As We Art

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Speaker 1
Ooh! Hello. Hello.

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Speaker 2
Episode five, five.

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Speaker 1
Five. Cinco. We're here. I'm Monica.

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Speaker 2
I'm Candace. I'm slow on the uptake today.

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Speaker 1
This is as we art.

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Speaker 2
Welcome. This is a podcast where we talk about what we're creating this week. What's inspiring us. And we want to hear from you. What's inspiring you? And what are you working on?

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Speaker 1
Yeah, let's talk about art. So we're glad you're listening. Or watching because of course, we're also on YouTube. Yay! Getting the full visual. I need a little credit. I mean, I just realized.

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Speaker 2
You have not bonked the microphone arm once yet. No.

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Speaker 1
Yes, that is part of what I need credit for. That counts. But I've been doing now, which will be our fifth episode of a podcast talking with only gesturing with one arm.

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Speaker 2
I mean, it's a miracle.

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Speaker 1
It is. I mean, this microphone stand prevents this other arm, and I'm usually a two arm talker.

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Speaker 2
You are a two arm talker. You deserve a peace prize for that, I think.

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Speaker 1
Thank you. Okay, I got that out of the way. We're here. For those of you new welcome. And for those of you who don't know, we do this in one take. We keep all the mistakes in. And there's no script.

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Speaker 2
Yep. We're very good at making mistakes and very bad at editing video. So here you go.

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Speaker 1
Yeah. Well, the other reason why isn't just because of, like, tech skills or time. We've really wanted to be authentic. We we started this in part because of the onslaught of AI. Right? There's so many inauthentic things and perfect looking people and perfect looking videos with perfectly worded scripts and you're like, nah, let's just do this. Be ourselves.

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Speaker 1
And the same goes for our art, wherever we are in that process. If we worked on something, if we did in whatever stage it's in. We wanted to keep ourselves accountable and invite you to join us in this lovely weekly check in. Keep yourselves accountable, but authentically, whatever you're doing in the present.

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Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. Whatever you're working on dealing with. We want to know about it. So, yeah, thanks for being here. We're super stoked. And yeah, you want to get started?

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Speaker 1
Yes. Because like we said before, in other episodes, it matters. Yep. Take your time to be creative. Art matters itself. But the process of tapping into your humanity.

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Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Making art is a part of being human and, you know, making art just for the sake of making art is a big deal.

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Speaker 1
Yeah. And we don't want it to disappear. We want to encourage you. So whatever you're working on, let us know. So, Candice, what did you get up to in art?

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Speaker 2
I like that you made my the syllables of my name so stressed. Candice. Yes. Yeah. That's. What did you do this week? Yes.

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Speaker 1
Candice, tell us.

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Speaker 2
This week in art. I, I worked on just cutting my, linocut. Linocut? I don't know, I want to say it both ways. So, yeah, it's going to get switched with me. And I don't mean just I mean, it's a it is a process to remove the bits and pieces you don't need.

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Speaker 1
I was symbolic.

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Speaker 2
I know I.

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Speaker 1
Removed the bits and pieces you don't need. We are talking about lino cutting, but also other parts of some other things.

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Speaker 2
Maybe. Who knows? Yeah. So I don't mean just. I don't want to, like, diminish it. Like I worked very hard on it. I feel like I'm. So I'm still working on the same piece of, like, the, you know, inside of my brain. Visualized. But I feel like I'm getting a lot better at the cutting process. Like the the removal of the linoleum.

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Speaker 2
It feels smoother to me and more fluid. I don't feel like I'm digging too deeply anymore.

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Speaker 1
It's so nice to. I know that's also a metaphor. Yes, but it is so nice to practice a form of art or practice anything. And you become better. I taught a friend how to cook from from having no skills and just the act of whisking. It took a while to get the hang of it, but your the act of carving linocut.

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Speaker 1
I like that you're becoming more comfortable with it.

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Speaker 2
Yes. Better tools help. I'm not gonna lie.

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Speaker 1
Oh, yeah. You got new tools? Yes.

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Speaker 2
Yeah. I'll talk about that. An inspiration, but.

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Speaker 1
Oh, okay.

