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Dialogic

Dialogic

By Jake J. Thomas

Conversations about art, culture and marketing in the digital age.
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ANDREW PURCHIN AND THE ELEPHANT WITH NO ROOM

Dialogic May 12, 2023

00:00
02:18
Interview with Miguel Reyna at Actors' Theater

Interview with Miguel Reyna at Actors' Theater

I sat down with Miguel Reyna to talk about his production of The Thin Place at the Actors' Theater in Santa Cruz.

Oct 29, 202337:59
Summer Soul

Summer Soul

Juneteenth, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Solstice, and more! This may be my best solo podcast yet. I discuss the Juneteenth event organized in Santa Cruz by Thairie Ritchie. I delve into the issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter mural that was defaced in front of the City Hall and Abi Mustapha's search for meaningful reconciliation. I talk about my visit to Santa Cruz Shakespeare and the great interviews that I was lucky enough to do there with Charles Pasternak, Mike Ryan, and Paul Whitworth. I delve into what Summer means to me.

Jun 22, 202359:53
A Bright and Hopeful Future

A Bright and Hopeful Future

In this podcast, I discuss the power of supporting local businesses, artists, and media. If we want to build a bright and hopeful future, we must start at home by supporting the efforts of those within our own communities.

Jun 19, 202359:35
BIG, BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL: 2023 LITTLE MERMAID REMAKES A DISNEY CLASSIC INTO AN OSCAR WORTHY FILM

BIG, BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL: 2023 LITTLE MERMAID REMAKES A DISNEY CLASSIC INTO AN OSCAR WORTHY FILM

The Little Mermaid’s remake as a live action movie improves upon the original in several important respects. The racial diversity of the movie not only helps to invite more people into the fantasy, but it also makes it a more interesting story and one that is truer to life. The ocean scenes are rendered more realistically, are sure to please ocean lovers, and might even entice some people to care more about the seas. The brilliant acting also takes this film to another level and allows viewers to empathize with all the characters and to respond emotionally to the narrative arc of the story. All in all, this version of one of Disney’s beloved classics has blown its predecessor out of the water in a big way.
Jun 03, 202309:08
Liftoff at Radius Gallery

Liftoff at Radius Gallery

SJSU’s MFA program held an opening for their exhibition “Liftoff” at Radius Gallery on Thursday and will participate in First Friday Santa Cruz on June 2nd 5-8:00pm with Artist Talks scheduled for Sunday the 4th at 3:30pm. 13 recently graduated artists are showing some of their work at one of the most compelling contemporary art galleries in Santa Cruz. With a wide variety of media, concepts, and artistic styles on display,this show is a great opportunity to experience some of the new energy in the South Bay art world. Discover a favorite emerging artist, explore a cutting-edge gallery, and feast your eyes and mind on artistic content at Radius Gallery’s events this weekend.
Jun 02, 202306:24
ANDREW PURCHIN AND THE ELEPHANT WITH NO ROOM

ANDREW PURCHIN AND THE ELEPHANT WITH NO ROOM

MAKING THE UNCONSCIOUS VISIBLE

The Radius Gallery at the Tannery in Santa Cruz recently hosted a group show entitled “What’s Home” organized by Andrew Purchin. This important and elegant exhibition sought to generate a conversation about one of the biggest problems in Santa Cruz County and beyond: housing. The inspiration for the show came from a painting Purchin did of the homeless encampment in Santa Cruz during the pandemic that went by the name “The Benchlands.” Purchin invited a selection of contemporary artists to create work along this theme.


TAKE COVER: LINDA COVER’S INSTALLATION

I had the pleasure to visit the exhibition twice while it was open, and on my second visit I was able to speak with one of the installation artists, Linda Cover. The center of her installation was a series of prints made by artists answering the question: What does home mean to you? The prints featured nature, people, and things they loved. She displayed this elegant collection like freshly laundered garments hanging to dry on a clothes line. She also had a small garden of plants in pots, and a stack of sand bags. This minimalist display elegantly reminded us of the challenges faced by people when they lack one of the basic elements of survival: a home.


CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION

The exhibition is down, but the dialogue continues. Purchin told me that he is submitting one of the films made during the course of the show to a series of festivals, and you can check out the ongoing efforts to keep the discourse vital on the website, what’s
home.org

May 12, 202302:18
White Noise and Silent Auction

White Noise and Silent Auction

I start the podcast out listening to a couple of minutes of Fog Machine by White Reaper from their new album "Asking for a Ride." 

Next, I read a little bit from Don DeLillo's novel White Noise, recently made into a movie on Netflix that eerily foreshadowed the events that have taken place in East Palastine, Ohio.

Finally, I share some stories and information about the pieces I have available for purchase in a silent auction till 10:30am Thursday February 16th. If you want to place a bid, head over to my Instagram: https://https://www.instagram.com/jakejthomasphoto/

I will be doing a silent auction the 15th of every month for the rest of the year. Thanks for listening!

Feb 16, 202319:55
New Year, New Me: 2023!

New Year, New Me: 2023!

I have three big announcements to make.

1. I am moving from the Westside of Santa Cruz after 8 fun-filled years of living here.

2. I am clean and sober having given up alcohol and cannabis.

3. My dear sweet father sadly passed away and I have been grieving.

Jan 01, 202320:15
A Message from my Dad: WATER

A Message from my Dad: WATER

Today, there is a crisis in the world. Well, actually there are lots, but I just want to focus on one to begin with. A solution to this particular crisis might offer auxiliary positive results for other problems.  Drought is an existential problem in much of the world. In California, and probably elsewhere, we are mostly advised to conserve. I'm sorry, that is untenable, giving up and even deleterious.   We need to supply water through desalinization--massive amounts of water. The water would not only supply human needs, it would benefit wild animals, trees, plants--our environment. We are partners in this endeavor. It is more ambitious and vital that super fast trains and trips to the moon or Mars.   A plan that could be feasible is piping ocean water far enough from the shore. Once on the shore, solar panels would be placed on the pipes powering heat and pumps. These pipes would run twenty to one hundred miles to areas that could be created into reservoirs and at that point over the constant heating would be opened into the reservoirs. It would be necessary to add natural chemicals to make the water healthy and suitable for people and plants.  The next phase would be to send the water to cities, towns, rivers, aquifers, forests and farmlands. This is a rough idea, but I am counting on your brain power, hard work, and will to solve the problems.   Let me go over some of the problems.  As the water is being pumped and heated there must be immediate safeguards for rips or tears. We can't have saltwater spilling on our land. There will be an enormous amount of salt. Some of it can be used commercially, some maybe for power stations, but most of it will have to be secured safely.  The next problem is work force and funding. These jobs will be meaningful with many facets and skills. Plus, there could easily be training to improve people's job skills. Unions, the military, private enterprise, the federal and state governments could all coordinate and work together. The funding should also be cooperative--federal, state, local, insurance, manufacturers, Wall Street, agriculture, pharmaceutical--anyone who has a stake in the survival of us all.   In California, we will need to be aware of our restrictions. Be careful, but move as fast and as much as we can. Right now, the super forest fires are destroying more plants and trees than ever before. If we give these environments enough water on the ground and in the aquifers, we will still have forest fires but they will be less powerful. We will give them a fighting chance.

https://jakejthomasphoto.com/2022/10/01/a-message-from-my-dad-water/

Oct 01, 202210:46
Fair, Kind, and True: Shakespeare's Sonnets 101-105

Fair, Kind, and True: Shakespeare's Sonnets 101-105

This is the most important sequence so far. In these poems, the poet delineates a poetics. In their description of form, the poet discusses the idea that less is more in the expression of love. This has been consistent throughout the poems. Consistency is the strongest attribute of the collection, and at its core is this idea that describes the beloved and also the poetry: Fair, Kind, and True. Fair, meaning beautiful beyond all else; Kind, meaning in service of others; and true, meaning not duplicitous: these are the tenets of Shakespeare's poetry.

