The Light Grey Art Lab Podcast

What keeps us going? How do we navigate the reoccurring complexities of life while still maintaining a creative lifestyle? Is there any real secret, or is this a process unique to each individual? Jenny, Lindsay, James and Calvin discuss this, followed by an interview with visiting artists Bene Rohlmann and Christina Mrozik.

Ohhhhh boy, it's that season, it's that time, it's Halloween, baby! Jenny, Calvin, and James spend this episode spooking each other with stories, grossing each other out, and screaming in the Light Grey Art Lab basement. We barely even talk about art because we're so caught up in the Halloween spirit! Join us, and we hope you don't mind some gross eyeball talk.

Join Calvin as he sits down with illustrator, adventurer, Boatist, and comics maker Lucy Bellwood amidst her book tour of 100 Demon Dialogues. The book explores the relationship many creators have with their inner critic/imposter syndrome/anxiety, and is a relatable but oftentimes lighthearted look at this very present "demon". This episode explores these themes as well as travel, the boundaries of being a working artist, the weirdness of being in the Digital World, and the business of doing all of this while maintaining as healthy of a life as you can! Listen to hear more! (Warning: Some Explicit Language)

Calvin sits down with Dennis Madamba and Kyle Harabedian post-April Blizzard to talk about their recently printed project, Campfire Comics, as well as Autoptic, Minneapolis' upcoming indie comics convention. 

Winter in Minneapolis is a time for many things: shoveling, wearing lots of layers, shivering... But it's also a time for learning and researching while cooped up in our respective homes. As we begin our hopeful shift into spring, we take a minute to discuss our favorite books, factoids, fantasies, and life thoughts. We might be getting over colds and the winter blues, but we're all fired up for the coming of productivity and warmth!

In preparation for Winterland, our show celebrating the local craftspeople of Minneapolis, Calvin stops by the letterpress design studio Fontlove in order to speak with the founder, Elana Schwartzman. They discuss the importance of design in social activism, the letterpress process, and what it's like to be a Minneapolis designer. (Note: This podcast was recorded on-site with a portable mic, so we apologize for the audio quality!)

This week's podcast features Megan Nicole Dong and Stu Livingston's artist lecture, which took place at Light Grey Art Lab prior to the Color Anthropology opening reception on Friday, April 21st. Megan is currently a director at Nickelodeon Animation Studios, and still finds time to create hilarious comics under the name Sketchshark, for which she's found a massive audience online. Stu recently finished co-directing "Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie" for Nickelodeon Animation Studios and has previous credits on "Futurama," "Steven Universe" and "Clarence," and his personal comics have appeared in numerous anthologies nationwide. Together they share a bit about their respective backgrounds and journey to where they are now, before turning to the audience for some thoughtful Q&A about work/life balance, fulfilling creative needs, and the nuts and bolts of working in the animation industry. 

Just like the title of this podcast, sometimes it's best not to think too hard about things. At our core, we're all a constant swirling evolution of ideas, identity, and goals, and if you have to deliberate over every decision, you might find yourself getting bogged down by it all. For this week's podcast, Lindsay, Jenny, and Chris are joined by the newest additions to the Light Grey team, James Lavella and Calvin Bauer, to discuss the art not overthinking decisions and allowing change to happen.

In the final days of 2016, Lindsay and Chris packed up their sleeping bags and headed out to the Pacific Northwest to camp, ski, and hike their way through remote Washington, Olympic National Park, the Hoh Rainforest, and Vancouver Island, Canada. Between the days of exploring the beautiful landscape and nights of sleeping in backwoods shacks or WW2-era tugboats, the pair took a few moments here and there to share the details of their adventure.

Earlier this month, Lindsay was joined by Teagan White on a trip overseas for the U.K. Tarot Conference in London, England. This week's podcast picks up right where last week left off. As you might recall, Teagan and Lindsay had just returned to London after a week of exploring the English countryside. Now, back in London, the dynamic duo recap their urban-themed adventures, from creeping through ancient cemeteries to studying in esoteric museums to signing in empty karaoke bars. Finally, they go deep into ideas and insights gained at the U.K. Tarot Conference, discussing topics about creativity, symbolism, and personal reflection.

This week's podcast comes to you straight from England! Earlier this month, Lindsay was joined by Teagan White on a trip overseas for the U.K. Tarot Conference in London, England. But before the conference, the pair spent a week exploring, learning, camping, flying kites, and more! Each night, Lindsay and Teagan sat down to recount the places they'd traveled, the people they've met, and the animals they'd saved. Tune in next week for the second half of this two part series, to hear about their time in London and the U.K. Tarot Conference.

