Growing up in Northern California, Jacob Rosenberg developed his passion for video and film as a skateboarder in the early 1990s, making acclaimed videos for Plan B Skateboards under the mentorship of the late founder Mike Ternasky. Upon his graduation from Emerson College, Rosenberg began his professional career directing music videos, short films, and commercials where he has directed and produced talent names such as LeBron James, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, and Latto. Rosenberg served for a decade as a partner at the independent studio Bandito Brothers, spearheading forward-thinking digital workflows as their CTO and in-house director. He contributed expertise to productions such as Avatar and Act of Valor as well as numerous documentaries including Shine A Light and S.O.P..

In 2012, Rosenberg’s directorial debut, Waiting for Lightning, premiered at SXSW, going on to be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The documentary feature painted an intimate portrait of childhood friend and skateboard legend Danny Way, who in 2005 attempted to jump the Great Wall of China on a skateboard.

With a penchant for telling deeply human stories, Rosenberg’s documentaries range on subjects from land speed racing to skateboarding, photography, technology, and the world of magician Franco Pascali. His award-winning broadcast work has included campaigns for Ford, INFINITI, HUMMER, NBA, MLB, Royal Caribbean, Burger King, Beats, Advil, Intel, and countless others. Rosenberg’s latest works include co-curating a first-of-its-kind museum exhibit on the emergence of skateboard videos in the 1990s at The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, as well as his first photo book RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES, documenting a decade of Bay Area hip-hop and skate culture. The book focuses on Jacob’s story, coming up as a filmmaker for Plan B and then a photographer for the rap collective Hieroglyphics—which culminated in filming, editing, and directing their first group music video “You Never Knew” in 1998.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Jacob speaks about his new book, Right Before My Eyes (00:09:32)
• Magic, childlike curiosity, and the film “The Red Balloon” (00:13:19)
• Jacob shares his experience creating “Waiting For Lightning,” a documentary about skateboarder Danny Way (00:18:51)
• Jacob reflects on how creative pursuits helped him navigate childhood trauma (00:22:08)
• Finding acceptance through skateboarding (00:29:52)
• Jacob opens up about childhood trauma and how it fostered his ability to empathize with others (00:38:14)
• Yoshino shares how teaching boxing to kids highlights their natural embrace of diversity, connecting it to skateboarding’s cultural inclusivity (00:40:42)
• Jacob reflects on how childhood influences like Star Wars and Public Enemy shaped his creativity (00:52:09)
• Jacob recounts meeting his mentor, Mike Ternasky (Co-Founder of Plan B and H Street Skateboards), at a skate camp in 1988 (00:58:04)
• How authenticity and small acts of kindness create meaningful connections (01:04:56)
• The conversation explores empathy as a counter to divisiveness in politics and mass media (01:07:46)
• Yoshino reflects on experiencing racism while traveling (01:18:15)
• Jacob discusses creating Plan B’s iconic skate videos: Questionable, Virtual Reality, and Secondhand Smoke (01:21:54)
• Jacob highlights a museum exhibit celebrating 1990s skateboarding videos as cultural and documentary art (01:32:10)
• Joan Scheckel and her embodied storytelling technique (01:35:36)
• The importance of open-hearted living and artists staying fearlessly present during turbulent times (01:41:53)
• Yoshino and Jacob admire the subtle storytelling in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days (01:51:07)
• Jacob discusses his book Right Before My Eyes, chronicling his growth as a filmmaker and skateboarding’s evolution from 1988 to 1998 (01:58:28)
• Yoshino and Jacob explore how modern technology overwhelms and disconnects, emphasizing slowing down and finding grounding in nature and analog experiences (02:03:57)

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Joshua Hagler (b. 1979, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) is a first-generation graduate with a graphic design degree from The University of Arizona. A 2018 grant recipient of the Roswell Artist in Residence Program, Hagler has since made New Mexico his permanent home. Currently, he lives with his wife and daughter in the high desert village of Placitas at the foot of the Sandia Mountains.