Jun 13, 202223:03
Wolf Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 96-100

Wolf Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 96-100

The separation is complete. The poet speaks about the reputation of their beloved being both good and bad for the same reasons. They are praised for their youthful easygoing ways and criticized for them too.

The poet meditates on what it is like to live without their beloved. The changing of the seasons is full of shadows of memories.

Jun 11, 202223:07
Deception, Delusion, and Belief: Sonnets 91-95

Deception, Delusion, and Belief: Sonnets 91-95

This sequence of sonnets goes into the questionable relationship between appearance and reality, between beauty and goodness. He is still dependent upon the beloved for a sense of value, of self worth and in order maintain his own will to live he willingly allows himself to be deceived. 

Jun 09, 202226:48
Love, Loss, and Self-Posession: Shakespeare's Sonnets 86-90

Love, Loss, and Self-Posession: Shakespeare's Sonnets 86-90

In this sequence, the poet is coming to terms with the finality of their separation. In the first poem, they discuss a recent writer's block and what caused it. Very specifically it was NOT the quality of his rival's poetry. In fact, they go to great pains to discuss how the rival poet relies upon other writers to craft their poems. One of those, he refers to as a ghost. The poet has a ghost writer.

Still, even in despair and being rejected both by their beloved and by their society generally, the faith of their love never vacillates. They continue to place their love in the beloved even if it means speaking poorly of themselves. 

Jun 09, 202229:19
Art, Jealousy, and Death: Shakespeare's Sonnets 81-85

Art, Jealousy, and Death: Shakespeare's Sonnets 81-85

The poet turns a corner and shares their thoughts about their worth in relation to other poets. The premise is that the poet believes they are superior in relation to other poets because they recognize the true worth of the beloved. A person so full of beauty doesn't need embellishment.

We can see that the poet has become more accustomed to their separation. They accuse the beloved of being fond of flattery, which accelerates the proliferation of bad flowery poetry surrounding them.


Thanks for listening! 

Jun 08, 202226:44
Truth in Poetry: Shakespeare's Sonnets 76-80

Truth in Poetry: Shakespeare's Sonnets 76-80

This sequence delves into the poetics contained within this collection. It is here in the moment of recognizing the death of a relationship, after meditating on his own mortality, when the poet crystalizes their view of what matters most in poetry.

It is not literary technique that matters most, but the truthfulness of the love the writing contains and expresses.

Jun 06, 202229:13
Mourning, Moaning, and Selflessness: Shakespeare's Sonnets 71-75

Mourning, Moaning, and Selflessness: Shakespeare's Sonnets 71-75

This cycle of sonnets delves into some thoughts of death, or uses thoughts of mortality to describe the process of breaking up. 

The poet spins out a bunch of metaphors describing their own exhaustion, the end of their time. They meditate on their own death as a way of bringing into focus what remains important. 

The poet doesn't want their name to be remembered. When it boils down to their essence, the distillation of a life, it is only the love that exists in the poetry they care to have considered.

Is this a kind of false grieving, designed to evoke pity? Or is it authentic expression of disappointed love?

Jun 06, 202220:19
All's Not Well: Shakespeare's Sonnets 66-70

All's Not Well: Shakespeare's Sonnets 66-70

The poet reaches a truly dark place in this section of sonnets. 

Sonnet 66 begins with a suicidal pronouncement. The poet says "Tired with all these, for restful death I cry." 

And, following this terrible sentiment they issue a list of complaints. He is over it. The wrong people have power and if it were not for their beloved, the poet would leave the world.

This pain is enhanced by the poet's beloved being with someone else, someone unworthy. Shakespeare looks back to ancient times to find a world suitable to quality of his love for his beloved.

The problem for the poet is that inferior minds are seducing his beloved. He doesn't take credit for knowing that the beloved is beautiful, as that is common knowledge, but remains steadfast in their supposition that their love is different because it is true.

Adding more to the mix, it seems that in addition to being courted by other poets, the beloved has become a target of gossip and slander. The poet attempts to use this as a wedge to create a gap between their beloved and the other poets.


