Material Feels Podcast Interview

I’m excited to share an interview on Material Feels, a podcast that explores the intimate relationship between artists and their materials. Producer Catherine Monahon and I talk about my creative practice, how I discovered that paper was the right material for me, and the world I'm trying to create with my work.

Our conversation was delightful, snappy, silly, and energetic. I was thrilled to be talking to someone who not only deeply understands what’s like to work with one’s hands, but someone who is also similarly sensitive to noise! We even went on a whole long tangent about how to unload a dishwasher while minimizing clanging dish noises. (For your sake, though, Catherine edited out much of that bit.)

You can listen to the episode above, on the Material Feels website, or wherever you normally get your podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher). Enjoy!

My Favorite Podcast Episodes Right Now

For my dad’s birthday this year, I’m putting together a compilation of some of my favorite podcast episodes that I think he might like. I listen to a lot of audio content while I’m working — both audiobooks and podcasts — and I’m always trying to get people to listen to the ones that I think are the absolute best. So here you go, my favorites right now! I’ve embedded specific episodes that I think are especially good to start with. If you’re a Spotify user, just follow this podcast playlist. Enjoy!

UPDATE 12/26/19: I have a funny story about my dad that happened after I drafted this post, but before I showed it to him. At our Christmas Eve dinner party, he smugly announced to the entire table that “podcasts have officially jumped the shark.” (Definition here, for anyone unfamiliar with the phrase.) Lolllll. I obviously debated him on this point, as I think we’re just now entering the golden age of podcasting . Anyway, I’ll update this blog post again once he’s had a chance to listen… and perhaps revise his opinion on podcasts.

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Ear Hustle

“The daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration.” This is an absolutely incredible award-winning podcast. It’s fascinating, moving, gritty, tender, and often funny. I listened to all four seasons in about a week — I couldn’t get enough! I think it might be my #1 favorite podcast of all time. I’d recommend starting at the beginning and and listening in order.

Twenty Thousand Hertz

“The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.” I wouldn’t describe myself as an audiophile, but this beautifully produced and edited podcast totally got me interested in sound design! It changed the way I watch movies, listen to music, and notice sounds around me. This podcast always makes me feel calm, happy, and focused. I’m often quoting interesting facts and stories I learned from this show. I’d recommend reading the episode summaries and listening to whichever topic catches your fancy. Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

Reply All

“‘A podcast about the internet’ that is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.” – The Guardian. This one is a favorite amongst a lot of my friends (especially amongst — but not limited to — my tech-savvy friends). It’s full of fascinating and sometimes dark stories about the internet, accompanied by witty banter from the two co-hosts. These are a few of the episodes that are widely considered to be some of the strongest.

Planet Money

“The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, ‘Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy.’ Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.” I think many people are familiar with NPR’s economics podcast Planet Money. These two episodes are a bit old, but the stories are totally amazing, and you’ll never look at salmon or Subarus the same way again.

The Cut on Tuesdays

“The Cut on Tuesdays brings you women’s voices on culture, style, sex, politics, and people: It’s everything The Cut can’t stop talking about. Join host Molly Fischer every week for arguments, obsessions, dissections, reflections, confessions, and other deep dives.” My sister recently got me into this podcast. I haven’t listened to many episodes yet, but this one was a freaky look into trolls on the internet.

How I Built This with Guy Raz

“Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.” If you’re interested in how successful companies got their start, this is a really neat window into the process. The founders discuss the hurdles and challenges they had to overcome.

Modern Love: The Podcast

“Modern Love: The Podcast features the popular New York Times column, with readings by notable personalities and updates from the essayists themselves.” Each episode of this podcast features one essay about love that originally ran in the New York Times. The stories are often bittersweet and complex. This two-part series was especially moving.

The Guilty Feminist

“The podcast in which we discuss our noble goals as 21st century feminists, and the hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine them.”This is a live stand-up comedy show based out of the UK that’s feminist and (fairly) intersectional, while also being realistic and nuanced. I find it hysterical and so real. It makes me feel like I’m part of an army of global feminists who are all in this together. If you’re under the impression that feminists can’t be funny, I strongly suggest you give this a listen. :)

The Daily

“Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, hosted by Michael Barbaro and powered by New York Times journalism” I’m not sure I even need to include this, as it’s one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S. right now, but it’s part of my daily routine, so here you go. It’s a daily news podcast that dives deep into just one story from the headlines. It provides context and history, and tells the story in a really compelling manner. It helps bring otherwise dry news headlines to life. I’ve embedded one good episode below, but since it’s a news show, you should really just check out the most recent episode.