In recent years, his practice has been guided by an approach he calls Nihil, a set of nine self-imposed principles that have grown out of solitary excursions throughout the state. These principles determine all aspects of the work from its imagery and process to the media and objects comprising it. Concept and meaning, as such, naturally unfold out of synchronistic experiences occurring over time.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Romanticizing solitude and isolation (00:05:53)
• Joshua describes his meditative practice (00:09:06)
• Yoshino reflects on how names and labels impact our perception of reality (00:14:15)
• Joshua discusses his project “Nihil” (00:17:24)
• How Joshua’s personal grief has shaped his work (00:23:28)
• Joshua and Yoshino share personal anecdotes and experiences with encountering spiritual signs (00:29:41)
• Yoshino discusses the challenge of describing spiritual experiences. Joshua adds that people often exist in a projected reality, shaped by narratives and labels, which sometimes diverge from actual reality (00:46:21)
• Exploring ideas around purpose (00:51:23)
• The danger of equating success with self-worth (00:58:39)
• Joshua shares his experiences about how his project “Nihil” began and ended (01:17:45)
• Yoshino uses the metaphor of the “Easter egg” in video games to explain an artist’s desire for others to understand the depth of their work (01:25:41)
• The benefits of living in simplicity and not being attached to outcomes (01:30:47)
• Joshua shares a recent interaction with a younger artist, offering advice on handling the pressures of age and expected timelines (01:37:59)

artistdecoded.com
joshuahagler.com
instagram.com/aemenededeen

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded.

Yoshino’s Links:
yoshinostudios.com
yoshino.substack.com
instagram.com/yoshinostudios
x.com/yoshinostudios

“As an artist, I am interested in observing the transmutation process of unconscious material moving into conscious awareness. I work in painting, photography, writing, performance and video. My paintings utilize inner visions and depth psychology to form works layered with
symbolism and metaphor. In photography, I employ an experimental process on film that focuses on Jungian Intuitive and Feeling typology. By blurring, altering or disrupting the straight forward information in a photograph, the image moves from analysis to an abstraction - allowing the viewer’s point of focus to relax, moving closer to the body and the Self. This subtle shift of perception is why I describe my photographs as Portals of Feeling.”

Nouel Riel is a Los Angeles based Artist. Following many years performing as a competitive gymnast she earned a full athletic scholarship to The University of Minnesota. There she studied Apparel Design, continuing that focus at The Art Institute of Portland. Since receiving her BFA from Santa Fe University of Art and Design in 2014, she has shown in solo and group exhibitions in Santa Fe, NM, Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Yoshino and Nouel reconnect after not seeing each other for over four years (00:06:30) 
• Nouel reads The Layers by Stanley Kunitz, and the conversation explores the poem’s meaning and personal resonance for her (00:08:23) 
• How Yoshino and Nouel met (00:13:05) 
• Archetypes and Jungian psychology (00:18:56) 
• Nouel talks about her background in competitive gymnastics (00:24:24) 
• Finding art as a tool for self-discovery and healing (00:38:52) 
• Giving a voice for our dark energy and integrating with our shadow-self (00:48:38) 
• Embracing different types of intelligences and trying to not take things personally (00:56:23) 
• Exploring loneliness and how it could relate to the missing connection with the Devine feminine and masculine (01:08:20)
• Nostalgia, popular culture, and the perception of self (01:25:21)
• The importance of representation in mass media and Yoshino’s personal experiences dealing with racism (01:32:12)

artistdecoded.com
nouelriel.com
instagram.com/nouelriel

Sah D'Simone is a dynamic spiritual leader and global humanitarian who has made profound contributions to mental health, spirituality, and social welfare. As the founder of the Somatic Dance Institute and creator of the Somatic Activated Healing (SAH) Method, he has empowered millions to heal from trauma and foster spiritual growth. Sah's work extends across multiple fields, from his role as a spiritual teacher to his achievements as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, published author, and host of the podcast Solving the Riddle of Being Human.