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Speaker 2
Okay, yeah I did, I got some new tools there. Amazing. It literally is like just cutting hot butter. So, Yeah, it's awesome.

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Speaker 1
But it's the right tool. Can make a difference. Yeah, but you can't always start with the right tool. So wherever you are with your art, if all you have is scrap paper and a ballpoint pen, start doodle. Do something creative. Put your phone down from scrolling and do something creative. You know it. It really is always nice to upgrade your tools as you get more and more involved in a craft, but it also kind of makes you appreciate them more if you learn with the beginner.

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Speaker 2
Yes. You you don't know what you're missing. If you start with top of the line. So yeah, it pays to start with something lower to see if you like it. And then if you do and you work on it, you can move up to something else that might take more of an investment in one way or another. But yeah, when you get to that point where you're like getting those tools or whatever it is you need for what you're creating, and it's like, not the the bare minimum, like starter kit, man, does it feel good.

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Speaker 1
It totally. That happens a lot with us. Candice and I are stained glass artists, and.

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Speaker 2
You wouldn't know it because I haven't made some in a while. But that's all right.

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Speaker 1
Oh, you have, but not. Yeah, not for this podcast. But you had an idea for one?

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Speaker 2
Yes. Just today. Yeah.

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Speaker 1
But we did. We started a seven, eight years ago with a starter kit. Like the dumb little. Not dumb. It's a great place to start, but the tools that we use now are so different from that beginner kit.

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Speaker 2
But we we appreciate them more because we've had that beginner kit where you have to, like, restart the grinder every five minutes because it overheats.

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Speaker 1
Yes, yes. So tell us if you have an example of something in your life, whether it's art, sports, music, cooking, landscaping, is there something you started with as an activity with like a beginner tool? You didn't know what you were missing and then you gradually graduated.

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Speaker 2
Gradually graduated.

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Speaker 1
Gradually graduated to, just a more helpful, useful tool. Let us know. We'd love to know.

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Speaker 2
Yeah. What did you work on this week?

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Speaker 1
For art, I I'm so excited. I did a lot, with stained glass, so, for those of you who know me, those of you who are getting show Me on this podcast, I have a busy brain, and I like new things. So I am going to often have simultaneous projects happening.

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Speaker 2
That's just often true means always.

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Speaker 1
I can't I I will stop and make a quick thing while I'm in the middle of a longer thing, and then have this other thing on the burner. So what I did this week is I drew a pattern. This took a long time sketching it in pencil, getting it right, making sure all the lines would make sense for stained glass and then I went over the pattern with permanent marker.

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Speaker 1
Then I need to pull out the white out and change the lines that I thought I had settled on, and show you that in a second.

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Speaker 2
There is nary a pattern in this house without light out on it that I drew.

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Speaker 1
Your patterns, on the other hand, are perfect. Her pattern, Candace's patterns are so perfect and precise that her final piece of art, I kid you not, matches the original pattern. I have yet to make a piece. I'm not kidding. I can't think of a piece of art, a work of art that I've made in stained glass where it it matches line for line.

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Speaker 1
The the original pattern.

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Speaker 2
Yeah, there's usually some adjustment. Oh, here, there on yours.

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Speaker 1
I deviate.

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Speaker 2
But that's alright.

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Speaker 1
So this week I and starting a collection it's a five paneled. Well they're five separate panels. It'll be five windows based on book covers or magazine covers from this artist named Aaron Douglas. He did the cover art for a lot of publications during the Harlem Renaissance, and that was the 1920s in Harlem, New York. For those people in other parts of the world listening, most people in America, I think, have heard of it.

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Speaker 1
Maybe people internationally have heard of it, too. I never want to assume people know a country's history.

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Speaker 2
Because we don't know other countries histories.

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Speaker 1
I know we're located in the United States of America, and we I'm always surprised when I talk to people. I have the privilege of talking to people from my job in other countries, and I'm always surprised that our news or our weather hits their radar for for what's news to be reported. That's always surprising, because I don't usually know the weather in other countries, but for sure.

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Speaker 1
Okay. Aaron Douglas, Harlem Renaissance amazing artist and his covers. This one is the crisis. This is popular magazine, that started with the NAACP and his art really lends itself to stained glass patterns just by design. He happens to, tend toward Art Deco kind of lines. His the figures in his, pattern. And his illustrations don't have a lot of detail, which is really important for stained glass.

