Domestika Curious Minds

Memoirs add a tidy narrative arc to the messiness of life, but can you fully trust the truthfulness of the stories you find in their pages? We hear from New York Times bestselling author Meredith Hall about what it means to tell your story and from writer and journalist Gavanndra Hodge about how writing about your past can change it. Author and ghostwriter Tom Bromley shares what these individual stories can teach us all about creative expression. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

Color is everywhere, and it probably plays a bigger role in your life than you might realize. We speak with “The Color Bible” author Laura Perryman to learn how trends are born and how our brains react to color. Visual artist Niki Usagi and art director and photographer Michelle Norris reveal how color can communicate everything from the universal to highly personal, explaining why it’s time for you - yes you - to play with a whole new world of color. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) by Victor Fleming and “Schindler's List” (1993) by Steven Spielberg.

Photo editing is happening everywhere, all the time, whether you like it or not. But should there be any limits to it? Photographer and natural retoucher Zoe Noble talks about revealing a deeper truth through retouching, and senior lecturer Adam Wiseman explains how we’ve been manipulating images for longer than you think. Picsart executive creative director Shachar Aylon and photographer Brittabug discuss the ethics of photo editing in a body positive age. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

They tell us where to pee, where to go, and where to throw away our trash - pictograms are symbols that shape not just how we move through the world but also how we think about it. Design equity advocate Nick Ross reveals the power they have to change society, and designer Yang Liu and professor of visual communication Ashley Jane Booth explain how these tiny pieces of design create a universal language that can bridge cultural divides. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

In less than 100 years polymer clay has totally reinvented the possibilities of craft. A plastic based clay anyone can sculpt and bake at home, it’s captivated everyone from rocket scientists to casual crafters. We speak to polymer clay educator Ginger Davis Allman and polymer artists Zoe Rain, Gail Tan, and Bonnie Bishoff about the secret to successfully selling handicrafts in an industrial age, and discover the impact of quarantine crafting. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes an audio clip from It Costs That Much (2021) by Woah Dude.

Can you ruin your trip by taking too many photos? Travel photographers Bob Krist and Alina Rudya discuss how travel photography has changed the way we travel and see the world, as well as the industry’s darkside. We explore why you keep seeing the same images again and again with NYU marketing professor Alixa Barash, and discover how breaking from cliches doesn’t just benefit us creatively - it can actually change how we experience our travels. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

Is it shallow to judge a book by its cover? There are lots of good reasons - and not all of them have to do with looks. We speak with legendary Jurassic Park cover designer Chip Kidd about fitting an entire story into a single image, “Caustic Cover Critic” James Morrison about creating art that sells, and hear about the importance of reading and telling stories from a different perspective from designer and founder of Black and Brown Book Designers Dominique Jones and illustrator Lisa Perrin. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes an audio clip from You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover (1970) by Stevie Wonder.

Could doodling be the key to unlocking your creativity? Despite the stigma, we’ve all made an absent minded squiggle before, and with good reason says Sunni Brown, author of “The Doodle Revolution”. Professional illustrator Mattias Adolfsson and mind mapper Saher Kahn weigh in on how this innate creative impulse, and all the benefits it brings, prove why everyone - yes, even you - should consider themselves creative. To find blogs and images related to each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

In this new season we’ll dive into the world of book cover design, what it means to design for the future, how symbols can secretly shape your life, and if you can really call your vacation pictures travel photography. Curious Minds is an original podcast by Domestika dedicated to sharing and celebrating creativity in all of its forms.

Why do artists make self portraits? And can there ever be any real rules about how you choose to express yourself? Painter Shane Wolf and mixed media artist Nneka Jones discuss how the genre gives them free reign to experiment, photographers Cristina Otero and Danny Bittencourt explain how they use self portraits to explore emotion rather than aesthetics, and graphic artist Ohni Lisle talks about what it means to see yourself reflected in your work. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from Francis Bacon (1988) directed by David Hinton, and America's Next Top Model, created and executive produced by Tyra Banks.

Why bother mending your clothes when it's cheaper and easier to just buy something new? In the last decade the “visible mending” movement has taken off, with people using colorful stitches to draw attention to the stains and tears in their clothes. Textile designer and “Visible Mending” author Arounna Khounnoraj, and Kate Sekules, author of “Mend!”, explain what’s sparked this new mending movement. Upcycling expert and crochet designer Emma Friedlander Collins talks about how mending can be an outlet for creativity, and sashiko instructor Atsushi Futatsuya explains how this Japanese mending technique represents much more than just stitches on fabric. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes an audio clip from There's a Hole in My Sock by Slugs and Bugs (2011).