Blending Buddhist practices, contemplative psychotherapy, kinesthetic learning, and clinical spiritual care training from Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Sah’s trauma-informed approach has earned worldwide acclaim. His holistic perspective informs his humanitarian efforts, which have garnered recognition like the City of Los Angeles CARE Award. A prominent figure in media, Sah has been featured in major publications and has spoken at esteemed institutions such as Columbia University and the United Nations. Through his innovative healing methods, bestselling books, and transformative retreats, Sah continues to bridge the gap between spirituality, mental health, and social consciousness, impacting lives globally.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Sah’s early life in Brazil (00:04:00) 
• Immigrating to the U.S. at 16 and the cultural transition (00:06:57) 
• Grief, loss, and the impact of losing his mother (00:12:16) 
• The Camino de Santiago (00:20:03) 
• Traveling, becoming nomadic, and understanding personal values (00:36:36) 
• Trusting ourselves and listening to intuition (00:42:12) 
• Training in martial arts to overcome inner demons (00:43:23)
• Co-founding Bullett Magazine and working in fashion (00:53:22) 
• His newest book, Spiritually We (01:06:28) 
• Advice for seeking connection and dealing with loneliness (01:14:37)

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sahdsimone.com
instagram.com/sahdsimone
tiktok.com/@sahdsimone

When I was a child, I was repulsed by my father’s smoking addiction. I can still smell the acrid scent of his clothes, laden with a residual stench that never quite went away. He used to carry an old handkerchief in his front shirt pocket. Even at a young age, I thought it was odd when he would blow his nose into it and then stuff it back. I found it even more disgusting when he would spit on it and then subsequently wipe my face with the same putrid handkerchief. I felt a sense of betrayal enter my body whenever he would do this. Maybe he thought of me as some sort of sick puppy, like how a dog licks the fur of it’s young as an act of compassion. Perhaps his dad did the same thing to him too? I guess I’ll never know.

Around the age of six or seven, I asked my father if he would quit smoking. He replied, “I will quit when you turn nine.”

Can you guess what happened when my ninth birthday came around?

This cycle of broken promises continued for the next few years until he and my mother divorced when I was 14. That same year he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

When I was 16, I visited him at my grandmother's house. I opened the front door and locked eyes with him. He was ecstatic to tell me a story about where he had recently traveled. I was confused because he wasn't allowed to go anywhere unsupervised by this point.

“Son... I have to take you to this place! We... we were traveling in a helicopter to this beautiful remote island. There were all types of dinosaurs there. From brontosaurus to pterodactyl... I even saw a T-Rex!!!”

It was such an absurd thing to say; it took me a while to process what he was telling me.

“Dad... are you talking about Jurassic Park??” 

“You've been there already!” he replied with a sense of disappointment on his face.

After this instance, I rarely visited him. My mother had custody over me, so I watched him from afar as he slowly began to deteriorate. It was a confusing emotional time for me back then. Looking back now, I know I distanced myself as a defense mechanism. I was ashamed of what my father was going through. While other fathers seemed to be present in their children’s lives, mine was dwindling away, becoming a fragment of his former self. I didn't understand what he was going through then. How could I have?

I remember a few family members telling me I would regret not visiting him more before he passed away. But to be honest, I don't regret distancing myself. After his death, I learned about my father's checkered past. I'm still processing the things I found out about him—how he was a gambler, a womanizer, and a failed businessman. He lived his life in ways I disagree with. In many ways, I have tried to be the exact opposite of him.

The photos you see here were taken for several reasons. First, I find the graphics on these cigarette packages to be disturbing, hilarious, and problematic at the same time. The disclaimers are, for lack of a better term, utter bullshit. The cigarette companies don't care about the health of the people who purchase them. But I guess that's a symptom of living in a society that values predatory capitalism. Finally, these photos are for you, Dad. May you rest in peace. I'll see you in the next life so we can reconcile our differences. Hopefully.

_

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded. 

Yoshino’s essay “Cancer Sticks” can be read at Yoshino’s Diary on Substack.