Jun 05, 202226:57
Self Love, True Love, and Anti-Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 61-65

Self Love, True Love, and Anti-Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 61-65

Shakespeare can teach you how to survive the emotional dangers of love. The sonnets are instructive as much as they are beautiful. They are about how a poet can rise above their status through truthful expression. Love is a driving force, but it has many dangers and downsides. 

The first most important thing to know about love is that the love of self is the primary component. While the poet is humble and knows that they have less status than their beloved, the power of that love emanates from within the poet themselves. Though the poet obsesses about their beloved, it is in the service of expressing their own true feelings. The feelings attach to the love object but originate from within.

One of the overarching arguments made in the poems is that true love is always the most important and powerful and can overcome not only status and class but also time and death. So much of the poetry speaks to it being read in the future. This is based on the idea that the truth of the love motivating the expression is stronger than the present moment.


Jun 04, 202225:27
Poetry, Regeneration, and Serving the Muse: Shakespeare's Sonnets 56-60

Poetry, Regeneration, and Serving the Muse: Shakespeare's Sonnets 56-60

Thanks for tuning into another episode of the Dialogic Podcast, the Changing the Conversation series.

If you want to follow along, you can find the sonnets for free online at the Folger Shakespeare Library's online edition.

In this sequence, Shakespeare begins with a call for moderation. He suggests that greed spoils love, and that it is possible to regenerate your powers by fasting. Waiting makes the moment of communion more powerful.

He then goes on to describe himself as a slave to the beloved. The poet's self abnegation reaches a new nadir as he identifies as a slave helpless to make decisions for himself under the rule of his beloved. 

He also makes an argument that his beloved should be his master and should do whatever it is that pleases him, even it that means going somewhere else. 

You can follow me on Instagram at: @BecomingJakepeare

You can check out my website at: jakejthomasphoto.com

Thanks for leaving comments and reviews. Subscribing and sharing this podcast will help it to grow.

Jun 04, 202225:27
True Beauty and Greek Dreams: Shakespeare's Sonnets 51-55

True Beauty and Greek Dreams: Shakespeare's Sonnets 51-55

Thanks for tuning into another episode of the Dialogic Podcast, the Changing the Conversation series.

If you want to follow along, you can find the sonnets for free online at the Folger Shakespeare Library's online edition.

This sequence starts with the second poem using a horse as a metaphor for leaving a love. It is a slow horse and the poet suggests that if the beloved were to return his feeling, his desire would rush back and he would return to the relationship faster than any horse could run.

The next sonnet compares the love to a treasure kept in a chest, that the poet will only indulge in once in awhile. This is strategic, so as to preserve the effect, to savor the experience. 

The next sonnet continues to praise the beloved. It suggests that they are the living example of human beauty that even the Greeks couldn't reproduce in their art. Beyond all worldly compare, Spring is merely a hint of the beauty possessed by the beloved.

From the agrarian metaphors of Spring, the poet moves on to add another dimension of value to the beloved. Beyond being beautiful, the truthfulness of their value is revealed in their scent. While other beauties can sometimes be a fraudulent representation and really have some flaw, some rot at their core, this beauty is true.

This sequence finishes with the idea that the poetry in honor of the beloved's beauty will outlive wars and plagues and famines. Though it is made out of words written in ink, it is more durable than marble. This is because people will continue to read it. A poet's boast.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @BecomingJakepeare

You can check out my website at: jakejthomasphoto.com

Thanks for leaving comments and reviews. Subscribing and sharing this podcast will help it to grow.

Jun 04, 202223:57
Conflict, Reconciliation, and Recognition: Shakespeare's Sonnets 46-50

Conflict, Reconciliation, and Recognition: Shakespeare's Sonnets 46-50

This cycle of sonnets begins with an image of the poet at war with himself. Heart and Eye are conflicted about the beloved. The eye is cautious, the heart demands connection and argues for the case. The conflict is staged as a kind of court case and the jury is made up of thoughts. 

There is a moment of harmony, as the heart and the eyes find a way to cooperate in this affair. The poet is afflicted with feelings of love, and this is one of the rare moments when he is happy.

This happiness is fleeting, however, as the poet remembers his lower status, his lack of resources, and the inevitability that his famous beloved will not be able to resist temptation.