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Speaker 1
And so the pattern I designed that that, nice.

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Speaker 2
I didn't even have to swing the mechanics.

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Speaker 1
I had it all set.

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Speaker 2
So can I hold it? So. Yeah. Thanks.

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Speaker 1
Honey. You got it. You know, there's other patterns tucked in here. Be careful. There's Uncle.

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Speaker 2
Sam pinching the book.

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Speaker 1
With other projects so I won't be having letters. The the book covers. I'm doing five. I picked five iconic covers. This is the first one. I won't be doing the letters. It's just the, I can't wait to pick the colors of her dress and what she's holding and, land that she's on. And one of the lines, for instance, that I'm changing at the end that I'll need white up for is right here.

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Speaker 1
I want one of these flowers to overflow into the border. And I want this smokestack over here to overflow into the border. If you're listening to the podcast and you're like, what? Fuck are they talking about? Be sure to follow us on Instagram because we post pictures of some of the stuff we're talking about. And I'd love for you to follow along and see the different steps.

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Speaker 1
Like, first it's a pattern and then then I'll do glass selection and cutting. So it's kind of cool, right? To just follow along with your no. About glass art behind the scenes or not, it might be kind of interesting. So yeah, that's the first of five I will be doing five of these nice covers.

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Speaker 2
And where the five panels going to go when you're done.

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Speaker 1
I know I'm so excited they're going to be up on a permanent exhibit. I thought that would be like an exhibit at a library to celebrate. 100. It's been 102 at this point. I had this idea to do this when I took a Harlem Renaissance literature course two years ago, and I thought, oh, I would love to someday make some stained glass inspired by that.

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Speaker 1
After I graduate. I didn't have time during class, but so here I am, and I had this idea. Well, I talked to the university because I had talked to one of my professors about this idea, and they came to me and said, we don't want it to be a temporary exhibit. We would love it for if it could be a permanent exhibit, which I'm stoked, right?

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Speaker 1
My art. It's going to be hanging at the UMass Lowell Library, one of the libraries. Well, let's let's hold off on celebrating until it happens. I may or may not have said I would have all five done by May 2026, and it's mid February 2026 right now, so.

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Speaker 2
It may not be. Oh, it will be by May.

00:14:07:27 - 00:14:15:28
Speaker 1
It's going to it's going to it's going to okay. It may not be five. They don't know. Right. They said 3 to 5 panels to give myself some wiggle room.

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Speaker 2
Give them a range.

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Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:14:18:18 - 00:14:21:11
Speaker 2
So 355. We don't know.

00:14:21:13 - 00:14:38:26
Speaker 1
I've picked the five book covers that I want to recreate or that I'm inspired by. And I have to be honest, this podcast is probably the reason why it's going to happen on time, because I'm being held like.

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Speaker 2
This out there.

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Speaker 1
So like, I have to check in every we can tell you guys where I am in the process.

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Speaker 2
Yes, yes.

00:14:46:04 - 00:15:00:06
Speaker 1
So that is one of the one of my main projects that I will be working on. I did have one more piece of art that I started. I, I yeah, I'll just put it down here. Okay. We're.

00:15:00:06 - 00:15:04:29
Speaker 2
Moving books if you can hear that on the podcast. We're moving pattern books.

00:15:05:02 - 00:15:36:22
Speaker 1
Yeah, I've mentioned this before, but my favorite color is orange. And my second favorite color is yellow. I have a pattern of bright colors, and especially in the winter, I've been inspired by spring waiting for flowers to bloom. So we have this gorgeous yellow, wispy, stained glass that I love so much. And so I'm making a very large bouquet, a 3D bouquet in a real vase of forsythia.

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Speaker 1
I don't know if that flower. I don't know where it's originally from. Asia. It's not native to North America, although it's ubiquitous that that flowering bush is everywhere here. And it's one of the New England.

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Speaker 2
Yes. Not.

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Speaker 1
Oh, right.

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Speaker 2
Right. Yeah. It's not like our. I'm from. We didn't have it.

