, Satsuki Shibuya, a native of Los Angeles, California, invites us to notice the ways the energies of the unseen world can be translated into something more tangible. While the primary medium she might be known for is watercolor, she currently incorporates multiple media, including oil and hard pastels, color pencils, crayons, oil, and acrylic paints. Her past work has also included fabrics and music, which we may begin to see woven into her practice again. Regardless of what medium she may be working in, Satsuki's spiritual practice lies at the root of her creative expression. It is the driving force behind why she creates, and guides her towards where she's headed next. This relationship is clear in the ways Satsuki's work draws the viewer into contemplation as well as the emotional experience of connecting with her evocative imagery. https://satsukishibuya.com https://www.instagram.com/satsukishibuya

In this special episode, we interviewed all 4 of the illustrators commissioned to create images for the upcoming publication of the book Paige Co-created with Maria, The Emerging Queendom. It was fascinating to hear how each illustrator approached the project so listen as we learn more about this fantastic book. Help publish the book and pick up one of the amazing perks by contributing to Indiegogo. https://igg.me/at/teqbook/x#/ Nasim - https://www.instagram.com/minisnailarts Lia Dova - https://www.instagram.com/lia.dova Jordana Matsuda - https://www.instagram.com/jordanaillustration Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com

The Emerging Queendom book is a creative collaboration between Maria, a fiber artist and cross stitch designer from Tallinn (Estonia) and Paige, a writer and creativity coach from Tokyo (Japan). Perfect for fans of fantasy and fiber arts alike, The Emerging Queendom is a celebration of strength, healing, and feminine powers. It weaves together thirteen magical stories rooted in symbols and folklore accompanied by thirteen intricate cross stitch designs. Each story also features an original illustration, created by four female artists from around the world. The stories in The Emerging Queendom showcase unique female archetypes and their strengths. But the tales of an ancient curse, a heroine's journey, and the crumbling towers are just a canvas to embroider messages of love, resilience, finding your own path, and having the right circle of friends to support you along the way. Maria's stunning cross stitch designs add a visual depth to the narrative, making the reading experience even more immersive and enchanting. The Emerging Queendom is scheduled to be released in early December, 2024. If you would like to purchase one of the perks and help get the book published, please click on this Indie GoGo link and find out more. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-emerging-queendom-book?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYgdYOU_Mv4roiMeCkufB0-cS6HCL6ePACBjeE7bMMj63Bj5c-z2XEKoFE_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw%23%2F#/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Isobelle Ouzman is a multinational artist who creates intricate, magical worlds through her work as an Altered Book Artist in Bratislava, Slovakia. Having been born in Leeds, in the United Kingdom, Isobelle relocated to Washington state in the US as a teenager. Through her work with altered books, Isobelle conjures opportunities for reflection, connection, and the contemplation of the ways in which we reconcile our inner lives with the world we find around us. https://isobelleouzman.com https://www.instagram.com/isobelle.ouzman https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfCOyXjcGo0sflOrp2Qf4hQ Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Clara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan and Ireland. Her fiction and non-fiction for children and adults has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times, Banshee and The Kyoto Journal. Her debut YA novel, Catfish Rolling blends magical realism with Japanese myth in a story about grief, memory and time. Catfish Rolling was nominated for the YOTO Carnegie Award, a finalist for the Great Reads Award and shortlisted for the 2023 KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards. She lives and writes in Ireland. Here is the blurb from Clara's book: There's a catfish under the islands of Japan and when it rolls the land rises and falls. Sora hates the catfish whose rolling caused an earthquake so powerful it cracked time itself. It destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her scientist father live close to the zones – the wild and abandoned places where time runs faster or slower than normal. Sora is sensitive to the shifts, and her father recruits her help in exploring these liminal spaces. But it's dangerous there – and as she strays further inside in search of her mother, she finds that time distorts, memories fracture and shadows, a glimmer of things not entirely human, linger. After Sora's father goes missing, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself... https://www.instagram.com/clarakiyoko https://x.com/clarakiyoko Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Owner of Mornington Crescent Baking School and Bakery here in Tokyo, Japan, Stacey Ward originally hails from the Stockport, in the UK. Through the bakery, Stacey teaches people to make delicacies that might be different from what they're used to, but give them new baking skills and a fresh understanding of the baked goods in their cultural context. Twice a month, Mornington Crescent opens to the public, and they also have a baking book published in both English and Japanese. This year is the tenth anniversary of the bakery sharing delicious treats with its community by bringing the best of authentic British home baking to us here in Tokyo. http://mornington-crescent.co.jp --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Through her bold and innovative use of vibrant color, painter Dar James invites us into a world of striking shapes and textures. From her home in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania in the United States, Dar is a full-time working and teaching artist, the writer and illustrator of six picture books for children, and an educator for GOLDEN Acrylics and Silver Brush Company. Inspired by the natural world, Dar paints from the imagination and sees each piece of art like a puzzle to be solved, where each mark or shape makes way for another mark or shape, and every step along the way connects the beginning to the final dot or line. Dar also conducts online workshops, facilitates immersion weekends in New York, and participates in regional shows and exhibits. To her, being an artist means living a life of wonder, and sharing that with others. Find out more about Dar https://www.darsworld.com https://www.instagram.com/indarsworld --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Born on the eastern edge of the Eurasian continent, in Hokkaido, Japan, Mayumi Nakabayashi has now spent 24 years on its western end, in the Republic of Ireland. While Mayumi's primary medium of expression is Land Art, which is art that's made through and with natural materials in the environment, she also works with voice. This means that the materials she creates with are diverse and ever-changing. From the delicate nature of working with spider webs to the dynamism of working with the human body, the contrasts and internal contradictions of Mayumi's work give her cause to think deeply about the nature of each piece she interacts with. Through Land Art, Mayumi creates geometric patterns using petals, twigs, leaves, stones, and other natural materials in her environment. While her materials inevitably come in diverse shapes and sizes, they do follow the rhythms of the sun and moon, have innate geometries in their beings, and behave collectively according to the principle of emergence. Rhythms, geometries, and patterns seem to bring harmony and connection in the natural world, and Mayumi's work is greatly inspired by these aspects of nature. Find out more about Mayumi here: https://www.instagram.com/mayuminakabayashi?igsh=N2Y3bWh6cXV5Zjdo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

