Meditations with Ryan Zlomek

Ryan sits down with artist Cayetano Valenzuela, known around the world for his imaginative paintings and illustration that have been shown in galleries from New York to Puerto Rico. In Syracuse, NY, he has put his stamp on the city with two famous murals: “We Are The Mighty Salt City” off of Fireman’s Park and “And I Still Rise” on Syracuse’s West Side. Both of these remarkable works have had such a tremendous impact that locals have shifted the manner in which they describe their relationship to the city. Outside of galleries and murals, Cayetano is known for commercial sign painting (Recess Coffee), band merchandise (Deftones, Incubus, Difficult), and comics (Night Moves). In this conversation, Cayetano talks about transitioning from city to country life during his school years and finding collaborators at a young age. He humbly talks about his artistic gifts and finding the confidence to start a company that matched his artistic integrity. And he shares his transition in mediums from traditional illustration, to conceptual works, to signs and murals, to his most recent obsession with making comics that have appeared internationally in the pages of Savage Dragon. It’s a remarkable chance to see inside the powerhouse that is Cayetano and let his inspiring story empower you to go change the world with your imagination. Check out Cayetano’s work online at https://www.theblackrabbitstudio.com/ as well as on Facebook (BlackrabbitstudioNY) and Instagram (@cayetanovalenzuela, @blackrabbitstudio, @blackrabbitcomics) For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

In this episode, Ryan chats it up with Andrew and Kristin Looney, the owners of the Looney Labs game company in College Park, MD. Looney Labs has been making, publishing, and distributing games since 1996. Most known for the game Fluxx, which has been made into over 40 iterations, they also have created the Pyramid gaming system and the time-travel game Chrononauts, among countless others. Two people who have always found a spirit fun around them, Kristin shares her history with the Rubik's Cube and Andrew talks about developing software for the Panasonic 3DO game console. They talk about their time working at NASA and writing software to assist with space missions. Most importantly, they share the origin story of Looney Labs and talk about the inter-workings of running a game company for almost 3 decades. It's an engaging chat including fun factoids about shoe requirements in NASA facilities, how short stories can lead to game design, and the work it takes to develop licensed and unlicensed products. Check out Looney Labs on online at https://store.looneylabs.com/ as well as on Instagram (@LooneyLabs), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LooneyLabs) and X (@LooneyLabs). For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Ryan is joined by Tim Jacobus, the commercial artist best known for painting the original covers for the Goosebumps book series in the 1990s. His painting and airbrush techniques have graced book covers across the industry and sparked the imagination of young people at book stores, libraries, and Scholastic book fairs for decades. Tim talks about his journey becoming a commercial artist including attending Spectrum Institute For Advertising Art in New Jersey, teaching at the famed Kubert School, making his way into illustrating book covers, and eventually taking over the Goosebumps line. In conversation, Tim reveals the grit he needed to find his niche in illustration, experimenting and learning how to draw scary imagery, and the joy he has found in being known as the "Goosebumps Guy." Now working as a motion graphics designer and art director, Tim's perspective is inspiring for anyone wanting to work in the arts field to find their voice on the page. Additionally, Tim shares is charity work with a local food bank which you can help support by visiting his website https://jacobusstudios.com/. Tim can also be found on Facebook (Jacobus Studios) and Instagram @timjacobus. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Joining Ryan on today's show is Amanda Hughes, the owner of The Ice Cream Stand in Syracuse, NY's Clinton Square. Amanda opened The Ice Cream Stand in 2016 and has turned it into a staple of the downtown Syracuse experience. In this conversation, Amanda dives into the entrepreneurial history in her family, her desire to start her own business from a very early age, discovering a passion for fitness and sports, studying at Duke, and the development of The Ice Cream Stand. It's an energetic, insightful, and thoughtful conversation exploring how different businesses cater to the community and become welcoming public space. Amanda also announces her newest venture, Cream And Coffee, which will be a dessert-forward cafe in Skaneatles, NY. For more information on Amanda Hughes you can find her online at www.amandajaynehughes.com or @amandahughes on Instagram. You can also visit her amazing business online; The Ice Cream Stand (www.theicecreamstand.com, @theicecreamstand on Instagram) and Cream And Coffee (www.creamandcoffee.shop, @creamandcoffeeshop on Instagram). For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Ryan is joined by Nate Powell, the National Book Award winning cartoonist known for illustrating the March trilogy in collaboration with congressman John Lewis and writer Andrew Ayden. March was released in three volumes and documents John Lewis's experience growing up and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It's an astonishing work that put Nate Powell on the map as being a master of comics and adaptation. In this conversation, Ryan and Nate talk about Nate's experience in the punk and hardcore scene in the 1990s and early 2000s with his band the Soophie Nun Squad. They talk about different ways to build community, the antics of young punk bands, and the way in which Nate's experience in music inspired work on his new graphic novel Fall Through. Additionally, they talk process, elements of his life that made it into his fictional works, and his next project, an adaptation of the text Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. For more information on Nate Powell, you can find him online at https://www.seemybrotherdance.org/ as well as on Instagram at @seemybrotherdance. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

