Artist Decoded By Yoshino

Joseph Lee is an actor & self-taught artist who studies faces and the emotions that inhabit them. Lee focuses on the parallels between external reality and the internal process by manipulating everyday faces and objects through segmented brush strokes, color choice, and volume, converging them into a complete and balanced whole. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Joseph Lee’s upcoming solo exhibit opening at GR Gallery in NYC on September 8, 2022 The importance of taking care of one’s own mental health Examining the origin of pain and trauma Joey moving to LA to pursue acting The moment when he decided to become a painter Potency in making decisive and guttural decisions Spiritual connection through art Having an insatiable curiosity of people His currently unreleased Netflix show “Beef” (starring David Choe, Steven Yeun, Patti Yasutake, Ali Wong) Utilizing gratitude prayers and journaling Simplifying one’s life to help alleviate anxiety Reconnecting and remembering our child self Challenging our needs fo

The long arc of Joshua Hagler's oeuvre, with its focus on painting, could be traced by its slow, physical and conceptual disintegration - of it's imagery, politics, art historical underpinnings, and philosophical erudition - from its early pictorial messaging to a need, in more recent years, for direct physical experience of the numinous. Material layering is at the core of Hagler's work, combining a range of self-developed painting processes which force a loss of skilled control, making for radical pictorial transformation. The works situates itself in the paradox of absence and presence, the internal and external, and the sacred and profane. Whatever research occurs with regard to issues such as mass shooting, wildfires, and religiosity in America, only demonstrates itself to the degree that it's relevant to the artist's own background and direct life experience. The personal is thus foregrounded and given preference over academic defenses, which are subverted at every opportunity. Hagler's distinct signat

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Topics Discussed: Channeling the muse Seeking the higher self Questioning one’s own intentions and motivations Journaling Artists Mentioned: Anthony Peake (Writer) Gary Zukav (Writer) Carl Jung (Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst) Michael Pollan (Writer) Margaret Atwood (Writer) Books Mentioned: The Seat of the Soul (Gary Zukav) The Daemon (Anthony Peake) Caffeine (Michael Pollan) Yoshino’s Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

AJA, The Spirit Guide Coach, is a spiritual counselor who specializes in connecting you with the guidance and wisdom of your unique Spiritual team. The advice from your Spirit Guides is incorporated into AJA’s intuitive coaching process in order to help you create a plan for breaking negative patterns, finding your path, and accepting the love and support that your Guides surround you with every single day. As the bridge between you and your Guides, AJA considers this to be sacred work and is honored to help those who wish to deepen their connection with their higher self and learn to love themselves on a deeper level. Spirit Guide Life Coaching is an incredibly intimate and rewarding process that allows you to hear the advice and support that your Guides wish to offer you. AJA is a true believer in the innate power every person has to achieve radical expansion through self-love. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Aja’s experiences in mediumship and channeling spirits Losing connection with ourselves Chi

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Topics Discussed: Thinking about habits as a necessity, similar to breathing The idea of the Daemon (or Daimon) Being a vessel for creative energy to flow through you Channeling ourselves to our intuition “Everyone is a hero in their birth.” - Otto Rank Artists Mentioned: Marie-Louise von Franz (Psychologist) Philip K. Dick (Author) Otto Rank (Philosopher) Books Mentioned: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K. Dick) The Myth of the Birth of the Hero (Otto Rank) Yoshino’s Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Natalie Goldberg is the author of fifteen books, including Writing Down the Bones (Shambhala, 1986), which has sold over one million copies, has been translated into fourteen languages, and started a revolution in the way we practice writing in this country. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Natalie’s first book, “Chicken and In Love” (1979) Being afraid of both success and failure before her book, “Writing Down The Bones,” came out in 1986 Having thin values “I shop therefore I am.” - Barbara Kruger Consuming vs. finding meaning Natalie writing two books while undergoing treatment for cancer Accepting suffering Thinking about one’s legacy Zen Buddhism “Writing closes the gap between who you think you are and who you are.” - Natalie Goldberg What writing has revealed to Natalie “Make this moment an occasion to live deeply, happily in peace.” - Thich Nhat Hanh Managing discursive thoughts The pros and cons of the advent of the interview The art of haiku writing People Mentioned: Margaret Atwood (Writer) Amy

