Sustaining Craft

Episode 33: Aaron Walker: Loving People Through Tattoos

September 5th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  39 mins 52 secs

arkansas, little rock, little rock art, little rock artists, tattoo artists, tattoos, watercolor tattoos

Aaron Walker had his sights set on new school tattoos, when he first started his career as a tattoo artist. Then a few clients asked him for watercolor tattoos, and he realized how much fun he had building out the color. Nine years later, he's still pursuing his craft in a private downtown Little Rock studio.

Episode 32: Katy Raines, Part 2: Relearning How To Love Art

August 9th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  21 mins 52 secs

after hours art, arkansas, friday night art, little rock, little rock art, little rock artists

Katy Raines is back to share what she's been up to since 2018 and how she learned to love art again.

Robert Bean, a Little Rock visual storyteller, is back on the Sustaining Craft podcast for the third time to share what he's been up to, how to gain separation from your art in a healthy way and get feedback, along with how it's impossible to have expression without practice.

Episode 31: Robert Bean, Part 3: Giving the Work Space

April 14th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  42 mins 4 secs

arkansas, art classes, artist, central arkansas, creative, exhibit, painter, poetry, sustaining craft, sustaining passion

Robert Bean, a Little Rock visual storyteller, is back on the Sustaining Craft podcast for the third time to share what he's been up to, how to gain separation from your art in a healthy way and get feedback, along with how it's impossible to have expression without practice.

Episode 30: Hannah Allen Anderson, Part 2: Breaking the Rules

February 8th, 2023  |  Season 4  |  37 mins 31 secs

Hannah Allen Anderson is the florist and mastermind behind Petal to the Metal Floristry, and she’s looking to shake things up one stem at a time. She returned to Sustaining Craft to discuss her wedding, how she has continued to refine her style, and what special aspects she brings to her Valentine’s Day offerings.

Episode 29: Danielle Perrault: Singing to Pursue Joy

August 23rd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  51 mins 32 secs

actor, coaching, creative life, holistic voice coach, opera, singer, singing, sustaining craft

Danielle Perrault is a holistic vocal coach, actor, and singer who knows the struggles of pursuing a creative career all too well. She had no intention of singing when she first attended college as a psychology major. She made the switch to pursue nursing, and then stumbled into opera by way of elective courses when all of the classes she needed for nursing were full. Now, she is working through what a creative life means to her personally while helping others get the support they need.

Episode 28: Liz Taylor-McMullen: Creating Smiles With Community Music

May 21st, 2020  |  Season 3  |  32 mins 31 secs

arkansas, creative stories, music, musician, pandemic stories

Liz Taylor-McMullen, a part-time musician in Little Rock, had to stop rehearsals and music lessons when the pandemic hit. She was still able to work her 9-5 at the university, and she's found the time to pursue another passion: arranging music.

Episode 27: Robert Bean, Part 2: Investigating People Through Visual Arts

May 1st, 2020  |  Season 3  |  27 mins 52 secs

arkansas, art classes, artist, central arkansas, coronavirus, covid19, creative, exhibit, painter, poetry

Robert Bean, a visual storyteller focused on painting and drawing, found that life didn't change much when the pandemic hit. He hopes that others continue their creative endeavors when they return to their normal lives.

Episode 26: Chris Swasta: Hearing in 3D

April 22nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  17 mins 6 secs

arkansas, artist, central arkansas, coronavirus, covid19, creative, exhibit, potter, pottery

Chris Swasta created 6,000 pieces for a collaborative exhibit at the Thea Foundation scheduled for April 3. The show was postponed until 2021. He's been a full-time potter for the past six years and he teaches pottery at the Arkansas Arts Center.

Episode 25: Morgan Allain: Discovering New Mediums and Techniques

April 2nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  16 mins 14 secs

artist, creative, creative business, getting creative, hope, hope on the other side, louisiana, making a living from art, painter, painting, pandemic, stories about painters

Morgan Allain is an artist in rural Louisiana who saw conventions being cancelled early on, which helped her and her family of artists prepare. Morgan creates art on her Instagram, offers special perks through her Patreon, and sells originals and prints through her Etsy shop.

