Conversation with Artist Micah BlackLight

"I am here to create the most brilliant, evocative, challenging, innovative, impactful art I am capable of, to have THE most fun while doing it, and to leave a trail of empowering, inspiring interactions in my wake like a spirit boat traveling the lake of existence." -Micah BlackLight

In this Episode we get into conversation with Artist Micah BlackLight who is a ' light-working, illustrating, dancing, singing, rhyming, designing, writing, performing, fashion designing, motivational speaking, empowerment coaching Inspiration Engine'. The most recent project Micah BlackLight has created and which we talk thoroughly about in this podcast is his illustrated Erotic Novel CULT OF THE SERPENTARI. This novel embodies the genre BlackLight created called Fantasensua; which BlackLight describes as an explicit, graphically illustrated character and plot-driven Erotic Fantasy. We also touch on the balance of being an artist and a father, and he shares inspirations and resource for others navigating the path of Artist.

Here is the conversation with Micah Blacklight:

Subscribe to Broken Boxes Podcast on iTunes HERE to stream and download this episode

Image: Kali Evocation. Illustration by Micah BlackLight

Music featured in this podcast: Sub SwaraJon Hobotech Margulies, and Micah BlackLight

More from the Artist:

Illustration from Cult of the Serpentari. Micah BlackLight

Illustration from Cult of the Serpentari. Micah BlackLight

"I am a light-working, illustrating, dancing, singing, rhyming, designing, writing, performing, fashion designing, motivational speaking, empowerment coaching Inspiration Engine. I’m a song masquerading as a poem wearing my skin like a temporary coat. 

I am a full-time papa, a loving partner and an intuitive listener. 

I am bent on positively impacting the world through beautiful interactions and the bringing of my unique art. Part of what I get to do [by being a cultural innovator] is give the world a different perspective on what it can look like to be a black man, what it can look like to be a man period, and what it can look like to be a self-employed, powerfully positive creator who doesn’t necessarily fit within anybody’s box and doesn’t feel the need to.

I am here to create the most brilliant, evocative, challenging, innovative, impactful art I am capable of, to have THE most fun while doing it, and to leave a trail of empowering, inspiring interactions in my wake like a spirit boat traveling the lake of existence." - Micah Blacklight

Illustration from Cult of the Serpentari. Micah BlackLight

Illustration from Cult of the Serpentari. Micah BlackLight

"Long have I been a fan, an avid reader of sci-fi/fantasy. Just as long, I have harbored a bit of a grudge, a chip on my shoulder if you will. I wondered why, if this was fantasy, if these were new worlds and alternate realities, why I continued to see the exact same gender dynamics, power dynamics and sexual dynamics playing out over and over again. 
I wondered where the heroes of alternative gender and ethnic heritage were hiding, and above and beyond all of that, where was all the sex?! No one seems to blink at giving multiple pages of violent, line-by-line descriptions of bloody warfare and enchanted blades wreaking havoc against the flesh of their enemies, but in almost every case, I’d be fortunate to get a fraction of a paragraph about someone’s flesh being pleasured. What is that all about? 
Somewhere along the line, I decided that if the kind of erotica I’d always craved was nowhere to be found, I’d have to create it myself. I wish to fundamentally transform the entire genre of erotic literature with a brand new genre—my own—Fantasensua: explicit, graphically illustrated character and plot-driven erotic fantasy that takes readers beyond mere entertainment and into the realm of the spirit, leaving them empowered, inspired, AND aroused." -Micah BlackLight

Purchase a signed copy of CULT OF THE SERPENTARI here

Other purchase options for CULT OF THE SERPENTARI:

Amazon

Ellora's Cave

Barnes&Noble

To get the eBooks via Amazon: 

chap 1 lone: http://amzn.to/1Uae4jI

part III: http://amzn.to/1EgA4Yr

part II: http://amzn.to/1U3AlVy

part I: http://amzn.to/1IbdQlr

The whole novel: http://amzn.to/1S5knFL

To get a print copy through Amazon if you're in the UK, France, Germany and/or Canada: http://www.ffadultsonly.com/b/micah-blacklight/cult-of-the-serpentari.htm
 


Conversation with Artist Jason Lujan


 "I seek to normalize Indigenous presence and narratives within the greater global fabric, equal to any other cultural group, and invest contemporary Native American culture with an international sense of place. I often reference urban and non-American imagery, and have a preference for creating work that is hybridized, creating images reflective of the layering of transcultural experiences." -Jason Lujan

'Origami Necklace', Jason Lujan

'Origami Necklace', Jason Lujan

More from the Artist:

"I believe that artists have a responsibility to be cultural producers and agents of social change; my art practice is an effort to invest contemporary Native American culture with an international sense of place. My work is informed by the experience of living alongside immigrant communities in New York City, a place typically characterized by sentiments of anonymity and heterogeneity. Currently over half of the total Native American population in the United States now lives in major metropolitan areas. For me, notions of reservation-based or rural lifestyles no longer accurately describes the contemporary Native experience, and arguably privileges a connection to reservation life as a marker of indigeneity that denies other more productive, specific means of locating Native culture.

