Suchitra Mattai on the Healing and Liberating Power of Art

Suchitra Mattai on the Healing and Liberating Power of Art

Suchitra Mattai is a Guyanese-American artist of South Asian descent who creates spellbinding, monumental installations and textile sculptures to spotlight women's voices, while honoring her ancestors, who were once brought from India to Guyana as indentured laborers. In this episode, she joins Salomé to talk about art as a practice of healing, reclamation, and liberation. She opens up about the role art-making played in her recovery from a years-long struggle with bipolar disorder, how centering heritage, memory, and mythology in her work has helped her process collective trauma, and how she's seen that healing ripple out into the communities her work touches. Among many themes, they explore her winding professional path from studying statistics to getting an MFA, and the sacred, intuitive way she makes art, letting the divine and materials themselves speak through her. For previous conversations between Suchitra and Salomé, see: https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/suchitra-mattai-artist-interview https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-suchitra-mattais-soulful-works-convey-unspeakable-truths

Cassandra Lanrick on Being Real and Being Seen

Fashion stylist Cassandra Lanrick says she likes things "a little bit ugly." She resists the traditional rules of fashion—dressing for flattery, dressing for the male gaze, dressing for trends—and instead treats getting dressed as a practice of self-expression and delight. In this episode, Cassandra joins Salomé to talk about what it takes to show up online consistently, how she overcame the fear of being seen, and why she refuses to participate in the culture of performing a curated, perfected self. They explore the radicalism of dressing for yourself, the expectations society places on women, and what it means to create simply because it brings you joy, without knowing where it's all going. Ultimately, this is a conversation about what happens when we allow ourselves to be real and be seen in a world that has never made either easy. Follow Cassandra: @cassandralanrick [https://www.instagram.com/cassandralanrick?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==]

Jennifer Higgie on Art Writing, Spirituality, and Practicality

Jennifer Higgie is an Australian-born, London-based writer, editor, and curator. Author of The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World, The Mirror and the Palette: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits, and the novel Bedlam, she began her career as a painter before finding her way into art writing and spending over 20 years as editor of frieze magazine. In this episode, Jennifer joins Salomé to discuss the decades-long writing practice she has built by balancing deep intuition with relentless practicality. They explore how her career shifted from painting to writing, the creative urgency that drives her work, and why spirituality (long dismissed as an embarrassment in the modern art world) is finally being taken seriously again. From trusting a beginner's mind to delivering manuscripts on deadline, Jennifer reflects on the habits, philosophies, and leaps of faith that have led her to become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary art writing. Gagosian Quartely Interview between Jennifer and Salomé: https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2023/12/14/interview-leaning-into-the-ethereal-jennifer-higgie-and-salome-gomez-upegui/ Beatrice Wood article mentioned in the episode: https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2026/03/02/essay-game-changer-beatrice-wood/ Links to purchase Jennifer's books: The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-other-side-a-story-of-women-in-art-and-the-spirit-world-jennifer-higgie/7f36c1e6ac5b3ab0?ean=9781639368754&next=t&] The Mirror and the Palette: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mirror-and-the-palette-rebellion-revolution-and-resilience-five-hundred-years-of-women-s-self-portraits-jennifer-higgie/8b3b1533a8798b4c?ean=9781643138039&next=t&next=t&source=IndieBound&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fpegasusbooks.com%2F] Bedlam [https://www.versobooks.com/products/3464-bedlam?srsltid=AfmBOoo78iQLD5RY7D6VjiZSWSKZxMIl6tey-GDTx-yXRaE6dVFiyeWk]

Welcome to Reflections

Blending solo episodes and conversations with some of the most thoughtful, interesting people I know, Reflections is meant to be a welcoming, curiosity-driven space to explore what it means to find and feel creative alignment in our lives.  Together, we’ll ask questions like: How do people find and stay connected to their creative lives? How do they devote themselves to their passions, practice discipline, take risks, move through doubt, overcome obstacles and open themselves to something larger—whether you call it intuition, purpose, or the divine? If you’re searching for clarity, connection, or a deeper relationship with your creative life, you’re in the right place. Thank you for being here.   *If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating or review, and sharing it with someone who might enjoy it too. It's the simplest way to support my work and I truly appreciate it.

Kelly Talamas on Writing Your Own Story

At just 27 years old, Kelly Talamas became the youngest editor-in-chief ever at the helm of Vogue México and Latin America. Five years into the role, she made the bold decision to step away from what many would consider a dream job to build a more intentional life, one rooted in creative independence and family. Today, Kelly is a mother of three and the co-founder of LATINNESS, a website that explores Latin America through interviews, virtual escapes, and local city guides with Latin creatives. In this episode, she speaks to Salomé about the many reasons behind her choice to leave Vogue and begin writing a story of her own, one in which her career remains meaningful but doesn't define the entirety of who she is. It’s an honest, generous conversation about the multiple versions of ourselves we inhabit over time, and what it means to ground your life in alignment and authenticity while inspiring others in the process. Intro and outro music by ⁠Pryces. [https://uppbeat.io/browse/search?search=pryces&type=tracks.v3]