049 Mixed-media Dreamer: Yasmin Youssef

Memory, and connection, and maybe even transformation during this time. Like, what is going to happen, how are we all going to be different at the end of this. I think the moon can offer ways to just sit and ground into yourself and simultaneously reach out. And so, I called this series “Lessons from the Moon,” because I thought it was really, it was a deep experience for me during the pandemic.

That’s Yasmin Youssef. Full-time multi-layered visual artist. Previously a User Experience Designer and professional dancer. Ethereal observer and watcher of the moon. Her gilded artwork can shimmer in your very own home, or would make a thoughtful gift for someone special since–hint, hint–some gift-giving holidays are coming up. Yasmin’s art studio is located in east Austin, and you will hopefully be able to catch her at some upcoming art shows, depending on the pandemic. Sidenote: the podcast took a 6 month pause so I could grieve a snowball of losses in the family, but I’m trying to channel that into my art, which perfectly aligns with this month’s guest.

Find (and BUY!) Yasmin’s artwork online here: www.yasmin.ws and look for a special Holiday Bundle will be available on her website in November.

Find her on instagram, twitter, Facebook: @thegoldcurrent

UPCOMING ART SHOWS/VENUES SHOWING HER WORK:

Red Dot Art Spree at Women & Their Work Gallery is September 30th through October 12th, 2021

The Other Art Fair in Dallas will be Oct. 21-24, 2021

E.A.S.T. (East Austin Studio Tour) will be three weekends in November, 2021

Her studio is located in Canopy, located in east Austin. Artists open their studios the first Saturday of the month

Two of her pieces have hung in The People’s Gallery in Austin City Hall

Check out the upcoming schedule at The Cathedral (the HQ for ATX gals), which is a co-working space that hosts events in the evenings in east Austin

Travis Heights Art Trail is first week in November

Art Us Co – in Arboretum, a brick and mortar store (grown from a pop-up) with 80+ artists and artisans represented

Some of her cyanotypes are hung in Limbo Jewelry in the Domain

Belly dancing photos by Breezy Ritter Photography

029 Color Explorer: Sharon Loy Anderson

I love to paint twelve hours a day. I will work on a painting three days in a row–that’s why I can finish a painting in three days because I spend twelve hours on it– I’ll start in the morning and paint till almost midnight.

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That’s Sharon. Multi-media artist with a penchant for acrylic paint, landscape photographer, and my sweet mother. She knew from a young age that she had a gift and was hungry to learn anything and everything about art. This creative appetite was genetic, so it was a delight to sit down with her to explore her path from being a talented child and a career student, to teaching art, to ongoing exhibits at galleries in central Texas.

A portfolio of her art can be found at www.sharonloyanderson.com, her art facebook page @sharonloyanderson, and her instagram @sharonloyanderson. She signs her art with “Loy,” her middle name. That’s how you know it’s a finished piece.

The intro and outro music is always by by Berm and Swale, (unless the guest is a musician themselves).

Blackfoot Daisy on a Summer’s Day by Sharon Loy Anderson

Texas Gent by Sharon Loy Anderson

ew Beginnings by Sharon Loy Anderson

Central Texas River by Sharon Loy Anderson

Dolan Falls on the Devil’s River by Sharon Loy Anderson

Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ by Sharon Loy Anderson

Echeveria ‘Encatata’ Sharon Loy Anderson

026 Heartfelt Hackster: Amanda Davidson

It’s important what we do, and it’s important how we do things, it’s important that we are creative when we do things–it matters, you know? It matters that we do things well and we do things with intention and love. It matters to our families, and our friends, and whatever random person we interact with in commerce, too.

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That’s Amanda. Mother of 3 and family caregiver, soulful singer, and appreciator of imperfect art–when she can steal a couple of hours to herself, that is. Amanda sat down with us to explore melding old and new and what it means to be dipping her toes back in the creative world though interior design with her business, Curate Homes.

Amanda and Graham named their residential construction company Curate (‘kyur-ət) because that’s the person in the church who’s the caretaker of souls. Find more online at www.curatehomes.com or on Instagram. The songs played in the episode were, in order of appearance: “Going Somewhere,” “Teaching me My Name,” “Minnie Catherine,” and “Under the Earth.” One of her albums, Home, is available on iTunes HERE under her maiden name, Amanda Leggett.

Amanda’s laundry room/workspace

Interior design project by Amanda Davidson through Curate Homes

Amanda’s baby book for Edie

Amanda’s baby book pages for Lyle

Amanda’s baby book for Edie

Amanda’s baby book page for Ames

022 Culinary Peacemaker: Jan Norton

It’s something I might see on a cooking show, it’s something I might read about and I save it. It’s a thought of ooh, I’d love to figure out how you make that.

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That’s Jan, Angelica’s mother-in-law, Matt’s mom, cook, baker, party planner, space maker and daughter to Laverne, a dedicated follower of fashion, decorum and coordinated colors. You’ll hear a little from her as well. Matt and his mom have such a sweet rapport we had to have him on too, so, if no one minds, here’s 3 generations of craftiness to get you thinking about gratitude for wherever your creative lineage has its roots.

We’re still waiting for your handmade Halloween photos, tag us on twitter, instagram or facebook with #chattycraftiescostume or send them along to chattycrafties@gmail.com.

