July 6, 2025 • 51 mins
What does it mean to live a life driven by boundless curiosity? Surtzy takes us on an extraordinary journey through her creative existence, where each day brings a new project and every experience becomes potential artistic fuel.
From crafting avant-garde moss shoes for sustainable fashion shows to performing as an aerialist, Surtzy embodies the spirit of fearless exploration. Her story begins at just four years old, when her parents normalized creativity as "just part of life," even encouraging her to repurpose trash as canvas when conventional materials were too expensive. This shaped her approach to creativity as accessible and essential rather than precious or elite.
After studying anthropology and sociology, Surtzy applied this knowledge to her passion: connecting people through art. "Nobody can do anything at all without community," she explains, challenging the myth of the solitary creative genius. Her diagnosis with Graves' disease at 19 crystallized her understanding that time is limited—fueling her drive to document her creative process and share it with others.
What truly distinguishes Surtzy is her commitment to daily collaboration. Whether rehearsing with her a cappella group, doing film readings, or co-creating large-scale community projects, she constantly seeks connection through creativity. Yet she balances this with intentional stillness, taking "meditation days" to let inspiration flow naturally instead of forcing it.
For creatives struggling with pressure and expectations, Surtzy’s wisdom is liberating. She abandoned the factory-model of art-making when her brand grew, choosing instead to create only when genuinely inspired—resulting in work that feels authentic, not resentful. Her advice for finding your creative community? Go where like-minded people gather: galleries, museums, libraries, and universities.
Listen in and discover how embracing curiosity, community, and the courage to try new things can transform your creative practice and perspective.
Surtzy's Profile
Surtzy's Website
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
to me.
I think nobody can do anythingat all without community, like
we wouldn't be able to speak oror find pieces to inspire us or
anything that um for me that'sreally well said.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I love the way.
I never thought of it quitelike that.
But you're right.
You know we are interdependent.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, Everything that's ever inspired me was made
by somebody or made by groupsof people and like built from
ancestors of like things thatthey've made, or I don't know
how to explain that.
But everything's like projectsand then I see that and then it
helps me do things.
It's just like a never endingcycle.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Do you do a fair amount of collaboration creating
with others?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
A lot.
I try and do one a day.
Like one project a day.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Today I'm doing a no yeah.
So today I have a filmrehearsal and that's a bunch of
people involved and we're alljust like reading scripts.
And then I'm also doing thisrehearsal with this group called
the Texas Harmonies.
We just sing songs.
I think Poker Face is on thelist for tonight.
It's acapella, so it's reallyfun Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Hey and welcome to another episode of For the Love
of Creatives podcast.
Another episode of For the Loveof Creatives podcast.
I am your Connections andCommunity Guy host Dwight,
joined by our other Connectionsand Community Guy host, maddox,
and today our featured guest isthe one and only Sertsy.
Hello, sertsy.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Hi, how are you doing ?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Wonderful.
We're so thrilled that youcould be here today.
I am so excited because I knowthat you have lived an
incredible life of things thatyou have done.
Tell our audience a little bitabout who you are and what
(02:31):
you're about.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I'm just a very, very curious person.
Ever since I was little, I'vewanted to learn how to do
everything, which is not reallypossible.
Obviously, we're limited by ourbodies and our skill sets and
location and stuff like that,but everything that I was able
to do I wanted to try it.
But my main goal, like ingeneral, is networking people
(02:54):
and like helping people get up.
So a little bit of backgroundthat I don't know if you know
about.
I did my my degrees inanthropology and sociology, so
that helped me figure out how toconnect people a little bit
more.
Like it taught me a lot aboutcode switching and just like the
Venn diagram of relationshipsand intimacy and communication
in ways that people can absorbinformation better.
(03:16):
So that helps me a lot with thenetworking and the arts.
And yeah, it's just, it's beena whiplash experience, but very,
very fun.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You're speaking our language, because we're all
about connecting people.
It's like it's the blood thatruns through our veins.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
It's so there's.
It's an indescribable feelingto be able to see people connect
and then make things from it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, well, this is, this is definitely the, the
juice that that makes life worththe squeeze.
I'm so excited because I'vegotten a chance to find a lot of
things about you before weactually met, and it's
everywhere I turned.
(03:59):
It was just another moment ofwhat you is.