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Article Mentioned: Why Your Brain Needs To Dream by Matthew Walker Podcast Mentioned: Sleep Is Non-Negotiable: Dr. Matthew Walker | Rich Roll Podcast Yoshino’s Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. Show Notes: Giving space for one’s own stream of consciousness to flow The power of writing daily “What is your identity?” Awakening the spirit Yoshino’s Links: yoshinostudios.com instagram.com/yoshinostudios twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Lidia Yuknavitch is the nationally bestselling author of the novels The Book of Joan, The Small Backs of Children, and Dora: A Headcase, the story collection Verge, and the memoir The Chronology of Water. She is the recipient of two Oregon Book Awards and has been a finalist for the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize and the PEN Center USA Creative Nonfiction Award. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Topics Discussed In This Episode: “One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are, and to live without belief—that is a fate more terrible than dying.” - The Book of Joan Having grit and an unwillingness to surrender as an artist False notions around the idea of transcendence Social conditioning Patriarchy The umbilical cord as a metaphoric symbol in Lidia’s writing Objective correlatives Intergenerational trauma Her writing center “Corporeal Writing” How her newest book “Thrust” is a love letter dedicated to her son and mother “The edges of everything are alway

Martin Wittfooth was born in Toronto, Canada in 1981 and works in two studios in Kingston, New York, and Savannah, Georgia. He earned his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2008. Wittfooth’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Akron Art Museum in Ohio, and La Halle Saint-Pierre in Paris, with solo exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Copenhagen. His paintings have also appeared in numerous publications, including Juxtapoz, The New York Times Art Review, and Vice, and cover features in New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose, Chronogram, and American Artist Magazine. Wittfooth’s paintings, drawings, installations, and sculptural works investigate themes of the intersection and clash of industry and nature, and the human influence on the environment. Many of his works explore the theme of shamanism - rituals and practices as old as our species - through which we have attempted to dialogue with nature:

Emma Ruth Rundle is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and visual artist.  Topics Discussed In This Episode: Emma leaving Cal Arts to move to Wellington, New Zealand Outsider art Yoshino’s introduction into photography Finding one’s flow state Tapping into the collective consciousness within one’s art Exploring the role of an artist Her newest album and visual art project “Dowsing Voice” Traveling to Wales to record “Dowsing Voice” Unblocking the gateway of the mind to allow the muse to enter Emma exploring getting her MFA Journaling Arthurian legends and Celtic myths Feeling less lonely when you can connect with an artist’s body of work Finding people you can connect with along the way Post-narrative work People / Artists Mentioned: Henry Darger (Artist) Maja Ruznic (Painter) Vivian Maier (Photographer) Francis Bacon (Painter) Sibylle Baier (Folk Singer)  Nick Drake (Singer-Songwriter) Joan Didion (Writer) Margaret Atwood (Writer) Olivia Laing (Writer) Phil Hale (Artist) Shape of Despair (Band) Patrick Walk

There is a way a voice can cut through the fascia of reality, cleaving through habit into the raw nerve of experience. Nika Roza Danilova, the singer, songwriter, and producer who since 2009 has released music as Zola Jesus, wields a voice that does that. When you hear it, it is like you are being summoned -- not to somewhere new, but to a place that's already wrapped inside you, somewhere previously obscured from conscious experience. This place has been buried because it tends to hold pain, but it's also a gift, because once it's opened, once you're inside of it, it can show you the truth. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Nika’s newest album “Arkhon” Accepting the past and exploring the unknown How her life drastically changed after the release of her album “Okovi” in 2017 Her journey creating her albums: Taiga, Okovi, and Arkhon “When you’re trying to make music to fit into a world that already exists. It’s much less interesting.” - Nika Problems with viewing one’s art within the lens of commerce and co

Jay Cheel’s career in non-fiction filmmaking has focused mostly on character-based portraits of quirky, passionate obsessives, realized in a highly cinematic style. His debut feature Beauty Day premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of their Canadian Front Programming Series. The film was also an official selection at the Hot Docs International Film Festival and was nominated for a Genie Award in 2012. His second feature How to Build a Time Machine premiered at Hot Docs and went on to screen at AFI Docs, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and DOC NYC. His latest is Cursed Films, a five-part documentary series produced for AMC Networks and Shudder. The show focuses on the legends surrounding some of Hollywood’s most troubled horror film productions and has gone on to become the highest-rated documentary series on the platform.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Jay’s short film Twisted Him being exposed to horror films at a young age Recognizing the importance of a director in a fi

Mia Bergeron's Bio Mia Bergeron is a classically trained oil painter that uses modern techniques and concepts to create layered imaginative works. Imagery in her work often oscillates between the fictitious and the observed in equal parts. Rooted in her upbringing in New York City with continuous exposure to modern art, her paintings also reveal her choice to study classical painting in Florence, Italy under Charles H. Cecil in her twenties. Heavily influenced by historical artists such as Diego Velázquez, Titian, Anthony van Dyck, and John Singer Sargent, her paintings are also shaped by contemporary artists such as Alex Kanevsky, Ann Gale, and Adrian Ghenie. For Mia, the process of making paintings is similar to meditation. Each painting is the listening and contemplating of the surrounding world. The minutes at the easel are similar to focusing on the breath- there are times when the scrutiny is welcomed and quiet, and other times when the mind is loud and unintelligible. It is this dynamic contrast that

