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Jo Ann Chaus is a New York-based photographer who explores identity, memory, aging, and expectations of women through deeply rich and personal self-portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Drawing from a background in retail fashion, she uses garments that had belonged to women from previous generations of her family, including her mother, along with props, lighting, and reflections, to create images - performances - that lead through a metamorphic journey of self-inquiry toward self-determination. In its way, Jo Ann's work pays homage to the tremendous effort it takes to break through social convention. I also really enjoyed what she shared about the role of instinct in creating work, and how the unconscious moves so much faster than the conscious mind. Learn more about Jo Ann and check out her latest book, Unspoken, at joannchaus.com and on instagram @joann_chaus

One of the things that really struck me during my conversation with Steven was when he said: "People don't want work that is difficult." In anticipation of speaking with artist, poet, and philosopher Steven Seidenberg, I explored two of his pieces in particular, one literary and one visual: Coda and Kanazawa Vacancy. My experiences with these two works inspired a lot of our conversation, as well as years at university reading philosophical texts I read over and over to try and understand. As Steven explains, it's not easy to create pieces that people might find confusing. But through struggle we generate meaning. Even better if we can let go of the need to 'understand' and instead open up and read a book, or look at a series of photographs, and discover what meanings may emerge. To learn more about Steven and his work, be sure to check out stevenseidenberg.com and also instagram @steven.seidenberg And you can listen to Steven read Coda on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hBUV7uKPhASJS5ckzginO

This is a reflection on Quality in this podcast and how it relates to video and audio conversations.

Entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and founder of Serapex, Philipp explains that our existential fears of life and death are our primary drivers. He helps people uncover the deeper meaning and purpose that underlie their fears, so they can reframe those fears and determine the best ways to work through them. Through his experience in design, branding, and strategy as well as study of existential psychology, Philipp developed insights that are meaningful to a broad audience, including his conviction that the real art is the act of becoming the artist - someone who creates - rather than whatever is created, which is just a by-product of the process. To quote from Philipp's latest post on substack (18 Sep 2026): Don't panic. Hold the line. Create the multi-layered art that is locked up in your soul right now. Learn more about Philipp and his work by exploring serapex.com - and there is a link to the archteype quiz on the home page. You can also check out his writing on substack @philipp

Photographer and wild horse advocate Carol Walker talks about how she first started in photography and what led her to capturing images of families - the stallions, mares, and foals living in the wild in Wyoming. Carol's passion and commitment to raising awareness of the precarious plight of wild horses today come through not just her words, but the images she captures of horses as individuals, from Blue Zeus and Picasso to Washakie and Thor. Have a look through her photos on livingimagescarolwalker.com and on instagram @wild_hoofbeats to learn more about her work and the challenges facing wild horses today.

David Deane Haskell is a musician as well as the author of several books, including Wounded Angels and The Solarian Deep. We talk about how drumming led him to writing a personal memoir about trauma and inner child healing, essays capturing daily slices of life, and speculative science fiction. Ulimately he sees all the pieces he creates as opportunities to communicate with others in a meaningful way - to be heard and understood, and also to hear and understand how others react to what he shares. David shares his experiences of vulnerability, both as a person and an artist, with great openness and self-awareness. You can learn more about his work at daviddeanehaskell.com and on instagram @daviddeanehaskell

Ivana Bajic is a multimedia producer drawn to stories where nature, emotion, and human transformation intersect. Through surfing, she discovered the ocean not just as a place, but as a force of healing, grounding, and deep connection among women. Author of Nature of Surf Women, creator of the podcast Nature of Surf Women - Waves of Women, and curator of surf and wellness retreats, Ivana is currently working on a documentary about surf therapy and the healing power of the ocean. Among my favourite parts of our conversation was talking about the tremendous value of caring and community. Learn more about Ivana and her broad scope of work on instagram @ivanabajic and @nature_of_surfwomen and online at natureofsurfwomen.com

Mark Connor is a boxing trainer and writer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hearing Mark read from his book, 'It's About Time (Millions of Copies Sold for Dad),' reminded me how precious it is to have the opportunity to listen to a writer read their words aloud. As Mark says, 'God breaks my nose; I'll break his nose.' In other words, fight for what feels right. And the idea that once your feet hit the ground, you have to keep the momentum going, whether it's running, writing, painting, playing music, however you want to express yourself - that speaks to me. We always have to start by getting the momentum going, by becoming the kind of person who does what we value most. You can learn more about Mark on instagram @writingboxer and online at boxersandwritersmagazine.com. His book - It's About Time (Millions of Copies Sold for Dad)' - is available on Amazon.