You started, you actuallyengaged in creative pursuits at
the tender age of four years old.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, my parents are also very into creating, but I
think they kind of like inspiredme, because for a long time I I
just think creating is like athing you have to be open to,
like a thing you have to like bewilling to give the energy to,
and they they kind of made itseem like it was just like a
part of life.
But as I got older I was like,whoa, I can do more of this and
(04:36):
help people.
But but four years old it was,yeah, it was, it was a lot.
I think they gave you a reallyreally big gift, you know just
leading you to believe that itwas just a part of life, because
it is.
But it's just, it's funny tothink about as an adult because
(04:56):
I remember when my dad they wereseparated so it was different
types of creativity, but hewould have us go through the
trash can and look at thingsthat we could use as canvas,
because canvas was reallyexpensive at the time for us.
But it's just, it's funnylooking back at that, like the
priorities, like just being opento looking through the trash.
I've never talked about thatbefore, but Well, that's, that
(05:21):
sounds amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I think that's fascinating, because you never
know what you're going to find.
I mean all my life I've heardone man's trash is another man's
treasure.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, it's just like a humble entry to it.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I think it's amazing how you put together some pretty
eclectic and, I'd say, I don'tknow whimsical experiences that
were part of your formativeyears and you managed to nail
down something that is, you knowby a lot of measures, very
solid, stable, predictable.
I mean, you're credentialed,you went, you, you went to
school and you, you got your,your background in anthropology
and sociology, so you're, you'refirmly planted in what everyone
(06:13):
thinks is, oh, you know,definitely, um, someone that's
um safe and no one that we needto worry about.
Um, but little little mightthey know if they just peel
beyond the surface.
Oh, my gosh, there's anexplosion of different creative
directions that you go, andthere's there's very little that
(06:36):
you're afraid to do.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, do you want to see some shoes that I made for a
fashion show?
Oh, we would love to here andstuff, because nobody would.
I don't think this is verycommon.
It's a moss shoe oh my goodnesssustainability show I love it
but um, you just reminded me ofthat because I think most people
would be like don't do that,there's also a purse with it oh,
(07:00):
wow oh wow.
I'm just so obsessed with natureright now.
I'm just like grasping for itbecause everything's so like,
especially in America.
Everything feels very like,boxy and very far removed.
Yes, but a lot of the designsthat I make are very like.
They're very like out of thebox when it comes to, like,
(07:23):
staying in the safe zone.
You reminded me of that withwhat you just said.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, you know, I find it quite refreshing because
my own background is one ofbeing very tethered to the
things that were predictable andsafe, and it wasn't until I got
to experience some loss aroundthe pandemic that I got in touch
(07:51):
with a lot of the things thatwere, from what I can tell about
you, just part of what it wasto exist.
To just go and figure out whereit was that your, your creative
spirit, wanted to go, and, andto just go and try things out.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Am I able to ask you about what might've encouraged
your, your pivot, during thepandemic?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Absolutely and understand that.
I know that everyone was wasdealing with being locked down
during that time and I was witha partner of 20 years who had a
severe medical condition, aterminal medical condition
(08:36):
advanced liver disease medicalcare during the time when
hospitals were surging and we'dwe'd go into hospitals and have
to deal with warlike conditions,uh, just to get what's well,
what's ordinarily in some prettyintense care.
(08:59):
And it was made even worse whileit was stressed and I uh, my
whole life uh, centered aroundbeing a caregiver at that at
that point.
And, um, once the once thelockdowns were lifted, we still
had to deal with the disease and, uh, there was a point and I
(09:21):
guess it was March of 22, wherethere was a hospitalization that
he didn't return from and,despite doing all the things
that were made to prepare forthe inevitable when he died, I
was wrecked and I went through apretty dark period and I also
(09:42):
went through a lot ofexploration to figure out just
who I was and what I was reallyabout and got to really meet
myself for the first time andit's been it's, it's been an
amazing experience and anamazing rebirth, if you will
(10:10):
rebirth, if you will.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah, I'm glad you were able to take it and turn it
into something like I call ittoroidal cycle, but I don't know
of a better word Like when youlike cycle it through, like to
help regenerate.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I'm sorry you had to go through that.