It's time to turn things up to 11 as Ryan chats with Lawrence Katz, guitarist for the famed ska band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Lawrence joined the Bosstones in the year 2000 and has not only been their guitarist and songwriter, but he also worked behind the scenes as an audio engineer for several of their releases. In this conversation, Lawrence opens up about his experience joining the music industry in the 1990s, joining the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and experiencing tour life, transitioning to running his own recording studio, working on other projects like Whole Damn Mess and Foxworth Hall, and lastly, he shares his willingness to work with musicians hoping to gain perspective on the business. It's an insightful chat full of tour stories and musical enthusiasm. If you want to hear more from Lawrence Katz, you can find him on instagram at @lawrence_k_katz. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Julie Sellers, the owner of Ellevated Outcomes in East Nashville, TN. Julie is a Creative Business Advisor that works with small businesses to help them develop more sustainable and scalable practices. Julie and her team have helped countless companies become "automated and unemotional" about their finances so that they can focus on providing superior products and services. During the conversation, Julie talks about discovering a passion for marketing in college, working and learning in England, France, and the US, developing a sustainable employee bases, the perks and challenges of owning a company, and some personal financial practices she uses with her family. It's an engaging chat about career growth and the different ways the skills you pick up along the way can be applied in avenues that interest you most. For more information on Julie Sellers you can visit the Ellevated Outcomes website at https://ellevatedoutcomes.com/ or find them on instagram @ellevatedoutcomes. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

This week Ryan chats with west coast-based writer Bill Lascher. Bill is the author of Eve of a Hundred Midnights and The Golden Fortress, both of which explore tense historic moments with his insightful language and deep research. In this conversation they chat about Bill’s family and their history in legal writing, discovering a passion for crafting language, the modern era of journalism and the different avenues to get your writing out to the world. Additionally, Bill talks about his new book A Danger Shared which chronicles the impact of World War 2 on the continent of Asia. It’s a great chat exploring the craft of the research and what it takes to be a writer in the modern age. For more information on Bill Lascher you can visit his website www.lascheratlarge.com or find him on X at @BillLascher and Instagram at @LascherAtLarge. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