The recurring motif of my artwork is centered on the themes of trans-cultural and trans-national exchanges: the delivery of Indigenous content operating in conjunction with, or subsumed by, larger global contexts. I use conventional painting and sculpture methods with common and ready-made materials, often combining Eastern and Western visualities; I want people to view my work and consider multiple meanings regarding cultural assumptions." -Jason Lujan 

Jason Lujan

Jason Lujan

Conversation with Artist and Filmmaker Dylan McLaughlin

In this episode we hear how Artist Dylan McLaughlin finds a sustainable creative outlet through filmmaking. Dylan looks back over the past couple of years at the friendships he has carved out while creating visual portraits of Artists for various museums and galleries. He talks on collaboration and of his personal creative experience with the medium of film. How being Indigenous allows him to relate to certain projects in a fluid way without it becoming a main focus in his work. Dylan breaks down how he uses impulse as the main thread for connecting into his process, capturing the truth of a moment while allowing his subjects to live in abstraction. We hear how Dylan's work and aesthetics are informed by everything from the gear he uses to his emotional grounding while editing a piece.

Here is the conversation with Dylan McLaughlin:

Subscribe to Broken Boxes Podcast on iTunes HERE to stream and download this episode

Dylan McLaughlin (Diné) is a digital media artist and filmmaker, primarily focusing on documentary, narrative video and photography.

His work ranges from co-organization of the Attention Span 30 Second Film Festival, documentary style artist and community portraits, narrative short filmmaking, to more experimental interactive works and video installation.

invisiblelaboratory.com

vimeo.com/dylanmclaughlin

 


Directors - Nicholas Galanin & Dylan McLaughlin
Director of Photography - Dylan McLaughlin
Timelapse star footage - Renan Ozturk
Woman in Water - Merritt Johnson
Woman in Car - Liberty Yablon


Created by Dylan McLaughlin for Nordamerika Native Museum's (Zurich, Switzerland) Native Art Now exhibition of contemporary indigenous art

stadt-zuerich.ch/nonam

Shot on Red Scarlet Dragon
Canon 24-105 f/4
Zeiss 35 f/2

Conversation with Photographer Te Rawhitiroa Bosch

Māori artist and photorgrapher Te Rawhitiroa Bosch evokes the magic and intensity of the human experience with his work. In this podcast Te Rawhitiroa shares how he has come to his unique and empowering photographic style which focuses on people, performance, and our relationship to place. In this episode, we hear Te Rawhitiroa break down his experience of traveling the world, connecting to various Indigenous cultures and his experience being welcomed into community through protest and celebration. We hear how Te Rawhitiroa sustains his body, mind and spirit on this epic year long journey and we gain insight into his personal account of being on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i during the first arrests of Kanaka Maoli practicing peaceful resistance. 

Music on this episode by the following artists: Maisey Rika, Trinity Roots, Iva Lamkum, Halau O Kekuhi, Rob Ruha, and Majic & The Acoustic Activists.

More about the artist:

Te Rawhitiroa is currently on a connective journey from Canada to Hawai'i, from Holland to Morroco and beyond, documenting the human experience and connecting our stories through imagery. In his journey, Te Rawhitiroa captures the beauty of humanity within daily existence while celebrating the importance of indigenous peoples and their connection to place. 

Crow Fair, Montana. Rawhitiroa Photography

Crow Fair, Montana. Rawhitiroa Photography

Kapu Aloha. Mauna Kea, Hawai'i. Rawhitiroa Photography

Kapu Aloha. Mauna Kea, Hawai'i. Rawhitiroa Photography

"As I travel around this world of ours, I reflect, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I have to connect with such a diverse range of beautiful people, epic places and rich cultures. I’ve been loving reconnecting with old friends from throughout the years and meeting new friends as I move from place to place. It reminds me that regardless of what is happening around the globe, this world of ours is full of beautiful people and for that, I’m grateful...

E kore aku mihi e ngū ki a koutou e te whānau, mō koutou e tautoko nei i ahau i runga i tēnei haerenga āku. Tēnā koutou e pupuri nei i te ahi kā o te kāinga, kia pai te rere haere o te waekaikapua nei.

I am grateful for all of your generosity and support, and for all the magic that is yet to come!!" Te Rawhitiroa Bosch 

Follow Te Rawhitiroa Bosch on his journey:

Tumblr
Facebook
Website
Instagram
 

 

Conversation with Organizer Lauren Higgins

What can the the Art of Organizing bring to your projects? What can Organizers learn from Artists and Artists from Organizers? 

Global organizer Lauren Higgins is a creative producer, artist, and strategist committed to innovative design and change serving 100% of humanity. In this podcast, she explores her experience with local and global organizing, how to work collaboratively with diverse people and how these lesson can be applied to making your very own projects more successful. Lauren shares her passion for igniting experience, pioneering new ways of working in organizations and enterprises that help both teams and leaders respond to the challenges and opportunities of the sustainability era. Happy organizing!

Lauren Higgins with Impact Hub Global

Lauren Higgins with Impact Hub Global

Music featured on this episode by ZZK Records

More about the artist:

Lauren Higgins is known for her interdisciplinary work in organizational development and design, event production and curation, economic innovation, and her focus in collaborative governance, and learning in organizations and society. Her passion lies at the intersection between creativity, collaboration and strategy, inspiring her to develop large-scale visions into meaningful projects.

She works as Experience Lead as part of the Impact Hub Global Team, and orchestrates large, network-wide projects relating to learning, innovation exchange and global events that empower the 72+ Impact Hub teams worldwide to better support the entrepreneurs and change-makers in their local cities. As an artist and organizer she has also co-created many festivals and curated many innovative events, including the Communikey Festival and Catapulta Festival

Lauren Higgins is currently working with Impact Hub Mexico DF

Lauren Higgins is currently working with Impact Hub Mexico DF

Lauren Higgins presenting for Catipulta Social Innovation Festival

Lauren Higgins presenting for Catipulta Social Innovation Festival