Yoshino’s Links:
yoshinostudios.com
yoshino.substack.com
instagram.com/yoshinostudios
twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Jia Sung is a Singaporean Chinese artist and educator whose practice spans painting, artist books, textiles, printmaking, writing, and translation. Drawing on motifs from Chinese mythology and Buddhist iconography, Sung uses the familiar visual language of folklore to examine and subvert conventional archetypes of femininity, queerness and otherness. Her recent work explores threads of ecofeminism, ethnoecology, the ecological capacities of the body, invasive species as family, and the potentials of collective and constant human transformation through interspecies dynamics. Her approach draws from that of the Chinese zhiguai tradition, that genre of ‘strange tales’ cannot be translated directly through the lens of horror. The supernatural, the monstrous, the spiritual, seep into the tidy confines of ordinary existence, often humorous, arbitrary, smearing at the boundaries of our reality and then slinking away just as rapidly. Here is shapeshifter, here is trickster, things that inhabit liminal space and refuse to be held in place or form; the profane invades the interior, wilderness enters the domestic space, phenomena defy causation and morality, creature refutes taxonomy.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Jia’s childhood, early influences, and why she chose to dedicate her life to the arts (00:06:14)
• Formative books, films, and mythologies for Jia, Jennifer, and Yoshino (00:08:05)
• Art as a lifestyle and sketching/journaling as a form of expression (00:15:52)
• Jia explains her experiences going to RISD (00:17:03)
• Teaching art and guiding students – Jia shares her approach to teaching, focusing on personal expression over technique (00:18:46)
• Returning to unfinished work (00:22:42)
• Balancing chaos and creativity – reflections on how emotional turmoil can fuel or take away from creative work (00:28:11)
• Identity, ego, and output in art – how artists' identities are tied to their creative output and the challenges that brings (00:33:32)
• Discussing various levels of consciousness (00:40:44)
• Challenges of art school and institutional expectations – Jia reflects on the pressures and baggage that come from a formal art education (00:43:48)
• Breaking away from art jargon and structured critique to find a personal voice (00:54:27) 
• Lightheartedly discussing astrology (01:04:04)
• The Artist Decoded Tarot and Jia’s “The Trickster’s Journey” tarot (01:10:27)
• Discussing the potential future of AI (01:18:17) 
• Jia’s advice to her younger self (01:30:41)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com
jia-sung.com
instagram.com/jiazilla

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded.

Yoshino’s Links:
yoshinostudios.com
yoshino.substack.com
instagram.com/yoshinostudios
twitter.com/yoshinostudios

“Born in the UK I now live and work in Los Angeles.

I studied fine art at UCA just outside London in the early 90s then moved to Italy for 7 years to immerse myself in classical art. On my return to London I started a successful fashion career that took me around the world, shooting for esteemed clients and magazines for 15 years.

In 2013 I decided to return to fine art. This coincided with a move to Los Angeles, where I built a studio practice that broadened my horizons to include sculpture, painting, installation and video works.

And this is where I’ve landed and feel comfortable, in that liminal space between art and commerce, recording the body clothed and unclothed using photography, video and 3 dimensional form making. The merging of these disciplines is what inspires me, creating immersive installations that ask questions of who we are and how we interact with each other, how our bodies are perceived in societal roles and how we can move past these structured ideas.” - James Mountford

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• How Yoshino and James originally met (00:02:13)
• The beginning stages of James’s artistic journey (00:04:10)
• James starting his photography career in Rome (00:11:18)
• How the role of a professional photographer has changed (00:14:41)
• James starting to paint again after stopping for many years (00:20:16)
• Creating sustainable homes and studios in the Mojave Desert (00:23:14)
• James’s current photography practice (00:31:12)
• James talks about his favorite artists (00:35:25)
• Using social media and how it can impact one’s artwork (00:42:18)
• Photography, nostalgia, and James’s collaborations with NOH/WAVE (00:44:20)
• Finding a balance between personal and professional pursuits as a full time artist (00:48:43)
• Staying athentic to oneself (01:01:42)
• Yoshino’s experience doing The Camino de Santiago (01:06:36) 

artistdecoded.com
jamesmountfordstudio.com
instagram.com/jamesmountfordstudio/

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

Erik Davis, PhD, is an author, award-winning journalist, sometimes podcaster, and popular speaker based in San Francisco.