To celebrate the episode release on Valentine's Day, Ryan spends time talking with Daniel Spolar, the founder of the charity Project Pinball, to talk about showing love in your community. Project Pinball works hard to put pinball machines in children's hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses, and other places where patients will be in need of amusement and something to take their minds off medical trauma. Daniel talks about the history of his professional life as a contractor, discovering different therapeutic uses for pinball machines, the birth of the Project Pinball charity, and the way in which community support is vital for the longterm sustainability of charitable work. It's a great conversation looking behind-the-scenes at the world of 501(c)(3) charity organizations and the way in which an entrepreneurial mindset can help creatives identify new methods to help those in need. For more information on Project Pinball, you can visit www.projectpinball.org, or follow them on Facebook or X @ProjectPinball. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Following his stomach to Rochester, NY, Ryan chats with Jenny Johnson, a renowned vegan baker. Jenny is the former dessert chef at Owl House restaurant, owner of Pudgy Girl Bakery and Misfit Donuts, and now is on to her new as a DJ for the WAYO radio station. In this conversation, Jenny talks about learning to maneuver the kitchen with her grandmother, lessons in creativity with her father, her background in photography, and her journey as one of Rochester's top vegan creatives. She talks about the research and development process of creating vegan sweets, working with a limited ingredient palette, and the joy of collaborating with others in her city. This is an episode full of insight into the creative culinary process and the importance of always innovating. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Heading to the west coast, Ryan interviews Phil Vigeant, the owner of Pro8mm, a company that handles all elements of the Super 8 film production process. Super 8 film was developed by Kodak in the 1960s and is considered the first completely accessible home video format. Since 1982, Phil has owned Pro8mm (formally Super8 Sound), a company that sells, processes, and scans film as well as offers camera purchase and repair. Phil's spirit for collaboration and invention clearly comes through in this interview and he talks about his background in business, regularly evaluating for growth areas at his company, the excitement of the 1980s Super 8 music video boom, and the modern landscape for film shooting in everything from the amateur to professional markets. This is an amazing conversation about the limitless things one can do when they are so wholly devoted to an artistic medium just as Phil is to Super 8. For more information on Phil's work at Pro8mm, find them online at https://www.pro8mm.com/, as well as on Instagram and Facebook at @Pro8mm. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

In this episode Ryan connects with ADHD Intuitive Artist Kyla Yager, a practicing creative working in Toronto in Ontario, Canada. After being diagnosed with ADHD, Kyla has spent her career developing artwork that showcases her mental procedures on canvases of all kinds. Her work makes the viewer feel seen, recognized, and even adds a tactile elements which encourages interaction and play. In this conversation, Kayla talks about growing up in New Orleans, the way in which her brain functions for administrative and creative tasks, strategies for people with ADHD, and the importance of collaboration in the artistic space. If you're interested in learning more about Kyla's work, you can find her at https://www.kylayagerartwork.com/, as well as @Artby.KylaY on Instagram and @KylaYagerArtwork on TikTok. For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

This week Ryan sits down with John Fricke, the foremost biographer of Judy Garland and historian on The Wizard of Oz. In this episode we travel through time to 1900, the year the book The Wizard of Oz was published by L. Frank Baum and then make our way to 1939 to talk about the production and relevance of the MGM film almost 85 years later. John Fricke is a New York City-based writer who has published numerous landmark books including Judy Garland: The World's Greatest Entertainer, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated History of the American Classic. His newest book is about the film White Christmas and is due out in 2024. John is also the co-director and host of the documentary We're Off To See The Munchkins and is the featured audio commentary narrator on the Blu-Ray, DVD, and Laser Disc releases of The Wizard of Oz as well as the other Judy Garland classics Meet Me In St. Louis, For Me And My Gal, and Easter Parade. In this conversation John talks about growing up in Milwaukee, discovering the Oz books at a young age, the importance of libraries in his career trajectory, and gives a tremendous behind-the-scenes glimpse into the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz and its historical importance as the most watched film of all time. If you're interested in learning more about John Fricke and the importance of L. Frank Baum's work, check out the All Things Oz Museum on the web where John writes a regular blog and consider coming to Chittenango, NY to visit the museum in person or attend Oz-Stravaganza the first weekend in June every year. For more about Meditations With Ryan Zlomek, follow The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com to inquire about sponsorships or collaborations.

In this conversation, Ryan travels across the globe to sit down with world-renowned stop motion animator, Tim Allen. Having started his career on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and more recently working with Aardman Animations on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Tim is a giant in the film industry acting with stop motion puppets one frame at a time. In this conversation Tim talks about discovering his passion for animation, how to overcome imposter syndrome, performing through puppets, and the value of sharing your craft with a new generation. Additionally, he shares tales of working on such films as Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. It’s an engaging, humble chat that will inspire you to seek out your passion and show them to the world. Tim can be found online at Facebook and Instagram (@timallenanimation) as well as at his website https://timallenanimation.co.uk/ For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations.