The poet aware of his own impossible situation prepares for the time when his beloved will begin to judge him as others have.

Forlorn and dejected, he heavily leaves the love affair. 

Jun 03, 202235:24
Obsessive Love, Jealousy, and Depression: Shakespeare's Sonnets 41-45

Obsessive Love, Jealousy, and Depression: Shakespeare's Sonnets 41-45

The poems take a dark turn as the poet wrestles with news of his beloved's infidelity. Understanding that his beloved is sleeping with a former lover, the poet is left to grapple with the emotions left behind. Depression results from their disconnection and is remedied by news of their beloved, which then turns quickly again to sadness. 

The darkness of the unrequited love makes the task of overcoming the emotion that much more impressive, and creates the incredible contrast of feeling the poems contain. 

Jun 02, 202229:58
Forgiving and Loving Vicariously: Shakespeare's Sonnets 36-40

Forgiving and Loving Vicariously: Shakespeare's Sonnets 36-40

In this sequence of poems, the persona addresses the infidelity of his beloved. He manages to always find a way to negate anything negative about their relations through the power of imaginative transformation. By claiming that they are united by the bond of love, the persona of the poems is able to enjoy what would otherwise be torturous. That's the overarching theme that ties all of them together so far: what cannot be won in life can be won in letters.

Important to this rhetorical move is the idea that some love is true and some love is false. Romantic love is common and easily found, but true love is rare and overcomes all obstacles. This laborious undressing of his feelings creates a vulnerable voice. It is easy to feel sympathy or at least to empathize with this forlorn lover. 

The idea of authenticity is central to the value that the persona offers. In order for flattery to be effective, it has to be convincing. Shakespeare writes: "Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all. What hast thou then more than thou hadst before? No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call; all mine was thine before thou hadst this more." 

The image of the unbothered and generous lover is a positive version of the cuckold. Not only is he not threatened by the rivals, he enjoys seeing his beloved receiving affection from his own former lovers. Is the persona a cuck? Absolutely, but this is maybe the best case for cuckoldry ever. Instead of reacting with negative emotion to his beloved's promiscuous sexual nature, he enjoys it.

Jun 02, 202229:01
Universe, Metaverse, Polyverse: Shakespeare's Sonnets 31-35

Universe, Metaverse, Polyverse: Shakespeare's Sonnets 31-35

References to sex abound in Shakespeare's sonnets. The persona of the poems is in love with a youth. It is mostly framed as an unrequited love  story, due in part to Shakespeare's lower status. However, there are references that suggest they have shared the same lovers. 

More interesting than the admission of promiscuity is the way the persona handles their feelings of jealousy. Blocked from his love, their shared loves serve as a kind of energetic conduit. Instead of dwelling in the agony of jealousy, the persona transforms that into proof of love, and then further processes it until it becomes another form of love.

It is interesting that love is the saving grace for the poet, but it isn't a wholesome ordained love. No, it is an illicit love that must stay in the shadows. This love lives in a balance between that which must be repressed and that which must be expressed. Without the outlet of poetry to give shape to his feelings, one imagines the poet would be in much worse shape. It is through a transformation of that energy into poetry that it makes possible the appearance of these feelings of love.

Jun 01, 202233:30
Fame, Jealousy, and Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 31-35

Fame, Jealousy, and Love: Shakespeare's Sonnets 31-35

What feels worse than unrequited love? Being slighted by your beloved. At least the persona of the poems seems to think so in this cycle of sonnets. Still, he finds a way to forgive his beloved and to justify their actions.

One reason I have chosen to read these sonnets, is because they require careful study to figure out what they mean. That is exactly what we need to learn to do with all of the toxic and dishonest communication that fills our days. We jump to conclusions way too fast and are already fully engaged in a fight oftentimes before we even understand what the original document said.

It's similar to the idea Stephen Covey presents in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: seek first to understand and then to be understood. When we stop doing the work of listening we can end up in some pretty painful spots. 

You can't just read or hear a sonnet and know right away what you think about it. It requires some delay for comprehension and in that pause there is a chance for truer understanding to occur.