He is the author of 6 books which include:

• Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium (MIT Press)
• High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the 70s (MIT Press/Strange Attractor Press).
• Nomad Codes: Adventures in Modern Esoterica (Yeti, 2010).
• The Visionary State: A Journey through California’s Spiritual Landscape (Chronicle, 2006), with photographs by Michael Rauner.
• Led Zeppelin IV (Continuum, 2005) - 33 1/3 volume.
• TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information (Crown, 1998; republished by North Atlantic Press).

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Erik’s work and his areas of interest (00:04:37)
• Deciding what projects to dedicate his time to (00:06:36)
• Finding his authentic voice (00:13:27)
• The transformation of subcultural movements into mainstream cultural (00:13:18)
• Trying to make sense out of confusing times (00:24:22)
• Learning to appreciate banality, and simplicity in an increasingly more technologically focused world (00:36:33)
• Separating yourself from devices and giving yourself the space to allow the muse to enter (00:46:15)
• The consensus trance and becoming more conscious (00:49:38)
• Having good “epistemological hygiene” (00:57:04)
• Getting back to basic joys (01:05:09)
• Erik’s new book “Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium” (01:07:09)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com
techgnosis.com
x.com/erik_davis
burningshore.com

Explore the intersection of tarot, artistic creativity, and technical innovation in The Artist Decoded Tarot, a first-of-its-kind deluxe deck and guidebook set from author of Amenti Oracle Jennifer Sodini and artist Yoshino.

Jennifer Sodini is an artist, writer, speaker, and producer whose creative endeavors span various realms of art and spirituality. She is the author of Amenti Oracle Feather Heart Deck and Guidebook and Everyday Amenti, and the co-creator of the Modern Nirvana Oracle. Jennifer explores the intersection of esoteric philosophy and cutting-edge technology, bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and modern innovation. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Oprah Daily, Rolling Stone, Vice, Sounds True, and Maxim. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Mexico.

Yoshino is an art polymath with a direct focus on image-making, writing, and interviewing. He uses photography as a medium to capture poetry within an image, and attempts to create a confluence between his internal and external observations. Within the image, he invites the viewer to enter a space of contemplation and self-reflection. Conversation and curiosity are cornerstones of Yoshino’s creative practice. In 2015, he created Artist Decoded, a podcast that explores the practices, lifestyles, and psychology of artists from various mediums.

ArtistDecoded.com
The Artist Decoded Tarot - Hachette Book Group 

John Wentz is a contemporary artist whose work is an exploration of process and technique. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to its core fundamentals: composition, color, and mark-making. Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer with an abstract sensibility.
 
John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel, he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator, and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 5 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards.

artistdecoded.com
johnwentz.com
instagram.com/johnwentz

Tim Bettinson is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter and producer most recognized for creating and living behind the lustful, ambient guise of Vancouver Sleep Clinic. Across his catalogue, elements of anthemic indie rock, intimate R&B, and sophisticated folk provide a sweeping film soundtrack for Bettinson’s gentle vocal and expansive storytelling. Emerging from his native Brisbane, Australia on the strength of a series of singles including “Someone To Stay," “Middle of Nowhere," “The Wire,” and the bedroom-produced viral cover of “As It Was," Tim now roams the world with a laptop and headphones in pursuit of adventure and creative inspiration for his ever-evolving project.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Leaving Los Angeles (00:12:19)
• How Tim and Yoshino originally met (00:14:04)
• Lesson’s Tim has learned throughout his journey in music and the industry (00:17:31)
• The feeling of making music (00:23:34)
• Yoshino’s journey into martial arts and photography (00:26:47)
• The first song Tim released on Soundcloud called “Vapour” (00:30:19)
• Tim’s decision to start singing and using falsetto (00:35:22)
• Natural talents vs. achieving abilities through hard work (00:40:39)
• Anxiety and self-imposed pressure (00:52:25)
• Advanced technologies (00:57:45)
• Finding balance and joy within the creative process (01:04:06)
• Dealing with anxiety, self-doubt, and negative thoughts (01:09:36)
• Navigating feedback and trusting your instincts (01:18:38)
• Defining one’s purpose (01:25:16)
• Finding perspective on past work (01:30:49)
• People who inspire Tim and Yoshino (01:36:57)