It was what brought us togetherbecause at the same time he was
going through that, I was singleat the time and locked in my
house by myself.
For two years I spent a lot oftime on Zoom, just to survive,
just to have some connectionwith the outside world, which
(10:43):
I'm grateful that I had.
But I think when we started toemerge for different reasons but
I started saying, before thepandemic even lifted, when this
is all said and done and I cango back out into the streets
without this mask, I'm going todo whatever it takes to create
(11:03):
an epic social life for myself.
I want my home to be a socialhub and not drunken parties by
any means, but real connection,real social time where you're
spending time with people thatyou know, like and trust and
(11:24):
want to have deeper meaning inyour, your connection with and
our.
Somehow our desires and ourdreams aligned and the universe
brought us together.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
That's so wonderful.
I'm glad that you're able tofind each other, because it
feels nice to be able to likefind people that are on the same
path and able to help eachother back and forth.
The Internet's an amazing place.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
We are very aligned particularly on this the
bringing of people together andcreating community, and we're
very aligned together andcreating community and we're
very aligned Well, and it'samazing, I'm sorry, it's amazing
how circumstances just work outwith things.
(12:14):
You know, I feel like weeventually just make it to where
we're supposed to be and Ithink that kind of leads into
how it is that you managed tofind your place in Dallas.
Like I know that you hadtroubled times with hashtag van
life.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah Well, I didn't really want to end up in Dallas
but in Kentucky.
Every time I would Google, soOK.
So before the pandemic I didtry the nine to to five, but
then the pandemic made it.
So I was like I don't want torely on that.
I feel like if I do the nine tofive it's going to take my
whole life away and then maybe Iwon't even have benefits by the
(12:54):
time it's time for retirement.
It just didn't make sense to meand I was like I'd rather just
live now.
So then I um, a lot of peoplemoved to to Texas from Kentucky
or a lot of people all acrossthe US are moving to Texas
because of the job opportunities.
So I was like, let me try oneof those.
And I got in an RV and I endedup in Corpus Christi and I met
my boyfriend.
(13:15):
He was a skydiving pilot and Iwas a skydiver, so yeah, it just
worked out, and his family'shere.
So this is not exactly at thebeach, but it's pretty close to
the beach.
So that's why I'm staying for alittle bit and I like the
people.
The people are.
There's just all types ofgroups Like, if you want to go
(13:38):
listen to reggae music.
You can listen to reggae.
If you want to go likeVenezuelan food, which is where
my family's from then I can godo that.
None of that was an opportunityin Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
We do have a lot.
Dallas offers a lot in the wayof culture and art and music and
dining and shopping and youname it Fashion.
It offers a lot.
You can walk out your door andjust about you know walk
oftentimes to.
It's not a walking city but ifyou're, especially if you're, in
(14:11):
the inner city, there's a lotthat's really close it's.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's new to me.
I've never really been around ametropolis.
I've heard about them and I sawthem on tv.
But, um, in kentucky,especially lexington, it was
like one street there was maybelike 15 buildings, not even that
tall, and everybody dressed thesame and everybody ate
sandwiches and salads.
So it's just, and I couldn'teven really speak spanish
because it was offensive, so Ijust got used to it and now that
(14:41):
I'm here, I'm like whoa,there's so much stuff, so many
people.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Well, and I think the beautiful thing about the way
things are set up here, likethere is a world where you could
conceivably walk inside anexistence.
That was exactly what youdescribed in Lexington.
In lexington, um, but you canjust choose to to walk over a
(15:13):
street and, um, or you know,just pick a point on the map and
you've.
You've got all sorts of choices.
If you want to go and seewhat's happening with, uh, deep
bellum, or, um, lower greenville, uh, if you're into, you know,
going to nightclubs and bars andthat kind of thing, there's
that for you.
And if you want things that aremaybe very focused on arts and
(15:38):
design, you know we've got allkinds of things with the design
district and with the, with the,the beautiful, well, everything
that they have going on in the,in the arts district, you know,
especially around the spring, Imean, my goodness, there's you,
you can just go walk in anydirection.
(16:00):
Once you go to where the M lineterminates and you, you know,
you're just bombarded with allkinds of things on offer for you
to do.
It's crazy.
So let's see, I'd like to divea little bit deeper.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I love the opportunity and the choices.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Oh yes, lots of opportunity and choices.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I think there's a lag .
