Art and Being

Ep 17: The Art of Fiction: How to unlock your creativity, work through writers block and craft compelling stories with Ben Sanders

Today on the show we have critically acclaimed author Ben Sanders. Ben is a bestselling crime writer from Auckland [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland], New Zealand [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand]. His work has received critical acclaim, been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Award], and his fourth novel, American Blood, has been optioned for film adaptation by Warner Bros [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros], with four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Cooper] slated to play the lead role.  In this conversation, Ben and I sit down and chat about his career, his writing style and his inspiration as an author. I pick his brains about his process and we talk about all things in the realm of creativity and being.  I truly loved this conversation and I learnt so much about what the daily life of an author looks like. Before we hit record we spent ages bonding over our love of Cormack Mccarthys brilliant literary work, meditation, consciousness and basically everything that this podcast was created for.  Before we start today’s episode I would like to acknowledge the time between episodes. It’s been awhile now since we’ve released an episode and it’s not because the show is rapping up but purely life has been super busy. I work as a music producer full time and I moved into a new recording studio on the terrace in Wellington and getting the studio up and running took up all my time and energy that once it was under way; I was really trying to focus on the studio. Then I started my own album of songs and a novel I’ve been wanting to write for years. So since this podcast is all about art and being; that’s precisely what I’ve been doing and why there haven’t been any episodes for awhile.  We will be taking another break over summer so this episode will be the final episode of season 1. We will kick off season 2 next year once I have got life under control and a bunch of amazing episodes recorded and ready to go.  Also thanks to the amazing @rabbitislandcoffee from Mapua in Nelson. Their coffee is all hand roasted by a couple of amazing and inspiring human beings and im sure you’ll agree if you try it; thats it’s probably the best coffee in the country.  Also thanks again to @taylahmusicnz for letting us use the song Okay that we Produced as the shows theme song.

Ep 16: The Art of Intention: How to live in service of your art and open yourself up to profound creativity with Abraham Kunin

Today on the show we have Abraham Kunin. Abraham is a Music Producer, Songwriter, Musician and Mentor who is known widely for his stunning work Producing the Dalai Lama’s album “Inner World” which reached #1 on the worldwide new age charts and #2 on the global iTunes album charts.    In this conversation we dive into Abrahams journey to where he is now, parenting, producing, mentoring, philosophy, spirituality, psychedelics, working with your partner and of course his work on the brilliant Dalai Lama album “Inner World” and the whole story behind that.    It was such a privilege to sit down with Abraham and chat about his journey. He’s such an incredible gifted, aware and humble soul and it was such an honour to sit in conversation with him. You can find more of his work at www.abrahamkunin.com   Also I am happy to announce that my brand new Tiny Triumph Recordings studio in the heart of Wellingtons CBD is now open. It’s been such a long journey to find a new studio space to work from and it felt like such perfect synchronicity when this studio came available. It’s such an incredibly vibey space and I think is going to be such an amazing thing for the Wellington music scene. You can check out the space over on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tinytriumphrecordings and all booking enquires can be sent to studio@tinytriumphrecordings.com [studio@tinytriumphrecordings.com]   Also thanks to the amazing @rabbitislandcoffee from Mapua in Nelson. Their coffee is all hand roasted by a couple of amazing and inspiring human beings and im sure you’ll agree if you try it; thats it’s probably the best coffee in the country.    Also thanks again to @taylahmusicnz for letting us use the song Okay that we Produced as the shows theme song.

