003 Crafty Storyteller: Kate Caldwell

What I love about storytelling is…going to places with myself, and my own experiences, that I don’t necessarily explore if I’m not trying to explain them to somebody else.

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That’s Kate. Storyteller, writer, actor, and yarn-worker. Kate is a powerful orator, and she assembled the team that gave birth to Testify, Austin’s monthly storytelling show. She sat down to chat about building a creative institution, shaping stories, savoring the dynamic exchange between a performer and audience, and knitting in public.

Testify’s performances take place on the last Thursday of every month in at Spiderhouse Ballroom at 7:30pm (in Austin, Texas). There are different themes each month, and you can submit your story HERE. You can also find @testifyatx on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or become a supporting member via Patreon.

Have you been to a Testify show to perform or watch? Tell us about it in the comments or write to us on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #chattycrafties. We’d love to hear about your experience!

Kate performing at Testify (images provide by Kate Caldwell)

Kate performing (images provide by Kate Caldwell)

Kate writing (image provide by Kate Caldwell)

Embroidering lace (image provided by Kate Caldwell)

Lace project (image provided by Kate Caldwell)

001 Creative Conjurer: Genevieve Saenz

Whatever I can do, to get through, to get the creativity out. I’m a vomit artist. I’m not a – I mean, I will, like, just throw up art, all over the place. I need to make it. Once the idea is in my head, I need to make it. And if it doesn’t come out the way it looks in my head, that’s fine. I’m expressing.

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That’s Genevieve. Therapist, Celebrant, soon to be mother-of-two…and my very first artistic rival from 1999. She joins us on our maiden voyage to chat about poetry, playtime, and the sinister presence of artistic wounding. If you or someone you know suffers from such a thing, don’t go away.

Genevieve Saenz is a celebrant and expressive arts therapist, providing marriage and family counseling services through her practice Passageway Arts. You can also find her via @passagewayarts on Instagram.

Have you ever tried art therapy? It’s a lovely way to explore feelings and emotions that don’t always translate perfectly into words. Leave a comment or write us on Twitter and Instagram using #chattycrafties.

Artwork (photos provided by Genevieve Saenz)

Genevieve and Kate at the Art of the Heart workshop

Mobile making (photos provided by Genevieve Saenz)

Leading us through an office blessing in February 2018

Process (photos provided by Genevieve Saenz)

Podcast Origin Story

sewing1 — Angelica sewing a baby-sized quilt FTW

I recently made a baby quilt in a fun collaboration with the friend I was making it for (Genevieve Saenz, our first podcast interview). While deciding what fabric swatches to use, we talked about our individual approaches to sewing and what setting aside time for making things does for our wellbeing. Then somehow after an exhausting week of work, I was energized by figuring out how to piece this bad boy together and level up from basic blankets to a real quilt with binding. As I pieced it together, I realized it was just as exciting for me to TALK with my friend about why we make various kinds of art and what goes through our brains during these creative sessions. I also realized I had a community of friends with similar hobbies, be it music, performance, painting, writing, architecture, building, and growing… and I wanted to set aside time to celebrate their processes. I then asked my old high school pal, Amber Moreno, if she’d help me put this podcast together as my producer. We’d been crafty together more times than I could count, and I value her creative direction to elevate the ideas in ways I couldn’t imagine without collaboration. Plus, her sultry delivery from previous radio and voice-over work make for a fine intro and outro.

Hopefully, our discussions will inspire our listeners to try the project they’ve been putting off or been intimidated by, because sometimes it’s the DOING that makes art worthwhile. I’ve heard people tell me from time to time that they aren’t creative when they asked about a project I’m working on, and I promise you, that’s their own critic getting in the way. We are all creative. We were all daydreaming kids who colored for hours or put together dance routines. We all played with instruments to explore sounds. We only learned to be self-conscious of our imperfect efforts when trying new things as we got older or someone told us we weren’t good at it. Around here, we encourage each other. So how about we just all agree that we are amazing and we should all go out and make some art?