Coaching you towards your most fulfilling creative work
A podcast for the creatively adventurous and the relentlessly curious
Season 1: Episode 1
Jordana Matsuda: Illustrator
&
Paige Baldwin Ando: Creativity Coach
As two long-term resident of Tokyo who love to talk about all things creative, we've lined up an exciting season of conversations with international artists and makers.
In this first episode, learn a bit more about us and what lights us up creatively.
We're so excited to share this and many more inspiring conversations with you, here on The Creativity Café!
Season 1: Episode 2
From her home in the hills of Perth, Australia, Malini Parker creates paintings rich with texture and natural imagery. She describes them as, "joyful celebrations of life, inspired by the mystery and wonder of it all." Her work has encircled the globe and is now included in private collections around the world.
Malini leads in-person workshops that give her students the opportunity to learn new painting skills while building creative confidence. She's also been writing a wonderfully inspiring newsletter for over a decade, where she shares bits of her story as well as thoughts on creativity and life.
Our conversation with Malini spans how she moved from scientist to artist, the ways art can heal, and the flow of her painting process.
Painter, Teacher, and Writer
Perth, Australia
Season 1: Episode 3
Born in Yokohama, Mioko grew up in various places, including the US, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong. After attending college at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Mioko spent ten years working in fashion and costume design in New York City.
More recently, Mioko has founded EduArt, an organization that brings a fresh perspective to art education, in Yokohama and beyond.
Listen in as we chat with Mioko about how her creative career developed, as well as how creativity coaching has impacted her work.
Multi-faceted Artist and Founder of EduArt
Yokohama, Japan
Season 1: Episode 4
Eezmah is an artist and illustrator based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. While she works mainly in acrylics, she also loves to experiment with various other media. Her stylized characters are inspired by the characters in the cartoons she watched as a kid.
Recently, she's launched a boutique art gallery, which sells vintage and local art.
In our talk with Eezmah, we explore the nuances of artistic expression, the joy of creative mentorship, and some very practical ideas for moving past creative blocks.
Artist and Illustrator
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Season 1: Episode 5
Originally from the UK, Victoria is a jeweler, and a longterm resident of the Shimo-Kitazawa neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan.
Taking inspiration from the area's chic, vintage-heavy vibe, Victoria makes one-of-a-kind jewelry from Japanese fabrics and found objects that would otherwise be forgotten.
She's founded The Overseas Maker's Guild, which supports expats around the world with handmade businesses, and leads Tokyo Instamingle, an in-person meet-up for people in Tokyo who are also on Instagram.
In this episode, we talk with Victoria about the origins of her creative business, where she finds inspiration, and learn more about the potential she finds in the ordinary objects surrounding her in everyday Japanese life.
Vintage Accessories Jeweler and Artist
Tokyo, Japan
Season 1: Episode 6
Maria Imasheva is a fiber artist living in Tallinn, Estonia. She creates intricate cross stitch patterns, many of which are inspired by folklore and mythology, as well as mandala embroideries.
Recently, she's begun dyeing fabrics for her embroideries with natural dyes like tea, avocado, or turmeric, which create beautiful colors to work with.
In our conversation with her, Maria shares valuable insights about the creative process, her own path from studying advanced mathematics to becoming a fiber artist, and the meaning she finds in ancient human stories.
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Fiber Artist
Tallinn, Estonia
Season 1: Episode 7
After having grown up in Washington state in the United States, Lena Voth has spent the better half of the last 12 years in Yokosuka, Japan.
As an artist who's worked in various media, Lena has focused in areas such as writing, photography, fabric, and now watercolor.
Drawing inspiration from the natural world and exploring pattern and color, Lena's work is vivid, inviting, and unfailingly fun.
Listen in as we chat with Lena about her creative influences, how her environment impacted her creative journey, and more.
Multi-media Artist
Yokosuka, Japan
Season 1: Episode 8
Originally from the United States, Lauren Rose has spent a great deal of time living and having adventures around the world.
Now based in London, Lauren's work with paper quilling helps her introduce people to foods and other items of cultural significance they might never have previously encountered.
Lauren's passion for food and culture is amply expressed in her work, and never fails to inspire and excite us.
Listen in as we chat with Lauren about her creative endeavors, and, as a first on the podcast, as I coach her past a spot of post-move procrastination.
Paper Quilling Artist
London, England
Season 1: Episode 9
From her home in Ericeira, Portugal, Sarah Basha weaves together a variety of creative pursuits.
Sarah's traveling exhibition and art book, "What Remains," explores memory and loss, and serves to raise awareness for Dementia.
Her recently-launched podcast, which is called Woven: Stories of Feminine Becoming, is a series of interviews featuring women of varied backgrounds and their stories of transformation. It is, in Sarah's words, "an ode to the Divine Feminine, its cycles and gifts." And all her work is built on a foundation of her deep relationship with astrology, which is its own creative calling.
Artist
Ericeira, Portugal
Season 1: Episode 10
From her home nestled in the rice paddies of Saitama, Japan, Jo Ebisujima brings creativity to homes around the world through her digital empire.
After having forged her own path to educating her young son at home, Jo moved on to helping other moms teach their kids and live out their own audacious dreams. Jo is the bestselling author of Montessori Inspired Activities for Pre-Schoolers, and the leader of an online movement helping multi-passionate mothers make their marks on the world.
Listen in as we chat with Jo, and find out what once made her dump an entire tub of blue pain on someone's head!
Multi-passionate Creator
Saitama, Japan