This week's podcast features Justin Oaksford's artist lecture, which took place at Light Grey Art Lab prior to the Huldufólk opening reception on Friday, May 27th. Having joined us for 2015's Iceland Residency, Justin is a visual development artist working in video games and a freelance illustrator. Currently woking on the Halo franchise at 343 Industries in Seattle, Justin talks about the nuts and bolts of the industry, his inspirations and ideas behind making, the importance of observation and thought, and more.

This week's podcast comes to you straight from Japan! Lindsay and Chris headed to Japan in March to explore, learn, shop, hike, and eat. Each night, we took a moment to report back about the things we were finding, the food we were eating, and the cats we were petting. This week picks up right where we left off atop Mount Misen, and continues through our final adventures in Japan. Thanks for tuning in!

This week's podcast comes to you straight from Japan! Lindsay and Chris headed to Japan in March to explore, learn, shop, hike, and eat. Each night, we took a moment to report back about the things we were finding, the food we were eating, and the cats we were petting. This week picks up right where we left off, and finds Lindsay and Chris rocking some karaoke, getting lost in the middle of the night, and of course, petting more cats. Forgive the audio quality and any pronunciation errors as these are the raw, uncut ramblings of some weary travelers, and stay tuned for more to come!

This week's podcast comes to you straight from Japan! Lindsay and Chris headed to Japan in March to explore, learn, shop, hike, and eat. Each night, we took a moment to report back about the things we were finding, the food we were eating, and the cats we were petting. This week starts with our long and painful flight to Japan, and continues through adventures in and around Osaka. Forgive the audio quality and any pronunciation errors as these are the raw, uncut ramblings of some weary travelers, and stay turned for more to come!

Shuffle Buddies is back with another boardgame-packed episode! On this week's episode Chris and Francesca have just returned from Asia, and we've got stories about Japanese boardgame stores, Chinese internet cafes, and a slew of new games purchased in foreign lands. We give an overview on some Japanese games like Deep Sea Adventure, Nine Tiles, A Fake Artist Goes to New York, and Royal Warrant, and then review the Reiner Knizia classic, Samurai.

On this week's podcast we talk to TyRuben Ellingson, a visual designer and concept artist who has created memorable designs for dozens of films such as Jurassic Park, Avatar, Hellboy, Elysium, and more. Recently, TyRuben has returned to teaching, and is currently serving as Assistant Chair of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. We talk to TyRuben about his background and how he got started in the industry, how he approaches change and growth as an artist, being smart about allocating your time and energy, the value of ideas and much, much more.

We're back after a short hiatus filled with all sorts of surprises, ranging from tantalizingly exciting to heartbreakingly sad. On this week's podcast, Jenny, Chris, and Lindsay recap the final leg of the Ouray Art Camp trip, bring listeners up to speed with what's been happening at the gallery so far this year, and share what's coming soon. Also, as of March, Light Grey Art Lab is now four years young!

On this week's podcast it's another boardgame-focused installment of the Light Grey Art Lab Podcast. Since this is becoming a reoccurring format, we've decided to give it an official title; Shuffle Buddies™! Valentine's Day is here and loving couples can be found hand in hand, strolling the promenade, in the corner booth at the dime store sharing a cherry phosphate, and of course, playing two player boardgames! So in the spirit of the holiday, Chris and Francesca talk about hot new games you can play with your sweetie, and share a list of our top(ish) three 2-player games!

During the final days of 2015, the Light Grey Art Lab team brought a group of artists to beautiful Ouray, Colorado for a week fun, adventure, and new experiences! In part two of a multi-part Ouray Diaries series, Jenny, Chris, and Lindsay take a moment each day to reflect on the travels, discussions, logistics, memorable moments and more.

During the final days of 2015, the Light Grey Art Lab team brought a group of artists to beautiful Ouray, Colorado for a week fun, adventure, and new experiences! In the first part of a multi-part Ouray Diaries series, Jenny, Chris, and Lindsay take a moment each day to reflect on the travels, discussions, logistics, memorable moments and more.

A new year is nearly upon us, and it's got us reflecting on the things we've accomplished this year, and all the new things we might accomplish next year. However, there's bound to be familiar things the deserve repeating, and on this week's podcast, Lindsay, Chris, and Jenny talk about bringing the sense of discovery to familiar territory, sharing experiences with new people, and the idea of appearing effortless prepared.

The new year is just around the corner, and we're already gearing up to take it on full force! Probably. On this week's podcast, Chris, Francesca, Lindsay, and Jenny talk about goal-setting, learning new things, brainstorming, and our individual goals for the coming year.

With the opening reception of Bower Bird fresh in our minds, Lindsay, Francesca, Chis, and Jenny sit down to talk all about collections in the form of curation and preservation. What drives people to capture moments in time and history, who's responsibility is it to collect and record, and how much is too much?