artistdecoded.com
vancouversleepclinic.org
instagram.com/vancouversleepclinic

Iranian-American filmmaker Saman Kesh has the most Vimeo staff picks, ever. He attributes this accolade to excessive consumption of rocket fuel and a knack for combining the human experience with a healthy dose of controlled chaos.

After his music videos won him YDA Silver at Cannes and two Best Video at SXSW, his foray into advertising was an epic international Superbowl spot for Taco Bell. Since then, he has worked with major brands like Zoom, Google, Citibank, Uber, and most recently picked up a handful of Clio awards for his work with Toyota and Nintendo. Saman has written and directed two universally hailed short films, CONTROLLER and HIT TV, which are being developed into TV-shows, and he is currently working on two feature films.

On his off hours, he plays video games and trolls racists.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Creating a sanctuary for yourself (00:03:20)
• His short film Controller, DP’d by Isaac Bauman (00:10:01)
• Saman’s definition of success (0015:43)
• Celebrating small victories (00:22:28)
• Working professionally with ADHD (00:26:59)
• Knowing our strengths and weaknesses and how to work with them (00:35:40)
• Martial arts and spirituality (00:43:22)
• Saman’s advice for artists and creatives (01:11:16)

artistdecoded.com
samankesh.com
instagram.com/saman_kesh

Daniele Bolelli is a writer, martial artist, university professor, and podcaster. He was born in Italy and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Daniele’s podcasts History on Fire and The Drunken Taoist (00:05:55)
• Daniele’s writing practice (00:08:51)
• Family and navigating personal struggles (00:15:03)
• The origin of Daniele’s passion for history (00:30:59)
• Reflections on legacy (00:35:02)
• Unpacking success, values, and the nature of quality (00:40:46)
• The complexities of meritocracy  (00:53:32)
• Discussing personal values (01:08:19)
• Thoughts on the impact of advanced technology (01:17:10)
• Power and agency within decision making (01:44:50)
• Daniele’s life advice (01:49:21)

artistdecoded.com
danielebolelli.com
danielebolelli.substack.com
historyonfirepodcast.com
thedrunkentaoist.com
instagram.com/daniele_bolelli

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded.

Yoshino’s essay “Photo Roulette” can be read at Yoshino’s Diary on Substack.

Yoshino’s Links:
yoshinostudios.com
yoshino.substack.com
instagram.com/yoshinostudios
twitter.com/yoshinostudios

Wesley Stringer (b. 1985) was born in Oklahoma City and has worked as a photographer for the past 13 years. Stringer began photographing while a BFA student at the University of Oklahoma. His practice is concerned with the natural environment, both in its untouched state, as well as how it relates to the spaces people occupy. The printed image is as important to Stringer’s work as the physical and textural presence: his photographs frequently take the shape of handmade books or boxes. In addition, the artist prints many of his photographs on translucent gampi paper and mounts them by hand to heavier weight papers, giving each artwork evidence of its making. Stringer’s photographs and handmade books have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States and in France. In 2013, Stringer’s photographs were exhibited at the Museum of Art and Design in New York. In 2016, Stringer was a finalist for the Rudin Prize for Emerging Photographers, which resulted in a group exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach. Working in collaboration with artist Daniel Brush, Stringer’s photographs were exhibited at L’École School in Paris (2017) and L’École School in New York (2018). In 2019, his photographs were exhibited at Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York (2019), and in 2020, Stringer’s work was acquired by the library of The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2020). Stringer's work is represented by Michael Hulett at The Hulett Collection in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

James “Munky” Shaffer is best known as co-founder and guitarist for American rock band Korn. With a career spanning three decades, his latest project Venera ventures into experimental electronic territory.