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Speaker 1
Okay. And where is that?

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Speaker 2
I'm from Utah.

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Speaker 1
Tell the people the.

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Speaker 2
Great state of Utah. It's a great place to be from.

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Speaker 1
To be from. Yes. Yeah. So out in western United States, forsythia is not really a thing. Or at least in high desert.

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Speaker 2
Not that I should say. Not that I noticed in the area I grew up in in Utah, which was near Salt Lake City. So.

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Speaker 1
Okay. Yeah, I don't know how far it extends throughout the country or the world. Or do people have forsythia bushes in Europe? I don't know, but it's four petals. Little tiny petals.

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Speaker 2
Here's a little tiny, tiny petal shard.

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Speaker 1
Of yellow I.

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Speaker 2
I which should be I put it up against. Wait, where you go for?

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Speaker 1
It's the. I'm going to make about 300 of these little tiny petals and then affix them to some brass, rods of varying widths and then make a bouquet. And I've been keeping my eye out. I've been wanting to make a forsythia bouquet for a while, but I've been keeping my eye out for the right vase. We we try not to go to thrift shops.

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Speaker 1
We love thrift shops, but we try not to go to them too often lately because we're in the process of.

00:17:04:13 - 00:17:06:05
Speaker 2
Like, rehoming some things.

00:17:06:05 - 00:17:30:01
Speaker 1
Yeah, scaling back, downsizing, going to more minimalists. So unfortunately what happens at thrift shops is we find lots of treasures. I do and I want to keep them all, but we don't go there to shop for ourselves. But this, this face I found will be, you know, in its new home. Once it's once this, forsythia arrangement is all done.

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Speaker 2
And if you're listening, like Monica said, check us out on Instagram. We'll post pictures of all these things.

00:17:35:29 - 00:17:51:09
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. And this, this is not a commission or anything. We don't do that with our art. We make stuff we want to make. And when it's ready or when we feel like it, when we get around to it, we either enter it at a show or we post it online available. So we're kind.

00:17:51:09 - 00:17:54:12
Speaker 2
Of of the mentality of like, if it sells, it sells. Yeah.

00:17:54:12 - 00:17:59:01
Speaker 1
So it really changed our mentality or image in rely on selling art.

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Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:17:59:22 - 00:18:08:21
Speaker 1
Yeah that changed everything. And we love making art again. This is the face. It's blown glass. It's extremely heavy. And,

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Speaker 2
I love that it's blown glass though, because you're going to exhibit your art in someone else's art that's been repurposed. So that's so cool. It's like it's like an artist collaboration without knowing who the artist actually is, I know.

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Speaker 1
Oh gosh, I wish I did. This is such a beautiful vase. It's definitely hand. Hand done. And it's green and yellow swirls. So check it out on Instagram if you can't see what I'm talking about. But it has a nice narrow opening, which is really good for stained glass. So again, that that project is in progress.

00:18:46:01 - 00:18:52:09
Speaker 1
Just starting. Starting. But over the next few weeks you'll see the, updates on both of those.

00:18:52:17 - 00:19:00:27
Speaker 2
It's awesome. As spring approaches here and we actually start to see forsythia outside, Monica will be making forsythia. So yeah, that's really cool.

00:19:01:00 - 00:19:03:05
Speaker 1
And what month do they come out like?

00:19:03:07 - 00:19:11:06
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think it depends on like when the cold snaps end, but I feel like April May is usually all right.

00:19:11:06 - 00:19:12:05
Speaker 1
I can get.

00:19:12:05 - 00:19:13:26
Speaker 2
Those.

00:19:13:28 - 00:19:23:26
Speaker 1
Forsythia ready in time to take in front of a real forsythia bush. And do all these windows for the library project. It's going to happen. It's going to happen.

00:19:23:26 - 00:19:28:06
Speaker 2
I know I'll still be working on my linocut.

00:19:28:08 - 00:19:38:24
Speaker 1
That's all right. There's no judging here on how long something takes. Take your time just making that effort to be intentional towards something creative is what it's all about.

00:19:38:26 - 00:19:44:26
Speaker 2
Yep. It's awesome. Yeah. You want to talk inspiration?

