The Craft of Being

[S01 / E10] Cecily Feng: Nourishing Creativity

In this conversation, Cecily Feng @littlesparrowla and I talk about cooking and baking as a way of connecting—to memory, to other people, and to the present moment. We also talk about the business of food, and the ongoing balance between creative instincts and practical constraints. What it means to make something expressive while also making it sustainable. authors mentioned: Jessica B. Harris Krishnendu Ray Ana Sofia Palaez

[S01 / E09] Josh Breslow: Screenwriting & The Art of Communicating

Josh and I talk about screenwriting, but really it’s about all kinds of making: collaborative, internal, structured, and intuitive. We talk about voice — how it gets lost, how it returns, and what happens when collaboration becomes an act of trust instead of compromise. There’s a lot in here about creative identity, about how co-writing or co-creating with others can test what’s yours and, at the same time, reveal what’s essential to keep. And, at it's core, how storytelling, at its best, is about reaching another person — saying, “does this move you too?" #thecraftofbeing #creativelife #storystructure #collaboration #creativevoice #connectionthroughart Josh Breslow IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0107754/] Colin O'Brien Lux's Bandcamp [https://bandcamp.com/cobrienlux] Why aren't you watching these shows? Deadwood Ted Lasso The Matrix Slow Horses The Studio Why aren't you watching these movies? Children of Men 8 1/2 Lawrence of Arabia Mauvais Sang Days of Heaven The Conversation Blowout Days of Heaven Lost in Translation Forgetting Sarah Marshall

[S01 / E04] Jonathan Devoto: Structure & Flow

This episode of The Craft of Being explores what it means to hold both structure and freedom in the creative process. Jonathan shares a concept called adaptive currency—a term rooted in physical fitness but deeply relevant to creative life. It's about the internal resource we spend when responding to change, challenge, or inspiration. It’s resilience, flexibility, and focus—not as fixed traits, but evolving capacities. We talk about how creativity lives in the tension between openness and structure, between the part of us that dreams and the part that refines. From the neuroscience of improvisation to the slow art of iteration, this conversation offers a grounded look at creativity as something both embodied and practiced—something we build through presence, recovery, and trust in the process. Book: The Artist's Way [https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book/?isbn=9780143129257] Beatty Study [https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/making-connections-psychologist-explores-neuroscience-creativity] Charles Limb Study [https://www.artsandmindlab.org/charles-limb-md-mapping-the-creative-minds-of-musicians/]

[S01 / E07] Alek Lev: How to Scaffold For Your Creative Joy

What does the evolution as the radio as a functional tool to performance space have to do with the creative process today? How do form and structure create the conditions for creativity to grow? In this episode of The Craft of Being, filmmaker and director Alek Lev joins me for a conversation about navigating the space between order and play. We trace how projects—whether film, theater, or collaborative endeavors—take shape when guided by thoughtful planning and made alive through adaptability. This dialogue explores how logistics can hold space for intuition, how transferable skills move across creative disciplines, and why building systems is less about containment and more about expansion. Creativity thrives when structure is designed to let ideas breathe. WHAT? the movie [https://www.thewhatmovie.com/] How We Made Your Mother [https://www.howwemadeyourmother.com/] Meeting Tom Cruise [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meeting-tom-cruise/id1543404398] Arts Educators Save The World [https://www.artseducatorspodcast.com/] LISTEN HERE: Colin O'Brien's Lux Band Camp [https://colinobrienlux.bandcamp.com/] In this episode: * Creative planning as a catalyst for discovery * Translating skills between film, theater, and collaboration * The balance of structure and spontaneity in creative work * How logistics can nurture imagination * Building systems that expand possibility Follow The Craft of Being: @thecraftofbeing [https://www.instagram.com/thecraftofbeing] 🎧 Subscribe and share if this conversation resonates with your own creative rhythms. * alek lev podcast * creativity and structure * creative process podcast * filmmaking creativity * logistics in art and film * creative planning and design * collaborative creativity * podcast for creatives * balancing order and play in creativity

[S01 / E08 ] Negin Singh: The Art and Necessity of Gathering & Building Space

Cultural producer, storyteller, and community builder Negin Singh talks about how creativity can be the scaffolding that holds communities together. From her work leading large-scale public art programs to reimagining participatory spaces, Negin brings experience in building environments where people feel welcome, inspired, and seen. Together, we discuss the artistry of logistics, the emotional architecture of events, and the ways creative leadership can shape culture at scale. Whether you’re an artist, producer, or someone who works behind the scenes, this conversation will help you see creativity not only as a spark of inspiration but as a durable, sustaining framework for connection. Visit: Smorgasburg [https://la.smorgasburg.com/] Music: Colin O'Brien-Lux [https://bandcamp.com/cobrienlux] Keywords for SEO: creativity as infrastructure, community building through art, participatory spaces, cultural producer, creative leadership, building belonging, event production strategies, designing for inclusion, Negin Singh interview, The Craft of Being podcast