The Nuanua is a colourful creative space created by Rosemary, an artist and designer living in Sydney Australia. Starting with woven wall hangings, her creative journey has moved into more fibre art including punch needle and the most recent addition of rug tufting. The name of her creative space ‘Nuanua' is derived from the Samoan word for rainbow, which is part of Rosemary's heritage. As an inspired and curious creative, Rosemary hopes to keep The Nuanua as an open artistic adventure, constantly exploring old and new mediums, keeping her colourful space open to endless possibilities. Find out more here: https://www.instagram.com/thenuanua Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/thecreativitycafepodcast Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, Lindsey Gradolph has lived in various parts of Japan since 2009. Using repurposed denim and other secondhand or vintage textiles, Lindsey creates abstract, intuitive embroidery works that each compose their own little universes. Incorporating bright colors and a variety of textures, Lindsey's pieces are a bit like being invited into a zen garden or a hako niwa, a small, contained garden that encompasses a tiny world of tactile discovery. Rich and compelling in their themes and explorations, each piece invites you to get lost in it, and enjoy the experience thoroughly.  Find out more about Lindsey here: https://www.lindzeanne.com https://www.instagram.com/lindzeanne https://lindzeanne.substack.com/about Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Inspired by the interplay of light and colour with geometric patterns, and the work of the great Catalan artist Gaudi, our guest Siobhan Allen creates multi-hued stained glass mosaics that express the sacredness and divinity inherent in the world around her. Previously a bodywork therapist specializing in massage and cranio-sacral therapy, Siobhan is entirely self-taught in the art of stained glass, bar a few evening classes. What began as a hobby gradually became her full time work in 2015 or 2016. Now from her home [studio?] in North Devon in the UK, Siobhan creates colourful stained glass pieces that are as inspiring as they are inspired. Find out more about Siobhan's work here: https://www.siobhanallen.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/SiobhanAllenArts https://www.instagram.com/siotara Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Season three has finished, and Jordana and Paige share their thoughts about what themes came up throughout the season. Thank you for listening and for all your wonderful questions throughout the season. We look forward to seeing you again in 2024 for season four. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Born in Sydney, Australia, self-taught photographer and videographer Lisa Knight now makes her home here in Tokyo, Japan. Through her work for Tokyo Weekender, Tokyo's longest-running English-language magazine, Lisa provides glimpses into life in the capital that reveal the pulsing aliveness of her subjects. But her lens isn't fixed solely on urban life. Through her photos, Lisa shares her travels both within Japan and abroad, and lets us see people, places, and interiors through her exquisitely-rendered perspective. Whether she's sharing ethereal and riveting photos of natural beauty, or highlighting details that might otherwise go unnoticed, Lisa's work invites us to engage more sensitively with what we see.  Check out Lisa's photographs here https://www.instagram.com/lisainjapan/?hl=en Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Hailing originally from the Caribbean island of Curacao, Nina Alberg has lived in the Netherlands since the age of 17. Under the name Mimi Moffie, she creates bold, vibrant digital illustrations inspired by women, and that represent Black women in particular. Combining evocative words with vivid images in a way that inspires both thought and action is something that Nina does expertly in her work. The people she draws brim with so much confidence, intelligence, and verve that you can't help but be drawn into their world. Bringing both audaciousness and comfort with their self-expression, the women Nina draws remind us that we're free and welcome to be who we really are. https://www.instagram.com/mimimoffie Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally form London in the United Kingdom, Kat Chetram has lived in Tokyo since 2014. While her primary medium is photography, Kat also dabbles in graphic design, writing, and painting. Kat's street photography invites viewers to get curious about ourselves, others, and the world around us, so that we might find presence, compassion, understanding, and connection. While those invitations may be issued most of the time through her camera lens, Kat explores a wide variety of ways to share and connect creatively including curating a map of her favorite coffee spots around Tokyo.  