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I think there is a little bit of a lag.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I'd like to dive in a little bit.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, I would like to ask, on an internal level, what
would you say?
Maybe it's life experiences orstruggles or pain that you've
been through, and maybe not.
Maybe it's something else, butwhat would you say is the
(16:52):
driving factor behind what youcreate?
Where does that come fromwithin you?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So I have Graves' disease and I discovered it when
I was like 19 and I think that,um, I've always kind of wanted
to do things.
I've always been kind of adreamer, but I always some.
I think most people think theyhave time forever, but um, that
that Graves disease made merealize that I could probably
not have that much time, and alifetime isn't very long if you
(17:27):
think about it, even if you dolive to like the max.
So I just I feel like it's likethose things combined with the
fact that I want to document alot, like I think everyone needs
to.
If they have things to give,they have to give it out so that
other people can grab onto whatyou have and then make things
from that.
So I'm just like constantly likeI need a.
I need to make it for not justfor myself, but because of the
(17:49):
time and because other peopleprobably need to see it.
I don't know if that makessense.
It's like good, it's a lot ofthings it makes perfect sense it
makes perfect sense and maybeif we add a little texture.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
I know that you've done some things like
avant-garde modeling.
What is that even like?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
So the shoes that I just showed you that's for a
show, that's it's an avant-gardeshow, and so avant-garde is
basically the way I like todescribe it is something that
you wouldn't wear every daybecause it might break and it'd
also be very uncomfortable tosit in, and you can't even
really get into cars with itbecause it's just so delicate
usually, and it's also strange,some people would look at it.
(18:37):
That part's not so bad, butit's basically strange, strange
fashion.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
I see a lot of that floating across social media,
things that I couldn't imagineever wearing in public.
It makes for a spectacular viewas they're running down you
know walking up and down therunway.
But you're right, there'snothing practical about it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, it might even be dangerous, like tripping over
certain things and stuff likethat, but I think the goal is to
be able to use it once and thentake a picture, and then I
think the redundancy of it iswhat makes it more of an art
piece like a one-of-one pieceyeah, I never thought of it like
that yeah, it's like the moreridiculous the better, almost.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah, I get it and I've certainly seen that, but
you just kind of put like a spinon it where I, for the first
time, kind of understand it.
You know, I've kind of thoughtI've always been into fashion my
whole life and I'm likethinking, what are they doing?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
You know, this doesn't have anything to do with
what you would, people wouldbuy and actually wear on the
street, but that's not what it'sabout I feel like it also
combines elitism in it for alittle bit, or I don't know how
to explain it because, um, youhave to have a certain amount of
money to be able to spend onmaterials that you will never be
able to use again or that youcan't even use at all, just like
(20:02):
hanging it up and put it as adisplay.
So it kind of like feels likeclassist in a bit, but that's a
whole other discussion.
But I can make it and I get itfrom like, very, very cheap
materials, so I'm able to,thankfully, do it.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
That's interesting, paying for it, and stuff like
off the runway.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
I don't know, that'd be hard.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
That's really cool and makes us kind of appreciate
Well, and it definitely makesyou think.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I mean, the pieces that you showed this morning
were about sustainability, youknow kind of it's like it's
contradictory because it hasplastic and then I'm not even
sure what the fake moss is.
I did upcycle the shoes likethat the base shoes but it's
(20:55):
it's just like a lot of layersto it.
I wish it was fully sustainable, but we're still using plastic.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
It's hard to say that I think that I will now really
have a different level ofappreciation for those videos as
I see them.
Or, you know, we've gotteninvolved in an organization that
is about fashion, so we will beattending some things like what
you're describing, and I thinkI'm going to.
Just what you've shared hasgiven me the ability to have an
(21:25):
appreciation that I wouldn'thave had, so I hope that there
are listeners out there thatmaybe have gained something from
what you shared as much as Ihave.
Thank you for that.
That was a gift.
You know I'll be able to see itdifferently now.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Yeah, do you like paintings?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I do.
I've painted a little bit.
In fact, that colorful one backbehind me here is one of mine.
The thing about it is I like it, but I don't like doing it by
myself.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Oh, we should host a workshop one of these days.