Movie posters are often your first taste of a movie, but many times the people who design them… haven't even seen the movie. We speak with award-winning movie poster designers Akiko Stehrenberger and James Verdesoto about the unique artistic and commercial challenge of condensing an entire film into a single, enticing visual, and illustrator and movie poster artists Marie Bergeron and Tracie Ching discuss how these poster images have only gotten more important, even if fewer of us are actually going to theaters. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from Vertigo (1958) and The Birds (1963) both by Alfred Hitchcock, Top Gun (1986) by Tony Scott, and the Metropolis OST (1927) composed by Gottfried Huppertz.

Furniture isn’t just functional, and how we feel about the pieces in our homes can, well, make us feel more at home. But with so many desks, chairs, and sofas already out there, are today’s designers just reinventing the wheel? IKEA designer Marcus Avronen and bespoke furniture maker Stewart Linford discuss what the design of these everyday objects has to say about us, and we explore with industrial designer Mark Goetz how these pieces are part of a creative history few of us have ever stopped to consider. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

You’ve probably seen flat lay photography everywhere on Instagram, even if you don’t know the term “knolling”. From its origins in Frank Gehry’s studio to social media staple, photographer Pati Gagarin explains how this simple style of arranging objects at right angles has taken off. We speak to professor of Consumer Science Michel Wedel to understand why these images are so satisfying, and graphic designer Henry Hobson explains how he used the technique for the 2015 Academy Award nomination slides for Production Design. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes an audio clip from Mary Poppins (1965) by Robert Stevenson.

Why are illustrators hired to capture trials? Going where cameras cannot and recording everything from Charles Manson’s trial to Supreme Court proceedings, these artists play a crucial role in showing the public what happens behind closed doors. We speak with veteran courtroom illustrators Bill Robles, Jane Rosenberg, Arthur Lien, and Elizabeth Williams to discover if artists can ever be objective observers. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from Chicago (2002) by Rob Marshall, The Aviator (2004) by Martin Scorsese, and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) by Robert Mulligan.

From Minnie Mouse to Marilyn Monroe, polka dots are a pattern worn by everyone - and there’s a reason they still haven’t gone out of fashion. We talk to artist Allison McKeen and “Patternalia” author Jude Stewart about how dots have represented everything from disease to modernity, and Leigh Wishner, from the FIDM Museum in LA, explains how (and why) a collection of dots has so much to say. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from The Seven Year Itch (1955) and One, two, three (1961) both by Billy Wilder, Polka Dots and Moonbeams (1940) by Frank Sinatra, and Tritsch Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss performed by the National Symphonic Orchestra.

Who’s really behind all the subtle sounds and noises in movies and TV? We explore the cinematic history of sound with Vanessa Theme Ament, author of “The Foley Grail”, and speak with Emmy-award winning Foley artists Joanna Fang, Ronni Brown, and Alyson Dee Moore about how they trick your ear and if sound libraries can ever truly compete with sound artists. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes Foley by Joanna Fang and audio clips from Jurassic Park (1993) by Steven Spielberg, the Star Wars Original Soundtrack (1977) by John Williams, Singin in the Rain (1952) by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, Show Boat (1936) by James Whale, and Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014) by Joe and Anthony Russo.

Why do we love symbols? And what does it take to make one iconic? We take a look at the story of the I ♥️ NY logo and listen to an excerpt of legendary designer Milton Glaser's interview from 2019 about a New York tourism campaign seen around the world. Art historian Valerie Shrimplin and semiotician Marcel Danesi weigh in on how artists, media, and brands have transformed the meaning of these symbols throughout history. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org. This episode includes audio clips from Nixon's Mission To Latin America (1958) by British Pathé and An Old-Fashioned Love Song (feat. Carla-Grace Colaguori) by The Semiotones and Marcel Danesi.

Comic Sans has been called everything from childish to tacky, but it might actually be the perfect example of what a typeface is supposed to be. We speak with author David Kadavy, lettering artist Alex Trochut, and “Why Fonts Matter” author Sarah Hyndman and discover how this divisive font came to be and how it represents the biggest revolution in typography since Gutenberg. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.

Explore the untold histories of the creative world. Each week we’ll bring you a different story about a different creative topic, interviewing artists and experts about everything from Comic Sans to the polka dot. Curious Minds is an original podcast by Domestika dedicated to sharing and celebrating creativity in all its forms. To find blogs and images for each episode, go to domestika.org/podcasts. And to find online courses on hundreds of creative topics, go to domestika.org.