Find out more here: https://instagram.com/katologs https://papersky.jp/en/ Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Having been born and raised in rural Ohio in the United States, Melissa Finkenbiner has now lived and created art in the US, Myanmar, Armenia, Zimbabwe, and Japan. As a cross-disciplined fine artist and metalsmith, all of Melissa's work is linked by recycled and sustainable materials with earthy elements. In her work as a metalsmith, she repurposes vintage silver and copper, or uses recycled metals, including brass. In other works, Melissa uses a variety of materials, sometimes combining ink with plant-based acrylic, undiluted watercolor, conte, and pastels. Most notably, she uses discarded surfaces from glass bottles to tree bark, or sustainable papers from bamboo and recycled pulp. Sustainable practices are at the heart of her process and her packaging.  Over the past 12 years, Melissa has had 21 gallery exhibitions including her 2023 solo show “Elements of Nature Between Skyscrapers” in Ginza, Tokyo. In 2019, the U.S. State Department's Art in Embassies program purchased three of her mixed media portraits for U.S. Embassy Harare in Zimbabwe.   https://www.melissafinkenbiner.com https://www.instagram.com/melissafinkenbiner Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from Scotland, ceramicist Laura Pearson has lived in Japan for 8 years. Now based in Shonan Kamakura--a seaside town about an hour from Tokyo--Laura creates unique homeware pieces that center the user's connection with the items they use every day. Paying mind to the textural and sensory experiences people have when using her pieces, Laura hopes to bring joy to people's everyday lives as they undertake daily rituals like drinking a cup of coffee. The organic forms and textures of her pieces evoke the forms and textures of the natural world, and allow their users to form a connection with each of them as unique works of functional art. With a background in textiles, costume, and fashion design, Laura also hopes to incorporate her past experiences into fabric homewares for her brand in the future.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Kate Sikora is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey, USA, who now lives in Tokyo, Japan. Kate has been writing lyrics and poetry since she could pick up a pen, and started learning guitar at age 12 in order to turn her poetry into songs. Kate's emphasis has always been on lyrics, with the music taking shape around them. She's been compared to artists such as Liz Phair, Belle and Sebastian, Feist, and Suzanne Vega. Her biggest achievements to date have been playing Fuji Rock in 2009, touring with members of Deerhoof, writing and singing for commercials and the big screen, releasing several albums, and opening onstage for her idol, Liz Phair. Kate is a mom and preschool teacher as well as a songwriter and works hard to keep the passion for creating and performing alive in order to be an inspiration for her kids. https://katesikora.com https://www.facebook.com/katesikoramusic https://www.instagram.com/k8sikora https://katesikora.bandcamp.com/album/the-days-we-hold-on-to Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from London, Jo Payne has spent the last ten years living on the North Devon Coast, by way of Surrey and Kent. A self-taught artist, Jo creates atmospheric and elemental sea and sky paintings that are riveting in their scope and emotional impact. Driven and inspired by her coastal surroundings, Jo's paintings explore the endless changing flow of the natural elements present in her daily life. With her intuitive, free style of painting, Jo often has several works on the go at once, and approaches each one as the feeling draws her.  https://www.seapainterstudio.com https://www.instagram.com/seapainter_jo Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Since moving to Japan from India in 2007, Tenie Sangma has made Tokyo her home. Using her vast array of skills in the field of Speech and Drama, Tenie helps young people develop confidence and build skills in communication, and in expressing their creativity. Making self-expression accessible to everyone, no matter their background or skill level, is central to her mission. https://www.learningcircle.jp https://instagram.com/thelearningcirclejapan Do you have a question for the Ask Us Anything segment? Any topic is fine, we love to hear from all our listeners. Email us here and we will do our best to answer your question in one of the episodes. thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Selin Balci has lived in the United States since 2003. There, she's blazed her own trail in the field of bio-art, a new direction in contemporary art that utilizes living organisms. Having been a researcher of microscopic pathogens in forests before beginning her art career, Selin's studies questioned how microorganisms exist, interact, and impact our environment. Merging those questions with her art practice, her current projects use scientific materials and biological mediums such as mold spores to make the invisible micro-organisms around us visible, and allow us to see the micro-world physically. In her far-reaching and visually stunning pieces, mold spores draw an abstract picture as they transform into a living paint agent. Selin's work invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with the natural world, particularly the microscopic organisms that share our environment and our lives. https://selinbalci.com https://www.instagram.com/microbialgrowth --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

