Cannabis Goldsmith - A Show About Art and Design

Google renaming our lakes is last straw. I talk about how I am moving my small tech stack away from Google in particular and US tech companies in general, because they are now all US Department of War defense contractors. I have a long history with the company, but I consider this lake thing an attack on Canadian sovereignty.

As a Canadian, I don't have to subscribe to that and neither should you. I talk about moving our email to P...

Our government has finally struck back against the american regime for their stupid tariffs, except not until Sept 8. Gym bros in Canada will be hit particularly hard with 50% duty on whey protein and gym equipment. It is all so stupid.

In this episode I talk about what I'll do as a designer now that my export market to the USA has shut for our precious metals jewelry products. A product design came to me that incorporates my anger ...

Orange clown's announcement of a 50% tariff on art, craft and jewelry from Canada which was supposed to impact us today has been paused for 3 days. US markets are still closed to Canadian art products because a promise of the tariff 2 weeks ago stopped all sales. Our US market won't re-open in 3 days.

The demented lunatic just has to say he will impose a large tariff on Canada, pull it back, and do it over and over again to destroy...

An inch wide flat fireproof gasket fell into my old-timey-looking wood stove. Contacting the Old Order Mennonites who apparently made the stove by hand is proving difficult because they don't have an email address or use the internet. Once I reach them to get the advice I need to replace the gasket, the woodstove will likely outlast the internet itself. I marvel at how the choice to not use the Internet to better one's community ma...

On August 19th a 50% tariff on Canadian arts, crafts, and jewelry exports to the United States comes into effect which will collapse Canada's arts sector. Where is our Prime Minister?

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The C...

The Toronto Star Theo Moudakis trump monopoly cartoon which blames Canada's opposition leader for selling out the Gordie Howe Bridge to the Americans is clearly misinformation.

The point of the Moudakis cartoon wasn't to inform, it was to tell readers how to interpret events. Political cartoons are not merely vehicles for propaganda, they are also framing devices.

Cartoons are probably one of the worst types of political propaganda....

On August 19, 2026 a 50% US tariff will be applied to Canadian Arts, Crafts, and Jewelry exports into the United States and this will destroy the arts sector in Canada.

Will governor Carney do anything to challenge it? Will his government support artists and makers? Or will he continue to be a no-show at the negotiation table as our trade agreements expire and creative industries collapse?

Will his government continue to pick and ch...

You really ought to watch this 15 minute documentary on Canadian painter Anne MacIntosh Duff:

https://youtu.be/RVB-Ft1MXbA

The first episode of my documentary film series PRESERVE THE BEAT is complete and exported. I am giving it a couple of days to rest, then I'll watch it once more and upload it to our own video server for public viewing.

Creating this has been emotionally grueling at times. A lot of hard work and thinking went int...

I hate social media, and I know you do too. As artists, we are being abused by social media platforms' billionaire, bunker-dwelling owners who shape, control, and monetize our art while giving nothing back.

I've had enough of it. In this episode, I describe how I am refusing to use social media as the destination for my art. Instead, people will have to come to my website to see it.

I am even putting extra effort into making it unsha...

Canada's greatness lies in its nature.

I am making you all honorary Canadians for the day.

TRIBE – Custom Made Sterling Silver Trophy Belt Buckles and Jewelry – Product of Canada https://tribe.ca

Send an email to alexd@cannabisgoldsmith.com to get on our mailing list or to order custom Canadian produced precious metal jewelry products from TRIBE.

The Cannabis Goldsmith is an Art & Design podcast produced by TRIBE COMMU...

You see it now, don’t you? How AI slop is filling up social media platforms and pushing out authentic or human generated content. How can artists survive and communicate with potential customers when Google won’t tell customers where we are?

I’ve thought about this topic for a long time, decades really, and have no guaranteed answers that will work for you. But here is what I am trying to do, my strategy for tipto...

I've been using using synthesizers and audio recorders for the last 7 weeks to create mini audio soundtracks and sound effects for video productions and an upcoming monthly YouTube series on the birth of electronic music in Canada.

In this show I talk about using audio design to boost and enhance your own art, whether at a gallery or on a youtube video. Sound design is an art too, and it doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.

...

Why artist colonies are important, how they form, why they move and change. I describe the very first artist colony, Helicon. I talk about modern artist colonies like Queen St. West in Toronto the 1980's and South Eastern Ontario in the late 2020's.

I'm making small electronic music soundtrack audio pieces for my own YouTube video productions using camera shutter sounds (from a camera used to photograph DJs and ravers in the 2000's...

Making a documentary film is one of the hardest things a human can do, but that won’t stop me! I explain the strategy behind my own film, from the vague original idea to a clear direction. I talk about all the different elements you have to consider when making a documentary, from music to sets, and how you can use free AI tools to create your own documentary film school and learn new techniques.

I discuss using subject matter...

The American business, tech, and media press are saying that people who work with their hands will be fine in spite of the AI onslaught because AI can't do plumbing or sew quilts. But it's really about discovery and distribution. If Google is not providing search results anymore and is just providing "answers," the answers provided will soon be paid for by the highest bidder. Small artists, businesses, us - we won't stand a chance ...

 What are studio monitors and why would you need them? How are they different from normal audio speakers? In this episode I talk about how studio monitors are not meant for easy listening, but rather to reveal problems in audio.

Ordinary speakers are meant for audio enjoyment in a multitude of settings. Studio monitors are designed for one specific purpose in a single, highly controlled environment. Woofer color is not importa...

I’ve noticed a change in Vox Media podcasts since the beginning of the year. Much of podcasting is built on the closeness of the host-audience relationship, and when you have listened to a show for a while you can tell when something is wrong.
But now, they are talking about openly it on their shows. Channels with Peter Kafka:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cond%C3%A9-nast-ceo-roger-lynch-on-ai-the-met-gala-and/...

Where can you go to be seen when you're ultra-rich and live in an underground bunker to hide from the nightmare world you've created? The ultra-rich have nowhere to go yet have an insatiable desire to be seen and admired. The Met Gala is the perfect solution for them.

I bought a synthesizer, used, for cheap, from a dude in the next hamlet. I'm not a musician and have never used one before, but I am already creating usable audio for ...

After last week’s episode, I bought a groovebox, a music sampler, to start building original sound for my work, including the Preserve the Beat documentary on the birth of electronic music in Canada. I didn’t go for the trendy device, I chose the one that actually fits how I work.

Here’s the problem: most people using samplers today are relying on pre-made sample packs pulled from unknown sources. It’s fine i...