The holidays are officially here! After the dust from too much food and drink and being merry has settled, what better way to spend the cozy winter evenings than with a board game? On this week's podcast Chris and Francesca talk about the games we bring home to share with our families, and that you should too.

As time marches on species come and go, empires rise and fall, and 90's neon moves in and out of fashion. On this week's episode Chris, Jenny, Lindsay, and Francesca talk about inevitable process of evolution. What amounts to positive outcomes from dire situations, what do we do when changes come our way and can you force a personal evolution?

On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Jenny, Chris, and Francesca talk about leadership. Some people are natural leaders, some have to work hard to become great leaders, and some try to avoid it entirely, and we discuss how we might deal with individuals who have conflicting goals, wether management as good (or bad) as it's cracked up to be, and who's REALLY going to go down when the ship sinks?

Inspired by recent articles about the difficulty of making friends in the Frozen North, we've been thinking a lot about relationships and living in new, or familiar, places. On this week's podcast Francesca, Lindsay, Chris, and Jenny discuss the reasons people leave, what makes a home a Home, and the humbling act of returning to the familiar.

To celebrate the release of COSMOS, our favorite West Coast Light Grey Art Lab member Francesca Buchko made a triumphant (although very short) return to Minneapolis. While there was plenty of work to do, eventually things settled down and boardgames were played in abundance. On this week's podcast, Chris and Francesca sit down to share their thoughts on the games they played.

It's been a LONG time coming, but the release of COSMOS is finally opon us! We've been working on this project for over a year when all said and done, and on this week's podcast we reflect upon the entire process; from the earliest moments when it was nothing more than a twinkle in our eye, to working our own pieces, to what the final project means in a larger context.

On this week's podcast, Lindsay is convinced that those beloved chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins were on to something. Joined by Chris and Francesca, we discuss the art of making adjusts to ensure you enjoy what you do, the bizarre shapes that projects sometimes balloon into, and how sometimes you get to be a carefree chimney sweep, but once in a while you've got the be the stodgy old banker.

On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Chris, Francesca, and Jenny talk about the decision to do things the way they're always done, or forging you own path. There are plenty of dangers, rewards, downfalls, and unforeseen consequences in every situation, and we discuss the ways we approach them, the perceptions of bucking the trend, and how the new becomes the norm.

The call-for-art just wrapped for the upcoming exhibition Bower Bird, but we've still got nature on the brain and it has us wondering what other parallels we could draw between the creative lifestyle and the animal kingdom? Lindsay, Chris, Jenny, and special guest Francesca talk about the similarities between making art and the habits exhibited by animals all around the globe, and talk about what animals might best represent our creative habits (spoiler: it's not very flattering).

Even the most positive person can have an off day. A day where nothing goes right and everything blows up in your face. That's when you enter The Crab Zone. Everyone is a crab not and then, and that's ok. On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Jenny, and Chris talk about plans that go awry, weird vibes, and dealing with unexpected changes.

It's hard for some people to take a moment here and there to pat themselves on the back for a job well done. On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Chris, and Jenny talk about the ability to surprise yourself, the importance of perspective, and finding opportunities to give yourself some credit.

Whether you burn the midnight oil as a freelancer of hustle a 9 to 5, chances are you still don't have enough time in the day to finish all the cool stuff you'd like to. Inspired by an article from The Atlantic called 'The 9-to-5 Workday as Liberation.' Chris, Lindsay, and Jenny compare and contrast the 9 to 5 grind to the freelance lifestyle.

We've just wrapped up the COSMOS Tarot & Oracle Deck (pre-orders are live!) and its time to shift our focus onto what's next. Surprise! That's easier said than done. On this week's podcast, we talk about the need for brainstorming, overcoming writer's block, exploring themes or unknown territory, and shifting gears; wether that's finishing a life-consuming project to the everyday transition from work time to free time.

If you're a creative person, it's surprisingly tricky to juggle ambitions, friends, projects, health, love and life. On this week's podcast, we talk about getting out of the studio and becoming social butterflies... or not. After all, maybe that social interaction thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Then we talk about being horrible teens.

After helping Deep Space 9's Odo (Rene Auberjonois) with some tech problems on twitter, Lindsay's a little starstruck. On this week's podcast, we talk about approaching people who may intimidate you a little, expectations and social contracts when meeting new people, and the joy of finding out that everyone, regardless of success or talent, is still a real person at the end of the day.