I've called at least one other episode in this podcast an odd duck.  I think this may be a much even odder duck. The theme is ruminations I guess on the fifth birthday of the Vulnerability in life and art podcast.

Colin Douglas lives in Las Vegas, a data analyst by training and a philosopher by nature. He's driven by ideas and a great curiosity about how people choose to live their lives in the general pursuit of happiness, or better yet, enduring peace, fulfillment, or purpose. Working a full-time job, he finds the time to share his insights and invites others to engage in the conversation. Colin shares a great line: 'Thoughts disentangle themselves through the lips and the fingertips' (commonly attributed to Dawson Trotman). That's how I feel about this podcast. Be sure to check out Colin's writing on substack @personalpeace

"Books transform and shape us," says Winnipeg-based book artist Debra Frances. What makes a book a book? And how are we shaped by what we experience through books? Inspired after making a book to showcase her daughter's artwork, Debra now creates stunning pieces from natural materials like milkweed seedpods and driftwood, as well as her own handmade papers and dyes. She teaches bookbinding classes and also leads a one-week retreat every summer on Malcolm Island, British Columbia (for which I'm on the list in August 2027 :-) And the project where she collaborated with a climate scientist to create a book to represent key aspects of the work, centering on storytelling, was fascinating to me. Learn more about Debra and her work on instagram @debra_frances and online at debrafrances.com

Based in Kitchener-Waterloo Ontario, Bryn Gladding is a commercial photographer who works with developers, researchers, inventors, artists, and manufacturers, alongside pursuing his own personal projects. I found his insights and reflections into his personal projects in particular, from the perspective of his own vulnerability, very moving. Bryn is as passionate about nurturing connections with people as making photographs of and for them. He embraces the opportunities that come with new technologies as they emerge, and at the same time he looks forward to a resurgence in our general appreciation and valuing of art and artists, maybe even especially handcrafted or at least human-directed work. Check out Bryn's work on instagram @bryngladding as well as online at bryngladdingphotography.com Photograph © Bryn Gladding Photography Sculpture "Stratford War Memorial" Walter Seymour Allward (1919-1922)

This is a quick ramble about the learning field - designing courses and workshops - and sustaining dramatic tension in long-form fiction.

This was a fun coversation from a personal perspective, because I went to high school with Jackie Reeves, a painter who also does collage, installations, film, and animations. Jackie grew up making art and exudes a lovely sense of calm confidence not only in her talent, but also in her choices to make art as child, teen, and adult. She has faith in her drawing hand, her painting hand. I did envy that a little, and I told her so. Did I follow through the right pigeonhole? My mother, as she has listened to these conversations over time, has noticed when artists have grown up in families who've supported, or at least understood, artistic practice versus when they did not. It's in no sense a requirement, but may be a factor that influences the effort to invest in that practice. We connected on the work one does for oneself compared to commercial work to meet the design needs of clients. Figuring out what we want to share from our own voice can be tricky. Jackie asks the question - beyond skill, what do we choose to create and why? It's not about knowing how, but knowing what. Jackie shares that when she looks over her body of work, it's about claiming space, and female identity more broadly, of building up and breaking down. It's your "own past flooding in through you." And then we can let it be what it is. Let it sit and cook for a while. For those really attentive to detail, near the beginning of our conversation Jackie refers to university and "CEGEP." In case you wondered, that's the Québec equivalent of junior college. Check out @jackiereevesart on instagram and jackiereeves.com to learn more about her work.

I had the opportunity to speak with Laura Tafe about her collage work, which I find bright and bold. She also works as a pathologist and has been able to reintegrate artistic practice into her life as an adult, with a spirit of intentionality and a desire to express different aspects of herself, both to herself and to others. Laura talks about the role of art, creativity, and self-expression in her leading a fully realized life. Paper - through its textures as well as acts of cutting out pieces - is her preferred medium for showing physical bodies and parts in motion and expressing a range of emotions. She shows courage not only in putting her work out in the world, but in exploring language for speaking about what her practice and pieces might mean, as she builds communities with others. When you have a chance, go take a look through Laura's work on instagram @imogene.awe