In this episode @maggiefedorov is joined by Paloma Strong ( @strongtaxidermy ) of Los Angeles, CA to talk about her unique experience with seeking and acquiring a prestigious taxidermy apprenticeship, growing through it, and eventually finding it was time to step out on her own. Paloma discusses the work that hopeful future apprentices in any medium can do on their own time to stand out as a strong candidate; what masters are looking for in an apprentice; and what it took for her to feel like it was finally time to go out on her own in the world of Taxidermy. In this episode Paloma also considers how, as artists, we can pay homage to and respect our roots while we also find that ingenuity and continue to bring all of it with us into the future. Listen today to hear her thoughts on these topics and more!
PHOTO BY JULIETTE @rabbitsmoon24 ( IG )COURTESY OF PALOMA STRONGShow notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL PODCAST EP6: Sacrifice Is A Certainty w/ Shane Izykowski
In this episode @maggiefedorov is joined by Emily Eccles, one half of Nanny Goat Gallery ( @nannygoatgallery ) in Petaluma, CA to talk about her experience of being initiated into the fine art world. Emily discusses the important precipitating factors that called for her pivot into art; the struggle of standing on the precipice and deciding to jump; and the best way to approach artists, gallerists, or other creatives that you'd like to see yourself work with. In this episode Emily also considers her path in retrospect, shedding light on what else was important for her success along the way. Listen today to hear her thoughts on these topics and more!
Show notes:
Nanny Goat Gallery on Instagram
In this episode Maggie is joined by Alondra Uhi ( @alondra.uhi.art / @byherfruits.art ) to talk about the risks of using social media as a metric for success in the arts. Alondra discusses her own personal metrics for success that she uses in lieu of social media; the importance of contributing to your creative community; "trends" and "cringe" in content creation as an artist; and the pressure I think we have all experienced at some point or another to create faster than we're comfortable in order to appease the algorithm. In this episode Alondra also considers what it means to show up as your best authentic self online. Listen today to hear her thoughts on these topics and more!
Show notes:
Alondra's Religious + Feminist Art on Instagram
Kelsey Critchfield-De Ferrari on Instagram:
a great example of re-using the same finished works for fresh, new content that doesn't feel like you've seen it beforeOne Peak Creative on Instagram:
for a $40 Alondra-approved class to learn to make more engaging contentIn this episode Maggie is joined by Michelle ( @littleredheartart / @mmarketingbroward ) to talk about common places that artists are largely missing the boat in the world of business and opportunities. Michelle discusses places where all artists need to be putting themselves out there, even when that's asking us to step outside of our comfort zone; the easiest way to take back your time and energy in content creation; how to stand out online and in person as an artist; and the biggest mistake Michelle sees artists make that turns into lost opportunities (hint: it isn't competition!). In this episode Michelle also considers who is really in charge in the Art World™️. Listen today to hear her thoughts on these topics and more!
Show notes:
Michelle's Marketing Instagram
In this episode Maggie is joined by Heidi Lustig of New South Wales, Australia to talk about how her decade-long art gap and corporate burnout were really part of the process all along. @violet_portrayal discusses a common block in finding one's unique artistic voice; the importance of doing bad work; how to avoid becoming a carbon copy of the shitty corporate boss you hated; and what it REALLY looks like making your first steps back to a "lost" art practice. In this episode Heidi also considers whether or not it's possible to separate the art from the artist. Listen now to hear her thoughts on this and more.
Show notes:
Heidi's feature in the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory
Join Maggie Fedorov to talk about the experience of moving through her creative practice as a spiritual endeavor just as much as an artistic endeavor. Maggie dissects the Hermit archetype and what she means by "spiritual movement"; who would benefit from adding a spiritual element to their creative practice; and the ways that her unique spiritual care routines are now a fully enmeshed and invaluable part of her work acting not entirely unlike a creative catapult. In this episode Maggie also poses some very pointed questions for you about your spiritual hygiene and your spiritual & creative goals. What are you doing to propel your work forward? Listen now to hear Maggie's thoughts on all this and more.