If we put an emphasis on comprehension and understanding it will elevate our conversations from the yelling matches that all too often take place. 

Reading difficult writing is good for us. It forces us to either admit that we do not immediately understand or else we choose to willfully proceed in ignorance. Only by taking time and asking questions do we come to a place where we have more confidence based in experience about the topic. 

We don't all need to chime in on every thing that the news serves us. If we do, however, it seems that reading critically and slowing down will surely improve the general tone of our public discourse. 

Arguments achieve merit based on their ability to make a persuasive case. They don't have to be true to be effective in a world where people are not thinking critically. When the loudest voice wins, we have no choice but to stage a shouting match. If we want to live in a more civil society, then developing our ability to communicate makes sense.

One glaring example of this shows up in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard case that is happening. It really is the perfect example of how our society can be bamboozled by spectacle into taking sides. With the court case, however, there is a methodical slowing down of the conversation. It is a fight. 

There is a major disagreement between the parties. In order to parse out the meaning of their recorded exchanges, it requires a whole team of people presenting parts of their exchanges and then interpreting them. This is happening to counter the article that was splashed across media accusing Depp of being abusive. 

By forcing Heard to testify, she has to listen to herself during their fights and try to explain what she was thinking. While she had presented certain click bait items of their arguments to sway the public opinion, her arguments do not hold up under scrutiny. What we learn from listening, is that she is extremely needy and manipulative. Depp doesn't come across as innocent or angelic by any means, but he consistently attempts to diffuse the fights and she keeps throwing gas on the fire.

This court case has been watched by so many people and there is a reason. We are fascinated with the battle between truth and beauty, between the facts of what happened and how we feel about the people involved. There is an inherent tension between our desire to take sides and the dark mystery of their relations.

Truth may not ever be fully accessible, but in an era when people seem to have given up on responsible communication it is refreshing to see that it is possible to get a lot closer to the truth once you take the time to listen and weed out the obvious lies.


May 31, 202233:30
Mental Illness and Health: Shakespeare's Sonnets 26-30

Mental Illness and Health: Shakespeare's Sonnets 26-30

This series of sonnets describes something about how the mind works. This meditation on memory in part explains mental illness. The mental impressions of pain are self reinforcing. The only thing that successfully combats that cycle of agony is a counterpart of attraction, the transformative power of love. Love is the cure for depression, the recompense for mental suffering.

The persona of Shakespeare's collection of sonnets obsesses over their beloved. He paints the image of this passion repeatedly and travels beyond the point of exhaustion and into the arena of madness. The frustrated lover reaches a low point of dejection and self loathing. It is only the beloved that can cure him of his depression.


May 30, 202225:44
Five Metaphors Your Kids Will Love and Other Lies: Shakespeare's Sonnets 21-25

Five Metaphors Your Kids Will Love and Other Lies: Shakespeare's Sonnets 21-25

Shakespeare was a marketer. What can I say? He knew how to get the reader to pay attention.

One of his best tools: the metaphor. In this group of sonnets, I delve into the mechanics of metaphoricity.
What makes a metaphor work?
How does Shakespeare use negation in metaphors to amplify the hyperbole effect?
In these sonnets, Shakespeare uses the following metaphors:

the sentimental poet and the poet who writes truly (negative metaphor)
the poet's love as fair as any mother's child, not as bright as stars (positive and negative similes)
stars as gold candles
Time's furrows (metaphor of agriculture and aging)
Care of one's own heart like a nurse caring for a sick baby
Love as a mutually renewing and fatal entanglement
The lovesick poet as a terrified actor or enraged maniac all three beside themselves
eyes as ears
book as code for love too strong to express in person
Eye as painter
Body as canvas
Bosom as shop or artist's studio
Eyes as windows to love
Sun as Peeping Tom
Political favorites as marigolds in the sun (doomed to last a short time)


May 30, 202237:48
Changing the Conversation: Shakespeare's Sonnets 16-20

Changing the Conversation: Shakespeare's Sonnets 16-20

I want to change the conversation. I'm tired of all of the fighting about things that are out of our control. I want to invite you to have a listen to some sonnets, for the sake of something different. 

