Justin Tyler Close (b. 1984, Toronto, Canada) is an award-winning director, photographer & visual artist.

Justin founded the internationally distributed arts publication The Lab Magazine and was the active editor-in-chief/creative director from 2010-2018.

The interview magazine featured artists, designers, filmmakers, and activists such as Marina Abramovic, Wes Anderson and Noam Chomsky.

In 2020, Justin created his audio-visual installation titled The Fifty Eleven Project, which was exhibited at the prestigious Copenhagen Contemporary Museum.

Soon after, Justin wrote and directed two award-winning short films, Like Father Like Son and Where The Time Goes. 

He is currently developing several projects, and set to direct his debut his feature film in the fall, 2025.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Justin’s life in Athens, Greece (00:02:07)
• What Justin has been focusing on recently (00:05:09)
• The beginning stages of Justin’s painting process and nostalgia (00:08:45)
• Being nomadic, defining a home, and socially imposed ideals (00:12:26)
• Justin’s daily process and finding a flow state (00:22:06)
• Justin’s thoughts about turning 40 and what he learned in his 30s (00:27:49)
• Finding a balance between personal and commercial work (00:28:20)
• Finding our artistic voice (00:41:07)
• Justin’s advice to his younger self (01:00:02)

artistdecoded.com
jaeclose.com
instagram.com/justintylerclose

Rose Ides is an artist from San Diego specializing in veristic surrealism, and a writer exploring the sociology of the arts in the United States. With a background in sociology, education, public health, and art, her work aims to participate in creative liberation and artistic compassion. She has published two illustrative projects with Running Press, the Oracle of Pluto deck and the illustrated astrological compendium The Cosmic Symposium, which you can pick up at all major book retailers. You can connect with her on Instagram at @idesofrose.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Why Rose decided to pursue art full-time (00:02:08) 
• Artistic insecurities developing in childhood (00:04:49) 
• The history of the word “art” (00:11:15) 
• Breaking through illusions to simply “be” (00:15:24)
• Using our emotions to fuel our creativity (00:25:34)
• Translating the dreamworld (00:29:47) 
• Working through educational trauma and Rose wanting to begin her PhD program in Indigenous Rights (00:40:43) 
• Rose’s advice for the audience (00:47:50)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com
roseides.com
roseides.substack.com
instagram.com/idesofrose