P.S. Stick around for bloopers! xo
"By 'Spiritiality' I mean first and foremost that a person be inquisitive regarding what is referred to as 'the meaning of life.' That's at least a first step. A person who has asked that question can no longer fall below that level. They will already begin to improve. And secondly: The beautiful is hidden from the eyes of those who are not searching for the truth, for whom it is contra-indicated. But the profound lack of spirituality of those people who see art and condemn it, the fact that they are neither willing nor ready to consider the meaning and aim of their existence in any higher sense, is often masked by the vulgarly simplistic cry, 'I don't like it!', 'It's boring!' It is not a point that one can argue; but it like the utterance of a man born blind who is being told about a rainbow. He simply remains deaf to the pain undergone by the artist in order to share with others the truth he has reached. And finally: art must must carry man's craving for the ideal, must be an expression of his reaching out towards it; that art must give man hope and faith. And the more hopeless the world in the artist's version, the more clearly perhaps must we see the ideal that stands in opposition - otherwise life becomes impossible! Art symbolises the meaning of our existence." -Andrei Tarkovsky
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
Youtube: Huberman Lab Podcast "Rick Rubin: How to Access Your Creativity"
Huberman Lab Podcast "Robert Greene: A Process for Finding & Achieving Your Unique Purpose"
Huberman Lab Podcast "A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental & Physical Health"
We're flipping the script! Guest hosted by Sam Fedorov, today's interview gives us deeper insight into the inner workings of your usual host, Maggie Fedorov, of Seattle, WA to talk about her experience with moving through grief as a working artist. Maggie is the last of four artists in this series of episodes to discuss her experience with loss; the changes in her creative practice as a result of grief; the biggest hardships that emerged as she moved through loss; and the degree to which she is still impacted by it. In this episode Maggie also dissects what true strength in the face of grief looks like. Is it "weak" to be broken by your grief? Listen now to hear Maggie's thoughts on this.
"Death is the great equalizer of human beings. Death is the boundary that we need to measure the precious texture of our lives. All people owe a death. There is no use vexing about the inevitable degeneration and death because far greater people than me succumbed to death's endless sleep without living as many years as me." -Kilroy J. Oldster
Show notes:
Boone's Solace Candle Co. Instagram
YOUTUBE: In Memoriam: Darla Anne Boone-Durrant
ARTICLE: Burien Teen Drowns In Wenatchee River
In this episode Maggie is joined by another old friend of the podcast, Shane Izykowski of Los Angeles, CA to talk about his experience with moving through grief as a working artist. Shane is the third of four artists in this series of episodes to discuss his experience with loss; the changes in his creative practice as a result of grief; the biggest hardships that emerged as he moved through loss; and the degree to which he is still impacted by it. In this episode Shane also considers what it's like to use the grief experience to step outside of 'The Matrix' and live a more intentional and meaningful life and what that looks like in the scope of his creative practice. But the question I'm still thinking about?... "Will I ever fully process my grief? Is there an ending? A resolution?" Listen now to hear Shane's thoughts on this.
Show notes:
Leviathan Goth Night's Instagram
ARC Gallery: Joshua Coffy In Memoriam
In this episode Maggie is joined by Devon Walz of Santa Ana to talk about the nuances and intricacies of moving through grief as an artist. Devon is the second of four artists in this series of episodes to discuss her experience with grief and loss; the changes in her creative practice as a result of grief; the biggest hardships that emerged as she moved through loss; and the degree to which she is still impacted by grief. In this episode Devon also considers the struggle over how to spend our time in the wake of a big loss. Is it weird to go to dance?
Show notes:
In this episode Maggie is joined by this year's Beautiful Bizarre People's Choice Award finalist, oil painter Jennifer Allnutt of Queensland, Australia to talk about the nuances and intricacies of moving through grief as an artist. Jenny is the first of four artists in this series of episodes on grief to discuss their experience with grief and loss; the changes that resulted in her creative practice as a result of grief; the biggest hardships that emerged as she moved through loss; and the degree to which she is still impacted by grief years later. In this episode Jenny also considers the surprising ways she was able to reconnect with joy and purpose in the wake of her grief.
Show notes:
ARTICLE: 'In the Studio With Jennifer Allnutt'
ARTICLE: 'A Short History of the Sublime'
In this episode Maggie is joined by award winning Taxidermist and retired Federal Wildlife Biologist Matt Klope of Whidbey Island, WA to talk taxidermy. Matt discusses accessing the flow state and how to recover when you lose it; the role of creative vision in the art of preparation; real-world applications for taxidermy in research, conservation, and beyond; and the steep decline in the taxidermy community as it loses favor in the eye of John Q. Public. In this episode Matt also considers what else we stand to lose if taxidermy should become a lost art.