Even after studying only the first 20 sonnets, there is a noticeable difference in how I read the plays. The sonnets are tightly condensed and require solving like a riddle. The focus it takes to solve the meaning of these poems is a kind of mental training. It makes reading the plays a lot easier, but you also recognize many of the themes being taken up by characters. 

We need a more creative and thoughtful culture. We are still young, but it is time to start growing up. That means taking on some challenges and not always being captured by the daily news. We can be proactive and chart a course for calmer waters, and that's what I am attempting to do with this series.

We should use culture to stage our debates and to settle our disputes. Imagination holds the keys to creative reconciliation. The problem is, imagination requires building and work. I invite you to read along as you listen. You will undoubtedly find some value in the process if you overcome the challenge of not understanding what the poem means at first glance. This alone is a worthwhile experience. To think that we know immediately is a sign of work that needs to be done.

It seems like people have thought it through based on the aggressive tone that you find in public discourse, but there is not a lot of demonstration of the process. We don't get any of the training sequences behind the scenes that lead people to their intellectual positions. Instead, we just get the fights and the fighting is never conducive to learning.

I want to take you behind the scenes of my intellectual development as I read Shakespeare. This is a task designed to grow our imagination's capacity, to strengthen our intellectual discernment, and to have fun while doing both. Thanks for listening! Here is a link to the full text of the sonnets: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/shakespeares-sonnets/

May 29, 202224:05
Trans Poetics: Shakespeare's Sonnets 11-15

Trans Poetics: Shakespeare's Sonnets 11-15

Was Shakespeare Gay? Who knows, but his poetry sure as heck is. It's uber gay in the best of ways. Was Shakespeare Trans? That is a bit of a reach, but the best way to describe his writing is, as the best writing always is, polyamorous. Has there ever been a more well rounded expression of all of human experience? None that I know of, which is why I chose the Bard as my model.
In this podcast, I talk about why I think that Dave Chapelle and J. K. Rowling are blowing it Boomer style. It's a pendulum. Leave the trans kids alone, please. There's more there.
I also talk about marketing and why it is essential. People like to think that they don't need marketing, but it is virtually impossible for a business to exist without marketing, and certainly growth is caused by marketing. It's a basic concept, but so widely misunderstood.
Then, I dig into the sonnets and they are gay and great! Enjoy!
May 22, 202258:45
Time, Natural Beauty, and Reproduction: Shakespeare's Sonnets 5-10

Time, Natural Beauty, and Reproduction: Shakespeare's Sonnets 5-10

I'm going through the Sonnets methodically, and sharing my thoughts with you as I go. I absolutely love Shakespeare's plays, and this is the first time I'm really studying the sonnets as a whole. The first thing right out of the gate that is surprising is how pro life Shakespeare's narrator is. The persona of the poems, the voice speaking, considers not having children a crime. 

Is this a kind of existential wisdom, or is it also possibly intense flirting? 

He is saying to THIS man in particular if you do not have kids it will be a crime. 

Or, you can see it both ways: that he is using the idea as a rule in general as a chance to flirt with this object of his adoration. 

We talk about Shakespeare as being a part of a cultural Renaissance, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising that birth and reproduction is such a primary part of his material. Still, it was a bit of a surprise to me how adamant he is about the reader reproducing. 

Themes: Time and Nature as Creator and Destroyer

             Reproduction as Divine Duty and Protection Against Death

             Inevitability of Cycles of Decay and Regeneration

             Refusal to Reproduce as Shameful and Murderous

             


May 20, 202234:39
Becoming Jakespeare: Shakespeare's Sonnets 1-4

Becoming Jakespeare: Shakespeare's Sonnets 1-4

In this podcast, I look at the first four sonnets in Shakespeare's collection. 

I begin by talking about how Chad and JT were riffing about Shakespeare on their latest podcast episode. Shoutout to Joe Marresse for his cool ass reading of Hamlet's monologue.

