A sticky floor, a half-broken PA, and fifteen people who actually listen—sometimes that’s all it takes to shape a voice you’ll carry for life. We revisit our Boston days with Unction, the band that treated Monday nights at The Rat like a creative laboratory, and we unpack why low-stakes rooms are the secret engine of real growth. From peeling paint to tight harmonies, we explore how small, attentive crowds and imperfect venues gave us permission to be unfinished, to fail loudly, and to discov...
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A sticky floor, a half-broken PA, and fifteen people who actually listen—sometimes that’s all it takes to shape a voice you’ll carry for life. We revisit our Boston days with Unction, the band that treated Monday nights at The Rat like a creative laboratory, and we unpack why low-stakes rooms are the secret engine of real growth. From peeling paint to tight harmonies, we explore how small, attentive crowds and imperfect venues gave us permission to be unfinished, to fail loudly, and to discov...
A sticky floor, a half-broken PA, and fifteen people who actually listen—sometimes that’s all it takes to shape a voice you’ll carry for life. We revisit our Boston days with Unction, the band that treated Monday nights at The Rat like a creative laboratory, and we unpack why low-stakes rooms are the secret engine of real growth. From peeling paint to tight harmonies, we explore how small, attentive crowds and imperfect venues gave us permission to be unfinished, to fail loudly, and to discov...
What if the map is the problem? We trade tidy outlines for living curiosity and show how “getting wild” can rescue a flat draft, reroute a stuck project, and even clarify the self that’s been hiding behind a careful plan. Wildness here isn’t chaos. It’s the deeper order you notice when you pause the algorithm, walk into unfamiliar streets, and let the work speak first. We start with light and shadow—the inner contradiction that powers real art—and a coffee shop moment that reframed preparati...
Ever stared down a project while your brain begged for one more option, one more draft, one more “thinking walk”? We’ve been there—on an opera stage with eighty Vikings, in ad studios racing against dawn, and inside a passion project that ballooned into overwhelm. Today we pull those threads together to show how decisive action turns chaos into creative momentum. We start with the high-stakes story: a dress rehearsal, an expectant cast, and a conductor waiting. That pressure cooker reveals a...
The haunting vulnerability of 3AM self-doubt is a universal experience, but for creatives, it takes on an almost mythic quality. This raw, unfiltered exploration of the "dark night of the soul" reveals how these moments of paralyzing uncertainty aren't failures but essential initiations into deeper artistry. What happens when you wake in darkness convinced you're a fraud? When you question every creative choice and wonder if you should abandon your art entirely? I recently endured such a dar...
Have you ever wondered if the sounds we make might journey forever through the vastness of space? According to Chris McHale, they do exactly that—traveling as "songsprites" that leave permanent marks on the cosmos. The Galactic Songsprite Contest emerges as a vibrant community-building initiative where sound becomes something far more profound than entertainment. McHale shares his childhood belief that songs lived inside his shortwave radio, voices and vibrations he pulled down from the sky ...
What happens when a seasoned creative who's spent decades in traditional marketing dives headfirst into the bewildering world of social media algorithms? Join Chris McHale on this raw, unfiltered journey as he documents the creation of "Song in Space" – an epic space opera for kids being developed with a global team of passionate creators. The digital landscape has transformed how creative content comes to life. Gone are the days when you needed strategy teams, account executives, creative d...
What does music reveal about our humanity in an age where machines can sing? Chris McHale, composer and Studio GGG founder, unveils his life's work: The Sonic Humanist Project—a four-part creative odyssey exploring sound's power to shape identity, heal divisions, and unite us. The project begins with "Sound Strategies," McHale's field guide to vibration's future drawn from creating over 30,000 soundtracks. Next, his upcoming TED talk deconstructs how a simple four-note melody became the bill...
What happens when the algorithms come for our art? As AI promises to dominate the world by 2027, we're left wondering what remains uniquely human in our creative landscape. The answer lies not in what we create, but why we create it, and who we become through the process. This episode dives into three essential sparks of humanity that AI can never truly replicate: kindness, shared culture, and resilience. Through the gentle revolution of Fred Rogers, who changed policy with nothing more than...
What if the most vivid way to experience America's pastime isn't through your eyes, but through your ears? Baseball transcends the boundaries of visual media in a way no other sport can match. When the crack of the bat echoes through radio waves, something magical happens – the game transforms into pure theater of the mind. Your imagination paints the outfield greener than any high-definition broadcast, the players larger than life, and that fly ball might just never come down. The voices w...
