EP. 74 - Ami Kozak on Creativity, Consistency, and Finding Your Audience

EP. 75 - Mendel Goldman: Finding Your Sound Starts with Finding Yourself

Mendel Goldman is a Jewish singer-songwriter whose music blends contemporary sounds with deeply personal stories of faith, identity, and growth. In this episode of Orange Socks, Mendel shares his journey from Miami Boys Choir to finding his own musical voice, while reflecting on authenticity, creativity, and the courage to stop comparing yourself to others. We discuss Jewish music, social media, artistic purpose, and why your greatest creative strength is simply becoming more fully yourself. As always, it's about creativity, authenticity, and finding your orange socks by leaning into who you already are.  About Mendel: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1mPlE4lsxeHJ3tizExUNjJ?si=gJYi1IRvQuucj9I3pWd8MA&utm_source=copy-link [https://open.spotify.com/artist/1mPlE4lsxeHJ3tizExUNjJ?si=gJYi1IRvQuucj9I3pWd8MA&utm_source=copy-link] https://www.instagram.com/mendel_music [https://www.instagram.com/mendel_music] Creatives Mendle thinks you should know: https://www.instagram.com/art_ofthe_covenant_ [https://www.instagram.com/art_ofthe_covenant_] https://www.instagram.com/zachleomusic [https://www.instagram.com/zachleomusic] https://www.instagram.com/thefunkyhassid [https://www.instagram.com/thefunkyhassid] More about Orange Socks: Follow and keep up to date with the podcast in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/] Contact us at orangesockspodcast@gmail.com Now on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628] On Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd] On Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast] Connect with Yitzchok Moully https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/ [https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/] https://www.moullyart.com/ [https://www.moullyart.com/]

EP. 74 - Ami Kozak on Creativity, Consistency, and Finding Your Audience

Ami Kozak is a comedian, musician, impressionist, and host of the Ami's House podcast. In this episode of Orange Socks, Ami reflects on his journey from Berklee College of Music to Distant Cousins, stand-up comedy, and social media, while exploring what it means to build a creative life rooted in Jewish values. We discuss consistency, finding your audience, creating with purpose, and how October 7 strengthened his commitment to authentic Jewish expression. As always, it's about creativity, authenticity, and finding your orange socks by leaning into who you already are.  About Ami: https://youtube.com/@amishousepod [https://youtube.com/@amishousepod] https://www.instagram.com/amikozak_official/ [https://www.instagram.com/amikozak_official/] More about Orange Socks: Follow and keep up to date with the podcast in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/] Contact us at orangesockspodcast@gmail.com Now on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628] On Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd] On Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast] Connect with Yitzchok Moully https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/ [https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/] https://www.moullyart.com/ [https://www.moullyart.com/]

EP. 73 - Alex Clare on Art Before the Artist

Alex Clare is an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter whose career has spanned chart-topping success, major record deals, and an unexpected journey into Torah observance. In this episode of Orange Socks, Alex reflects on discovering Shabbos while building a music career, the challenges of balancing authenticity with performance, and why he's always believed that the art should come before the artist. Together we explore songwriting, vulnerability, creativity as avodas Hashem, and the tension between making art for an audience and making art for its own sake. Alex shares how Chassidus, Torah learning, and lived experience continue to shape his music, reminding us that our greatest creative work comes not from chasing success, but from honestly expressing who we are. As always, it's about finding your orange socks by leaning into who you already are. About Alex: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Tf4EH8tDvznnjULcFxkIl [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Tf4EH8tDvznnjULcFxkIl] https://music.youtube.com/@alexclare [https://music.youtube.com/@alexclare] https://www.instagram.com/alexanderclare [https://www.instagram.com/alexanderclare] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Clare [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Clare] Creatives Alex thinks you should know: Leonard Cohen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen] More about Orange Socks: Follow and keep up to date with the podcast in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/orangesockspodcast/] Contact us at orangesockspodcast@gmail.com Now on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628] On Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd] On Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast] Connect with Yitzchok Moully https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/ [https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/] https://www.moullyart.com/ [https://www.moullyart.com/]

EP. 72 - Aarah Aizman on Creativity Beyond Talent

Aarah Aizman is an artist and longtime educator who believes creativity belongs to everyone—not only those who consider themselves “talented.” In this episode of Orange Socks, Aarah shares how her inventive father and beauty-seeking mother shaped the way she sees the world, how Hebrew calligraphy became part of her journey into Judaism, and why problems are not obstacles but invitations to create. We explore the relationship between art, sincerity, teaching, and Jewish purpose; why teenagers often understand more than adults give them credit for; and how art helps people move beyond perfectionism and discover what they uniquely have to say. Aarah also reflects on painting at the Nova Music Festival site and the responsibility of artists to listen, bear witness, and create in moments when ordinary language falls short. Finding your orange socks begins by trusting that you already have something essential to contribute—and leaning into who you already are. About Aarah: https://aizmanart.com/bio [https://aizmanart.com/bio] https://www.instagram.com/aizman_art/ [https://www.instagram.com/aizman_art/] https://jewishuncamp.org/unblog/ [https://jewishuncamp.org/unblog/] https://www.amazon.com/UNART-word-image-Aarah-Aizman-ebook/dp/B07RNVQY8W [https://www.amazon.com/UNART-word-image-Aarah-Aizman-ebook/dp/B07RNVQY8W] More about Orange Socks: Contact us at orangesockspodcast@gmail.com Now on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628] On Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd] On Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast] Connect with Yitzchok Moully https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/ [https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/] https://www.moullyart.com/ [https://www.moullyart.com/]

EP. 71 - Yitzchok Pinkesz Astrology as a Roadmap for Growth

Yitzchok Pinkesz is an author, teacher, and founder of Kosher Astrology, where he helps people explore growth, self-awareness, and purpose through the lens of Jewish wisdom and astrology. In this episode of Orange Socks, we discuss what astrology is, where it appears in Jewish sources, and how it can be used as a tool for understanding personality, relationships, and life transitions.More than astrology, this conversation is about healing, authenticity, and learning to trust that each person has a unique role to play in the world. Whether or not astrology is your thing, this episode is ultimately about self-discovery, personal growth, and finding your orange socks by leaning into who you already are. About Yitzchok : Yitzchok A. Pinkesz is a Jewish, Torah-observant astrologer who has been practicing astrology in accordance with the Torah for over 15 years.  Kosher Astrology: A Jewish Guide To Celestial Wisdomis available on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/195237085X/ [https://www.amazon.com/dp/195237085X/]  Kosher Astrology website for Chart Reading Sessionsand one-of-a-kind personalized Roadmaps:https://kosherastro.com [https://kosherastro.com] Follow Yitzchok A. Pinkesz on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kosherastro/ [https://www.instagram.com/kosherastro/]  Subscribe to the KosherAstro YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@KosherAstro [https://www.youtube.com/@KosherAstro] More about Orange Socks: Contact us at orangesockspodcast@gmail.com Now on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orange-socks-podcast/id1749369628] On Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Ec3LbPdujZG531xKLPssh?si=381bf3bb2b624ffd] On Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@OrangeSocksPodcast] Connect with Yitzchok Moully https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/ [https://www.instagram.com/moullyart/] https://www.moullyart.com/ [https://www.moullyart.com/]