In this episode Paige and Jordana talk about the themes that came up over season 2, what resonated with them, and what they are both working on at the moment. Email us your Ask Us Anything questions here: thecreativitycafe21@gmail.com Or DM here: https://instagram.com/thecreativitycafe21 Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.jordana-matsuda.com https://www.instagram.com/jordanaillustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

As a worldschooler, a chef, and a yoga instructor, Karen Ricks weaves learning into everything she does. Having lived in over a dozen countries on four continents as she educates, cooks, and soaks up her own learning, Karen's work intertwines the cultures she comes into contact with and honors their roots and their variety. Play takes a prominent role in all she does, bringing the joy that's inherent in learning to the very forefront of all she does. Learn more about Karen: https://ourkitchenclassroom.com https://www.instagram.com/karenm.ricks Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Hailing from Canberra, Australia, Aims Watts has lived in six different countries and is about to make Fiji the next! Her most long-lasting home outside Australia has been Japan, where she started Indy Bindy Fabrics, featuring unique fabrics lovingly made by extraordinary artisans throughout Japan. Aims's love of fabrics and sewing drives her creative work, and people seek her out for her help in crafting pieces they truly love. For Aims, it comes down to three things: expressing who she is through the clothing she creates, supporting indie artists who create the fabrics in her shop, and sparking the creativity of other sewists through her signature membership, The Sewciety. Want to join Aims in her Sewciety? Click HERE to join her membership. https://www.indybindy.com.au https://www.instagram.com/indybindyfabrics/?hl=en Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from the UK, Caroline Storie now makes her home on the stunningly beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. After years of working with stitching on paper, Caroline is currently in the midst of a shift where she's exploring other creative pulls. Her current interest is in expressing feelings and experiences through a variety of shapes--deconstructing images and then stitching them together again to reimagine them. Caroline is also a creativity coach, and brings her characteristic vivaciousness and verve to her creative community, both online and off.   Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration https://www.jordana-matsuda.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from New Zealand, Jayne Nakata is the award-winning host of the #1 podcast for international women living in Japan: Transformations with Jayne. She's also the co-host of the Japan and NZ business podcast, Jandals in Japan. In 2021, Jayne started PodLaunch with Jayne, which helps podcasters around the world to launch and run their own show. Jayne's PodLaunch Family is a growing network of podcasts that focus on community and empowering women.  Find out more about Jayne here: https://www.jaynenakata.com/ https://www.instagram.com/transformationswithjayne Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