00:19:44:28 - 00:19:48:16
Speaker 1
Inspiration. You go first. Me okay. What inspired you?

00:19:48:16 - 00:19:51:10
Speaker 2
This meant to put you on the spot, but it's your turn.

00:19:51:12 - 00:19:52:24
Speaker 1
Oh, it is, it's.

00:19:52:24 - 00:19:53:22
Speaker 2
No, it's. I'm.

00:19:53:22 - 00:19:55:28
Speaker 1
So you're okay? I'm like, shoot, I.

00:19:55:28 - 00:19:57:09
Speaker 2
Was being you.

00:19:57:11 - 00:20:01:01
Speaker 1
Okay. Not to put you on the spot, Candice, but it's your turn.

00:20:01:03 - 00:20:20:24
Speaker 2
Thank you, thank you. Over to you, Candice. So, for inspiration this week, for me, it's big time. New linocut tools. They are amazing. I feel like I'm spinning in a field of flowers every time I pick one up. That's.

00:20:20:24 - 00:20:21:28
Speaker 1
So this is our life.

00:20:21:28 - 00:20:32:20
Speaker 2
Yes, totally. I am Maria and I am 100% in the Swiss Alps or wherever she was. Although she, I don't remember. I think it was Austria, right?

00:20:32:22 - 00:20:33:27
Speaker 1
Yes, she is.

00:20:34:01 - 00:20:37:15
Speaker 2
Austria, Switzerland, I think my apologies to Austria and Switzerland.

00:20:37:17 - 00:20:42:11
Speaker 1
Czech. Yeah. So how does it feel when you're using the tools like. Like that.

00:20:42:11 - 00:21:03:02
Speaker 2
So awesome. It feels like I have to use like a third of the amount of pressure, so I don't know, I feel like it's going to save my hands in the long run. And it makes me want to cut more and do more things. So it's that's my inspiration for the week, because it's inspired me to be like, oh, I do want to make more of these.

00:21:03:04 - 00:21:12:00
Speaker 1
And it's again, with the metaphors of easing up your grip, being more gentle, less pressure. Sorry. I'm like, wow.

00:21:12:02 - 00:21:19:10
Speaker 2
Feeling less like, white knuckling it. You know, it's like everything in life feels like we're all white knuckling it right now, I think.

00:21:19:10 - 00:21:26:00
Speaker 1
So it does. So when you can find something where you can sort of ease up and relax your jaw and wax your shoulders.

00:21:26:00 - 00:21:47:27
Speaker 2
Take a deep breath and just go for it. So it's nice that it's nice. That's part of my inspiration this week. My other inspiration this week came randomly and like right at the end of the week. So it's very new inspiration. Okay, but Monika and I, put on The Godfather, the movie The Godfather the other night. We put it on.

00:21:47:27 - 00:21:48:18
Speaker 2
Relax.

00:21:48:18 - 00:21:53:11
Speaker 1
Well, we should explain. We've watched that movie a lot. It's one of the my most watched movies.

00:21:53:11 - 00:22:09:25
Speaker 2
I actually had never seen it until I saw it with you. So I had to remedy this in my, like, early 30s, but it's amazing. It's a fantastic movie, but we put it on and we were watching it and it was on, Connie, is that her name? Connie's wedding scene.

00:22:09:28 - 00:22:11:20
Speaker 1
Oh. The daughter? Yeah. The beginning scene. Yeah.

00:22:11:24 - 00:22:28:11
Speaker 2
And we both happen to love the the woman that plays, like Mama Corleone. We just happen to love her acting. She's super minor character. She's not in a lot in it. A lot. Noonan and I just totally jumbled that entire sentence together.

00:22:28:11 - 00:22:29:01
Speaker 1
You're doing great.

00:22:29:02 - 00:22:54:25
Speaker 2
She's not in it a lot. There we go. Okay. But she's just like, she's a seems like the quintessential Italian mom. Like, she's so good at just being that. And we had to pause it for a moment last night, and, it was on a streaming platform, so the actress's name popped up because she was on the screen and her name is Morgana King.

00:22:54:27 - 00:23:11:14
Speaker 2
And I was like, oh, I've always wanted to Google that woman and see, like, what else she's done or whatever. So I googled her and she is like super amazing jazz singer, which I had no idea she had over a 50 year career.