Greatest Hits: How seeing that free will is an illusion can bring inner peace with Joan Tollifson

Today I am bringing you a segment of the show called greatest hits where I take an extract of one of the Art and Being episodes that I absolutely love. There is so much incredible wisdom from our guests in these shows and sometimes some of their profound moments may get lost in the length of the conversations. So with greatest hits; im bringing back little bite sized clips taken from an episode that I think is really inspirational. Whether or not you have heard this clip already or hearing it for the first time; I think we can all gain a lot from being reminded of these insights.    Today's greatest hits clip comes from our conversation with Joan Tollifson. In this clip; we talk about how searching for the self and looking for the one who is looking can lead you to an open space of awareness where everything is just happening including our thoughts, the choices we make, the desires and wants we hold and how accepting that we don't have the control we think we do can lead to a life of tranquility and peace and reduce hatred towards ourselves and others.   The clip is taken from Ep 10: The Art of Being Nobody: How searching for the Self can lead to nothing and everything with Joan Tollifson

Ep 15: The Art of Touring: How to tour the world, collaborate with your idols and play 3000 shows with Frank Turner

Today on the show we have one of my favourite Songwriters and Artists of all time Frank Turner. Frank Turner is one of the UK’s most successful artists. He’s just released his tenth studio album ‘Undefeated’ which debuted at Number 3 in the Official Album Chart and Number 1 in the Independent Album Chart. His album ‘FTHC’ (Feb 2022) became his first #1 hit with the previous four albums all peaking in the Top 3. With over a million albums sold worldwide, he has three gold-certified albums and one silver status. Since his first solo gig in 2004, Frank has played over 2800 shows and has announced Show 3000 for Feb 2025 at Alexandra Palace, which sold out within 24 hours of being on general sale. His biggest UK headline shows include aforementioned Alexandra Palace, O2 Arena and Wembley Arena. He has performed at almost every UK venue imaginable, from tiny clubs to stadiums as well as the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics.   In this conversation we talk about his latest album “Undefeated”, life on the road, going clean from drugs, handling the pandemic without the ability to tour, navigating personal boundaries with fans, meeting his idols, playing NoFXs last ever show, advice for young touring bands and so much more.   Also thanks to our show sponsors Tiny Triumph Recordings, which is a boutique recording studio in Wellington New Zealand who prides themselves on being a safe space for artists and bands to be able to come in and express themselves with a compassionate Music Producer and strive to get the best out of their music and make it sit alongside the greatest artists in the world.   Also thanks to the amazing @rabbitislandcoffee from Mapua in Nelson. Their coffee is all hand roasted by a couple of amazing and inspiring human beings and im sure you’ll agree if you try it; thats it’s probably the best coffee in the country.    Also thanks again to @taylahmusicnz for letting us use the song Okay that we Produced as the shows theme song.

Ep 14: The Art of Enquiry: How to keep your integrity in the face of sociopaths, lawsuits and death threats with David Farrier

Today on the show we have Award Winning Filmmaker,  Investigative Journalist, Podcaster and Blogger David Farrier. David is known for his critically acclaimed films such as Tickled and Mr Organ as well as his fantastic Netflix TV show Dark Tourist and his brilliant Flightless Bird podcast.   In this conversation David talks about how he navigates his incredibly chaotic line of work and how he manages his mind when he is constantly putting himself into dangerous and intense situations in the pursuit of truth and art.   We touch on his career in journalism, film making, spending time with murderers, navigating lawsuits and the mental burden of pursuing such controversial figures, conspiracy theories, how to keep sane and healthy much much more!   You can find out more at www.Webworm.co [http://www.Webworm.co] and find his Flightless Bird Podcast athttps://linktr.ee/flightlessbirdpod [https://linktr.ee/flightlessbirdpod]   Also thanks to our show sponsors; the amazing Rabbit Island Coffee from Mapua in Nelson. Their coffee is all hand roasted by a couple of amazing and inspiring human beings and im sure you’ll agree if you try it; thats it’s probably the best coffee in the country.    Also thanks to Tiny Triumph Recordings. Tiny Triumph is a boutique recording studio in Wellington that is designed to be a super comfortable and un-intimidating environment where artists can feel comfortable and relaxed in a safe environment in order to get the best out of their music. It’s not a studio where artists can just turn up and record; it’s a studio where artists go through the whole process with a Producer who really cares about getting the best out of the music so it can sit alongside the greatest artists in the world. If you want to hear more; head over to www.tinytriumphrecordings.com   Also thanks again to Taylah for letting us use the song Okay that we Produced as the shows theme song.