From her home near Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, Elle C. Wolfe ushers her interior design clients into environments that reflect who they really are. Working with mood boards to guide the experience, she leads people from a home environment they might not really like, to one that evokes positive feelings for them--while ignoring what's trendy or trite.  Find out more about Elle here: https://www.instagram.com/atlanta_interior_designer/ https://ellecwolfe.com/ Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative/ Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

From Scotland to England to France to Japan, Annie Nakahara-Knight has brought her love of music-making along with her every step of the way. Passionate about sharing music with everyone, regardless of their background or training, Annie has led various groups and classes in strengthening connection through making music. As a teacher of Music Together classes for young families and the leader of MotherSong, a Tokyo-based group for women to sing together, Annie uses her skills to bring forth the vocal creativity of all the people she works with. Find out more about Annie here: http://www.albamusictogether.com https://www.facebook.com/tokyomothersong https://instagram.com/mothersongjapan Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Having made her home in 8 different countries over the course of her life, Helena Svendsen's work explores the nature of a different form of home: the body of a woman, specifically as it takes on the role of mother.  Through her own experience becoming a mother, Helena's attention fell to the ways motherhood changes us on an alchemical level, as well as the ways motherhood is overlooked, undervalued, and misinterpreted. Her first installation, called "Altar To My First Home" created a sacred space for the mother archetype and triggered deep emotions in those who attended, evoking primal memories of feminine power and belonging. Reconnecting with herself as a woman and an artist after becoming a mother, Helena has created for us all a portal into that same kind of remembering, and that same source of strength. https://www.instagram.com/bollegirl/?hl=en Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Divya Kato is a British-Indian artist and educator who has been working in Japan for over seventeen years and drawing since receiving her first pack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crayons. From an art scholarship to The Royal Masonic School, to a Fine Art degree that led her to Tokyo where she set up her own atelier and drawing school, art has been the golden thread running through her life.   Divya's work in art education spans preschools to universities, corporations to cross-cultural collaborations such as The Big Draw Japan.  Her work as an artist exists in collections both in Japan and abroad.   She draws inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach to childhood education and the key principles of teachers as learners, the hundred languages of children, the classroom as a third teacher and involving the local community.  Divya loves large-scale, collaborative art projects.  Creating North Peak's first mural was the highlight of her summer and she hopes it'll be the first of many! During the pandemic, she became a mother of two to Ollie and Georgie: arguably her best creations to date. Find out more here: Divya Marie Kato https://www.divyamariekato.com/ https://www.instagram.com/divyamariekato/?hl=en Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.wholeselfcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