00:23:11:17 - 00:23:12:01
Speaker 1
Wow.

00:23:12:07 - 00:23:25:13
Speaker 2
And so we we've been listening to her music. It's fantastic. She has a great vocal range. She's a like, natural contralto, which is, well, like Judy Garland was.

00:23:25:16 - 00:23:26:10
Speaker 1
What does that mean?

00:23:26:13 - 00:23:44:23
Speaker 2
So I am not like a music theory aficionado by any means. But contralto is like a lower female voice. It's like a true I think it's a true alto that, you know, is in the lower registers in trout. Something like that.

00:23:44:28 - 00:23:46:12
Speaker 1
Okay. What's the don't.

00:23:46:12 - 00:24:16:24
Speaker 2
Quote me on that. Definitely look it up. So there's like soprano which is high in the altos, the lower registers, but I believe contralto is like that area between an alto and tenor. Baritone. Well, I don't know. Anyway, she has her voice register, but she has a huge range and it's awesome. Her voice is incredible. And, it's just super nice to sit and listen to like, some old jazz standards.

00:24:16:24 - 00:24:20:18
Speaker 2
And we both love, female vocal jazz, for sure.

00:24:20:18 - 00:24:21:26
Speaker 1
Like soothing.

00:24:21:26 - 00:24:22:04
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:24:22:10 - 00:24:24:19
Speaker 1
Like crooner, is that for sure?

00:24:24:19 - 00:24:26:22
Speaker 2
Yeah. She's like female crooner type.

00:24:26:23 - 00:24:35:20
Speaker 1
It kind of reminds me, she doesn't remind me of Billie Holiday, but, like, there's something or Judy Garland, like. That's a good one, too.

00:24:35:20 - 00:24:55:02
Speaker 2
But there's you, said Ella Fitzgerald, to which her her, the way she like phrases things is very kind of Ella ask. But you did mention one person that we both don't know if this is true, but we both think Barbra Streisand was definitely influenced by this woman's voice.

00:24:55:04 - 00:25:02:04
Speaker 1
Well, what happened was we asked, our little speaker lady in our house, I won't say her name.

00:25:02:06 - 00:25:04:11
Speaker 2
Starts with the show. She'll join the podcast.

00:25:04:11 - 00:25:25:18
Speaker 1
She'll join the podcast if I say her name. But, we asked her to play Morgana King. That's. You said her name. This lady, this actress who wasn't an actress. She just that was her first role was Godfather. She had this long standing career even before she was cast. But anyway, we asked her to play like a variety of her music.

00:25:25:20 - 00:25:50:10
Speaker 1
And honestly, at one point I thought that the, the music streaming service had had woven in some other similar artists because I thought I was listening to Barbra Streisand singing, but it was still Morgana King who came along before her. So I'm thinking, oh, maybe Barbra was, influenced, I don't know, influenced a little bit by her.

00:25:50:10 - 00:25:54:00
Speaker 2
Even if she wasn't. It was a very, like, astute observation.

00:25:54:00 - 00:25:56:10
Speaker 1
It's a very. Yeah, me.

00:25:56:11 - 00:26:16:11
Speaker 2
One time when my little sister was really young, she was like 2 or 3, and she was in her car seat in the car and my dad was talking and said, oh, that's blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's really astute. And everything went quiet for a second. My little sister, who's, you know, really young, from the back of the car goes, daddy, what's astute.

00:26:16:14 - 00:26:22:00
Speaker 2
So, oh, that's great. That's what I think of every time I use the word astute.

00:26:22:00 - 00:26:23:20
Speaker 1
That's something a little different.

00:26:23:20 - 00:26:25:00
Speaker 2
Yeah. Astute.

00:26:25:01 - 00:26:25:23
Speaker 1
Oh, I like it.

00:26:26:00 - 00:26:32:09
Speaker 2
Slight difference. Oh yeah. That's really funny. But it was a very astute observation, so.

00:26:32:14 - 00:26:42:08
Speaker 1
Yeah, I, I'm so glad we found her music. She's going to be woven into our playlist now and yeah check her out. It's beautiful soothing. Her voice is lovely.

