Artifice

If you’re curious about the secrets of fulfilled creative living, then ask Lauren Spangler. As a creativity coach she helps artists bridge the gap between their boldest visions and their everyday reality. A painter, writer, and musician herself, as well as a wife and mom of two, Lauren’s mission is to empower artists to enjoy the creative freedom they crave without giving up their other roles and...

KARA BUSSEY, FOUNDER, INSTRUCTOR AND MAKER (CALGARY) Meet Kara, a stained glass artist from Calgary, Canada. She creates unique 3D glass floral sculptures using stained glass, copper wire, and found objects. Leveraging her over 15 years of experience in communications and public relations, Kara uses social media to bring modern stained glass to the masses, bringing the fun with entertaining staine...

Eriksen Dickens is an award winning filmmaker, actor, and business owner based in California. In 2016, Eriksen co-founded Platinum Peek Inc., with his brother, Soren, while in college. Platinum Peek is a video agency that specializes in creating story-driven video solutions for marketing, sales, and operations teams for clients around the country. In 2017, Eriksen directed his first documentary, H...

I’m Abby, the owner and creator of WoodSolStone studio located in Cincinnati, Ohio. My passion for plants and all things green has always been a part of my dna, so the organic way that this art came to be only made sense for me. I’ve always been a creative person and love the process of moss art. I use every bit of nature I find to create a magical like-living art to infuse the wonderful beauty of...

Bailey Elizabeth Hinkley Grogan is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, sound healer, and performer based out of Denver, CO and Los Angeles, CA. Her bright, yet melancholy sound is a reflection of her deep study into the jazz idiom while simultaneously playing homage to her influences in Nancy Wilson, Chick Corea, Sheryl Crow, and Pat Metheny. Her improvisatory style is fearless and bold, while her songwr...

Janne is a floral photographer living in North Yorkshire in the UK. With a background in fashion and textile design she is drawn to the colourful world of flowers and creates still life imagery using natural light. Janneford.com

‍Amrita is an entrepreneur and the founder of @mykalekitchen. She set up My Kale Kitchen Creative as a boutique content creation company that provides cinematic and emotive videography to food and beverage brands and is currently expanding into lifestyle content and short-films as well. Amrita specializes in short-form cinematography and her true passion is in capturing those special moments behin...

Dr. Matt R. Salmon, DO, MS is the Manager of Psychiatry at Whitman Walker Health in Washington, DC, specializing in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth who’ve faced chronic interpersonal trauma. Matt's unique perspective is shaped by personal experiences of growing up queer and autistic in a conservative Mormon household in Phoenix, Arizona, and the challenges of n...

Brian Casey is a jazz bassist, educator and researcher based in Colorado. Brian serves as Associate Professor of Academic Jazz at the University of Northern Colorado and earned a DMA in Jazz Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder where he taught courses in Humanities, Jazz Studies, and American Music. Brian earned a MM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas where he played wit...

From Mesa, AZ. Attended film school at Scottsdale Community College and studied History and Sociology of Western Religion at MCC/BYU (note: I did not graduate from any of those colleges lol). Currently located in south bay Los Angeles, CA. Working for a digital Healthcare company called Sharecare in Value-based Care Technology Integrations. http://theantianti.blogspot.com/

Lauren McDonald Zuniga has been writing since she first learned to read at age three. She graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas in 2012. She worked as a freelance contributor to the local Utah newspaper The Davis County Clipper, as well freelancing as a writing counselor for beginning creative writers for nearly ten years. She had her first non-fiction short st...

Throughout her life, Kimber has had two deep passions: water and art. It seemed obvious she would foray into the underwater portrait photography industry however, the road she took was a bit more scenic. As a teenager, Kimber worked as a lifeguard and eventually became Open Water SCUBA certified in a frigid Ohio quarry. In college, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at Texas A&M...