I'm digging into the sonnets because they are a perfect form for social media. Each sonnet is about a minute to read it, so it is perfect for videos. It's also going to help me to learn the language more. 

I also discuss the form of the sonnet a little bit and iambic pentameter.


Thanks for listening. If you want to learn more, follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomingjakespeare/

May 12, 202226:05
Most High Thoughts

Most High Thoughts

Credit is an interesting idea. Who gets credit for our successes? Who do we blame for our failures? A satisfying rant on the nature of credit in relation to efforts and ownership. Do you believe in self-reliance and accountability or in a higher power?
Jan 23, 202254:17
Seaside Life

Seaside Life

Learning about the people who live and work in Seaside is at the core of the Facing Seaside project.
Jan 17, 202235:05
Elements of Composition

Elements of Composition

Continuing the Facing Seaside project, learning film, and talking about the elements of composition in photography.
Jan 12, 202240:07
My Cyanotype

My Cyanotype

The camera is only one small part of what makes photography great. It’s also critical to make prints. Making prints is more than a way to deliver the final product, it is an integral part of the process. When you understand your printmaking process it changes your shooting process, too. We are going to be doing portraits and making Cyanotype prints from those photos at the Weston Collective this Saturday. Come get your portrait done, a photo taken and stay for a screening of Growing Up Weston.
Jan 10, 202222:06
Calendar Your Content

Calendar Your Content

Getting organized is key to executing successful content marketing plans. Break your year into quarters and set some concrete goals. Outlining your content calendar will give your work direction and clarity of purpose.
Jan 06, 202223:54
Projecting Freshness

Projecting Freshness

In this episode, I discuss three upcoming art projects! Enjoy!
Dec 31, 202137:57
Choose to Move

Choose to Move

I sat down with Nadzeya Stokes to talk about being Belarusian, the importance of bodily awareness, the chiropractic arts, and art in relation to the unconscious.
Dec 30, 202135:51
13 Moons

13 Moons

In this episode, I describe a photographic project I started during the shutdown at the start of the pandemic.
Dec 28, 202127:25
Basic Dude

Basic Dude

New Year’s is a great time to get back to the fundamentals! Enjoy this rant about what matters most. Priorities!
Dec 26, 202151:34
Express Yourself

Express Yourself

Hip-Hop, the mystery of voice, and more!
Dec 13, 202125:15
Film, Digital, Filmital

Film, Digital, Filmital

Things continue to get more interesting at the Weston Collective. Film and digital are merging through multimedia experiments. Today, I discuss some of the differences and similarities between film and digital photography. I also sketch out the carbon printing process and explain why it is important and relevant. I also began my Taco Taste Test Tour and I describe my experience at Mi Tierra Mercado in Seaside, where I did my first tasting. Thanks for listening, sharing and leaving reviews!
Dec 12, 202145:04
Create to Choose to Create

Create to Choose to Create

A satisfying rant on creative choice, authorship and collaboration.
Dec 09, 202137:07
Path to Epiphany

Path to Epiphany

If you are not entirely sure of the one photograph or idea you create during a creative session, then you didn’t make one. When you get the shot, you know it. If you don’t know what you did, you didn’t. It’s that simple. You either know your shit or you don’t have shit.
Dec 07, 202158:27
A Team with a Solution

A Team with a Solution

Being a part of the solution is where the good energy can be found. Find me in this episode on the road waxing about the Bay.
Dec 02, 202113:00
Rolling Hills of Corralitos

Rolling Hills of Corralitos

Some places are too beautiful to believe. Yesterday I visited one such setting and I ranted about it and my love for the region. Enjoy!
Dec 01, 202124:08
Collecting Westons
Nov 26, 202136:07
Marketing Truthfully

Marketing Truthfully

Honesty is underrated and other rants!
Nov 24, 202154:09
Seaside Dreaming Part 1

Seaside Dreaming Part 1

War by the Shore was lit!
Nov 21, 202132:07
A Loud Pop: Always Be Marketing, Dude

A Loud Pop: Always Be Marketing, Dude

A trip to the Weston Collective turns into an automotive adventure.
Nov 20, 202143:23