After having grown up in the UK, Charlotte Hamilton studied and practiced a wide array of visual arts in Mallorca, Spain. She's since made her home in Ontario, Canada for the past 23 years, where she's built a global art community that connects her with others through creating a variety of visual work. Through her shared daily visual practices, Charlotte learns to see things more quickly, try new things, and connect with people through the entire process. Find out more about Charlotte here https://www.blueshineart.com https://www.instagram.com/blueshineart https://www.youtube.com/@blueshineart/videos https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueshineArt Paige Baldwin Ando https://www.instagram.com/wholeselfcreative Jordana Matsuda https://www.instagram.com/jordana_illustration/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Paige and Jordana discuss what intrigued, inspired, and delighted them throughout Season 1. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

From her home nestled in the rice paddies of Saitama, Japan, Jo Ebisujima brings creativity to homes around the world through her digital empire. After having forged her own path to educating her young son at home, Jo moved on to helping other moms teach their kids and live out their own audacious dreams. Jo is the bestselling author of Montessori Inspired Activities for Pre-Schoolers, and the leader of an online movement helping multi-passionate mothers make their marks on the world. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

From her home in Ericeira, Portugal, Sarah Basha weaves together a variety of creative pursuits. Sarah's traveling exhibition and art book, What Remains explores memory and loss and serves to raise awareness for Dementia. Her recently-launched podcast, which is called Woven: Stories of Feminine Becoming, is a series of interviews featuring women of varied backgrounds and their stories of transformation. It is, in Sarah's words, "an ode to the Divine Feminine, its cycles, and gifts." And all her work is built on a foundation of her deep relationship with astrology, which is its own creative calling. Find out more about Sarah: https://www.sarahbasha.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sarahbashainovosejt/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from the United States, Lauren Rose has spent a great deal of time living and having adventures around the world. Now based in London, Lauren's work with paper quilling helps her introduce people with foods and other items of cultural significance they might never have previously encountered. Lauren's passion for food and culture is amply expressed in her work, and never fails to inspire and excite us. Find out more about Lauren's work here: https://instagram.com/lrose_studios --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

After having grown up in Washington state in the United States, Lena Voth has spent the better half of the last 12 years in Yokosuka, Japan. As an artist who's worked in various media, Lena has focused in areas such as writing, photography, fabric, and now watercolor. Drawing inspiration from the natural world and exploring pattern and color, Lena's work is vivid, inviting, and unfailingly fun. You can find out more about Lena on her Instagram page:  https://instagram.com/root_and_blossom --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Maria Imasheva is a fiber artist living in Tallinn, Estonia. She creates intricate cross stitch patterns, many of which are inspired by folklore and mythology, as well as mandala embroideries. Recently, she's begun dyeing fabrics for her embroideries with natural dyes like tea, avocado, or turmeric, which create beautiful colors to work with. Maria believes that every person has a hidden need to express their feelings and values through art, and she hope to help some of them with her designs. Find out more about Maria here https://instagram.com/quaternioncreations https://www.happy-stitch.net/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message

Originally from the UK, Victoria is a jeweler, and a longterm resident of the Shimo-Kitazawa neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. Taking inspiration from the area's chic, vintage-heavy vibe, Victoria makes one-of-a-kind jewelry from Japanese fabrics and found objects that would otherwise be forgotten. She's founded The Overseas Maker's Guild, which supports expats around the world with handmade businesses, and leads Tokyo Instamingle, an in-person meet-up for people in Tokyo who are also on Instagram. Find out more https://www.bikudesigns.com https://www.instagram.com/bikudesigns https://www.instagram.com/overseas_makers_guild/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecreativitycafe/message