Puppy cupcakes by Jan

Vietnamese pork ribs after the podcast

Homemade dress by either Bomba or her mother

Painting by Laverne Ivey

021 Holiday Warm Up

This week on Chatty Crafties we’re whettin your whistle for the holidays. You’ll remember Genevieve Saenz from way back in episode one. She and Amber have been offering holiday arts workshops to the public for years: crafting sessions that exercise the creative and emotional muscles often left untouched throughout the holiday hustle. So, before you start thinking about what to bring down from the attic and how many presents you’re planning to crochet, consider taking a different approach to the most wonderful time of the year.

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Email genevieve@passagewayarts.com to inquire about Ghosts: An Evening with What Haunts You on October 28th in a to-be-determined park location in Austin.

Please start sending in your handmade Halloween costumes of your childhood or that you made for your own kiddos. Send them to chattycrafties@gmail.com.

Check out Fortlandia, the exhibit at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center open Sept. 29 to Feb 28. Angelica and Matt’s fort is called Blanket Fort; photos below. Please tag either @chattycrafties or @openenvelopestudio so that we can share it on the Open Envelope Studio Insta stories.

Open Envelope Studio’s Blanket Fort

020 Pragmatic Crafter: Jamie Webster

If i had any control over my ADD it would probably be the most useful super power in the universe but I’m fighting it – I want to do things and it’s preventing me from even knowing how to start. Or there’s something entirely different that I need to be doing but what should take 30 minutes can take an indefinite period of time.

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That’s Jamie. Executive vice president, problem solver, mom, and organizing tornado. Recently delivered from a long bout of postpartum depression, she joined us by phone to chat about seeing color again and reclaiming her crafty cravings.

Shameless plugs: Check out Jamie and her dad Dennis’ fence company, Texas Fence Supply, in Denton, TX. Fun fact: Jamie’s fence was Open Envelope Studio (Angelica’s landscape design/build company)’s very first project back in 2011, and used material from TFS, obviously. Also, check out the Bearded Monk, just off Denton’s square, where you can get your craft brew fix, play a board game, or fill a growler to go. Jamie’s brother-in-law owns and her husband manages this cute little gathering space.

QOTW: Show us your closet disasters and organizational traumas on social media (#chattycrafties)! We know we’re not the only ones hindered creatively by ALL OF THE PILES that we know we eventually we need to do something about. Design solutions are out there, but first, let’s commiserate.

Hitchiker’s guide pillow by jamie

1/2 a carseat cover by Jamie

Jamie’s endless boxes

019 Geographic Inquirer: A.C.

You can’t go into you know, into an interview and say, here I drew some pictures to show you what I can do for your company but nevertheless, it’s creativity and it’s showing me as a teacher that they get it.

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That’s A.C. Teacher, dad, and musical influence to the stars. A.C. phoned it in to share his scholastic-grade sarcasm, classroom techniques, and what it’s like to look through his eye for design.

Listen for tips on how to engage jr. high and high school kids who might not be able to communicate all that they’re learning by using art! And find A.C. on Twitter and Instagram at @bigfabAC.

Question of the week: What are your barriers to being creative? What keeps you from being creative if you used to be or what keeps you from being creative if you never were? Give us your thoughts in comments, on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook so we can feature your answer!

AC’s bedroom (photo by Casey Kopecky)

Atomic clock ((photo by Casey Kopecky)

Shelves in the office (photo by Casey Kopecky)

Guest room pre-Michael (photo by Casey Kopecky)

Stretched vintage fabric by AC (Guest room pre-Michael (photo by Casey Kopecky)

Stretched vintage fabric for Eloise by AC

017 Hacksaw Poet: Mitchell Crooks

I totally believe that I have, and everybody who’s creative has, the right to write songs from a totally different perspective. So I have songs that come from nothing that I’ve personally experienced, and that’s kind of a cool exercise to try and write something from somebody else’s perspective.

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That’s Mitchell, singer, song writer, Applications Engineer, and handy dad. Mitchell stopped by and shared some of his signature Americana with us and waxed a little poetic about collaborating.

Mitchell’s first album, Forces of Nature, Follies of Man, comes out in late 2018. Find out more on his Instagram and his Facebook, and soon, at http://www.mitchellcrooksmusic.com. He recorded his album in Austin at King Electric Recording with Justin Douglas, the sound engineer. His upcoming show is at Brentwood Social House on Friday, August 31st at 7pm. Bring your kids!

His wife, Sarah, and their kids, Lily and Oliver, have had their own Chatty Crafties episodes as well. We love hearing about families that inspire each other to make art, perform, and explore their creative instincts.

Musicians on Forces of Nature, Follies of Man

Lily, Mitch’s daughter playing music

Mitch and Angelica in 2010, introducing their babies

Mitch at Brentwood Social House

QOTW: How do you introduce more diversity into your subject matter? Tag #chattycrafties on social media to let us know and share your work!

008 After-hours Creator: Jon Chambers

You have the part of yourself that goes to work and is a parent and is functioning in the world and then you have something else that is much more intelligent than that and is bigger than that and it can help you piece things together.

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That’s Jon. Drummer, dad, distresser of doors, and assembler of beats. Musically, he goes by Flameburger Jonesies, but if you want to dabble in real estate with the man behind the mix, look up Jon Chambers at Realty Austin. Jon joined us to chat about parenting, inspiration, collaborating, his art process of choice, and your word of the day, “palimpsest.” Definitions and more coming right up in this week’s episode.

Do you make art out of everyday objects in your house? Are there repetitive themes in your art? Chat us up on Instagram or Twitter via the hashtag #chattycrafties

Painting by Jon Chambers in Angelica’s living room

Distressed door by Jon Chambers

Door by Jon Chambers

Art by Jon Chambers

Art by Ronny Cheddar

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.