Musician Searows on Making Art in an Overwhelming World
Indie musician Searows released his new album “Death in the Business of Whaling,” a title lifted from a line in Herman Melville’s *Moby‑Dick*. The record delves into vulnerability, framing death as a natural component of life and spirituality. Unlike his debut, the album was recorded in a collaborative forest barn, allowing larger, more cinematic arrangements influenced by the Pacific Northwest’s oceanic landscape. Searows also reflects on the political nature of art in today’s social‑media‑driven world.
Musician Yaya Bey on Being Happy with What You Have and Who You Are
Singer‑songwriter Yaya Bey explains that her music stems from an emotions‑first process, beginning with melodies before adding lyrics. After feeling pressured by market expectations on her previous album, she pivoted toward mental‑health‑centered creation, seeking peace of mind. Growing up in...
Singer-Songwriter Courtney Barnett on the Importance of Looking Back at Your Progress
Australian singer‑songwriter Courtney Barnett explains how she shifted from early imitation to a more honest, self‑directed voice as she crafted her latest album. She relies on free‑writing and a dream‑state approach, recording ideas without pre‑planned themes and later extracting motifs....
Musicians MUNA on Leaning Into Specificity
MUNA’s third album *Dancing on the Wall* leans into hyper‑specific geographic references, anchoring songs like “East Side Girls” in historic queer neighborhoods across major cities. The record also embraces overt political themes—from climate change to LGBTQ rights—reflecting the band’s belief that...
Musician Jana Horn on Staying Open to Interpretation
In a candid interview, indie musician Jana Horn explains that songs often arrive like elusive ghosts, requiring both intuition and deliberate effort. She treats memory as a pliable co‑writer, allowing past experiences to resurface in new contexts and shape her...
Musicians Mandy, Indiana on Pushing Yourself Physically in Your Creative Work
Mandy, Indiana’s latest album *URGH* reflects a deliberately physical approach, born from the band’s health struggles and fragmented remote songwriting. The record was assembled from drum‑generated ideas, synth parts and collaborative demos, with three tracks completed together for the first...
Author and Publishing Professional Joel Miller on Making an Effort
Joel Miller, author of *The Idea Machine*, discusses how books function as a unique, immersive technology that shapes thought far longer than movies or other media. He explains that his Eastern Orthodox faith acts as a moral lens through which...
Musician and DJ Avalon Emerson on the Value of Sharing Space with Other People
Avalon Emerson explains that his new album *Written Into Changes* was crafted to capture the power of a live club setting, moving away from the quiet, bedroom‑studio feel of his debut. He argues that live music offers a rare communal...
Writer Kelly Krumrie on Taking Language Seriously
Kelly Krumrie describes a writing process that never truly begins, likening it to a constantly turning hamster wheel of ideas, notes, and sentences. Form emerges simultaneously with content, shaping and being shaped by each other, especially in her minimalist style...
Filmmaker Arielle Knight on Making Work that Cuts Through the Noise
Filmmaker Arielle Knight explains how play, nature, and childlike curiosity fuel her creative process. She frames film as a “communication‑imagination” medium that can cut through noise and build empathy, particularly for Black narratives. Knight’s recent project *The Boys and the...
Writer and Entrepreneur Glory Edim on Cultivating Talent in Yourself and Others
Glory Edim founded the Well‑Read Black Girl platform while working at Kickstarter, using a modest Kickstarter campaign to launch a book club that evolved into a literary conference, publishing imprint, and three authored books. After leaving Kickstarter in 2018, she...