Riley Stearns grew up in Pflugerville, TX, a suburb of Austin. His feature debut FAULTS premiered at SXSW in 2014 and went on to play festivals around the world. THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE, his second feature, also premiered at SXSW in 2017. The film was released by Bleecker Street domestically and Universal Pictures internationally. DUAL is Stearns’ third feature as writer/director and first as a producer. When not making films you can find Stearns on the mats training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Riley’s origin story Riley’s first memories of growing up The memory retention of “highly sensitive people” Riley’s past life as a musician How Riley started writing short films and feature films Riley initially finding his voice through mimicking other people’s writing styles When Saman and Riley met at SXSW in 2013 Where the initial idea of Dual came from How Riley creates the tone in his films Riley’s time working as a staff writer for TV shows Riley speaks about legacy Brazilian Jiu-Jits

Saman Kesh (born Saman Keshavarz) is an Iranian-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his narrative music video work for notable artists such as Basement Jaxx, Calvin Harris, Kygo, Placebo, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Vitalic, Apparat and Porter Robinson. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Living and being isolated in the desert The Definite Chief Aim - a concept by Napolean Hill through way of Mitch Horowitz Grieving the death of his girlfriend Jean Guo Gaining momentum through commercial success Understanding purpose Working through failures Accepting ourselves Being magick Balancing out the need for control Changing negative perspectives “Hollywood has this ability to arrest you in this psychosis of delusions” - Saman Kesh The gift of an existential crisis Power in analyzing dreams Functioning under depression Saman’s “Zoom” call analogy Martial arts Books Referenced: “Fierce Intimacy: Standing Up to One Another with Love” by Terry Real Artists Mentioned: The Daniels (Directing Duo

Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of today’s most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Explaining his new book Cosmic Habit Force Exploring the psychology of mediocrity Harnessing honest self-expression and creativity Asking oneself with brutal honesty, “What do I really want from life?” Breaking through social conditioning The Miracle of a Definite Chief Aim Concentration producing force Gaining perspective on personal “failures” Taoism Paradoxical events in one's life Mitch gives a personal example of how a perceived failure turned into a blessing in disguise Rediscovering himself as a writer in his late 30s after working in publishing Writing his first book, “Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation” 2 famous definite chief aims from Octavia E. Butler and Bruce Lee The power of focused aims Healthily dealing with fear and trauma The law of reciprocity  The power of the mastermind Books Refer

Rina Yang is a director of photography based in London. She grew up in a small city in Japan, where she studied still life and portrait painting. She has been selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough 2020, and she is also the first female DOP ever to win a cinematography award at the British Arrows, as well as being nominated for the best cinematographer in fiction at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 19', making history in both commercials and narrative categories. Her recent narrative projects include NANNY (Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner), Euphoria (HBO/A24), and her upcoming feature with MGM Studios, entitled ‘Flint Strong’. Topics Discussed: Rina’s outlook creating goals for herself Rina’s creative stamina Taking breaks between shoots How she structures her time The differences between shooting a feature film, music video, and a  commercial How she started cinematography Her experiences growing up in Japan then moving to London Working hard at a very young age Getting accepted into university by creating a short fi

April Maxey was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and is currently based in Los Angeles. She was 1 of 8 Directors chosen to be a part of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, where she made her short film Work, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. April was recently selected for AWD’s Directing the Actor Lab. She is also an alumna of the prestigious Berlinale Talents Short Film Station. Her drama pilot screenplay for Work was a top 5 finalist in the New Orleans Film Festival Screenplay Competition. Her previous short film, After You Left, won the Shorts Jury Prize at the Milwaukee Film Festival and has screened at Academy and BAFTA-Qualifying festivals such as Palm Springs Int’l Shortfest, Flickerfest, HollyShorts, and Outfest Fusion. April’s short films have collectively screened at over 60 festivals across 14 countries and won 8 awards internationally, such as the 100Autori Award for Best Screenplay at the Sicilia Queer Film Fest in Italy, and Best International Narrative Short at Kashis

Curious & creative mind working at the intersection of art, blockchain, and Web3. Founder and CEO of Vertical Crypto Art - a web3 native studio & artist-first community dedicated to NFTs, crypto art, and elevating web3 culture in the metaverse. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Micol working with creators in the tech industry at Facebook and Instagram Artists living off of making art and tokenizing work The origins of her platform, Vertical Crypto Art Helping artists navigate the new territories within the NFT world The online artist residency component of Vertical Crypto Art, which consists of a WEB 3.0 educational program Sustainability within the NFT space Artists creating art through coding, smart contracts, and the blockchain The work that she’s doing in collaboration with Tezos Hic Et Nunc Frieze LA (Feb 17th - Feb 20th, 2022) Tezos vs. Ethereum Versum NFT Platform The importance of properly displaying digital artworks Artists Mentioned: Sarah Zucker Kevin Abosh Sarah Meyohas (Founder of Bi