Double bass player Birgir Steinn Theodorsson graduated from FÍH's music school with distinction in 2015 and subsequently studied at the jazz department of the Berlin Academy of Arts and Hans Eisler in Berlin. Birgir Steinn has worked with numerous bands and musicians, both as double bass player, co-author and arranger. He has performed in many places in Europe and the USA, played at international...

Ep. 180: Scott Franklin by Artifice Podcast by Emily Merrell

Thomas Bartlett is a wire jewelry craftsman and artist out of Minneapolis Minnesota. His work utilizes weaving and coiling of wire to create detailed highly textural settings for natural stones and crystals. In addition to jewelry work Thomas has a BFA in 2d media and creates psychosexual surrealist illustrations and paintings. Instagram.com/_whiskey_kitten_ Instagram.com/thomasbartlettart

Dave Chisholm is a graphic novelist and musician currently living in Rochester, NY where he received his doctorate in jazz trumpet from the Eastman School of Music in 2013. His expertise in music as well as his formal inventiveness within the comics medium has resulted in a string of critically-acclaimed music-centric graphic novels including Enter the Blue (2022, Z2 Comics), Chasin' the Bird: Cha...

Hailing from Narembeen in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, Jordan is a metal artist specialising in one-of-a-kind animal sculptures. Using retired tools, machine parts and recycled farm scrap sourced throughout rural Western Australia, Jordan finds inspiration in the animal kingdom and brings his sculptures to life. Now in his tenth year as a full time sculptor, Jordan builds a variety of piece...

Jennifer Taylor-O'Connor is an attorney, animal cognition trainer, writer, and international speaker, focusing on animal literacy and communication. A "parrot mama" for over 16 years, Jen has been developing cognition training techniques for almost a decade. Her training manuals have been translated and distributed throughout Europe, and she’s been featured in Bird Talk magazine. Jen has twice wri...

Casey Drake is a self-taught artist, author, illustrator, and mother currently based in Orlando, Florida. While always driven by a strong, intrinsic need to create, her artistic journey took an unexpected turn when her whimsical sidewalk chalk creations gained widespread recognition in 2020. Before this, Casey obtained a bachelor’s of science in Biology, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in South...

From Anna's Obituary: Mary Annaleen Mooy, beloved sister, aunt, teacher, and devoted friend to many, age 65, peacefully passed away on January 15, 2024, due to complications of a brain tumor. I'm so grateful I have this conversation with Anna to remember and cherish, along with some truly impactful memories from my time as her student. It feels right to honor her by sharing this interview a second...

Pham was born in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1979. His parents are Vietnamese and fled the country during the Vietnam War. The family moved to the United States when he was five months old and has lived in the U.S. ever since. Pham was teased often as a young child, and has said that he began to "resent being Asian" because of this bullying. He often avoided traditional Asian food while growing up...

Evan Werner is an avid woodworker, chef, outdoorsman, and entrepreneur. Living in a rural community in Utah has allowed him to spend more time with his artistic passions. He runs South Slope Wood-fired Pizza with his wife Priscilla. When he’s not serving up delicious wood fired pizza he’s in the mountains fly fishing or searching for unique logs to harvest to create furniture and wood turned piece...

Joey Anderson (he/they) is a movement-based artist and educator based in his hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah. He is currently a member of FLEET Co-Op, directed by Shelby Taylor, which just concluded its inaugural year. In collaboration with FLEET, Joey contributed in building and performing their immersive show, “Monomyth,” last Fall as well as their work shown at 801 Salon in May 2023. He also pre...

Jennifer Madsen is a prized fixture on performing stages of the West. A lifelong singer and actress, her early career included being a cast member of Brigham Young University’s famed performing group the Young Ambassadors. That experience founded her love of the art and afforded her the chance to sing, dance, and act for audiences across the globe. Using her strong foundational understanding for t...

Aaron Schumacher is a dynamic vocalist, music director, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Known for his technical expertise and innovative approach, Aaron serves as the Soprano and Technical Director for m-pact, a globally celebrated vocal group renowned for their authentic and powerful vocal performances. As an entrepreneur, Aaron founded VocalMist, a company offering specialized vocal healt...