Guest: Cheryl Thompson

Industry: Academia

Project: Writing an Academic Book

Dr. Cheryl Thompson’s new book, Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom 1812-1897 comes out this month, and we discuss the creativity inherent in finding the story that ties together facts in an authentic and truthful way.

Find out more about Dr. Thompson’s work at:

www.mobaprojects.ca

www.drcherylthompson.com

@theblackcreativelab

www.linkedin.com/company/mobaprojects

Guest: Serkan Özkaya

Industry: Conceptual Art

Project: David Inspired by Michelangelo

What is a conversation about constraints when it comes to creating art? Well, like the advice you get if you don’t like the weather in the Maritimes, just wait five minutes. From time, to cost, to scope, it’s not a matter of whether Serkan Ozkaya’s artistic vision will be realized. No matter the how, when, or how much, it will happen.

https://serkanozkaya.com/

Guest: Jagger Gordon

Industry: Culinary Arts

Project: Feed It Forward

Chef Jagger Gordon has dedicated his life and career to saving food from being needlessly wasted and is building an empire that includes restaurants, markets, programs, books, and whatever other tool he can use to spread the message about the inordinate amount of food that is thrown away each day. And it’s working. Combining a clear vision, dedication, and energy he is proving that when it comes to food rescue, if you build it, they will come.

Visit these links to learn more, get involved, and contribute:

https://myhouseinthejunction.com/

https://jaggergordon.com/

https://feeditforward.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/feeditforwardofficial/

Guest: Edison Chung

Industry: Protest

Project: 2019 Hong Kong Protests

Don’t think protest movements fit in a podcast about project obstacles in the creative industries? Well, challenging our understanding of what a creative industry is, is one of the mandates of Constraints. In the wake of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party’s decision to disband, participant of change Edison Chung describes the “shared emotion” that brought 2 million people out to the streets of Hong Kong to protest in 2019.

Guest: Gillian Steinhardt

Industry: Film & Television

Project: Music Videos

Sometimes you just aren’t given the freedom of creativity on a particular job that you would prefer; but when you love the process of dressing an actor to help them realize their character, you learn to advocate for your vision no matter the circumstances. And when the freedom is there? Well, that’s why Gillian does what she does.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0826062/

https://gilliansteinhardtjewelry.com/

Guest: Nick Dagan Best

Industry: Astrology

Project: Following His Passion

Do historians work in a creative industry? Their product is the narrative of historical events told through their unique perspective, and in as much as there is creativity required to produce each unique explanation, so too can we say that the output is creative. For Nick Dagan Best, his calendar mind has always viewed Astrology as a way to narrate history, and over the last thirty years, has made a career out of his passion for viewing the world through the lens of the position of the stars and planets through time. His obstacle? Society’s ever-changing perspective on his passion.

https://www.nickdaganbestastrologer.com/

Guest: Dave Bidini

Industry: Newspaper Publishing

Project: Creating the West End Phoenix

On this, the inauguration day of President Trump, I speak with Dave Bidini, founder of the West End Phoenix- a Toronto local print newspaper- about the constraints of funding and promotion in an age when the importance of alternate news outlets from reliable sources is more important than ever. Recorded on site at the WEP headquarters, I could feel the sense of community that is the foundation of all that WEP represents. Subscribe to the West End Phoenix wherever in the world you live; and if you're in Toronto, join their town hall on The Future of the Continent on January 25, 2025.

Instagram: @westendphoenix

www.westendphoenix.com

Guest: Karuna Scheinfeld

Industry: Fashion

Project: Clothing Brand

Sometimes the drive for creativity is bigger than the satisfaction of attaining great heights and accolades in your creative industry. For Karuna Scheinfeld, this meant leaving her role of Chief Product Officer at Roots to pursue not only her own unique line of clothing, but a business model that challenges the way the fashion industry operates.

https://fourobjects.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fourobjects/p/C12qgIQMZnK/