00:26:42:08 - 00:26:48:24
Speaker 2
It's awesome. Yeah. And just from there with her revisit it. Yeah. If you're not, check her out. Morgana King. Awesome.

00:26:48:26 - 00:27:03:05
Speaker 1
Born in New York to Sicilian parents. Came here. And it's a really nice, nice career. She has a beautiful story. We read a little bit about her. Yeah. Any other inspiration?

00:27:03:12 - 00:27:08:04
Speaker 2
I think that's it for me. I think that's it this week. How about you? What inspired you?

00:27:08:07 - 00:27:10:09
Speaker 1
Oh, I was supposed to be thinking of my answer.

00:27:10:15 - 00:27:13:12
Speaker 2
Oh, I don't know.

00:27:13:14 - 00:27:32:21
Speaker 1
What got out. I know, I mean, there's so many things that inspire me. I'm going to go with, a book. This was one of the things I was going to mention, but I'm going to mention it. The book I just finished, I brought it, oh, I was ready for this answer, this question, but I wanted to think of other things that inspired me to.

00:27:32:21 - 00:27:53:12
Speaker 1
But I can't right now. So let's just go with this beautiful book called A Thousand Splendid Suns. I am late to the game. This book has been out for at least ten years. By I don't know if I'm saying his name right. The author's name is Khalid Hosni. Or who? Hosni. I don't know how to say his name.

00:27:53:15 - 00:28:11:07
Speaker 1
He wrote a book called The Kite Runner prior to this one, which I read and loved years ago. This one I've been wanting to read for a while, and I've had it for a while, but I, I, I couldn't put it down. I mean, I gave up hours of sleep in order to stay up and finish this book.

00:28:11:07 - 00:28:47:06
Speaker 1
So I can't recommend this enough. And it inspired me because, it centers mostly largely around two different women in Afghanistan. So I love learning about other cultures or other time periods when I'm reading. And this is both and that without giving anything away of this story, this one woman, gets through this really terrible upheaval in life, this really lots of problems in Kabul, Afghanistan.

00:28:47:06 - 00:29:17:28
Speaker 1
And she's at this place where she's safe. She's gone through this incredible journey, and you kind of just exhale as a reader because she's safe and she's experiencing a different way of life, but she doesn't stay there. She out of choice. Oh, this was a really important part of the book because I was like, wait, why isn't this the happy ending everyone wants?

00:29:17:28 - 00:29:56:29
Speaker 1
No, she didn't feel challenge. She didn't feel like she would learn. She didn't feel like she was able to reach her potential by staying in that little safe bubble. And this is inspiring to me. This is so inspiring to me. And I'm not saying like I've intentionally done things to like, just cause chaos, but there is something beautiful that can come from trying something new, stepping out of that comfort zone, leaving that safety bubble that we find ourselves in sometimes, and we do the same routine and we don't have friction.

00:29:57:02 - 00:30:25:14
Speaker 1
And I was inspired by that. It gave me hope to like, keep trying new things, keep going for those uncomfortable moments that can make us grow. I just love that. So this book was so much more than that. But there were things in her life that came up that would never have happened, never have developed, had she stayed in that safe little bubble so that.

00:30:25:14 - 00:30:38:01
Speaker 1
No, no, I mean, I know this is a lot this is a kind of like a symbolic thing, but it inspired me to keep wanting to challenge myself, push myself. Does this make sense? Does anything.

00:30:38:01 - 00:30:38:18
Speaker 2
It's awesome.

00:30:38:18 - 00:30:41:13
Speaker 1
Because can you think of an example of have you ever done that?

00:30:41:14 - 00:31:07:29
Speaker 2
Like, like challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone? I don't know, because, I mean, comfort feels great. Believe me. Creature of habit. Love, comfort. It's my thing. Yeah, but you do have to step outside your comfort zone to do some growth and learning. If for me, a big thing that I've done recently to be outside my comfort zone is this podcast.

00:31:08:02 - 00:31:08:28
Speaker 1
Oh, yeah.

00:31:09:00 - 00:31:14:23
Speaker 2
This is not easy to put ourselves out here. We're here and this is us. And and not just.