This week Ryan is joined by CJ Butler, the Communications Manager of The Salt City Market in Syracuse, NY. CJ talks about her journey as a young professional exploring social media management, determining whether to put down roots in the big apple (New York City) or the big orange (Syracuse, NY), the Allyn Family Foundation and the work CJ does for The Salt City Market project. Additionally, CJ talks about her time exploring American Sign Language in college and fiber arts with the Off The Hook Crochet Club. For more information on CJ's work, visit The Salt City Market through their website, Facebook, and Instagram as well as follow Off The Hook Crochet on Instagram. For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations.

Two Ryans, one podcast, what could go wrong? This week Ryan Zlomek (college educator, media artists, and pinball collector from New York) is visited by his doppelgänger Ryan Claytor (college educator, comic artist, and pinball collector) from Michigan to talk about the creative process. Ryan Claytor discusses his new book One Bite At A Time, the importance of bartering, how his process changes from designing comics to watches to pancakes, and how he views his personal evolution over the last 20 years. The fellow Ryans also discuss the serendipitous nature of their relationship to one another and the manner by which similarities in sometimes just can not be avoided. For more information on Ryan Claytor, visit his website http://elephanteater.com/ or find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/elephanteatercomics) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/coinopcarnival/). For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations.

We transport to Liverpool, NY this week to talk with Kelly Tompkins, the owner of the Blue Moon Apothecary. Kelly chats with Ryan to talk about her journey to find work/life balance, the history of apothecaries, the importance of talking through your ailments to find the root cause, and ensuring we rely on both holistic and modern medicine. Additionally, this is a conversation about entrepreneurship and the welcoming environments people can create when they invest in themselves and the community around them. You can find more about Kelly and her work by visiting https://www.thebluemoonapothecary.com/. For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, and check back in two weeks for more meditations.

It's time to get meta in the Meditations Universe as Ryan chats on a podcast with two podcasters about podcasting. Matt Hartman of the Drunkard's Walk and Mariana Ruiz of the Impact Driven Entrepreneur Podcast share their backgrounds and journeys to podcasting from the STEM fields to developing audio media for clients and curious patrons. This episode is a deep dive into the work it takes to develop a podcast, different ways to think about your audience, successful scheduling tactics, technology to consider, and the manner by which your personal interests can positively feed into your work. For more information about Mariana and her work with entrepreneurs, find her on Facebook Mariana S. Ruiz. To explore Matt Hartman and the Drunkard's Walk, visit https://drunkardswalk.buzzsprout.com/ or find them on your favorite podcast app. If you like what you hear, please consider leaving a review, listening to previous episodes, and sharing the Meditations With Ryan Zlomek Podcast on social media.

Very rarely can one guest act as multiple people but this week Ryan is lucky enough to chat with voice actor and character creator Marc Silk. Known for his work in Bob The Builder (US), Scooby Doo and Shaggy (UK), Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Danger Mouse, Chicken Run, video games Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, as well as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat for Universal, you've likely heard Marc's voice a place or two. In this conversation he covers his transition from radio engineer to voice actor, talks about his family's support of his career choice, his dad's fascinating journey at Blackbeard the pirate, and shares a number of anecdotes including his time working with George Lucas. For anyone interested in show business behind the camera, this is one for you. Marc can be found on Instagram @marcsilkvoice and online at www.marcsilk.com. For more on Ryan Zlomek, follow The World Of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook @SyracusePinheads.

Jamie Santos, owner of Three of Swords Tattoo & Art Studio in Syracuse, NY, joins Ryan in conversation about her journey as a creative and the impact of art on local and global communities. Jamie discusses finding art as a communication tools early in her childhood, her decision to become a tattoo artist, and the modern culture of tattoo shops. She also talks about her community arts initiatives including charity events painting skateboard decks, social java & draws, as well as an art hunt that deployed during the COVID lockdowns. Jamie can be found on Instagram at @jamiesantosart as well at her business https://www.threeofswordstattoo.com/.