That’s all for now! What are some of your favorite podcasts?? Comment below or DM me on Instagram. I’m always looking for new ones!

Interview on Tiffany Han's Podcast

I was recently interviewed on Tiffany Han's dynamic and charming podcast, called Raise Your Hand Say Yes. Tiffany and I covered a lot of ground in this deep-dive conversation: What it's like being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, the importance of building relationships with mentors, and how to go about finding (or creating!) community when you're running a business on your own. Listen here! 

Here's how Tiffany describes the episode: "I was so excited to talk with designer, metalworker, and entrepreneur Zai Divecha for this week's episode! You'll hear the story of how Zai went from Yale grad (undergrad and grad) to a career in tech to where she is now, specializing in TIG welding and producing gorgeous fine art wall hangings. 

"You'll also hear us talk about the steps Zai took as she was deciding to leave tech and become a full-time artist, and what helped her in her first year of the transition. Finally, you'll get the scoop on what kinds of support networks carry her through and some of the digital ways she keeps her fine art business organized! 

"If you've considered walking away from a looks good on paper career or degree to raise your hand and say yes to something creative, this episode is for you! Oh, and if you're looking for a dose of empowerment, you'll get that too! You guys - welding is so badass!"

Thank you, Tiffany, for a fun and engaging conversation! Check out the episode here, or listen on iTunes. 

Interview with Career Relaunch Podcast

I'm both excited and incredibly nervous to announce that I got to guest star in the most recent episode of Career Relaunch with Joseph Liu! This stellar podcast is all about how people like me have navigated dramatic career changes. 

Joseph is a fabulous host -- so articulate and engaging -- and every episode features an in-depth interview with a guest, as well as concrete action-items for any listeners who are considering making the leap themselves.

Many folks have asked me what it was like to make such a big career change. Here's your chance to find out! In this episode, I talk about how important it is to be in "flow" when working, what it was like to switch from software marketing to starting my own business, and what kind of homework I did to prepare for the transition. 

Check out Career Relaunch online, and give this episode a listen through the embedded player above, or via iTunes, Stitcher, or Android. Thanks for listening!

What I'm Listening to This Winter

I love that I get to work with my hands for long stretches at a time: It's physically challenging, meditative, and enjoyable. And it means I can listen to my headphones for hours on end! In case any of you are looking for music or podcasts to queue up for your holiday travels, I thought I'd share some of my recent favorites. (Note: Some of this is just new to me, not necessarily new to the world.) 

What are you listening to these days? Leave your music and podcast recommendations for me in the comments!

"Working For It" by Zhu

This was my power song this fall! I listened to it on repeat in the shop and also while running a half-marathon last month (I attribute my sub-two-hour time to the combination of Zhu + caffeine). Favorite line: "She want it all / She want it all / She working hard for the money / She want it all." If you like this track, you might also like Automatic, As Crazy As It Is, and Zhu's sleeper hit from a couple years ago, Faded.

StartUp Podcast

StartUp documents what goes on behind the scenes at a startup, in real time. The first season follows former This American Life and Planet Money producer Alex Blumberg as he attempts to start his own podcasting company (#meta). We get to hear his blundered pitch to a VC, a tense equity negotiation with a potential co-founder, and many late-night chats with his witty and thoughtful wife. I am obsessed with this podcast! I tore through both season (almost 20 hours) in less than a week, and actually ended up listening to the entire first season again. It's well-produced, thought-provoking, and insightful. I'd especially recommend it to anyone who's interested in business or entrepreneurship. Tune in on SoundCloud or iTunes. And definitely listen in chronological order, starting with the first episode of the first season:

"Here She Comes Again" by Röyksopp

I love this dark and brooding track. It's creepy and haunting, and also pretty catchy. I did a lot of welding to this music! Other Röyksopp tracks I'm enjoying: Skulls, Monument (Feat. Robyn), and Something In My Heart (feat. Jamie Irrepressible).