00:31:14:23 - 00:31:15:17
Speaker 1
The podcast.

00:31:15:17 - 00:31:18:23
Speaker 2
Part. The video. Yeah. Videos. Tough.

00:31:18:26 - 00:31:39:21
Speaker 1
The YouTube part. It's it is your right hand is that's a big outside of our comfort zone. Putting ourselves out there, raw and real. You know, you you start to wonder, like, oh, is there going to be criticism or people won't get it or people won't watch? I mean, there's all of that.

00:31:39:21 - 00:32:04:00
Speaker 2
Also self-criticism too, though, like, you know, sometimes watching footage back, I start to critique myself in my head or worry about the way something looks. And then, you know, I have to kind of snap myself out of that. It's not I'm not a person who focuses on those things. And, yeah, it's definitely outside both of our comfort zones, I think, to be doing this for, for sure.

00:32:04:05 - 00:32:09:28
Speaker 2
But it's also really fun and rewarding. Like we get to talk to people we love every week. And you.

00:32:09:28 - 00:32:10:12
Speaker 1
Guys.

00:32:10:12 - 00:32:11:16
Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:32:11:19 - 00:32:27:06
Speaker 1
It is really cool to have like people asking questions, people telling us what they're working on with their art, people relating to what's inspiring or sharing with us, what's inspiring them. It is outside of our comfort zone, for sure.

00:32:27:06 - 00:32:27:27
Speaker 2
Yep.

00:32:27:29 - 00:32:52:02
Speaker 1
But we're really glad we're doing it. You're showing up. And also not to mention it again. But like we are real humans without any filters and so in a world that's becoming just more and more and more AI and artificial and fake in every way, why not have some a dose of a little like real and real real reality?

00:32:52:02 - 00:32:53:03
Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:32:53:06 - 00:32:54:16
Speaker 2
Not altered reality.

00:32:54:19 - 00:32:59:03
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. That's good. No, that's a really good example of.

00:32:59:05 - 00:33:08:06
Speaker 2
A lot of things this week in the podcast about like removing things and stepping outside of comfort. And we didn't plan this. Yeah.

00:33:08:06 - 00:33:28:00
Speaker 1
No we never. This is organic. Yes. Yeah. I'm glad you have that example of stepping outside your comfort zone trying something new. And we'd love to hear what what what's taking courage for you. What are you out there trying that you've always wanted to or that you're revisiting? It might feel like you need to feel a little brave.

00:33:28:02 - 00:33:30:28
Speaker 1
We applaud you and we want to know what it is.

00:33:31:02 - 00:33:54:14
Speaker 2
Yeah. For sure. You know, whatever you're working on this week, whatever you want to say, you can comment, like, subscribe on YouTube. Please follow us on Instagram at As We Are podcast. You can hashtag as we are what you're working on. Also, you can send it to us via direct message and we'd love to see it.

00:33:54:15 - 00:34:02:15
Speaker 2
We'll check the message requests and make sure we're looking for stuff that people are sending our way so that we can build the community.

00:34:02:18 - 00:34:18:15
Speaker 1
if you have posted something and used that hashtag, we may or may not have seen it. So we're sorry if we haven't mentioned it. We know some of you have posted your updates on your art, and we're trying to find it where by following that hashtag.

00:34:18:15 - 00:34:20:21
Speaker 1
But we'll keep figuring out how to see it.

00:34:20:21 - 00:34:40:14
Speaker 2
Yes. If we haven't seen it or acknowledged it, just message it to us because we definitely will see it that way. We don't want to miss what you're sharing. We definitely want to be able to like, you know, congratulate you for putting yourself out there and working on something. So, yeah. Don't think we're ignoring you. We're just really bad at Instagram.

00:34:40:16 - 00:35:00:25
Speaker 1
Or you can add a comment on YouTube. We're just so excited you're here. And whatever you're doing with whatever's inspiring, you, wherever you are in your art journey, if you're taking time to be creative or trying something new. Yeah, let us know. Thank you so much for following along and we will see you next time.

00:35:00:25 - 00:35:02:11
Speaker 2
Yeah. Thanks for being here.

00:35:02:13 - 00:35:03:11
Speaker 1
Bye bye.