Show notes:
Whidbey Island Taxidermy Website
INSTAGRAM: See how taxidermy is helping humans rehabilitate 'Ingo' for release in Germany
ARTICLE: 'Why Are Ducks Thriving as Other Birds Decline? Three Words: Investments by Hunters'
ARTICLE: 'What is Taxidermy? An Intimate Relationship Between Death and Maker'
Precious Creature Pet Taxidermy Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Evelynn Combs & Gerad Smith of Alaska, both Archaeologists as well as artists, to talk about how they're re-conceptualizing the ancient art of coppersmithing. Gerad and Evie discuss the cultural and historical significance of coppersmithing in the Tanana Valley of interior Alaska; what it's like to work with a creative collaborator; the joys and hardships of time away from the forge; and the value of creative diversity. Evie & Gerad also consider cyclical time and the profound and incredible ways humans have been living the same experiences as our ancestors for millennia through the lens of Traveler and his stories in the Dene oral traditions.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Jeff Troy, a multimedia erotic artist from Seattle, WA to talk about how his current body of work began from a spilling over of long-repressed shame. Jeff discusses finding community in unlikely places; how online censorship is impacting figurative and erotic artists; and how despair is an old friend and constant companion throughout his creative practice. Jeff also considers whether creativity is positively or negatively impacted when we have limits imposed on what we are able to do.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Arianè Kamps, a watercolor and oil painter from Alberta, Canada to talk about how art has evolved alongside humanity over the last several thousand years and how these observations manifest in her work. Arianè discusses the struggle of making art for the content machine; how she tries to cope with burnout while working a non-creative primary job to stay afloat; how her work ended up on the moon; and how being an artist is to constantly grapple with rejection and failure. Arianè also considers the question of whether being an artist is who you ARE or what you DO.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
Show notes:
Melissa's Blog: "Word and Image"
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Paul Ogunlesi, a painter from Lagos, Nigeria to talk about his unique form of visual storytelling and how his paintings specifically explore universal human experiences and identity through the lens of Yoruba adages. Paul discusses his early experiences with art; how he uses both fashion and facelessness as tools to weave a story in his works; and whether he believes an interpretation of the symbolism in any given piece can be "right" or "wrong". Paul also talks about the experience of creating artwork that begins to form its own personality separate from what he set out to create as it comes into being through his hands.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Bruce Rivera, artist and founder of Salvage Arts from Edmonds, WA to talk about the official launch of the non-profit organization centered around creating art from recycled materials. Bruce discusses how Salvage Arts came to be; the All Decks On Hand show happening this weekend (April 20th-22nd) at Graphite Art Center in Edmonds; and how to get involved in future community art projects like this one. Bruce also talks about the dangers of comparison, and how important it is to never give up on being a learning artist.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by actor and fine art model Adera Gandy of Seattle, WA to talk about the art of simply being alive as a contemporary creative. Adera discusses how the artist must realize that they are ALSO the masterpiece; how important it is to have a good relationship with your body as a creative; and how her relationship with creativity coincides with her relationship with the divine. Adera also suggests that there is a shift happening in the long standing archetype of the tortured artist.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by multi-talented actor Tasha Kay Newell of Seattle, Washington to talk about the art life and the struggles of pursuing a path that the mainstream has deemed "impossible." Tasha discusses battling imposter syndrome; taking opportunities that feel risky or uncomfortable; her disinterest in fame; and what it's like to be a member of the "unseen artist club". Tasha also answers the tough question of whether or not she views herself as an artist.
Show notes:
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram
In this episode Maggs is joined by Josh Stebbins of Enid, Oklahoma to talk about making art in the digital age. Josh discusses playing the "social media game"; the issue with ai art; the importance of literature and the written word for the preservation of our humanity in an increasingly digital future; how inaccessible it is for a good many artists to even be in a position to create; and being inspired by the creations of other writers, musicians, performers, etc. including Twin Peaks and all things David Lynch. Josh also shares his opinion on the age-old question of whether or not an artist must suffer for their art.
Show notes:
Josh's work @ La Luz de Jesus Gallery
Josh's "No Stars: A Twin Peaks Tribute Exhibition" @ Stephen Romano Gallery
TOTALLY F#@!ING NORMAL Instagram