What pulls someone towards art? It's rarely a straight line. It begins with a flicker, a strange obsession, a moment that seizes you and doesn't let go. Photographer John Ortner's creative journey began with a casual suggestion from a hippie on a houseboat in Kashmir: "There's this cave not too far from here where holy men go." Without preparation, Ortner and friends trekked into the Himalaya, surrounded by thousands of sadhus—wandering mystics who've spent lifetimes seeking truth. Their...
What if genius isn't talent at all, but a glitch in time? A portal opening to futures not yet arrived? Throughout history, extraordinary artists and thinkers have described their creative process not as invention but as transmission – receiving fully-formed visions, melodies, equations and ideas from somewhere beyond themselves. William Blake claimed he could see "the past and the present and the future all existing at once." Mozart reportedly heard entire symphonies in his mind before writi...
Send us a text Join us as visionary traveler, author, and photographer Jon Ortner talks about his extraordinary adventures across some of the world's most sacred landscapes. From the mystical realms of India's Amarnath Caves to the breathtaking heights of the Himalaya, Jon's passion for understanding and capturing the spiritual essence of ancient religions becomes a voyage of artistic and personal transformation. Hear about his 65-day trek through Nepal's Kali Gorge, where the interplay of na...
Send us a text This episode uncovers the vital role of the word "because" in storytelling and creativity. It highlights how this seemingly simple word enhances narrative flow, connects characters to their choices, and serves as a persuasive tool in communication. • Exploring the significance of the word “because” • How “because” links actions and meaning in storytelling • The concept of voltage in narrative flow • Persuasive power of “because” in arguments • Understan...
Send us a text Join us for an inspiring conversation with Kristopher Eng, a founder and composer at House of Elias, as he shares his journey and insights on adaptive music in video games and beyond. Kristopher's pioneering work in adaptive music for video games is not just about sound; it's about transforming the gaming experience into something engaging and authentic. We'll also hear about his fascinating path from the Royal College in Stockholm to developing the Elias 4 platform and how ada...
Send us a text Peter Green's journey is inspiring. He reveals the profound impact that the performing arts can have on individuals and communities alike. His story is a testament to the power of art in building connections and fostering a sense of belonging. Join us as Peter shares how his initial desire for validation evolved into a deeper pursuit of communion with audiences, highlighting the healing and unifying potential of theatre. We discuss the importance of intentional kindness in the...
Send us a text Discover the future of creativity in the video game industry with insights from Ric Neil, the innovative founder of Noctua Interactive. Ric's extensive journey through giants like Electronic Arts and Amazon Video Game Studios sets the stage for an engaging discussion on how emerging technologies revolutionize game development. Explore how these advancements empower developers with limited resources and draw fascinating parallels with using robots in construction. Ric shares per...
Send us a text Renowned sound designer and composer Lance Massey's journey from Manchester, Tennessee, to the vibrant soundscape of New York City is nothing short of extraordinary. This episode of Creativity Jijiji gets into the serendipitous twists that led Lance to become a key figure in the dynamic NYC commercial music scene. From his unexpected acceptance to Oberlin College, where he discovered a passion for electronic music and pioneering computer systems, to his exploration of his Appal...
Send us a text Join us as we unlock the secrets of voice casting with Dane Gorman, a top-tier casting director and founder of Speaks Casting. Discover the often-overlooked magic that casting breathes into audio dramas, transforming mere scripts into award-winning productions. Together, Dane and I share our journeys and lessons from our collaboration on "Song in Space," a project highlighting the power of the perfect voice to turn complex narratives into engaging experiences. Our conver...
Send us a text Sitting at my kitchen table, anxiously scanning emails for that one response that could change everything, I found myself on a journey all too familiar to creatives—waiting for validation, fearing rejection. Join Air Jijiji and me, Chris Mchale, as we share this rollercoaster of emotions and lay out five strategies to help artists like you navigate the murky waters of creative rejection. We'll delve into the importance of developing a resilient mindset, drawing from personal st...
Send us a text Can you imagine a world where artists struggle to earn a living despite creating beloved works? That's the reality we face today, as back-end revenue in the entertainment industry is vanishing, leaving creatives in the lurch. In this episode of Air Jijiji, we share a personal experience with the children's show "Chuggington" to illustrate how back-end deals once served as a financial lifeline for artists. We'll examine the seismic shifts caused by Silicon Valley's disruption, w...
A sticky floor, a half-broken PA, and fifteen people who actually listen—sometimes that’s all it takes to shape a voice you’ll carry for life. We revisit our Boston days with Unction, the band that treated Monday nights at The Rat like a creative laboratory, and we unpack why low-stakes rooms are the secret engine of real growth. From peeling paint to tight harmonies, we explore how small, attentive crowds and imperfect venues gave us permission to be unfinished, to fail loudly, and to discov...