Once again, the Light Grey Art Lab team returns to Iceland! We're hosting two, back-to-back, week-long artist residencies in southern Iceland, right at the base of the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Our two groups of amazing artists (Team Moss and Team Lichen) each spent an entire week exploring, conversing, and learning together. In the fourth, and final, part of our multi-part 2015 Iceland Diaries series, Jenny, Lindsay, and Chris take a moment each evening to reflect on the day's events, share stories, and sometimes get a little loopy. A final huge 'thank you' to all the participating artists in the 2015 residency, and we look forward to next year's program!

Once again, the Light Grey Art Lab team returns to Iceland! We're hosting two, back-to-back, week-long artist residencies in southern Iceland, right at the base of the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Our two groups of amazing artists (Team Moss and Team Lichen) each spent an entire week exploring, conversing, and learning together. In the third part of a multi-part 2015 Iceland Diaries series, Jenny, Lindsay, and Chris are now left cruising the lonesome road. Each night we take a moment to reflect on the day's events, share stories, thoughts, and more. And it's not over yet! Make sure to check back for plenty more adventure!

Once again, the Light Grey Art Lab team returns to Iceland! We're hosting two, back-to-back, week-long artist residencies in southern Iceland, right at the base of the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Our two groups of amazing artists (Team Moss and Team Lichen) each spent an entire week exploring, conversing, and learning together. In the second of a multi-part 2015 Iceland Diaries series, both residencies are now over, and Jenny, Lindsay, and Chris take some time to reflect on the experience, with plenty of Dungeons & Dragons references thrown in for good measure. From here on out, the Light Grey team is on their own, so be sure to check back for plenty more adventure!

Once again, the Light Grey Art Lab team returns to Iceland! We're hosting two, back-to-back, week-long artist residencies in southern Iceland, right at the base of the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Our two groups of amazing artists (Team Moss and Team Lichen) each spent an entire week exploring, conversing, and learning together. In the first of a multi-part 2015 Iceland Diaries series, Jenny, Lindsay, and Chris take a moment each week to reflect on the travels, discussions, logistics, memorable moments and more. This episode only covers the first few days of the adventure, so be sure to check out the next few episodes for plenty more!

Lindsay, Jenny, and Chris are about to leave Minneapolis for Light Grey Art Lab's 2015 Iceland Residency. Naturally, that means we're struggling to deal with a bloated checklist of work that needs to be done, details that need to be planned, and deadlines that need to be met. On this week's episode, we talk about how and when you decide to commit to new plans, and the satisfaction that comes from completing them... and, most importantly, the work it takes to get from that first step to the last.

On this week's podcast, Lindsay, Chris, and Jenny talk about that moment you realize you've found your people. The people that, until that moment, you might not have realized even existed, but who share all the same obsessive and esoteric interests as you. When should you wear your heart on your sleeve, keep a few secrets when creating a dating profile, or reveal the number of cats you own to the world?

This week's podcast features Teagan White's artist lecture, which took place at Light Grey Art Lab this past Friday, prior to the Patches + Stitches Opening Reception. Teagan is a freelance illustrator, who does commercial work, children's books, and gallery work, with clients ranging from Penguin Random House, Nike, and Wired Magazine. Teagan's work gravitates to nature-inspired imagery, and she talks about her connection to the natural world, how she gathers inspiration, and how she balances her client work with personal exploration.

Patches + Stitches opens this week, and the juxtaposition between gritty themes and traditional craft techniques has Lindsay, Chris and Jenny asking just what it takes to be a tough granny. We discuss our grandma/grandpa personas, the divide between art and craft, and what it takes to transition between the two.

We're back from Light Grey Art Camp, an artist retreat to Bryce Canyon and Zion, Utah! After a fun-filled week of hiking, drawing, adventure, and slowly drying out in the arid desert heat, Lindsay, Jenny, and Chris reflect on our experiences of traveling with a group of artists, seeing the night sky in perfect clarity, and the joys of pushing past your comfort zone.

We've been busy studying astral bodies as we create the oracle deck guidebook for the Cosmos project, while simultaneously packing and planning for next week's Light Grey Art Camp at Bryce Canyon & Zion, Utah. We're eyeballs deep in the symbology, science, and mythology of the heavens, and on this week's podcast we talk about the process of working on through the Cosmos project, finding and interpreting celestial metaphors, and what it means when you're looking to stars for guidance.

We've got travel, workshops, residencies, and more coming up in the very near future and on this week's podcast Lindsay, Jenny, and Chris talk about preparing for adventure. Starting with our questionable choice in clothing, we branch out into predicting and solving possible problems, avoiding danger, and being open to veering off the script. True adventure means encountering the unexpected, and we celebrate that chaotic fact before we embark on our own summer excursions!

On this week's podcast, Jenny FINALLY reveals what was buried in the shallow grave hidden in her backyard! This shocking revelation leads us into a conversation about time capsules, precious collections, and the importance of remembering, and why you should peep into stranger's windows at night.