the get.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2016 is to consume less media produced by straight, white cismen. It's high time I make an effort to seek out women's voices, queer and trans voices, and voices of people of color. Listening to The Get has been a great way to kick off this project! The show is hosted by Ivy Onyeador and Rhiana Gunn-Wright, two whip-smart, kickass women of color from my class at Yale. They take on pop culture, current events, and meaty social justice issues in a conversational manner that's hilarious, riveting, snarky, and joyful. I didn't actually know them when we were in school, but, thanks to their podcast, I feel like we're practically best friends. More importantly, I'm a better-informed, more thoughtful feminist because of them. Check out The Get on iTunes! Here's an episode I found especially engaging: The Cost of Being A Bo$$. 

"One Time" by Marian Hill

I've probably listened to this sultry song a hundred times this fall. I don't know anything about Marian Hill's story or background, but her music is addictive and fresh and melodic. If you like this track, check out Lovit, Got It, and Lips. 

Planet Money

If you listen to NPR, you're probably already familiar with this snappy economics podcast. They have so many good episodes, it was hard to just choose a few to highlight! There's the one about Super Business Girl, a feisty 12-year-old entrepreneur; there's the epic, multi-episode investigation of how t-shirts are produced in the global economy; and of course, there's the one where they scrutinize a monthly ISIS budget that was recently smuggled out of Syria. Catch more episodes on iTunes or on the NPR website. 

"Masterpiece" by Jessie J

This is my shameless, pump-up, power anthem! Listen to this if you're feeling down about yourself and need a pep-talk.

Women of the Hour

In this podcast, Lena Dunham (creator of the HBO hit Girls) interviews all kinds of women on a variety of topics, including body, friendships, love, and work. Her brand of feminism has been criticized in the past for not being intersectional enough (i.e., not addressing the ways in which gender intersects with race, class, sexuality, etc.). But with Women of the Hour, I think she's doing an admirable job of listening, learning in a public way, and making an effort to understand -- and share! -- the stories of queer and trans women, women of different ages, and women of color. You can listen on iTunes or SoundCloud. Here's one of my favorite episodes:

Hello, World!

"A+E" by Clean Bandit, feat. Kandaka Moore & Nikki Cislyn

I didn't really fall in love with Clean Bandit until my best friend Jasmin took me to see them play live. They're so good! Global dance beats, strong vocals, and real instruments (which is refreshing if you mostly listen to electronic music, like I do). Don't miss Come Over (feat. Stylo G), Real Love, and of course, their Top 40 hit, Rather Be. 

Song Exploder

In each short and sweet episode, host Hrishikesh Hirway deconstructs one song while interviewing the artist. Check out this episode, which is all about the Game of Thrones theme song! If you want more, find Song Exploder on SoundCloud, iTunes, and on their website.

"Talk is Cheap" by Chet Faker

I'm pretty much always in the mood for Chet Faker. His music is melodic, soulful, and mellow. Side note: If you need a good Pandora station for a dinner party, you can't go wrong with Chet Faker! Don't miss Gold, Drop the Game, I'm Into You, and his stellar cover of No Diggity.

This American Life

I know I'm super late to this party, but I finally discovered how amazing This American Life is. If you've been living under a rock like I have, each episode explores several personal narratives that center around one theme. The stories are riveting, important, charming, and occasionally heartbreaking. The best part is that they have a mobile app that has twenty-five years' worth of archived episodes! Goldmine! I think I averaged about seven episodes per day during my peak welding days this fall. (They also have old episodes on their website.) Here's a powerful episode about haters on the internet:

Anything by Akon

This is not a joke. I love Akon. Not exactly a feminist hero, but you can't deny that he makes catchy music! Including a Bollywood song! In which he sings in Hindi! Did you know that?! I almost died when I first heard Chammak Challo. I also love Keep Up, Beautiful, and Right Now (Na Na Na). 

If you've made it this far down my list, then here's a little Easter egg for you. It's a silly little tribute to Akon that I made after welding, grinding, and sanding 26 Geo Bowls in one week. Cheers!