Episode 24: Hannah Genevieve Lawrence: Weaving Functional Art

March 27th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  19 mins 29 secs

arkansas, artist, central arkansas, coronavirus, covid19, creative, exhibit, macrame

Hannah Genevieve Lawrence was about to have her collaborative exhibit at the Thea Foundation. Then the pandemic hit. Hannah is a macramé artist with Strands Textiles and an assistant gallery director at M2 Gallery. She moved to Little Rock in 2018. She creates and instructs others on how to make functional art using rope and wool.

Episode 23: Brandy Mimms: Listening with Your Eyes

February 12th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 56 secs

arkansas, central arkansas, dance troupe, deaf, deaf dancer, deaf talent

Brandy Mimms always loved music. Wanting to perform, she became a cheerleader while attending college in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, she left with her 10-week-old son. When she ended up in Arkansas, she decided to study dance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Now, she's a professional deaf dancer who goes by Unique the Deaf Dancer, owns her own dance company, Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe, and teaches dance at Southwest Community Center in Little Rock.

Episode 22: Stacey Bowers: Stamping an Edge on the Delicate

January 22nd, 2020  |  Season 2  |  22 mins 37 secs

creative stories, design, jewelry, jewelry design, little rock, little rock art, stories, sustaining craft

Stacey Bowers wanted to make her friends laugh. She’d already had an understanding of jewelry making from her time as a teenager working at a bead store, then she taught herself how to stamp metal. The gifts for her friends caught the eyes of others, and she built an Etsy shop, then a website. By 2018, she had to decide if she wanted to make Bang-Up Betty her full-time gig. She booked a trade show in Vegas and quit her day job. Now, her work has been featured in Buzzfeed and other national platforms, and she makes all of her income as a jewelry designer at her home studio and Stifft Station Gifts.

Episode 21: Joshua Kurtz: Socializing through World Building

January 3rd, 2020  |  Season 2  |  50 mins 21 secs

art, business, craft, creative business, dnd, fantasy, homeschool, marketing, small business, stories, storytelling

Joshua Kurtz's journey towards professional dungeon master began years ago. He traveled the world with a theater college program, then started his own production nonprofit. He was teaching theater classes when a parent asked him if he provided childcare. He said no, but he had a tabletop game he could play with the kids. Now, he provides professional dungeon master services for Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing table-top games to the greater Philadelphia area, while offering a positive role playing experience for all ages and occasions. Over the past year and a half, he grew his business from part-time to full-time as of January 2020.

Episode 20: Hannah Allen: Putting Petal to the Metal

November 29th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  35 mins 53 secs

arkansas, art, art stories, business, career, central arkansas, little rock, professional artist, storytelling

Hannah Allen learned a hard lesson in college, and she dropped out twice before earning her degree on the third try. Now, with Petal to the Metal Floristry, she helps brides with floral arrangements for their weddings, offering affordability without compromising quality. It's a path that has its roots in her childhood, as the flower girl at her mother's friends' weddings. But it took her a few detours to get there.

Episode 19: Michael Eubanks: Using Art to Combat Fear

November 6th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  54 mins 57 secs

arkansas, art, art stories, business, career, central arkansas, little rock, mental health, musician, professional artist, saxophonist, social worker, storytelling, sustaining craft, veteran, vocalist

Art and music helped Michael Eubanks as a kid when he struggling to make friends and talk to others. When he sang, his stutter didn’t matter. And although he left his saxophone behind for a few years, it found him again, especially when he was unexpectedly back in the United States after fifteen years in the military, due to a reduction in strength, as they call a military downsizing.

Episode 18: Jessica and Justin Crum: Proving That Creative Careers Are Possible (But Difficult)

September 3rd, 2019  |  Season 2  |  48 mins 9 secs

arkansas, art, art stories, business, career, central arkansas, little rock, professional artist, storytelling

She was an outgoing, young single mother. He was a shy script writer. They bonded over trips to the farmer's market after church and then experienced their first kiss in a cemetery. Now, Jessica and Justin Crum, married for ten years, are forging their careers in graphic design and film making in rural Arkansas. They want to reveal that creative careers don't need a backup plan.