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instagram.com/munky_korn

instagram.com/_veneramusic
veneramusic.com
kornofficial.com

Paul Yoon is the author of four previous works of fiction: Once the Shore, which was a New York Times Notable Book; Snow Hunters, which won the Young Lions Fiction Award; The Mountain, which was an NPR Best Book of the Year; and Run Me to Earth, which was one of Time magazine’s Must-Read Books of 2020 and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he lives in the Hudson Valley, New York.

ArtistDecoded.com
Paul’s Website
The Hive and The Honey

Johan Van Mullem (Belgian painter born in 1959) persisted in his youthful search for wrinkled faces, seeking the beauty he recognized in an experience engraved on the faces and in the hands.  Since then, the face remains the major subject of his work but over time reversing the imprint of it on his own face while these subjects seem to rejuvenate, disappearing or emerging in a halo of light in old-fashioned sfumato, offering the gaze an escape into the world of emotion, because Johan van Mullem's work is an invitation to introspection, to a journey whose omnipresent emotional charge cannot leave indifferent as the depth is often dizzying.  The superimposition and erasure of the many smooth layers of the diluted inks further accentuate this feeling of inexpressible presence on the canvas. The self-taught mastery of the specific and unique technicality of his work because only executed in etching ink (an extension of his experience as an engraver) gives his work an additional exceptional character.  Complete artist, designer, painter, and sculptor, (but also poet and musician) Johan Van Mullem strives to create a multiple, diverse but absolutely coherent work offering links and bridges to all our senses awakened by this work that projects as much into the past as into a contemporaneity.

artistdecoded.com
johanvanmullem.com
fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/johan-van-mullem
instagram.com/johanvanmullem

Jacqueline Castel is an internationally award-winning director, screenwriter, and curator based in NYC. Her short film work has been featured at more than fifty festivals worldwide, including Sundance, SXSW, Rotterdam, BAMcinemaFest, Sitges, and Fantasia. She has written for and directed cult auteurs John Carpenter and Jim Jarmusch, and collaborated on a film with David Lynch for his Festival of Disruption in 2018. Her most recent short film, a portrait of Cannes award-winning actor Caleb Landry Jones, debuted on NOWNESS in 2021. Castel’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The BBC, Dazed, VICE, Italian Vogue, Interview Magazine, and on AMC’s Shudder. She earned her BFA with honors at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. My Animal is her feature film debut.

artistdecoded.com
jacquelinecastel.com
instagram.com/jacquelinecastel
myanimalfilm.com

Internationally acclaimed, prominent contemporary artist and social media Influencer; Dan Lam is an artist based out of Texas, US. Lam’s sculptural work expresses and plays with sensational dichotomies by combining unconventional materials, organic forms, and bright colors. With contrasting themes verging on beauty and grotesqueness at once, Lam’s art provokes its viewers to ponder meaning and existence while inspiring feelings of familiarity and wonder. Curiosity, play, and fun are the foundation of where Lam’s work begins. Her experimentation results in beautiful sculptures created with various materials such as foams, polyurethanes, resins, acrylics, and polymers, which defines her style. She has exhibited worldwide, and celebrity clients include Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, The Game, and Lily Aldridge. Notable art collectors, such as the Tisch family, have acquired her work. In addition, Lam has collaborated with prominent companies, including Facebook and Virgin, and renowned art producers, Meow Wolf. Her pieces have been featured in Architectural Digest, Travel and Leisure, and Forbes, amongst many other international media outlets.

artistdecoded.com
bydanlam.com
instagram.com/sopopomo

Yoshino is a multi-hyphenate artist and the host of Artist Decoded.

Yoshino’s short story “The Inner Symphony” can be read at Yoshino’s Diary on Substack.

Yoshino’s Links:
yoshinostudios.com
yoshino.substack.com
instagram.com/yoshinostudios
twitter.com/yoshinostudios