Episode 52 | An Imaginary Café with Food Stylist & Imaginary Café Proprietor Frances Boswell

Episode 52 | An Imaginary Café with Food Stylist & Imaginary Café Proprietor Frances Boswell

Frances Boswell tells the story of her life in food, from working as a 'chopper' in a local restaurant as a teen, to editing food stories for Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple Magazine and everything in between.  Her creative interests are informed by her many interesting life experiences including a stint helping prepare mountain climber food at Mt. Everest base camp.  She talks about her later education in Traditional Chinese Medicine and becoming a licensed acupuncturist. These days she's creating beautiful still life photography of food under the moniker My Imaginary Café - check out the images and find her via links below and keep an eye out for her forthcoming book. For more on Frances and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com [https://www.alifecreativepod.com/] alifecreative.Substack.com [https://alifecreative.substack.com/] @alifecreative on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alifecreative/#] alifecreative on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ede1JY9CWXPk_ZfZyIChw/]

Episode 51 | Carrying Style with Fashion Accessories Designer Rafé Totengco

Rafé Totengco grew up in the Philippines, where having clothing made was — and continues to be — a common practice. As a kid, his mom would send him to the tailor, who'd ask, "Okay, what do you want me to make?" That open question sparked Rafé's imagination in a way that led him to launch his own apparel business when he was still a teenager. When his sister moved to New York City, she invited him to come check it out — & Rafé never really left. He immersed himself in the city's fashion world, studying at FIT, working in fashion houses, freelance styling, & ultimately launching the accessories line he's known for today. His designs include the polished seashell minaudières that have become his signature — bags carried on red carpets by Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, & The Pitt stars Kristin Villanueva & Amielynn Abellera. Join us on A Life Creative as Rafé shares the story of how a tailor's question in Manila grew into a career at the front of American accessories design — & how he continues to evolve the work today. For more on Rafé and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com [https://www.alifecreativepod.com/] alifecreative.Substack.com [https://alifecreative.substack.com/] @alifecreative on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alifecreative/#] alifecreative on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ede1JY9CWXPk_ZfZyIChw/]

Episode 50 | Clay & Cuttings with Ceramicist Frances Palmer

Frances Palmer's path to creating her own pottery studio and cultivating a fabulous flower garden comes down to focus and dedication.  She put the time in to learn and develop her craft with an eye toward building a sustainable business where her work is not just a collection of beautiful objects but also usable in everyday life. Show host Melanio Gomez was made aware of her work years ago when Martha Stewart suggested using some of her pottery in a story being developed for the magazine.   She's published two books that take us into her world: Life in the Studio and Life with Flowers both of which we spoke about with book editor Ellen Morrissey in episode 49 (Ellen worked with Frances on both books).  It's an honor to have Frances on A Life Creative this week! For more about Frances and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com [https://www.alifecreativepod.com/] alifecreative.Substack.com [https://alifecreative.substack.com/] @alifecreative on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alifecreative/#] alifecreative on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ede1JY9CWXPk_ZfZyIChw/]

Episode 49 | Everyone Needs an Editor with Author and Book Editor Ellen Morrissey

What does it take to turn an author's vision into a bestselling book? Book editor Ellen Morrissey has done it more than ten times over. After 16 years at Martha Stewart Living — where she shepherded dozens of books to publication, with more than 10 landing on the New York Times bestseller list — Ellen has built a thriving post-Martha career helping authors of illustrated lifestyle books realize their creative visions.  Her collaborators include ceramicist Frances Palmer, writer Matt Hranek, and baker Kristina Cho. And in a full-circle moment, Ellen stepped into the author's chair herself with I Want to Eat Cookies, a collection of more than 90 cookie recipes. In this episode, she traces the path that led her into book editing and shares what that creative life looks like today—and somehow, she has time to craft fantastical cakes whose inspiration often comes from the minds of 4-year-olds.  Think ‘zombie unicorn’ for example. www.alifecreativepod.com [https://www.alifecreativepod.com/] alifecreative.Substack.com [https://alifecreative.substack.com/] @alifecreative on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alifecreative/#] alifecreative on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ede1JY9CWXPk_ZfZyIChw/]

Episode 48 | Piecing it Together with Artist James Gallagher

A divorce and the pandemic aren't the events most people credit for their creative breakthrough — but for collage artist James Gallagher, they were turning points. In this episode of A Life Creative, host Melañio Gomez sits down with James — introduced through James' wife, prop stylist Pam Morris — to trace a winding path to full-time artistry. James spent years inside and outside the medium of collage, pulled in and out by professional, economic, and life events, before a period of real soul-searching turned art into something closer to therapy. That self-reflection showed up in the work, and it's what finally connected him to the wider collage community. Today James is known as a curator, collaborator, portraitist, and educator — hosting live collage events that help non-artists find something unexpected with cutting tools and a stack of paper. www.alifecreativepod.com [https://www.alifecreativepod.com/] alifecreative.Substack.com [https://alifecreative.substack.com/] @alifecreative on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alifecreative/#] alifecreative on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ede1JY9CWXPk_ZfZyIChw/]