But I was going to say thatit's kind of like paintings,
like you can't always exactlyuse your paintings.
I mean, they're decorations.
I have some paintings in here Idon't know if you can see them,
some things like that but youcan't exactly use them.
But it's still kind of likeit's gotten to the point where I
(22:25):
think people are making thingsnot just to use them.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
They're making them just to make them.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
And to practice skills.
I think too.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
And I certainly did my share of that.
In fact, there was a pointrecently, six months ago, where
I cleaned the garage out and Ihad, like, I like to paint big
canvases, but most of mycanvases were practice canvases,
so they they didn't look likefinished art, or they didn't to
me, you know, and I I donatedall of them to a local thrift
(22:59):
store, which I doubt anybodyactually bought them, and hung
them on the wall.
They probably bought the canvason the cheap and then just
re-upcycled it, as you said,painted over.
Whatever I did, I knew when Istarted it it wasn't art.
I knew it was just mepracticing technique and playing
with color.
But my heart's happiest whenI'm painting next to someone
(23:24):
else.
When I started painting I tooka class and every week I was in
class where I was painting withother students and I got so
indoctrinated in the paintingwith others that when I ended
the class and thought, oh, I'llpaint, I didn't enjoy it.
I didn't enjoy painting bymyself.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Yeah, it's a lot more fun with people.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
It's an energetic thing for me.
I have one piece, but thefavorite piece that I painted
hangs down in our dining roomand I hosted a big painting
party where there were probablyI don't know 15 or 20 people and
we had canvases stuck all overthe walls of this big, huge
studio and people were sippingon wine and laughing and talking
(24:12):
, having a good time andpainting.
And the energy in the roomenabled me to paint my best
piece ever and I did it in 45minutes flat and I knew it was
done.
I was like I'm done and it wasjust.
It all came from.
It didn't look like anythingelse I'd ever painted and it all
(24:35):
came from just the energy thatwas flowing in the room.
It was an amazing experienceand I'll never forget it.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Oh, and it's a testament to how anything worth
doing, worth having, is justenhanced whenever we're able to
share it.
Yeah, it's.
I have this, this quote, that Itell my boyfriend all the time
that it's like did I even go fora walk at the park if I didn't
take a picture of it and show myfriends or my mom or something?
It's not.
I mean, it's still nice, butit's not as nice.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes, I love it.
Yeah, there are some thingsthat cameras just can't capture.
Yeah, the things that our eyessee, that the camera lens just
doesn't have the ability to, tosee and capture, that's always
fascinating to me.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Well and I know that there's something that comes
from just being there theexperience of an event is going
to be far different from any waythat can be recorded or relayed
.
We, we, we just get so muchmore by just being in the moment
(25:45):
.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Cersei, do you, do you have any creativity?
That is, that is not makingthings like like you know.
For instance, you know mycreativity comes in the form of
ideas.
You know we host events and weconnect people, we publish this
(26:13):
podcast and I guess you couldsay we're making something with
the podcast, but we're notmaking something that is like a
tangible piece of art that youwould display.
I write a lot and that's how mycreativity shows up, but
honestly, you know, I alwayslaughingly say creativity comes
(26:34):
into every piece of my life.
You know, I got really, reallycreative at one point in my life
to figure out how to fold thechip bag down in a manner that
it would keep the chips fresh.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
That's really cool.
That's like an invention.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I love that, but I'm, you know, I see the things that
you create.
But Dwight also said at onepoint that you worked, you were
an aerialist, and I don't knowmuch about that and it's
certainly a form of creativity,so, but I'd love to know that or
anything else that you dothat's been creative.
(27:09):
That hasn't been about makingsomething, because we don't talk
about that that much.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
So I want to before I answer, where can I read some
of your stuff?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
We have a sub stack page and we haven't had it for
very long, so there's only ahandful of articles in there,
but I would I would love toshare that with you.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I would love to see some.
I was going to read today,since it's all rainy, but.
But, creativity wise.
I used to host events with myfather in Lexington.
We used to have wine and dineparties and then also we would
paint and talent shows and wewould invite everyone and
everybody would bring theirinstruments and we just
organized events like that.
And when I started travelingthat had to stop, because you
(27:55):
have to stay in one place ifyou're doing events, because you
kind of have to be like a hubfor people.
But I sing, I dance poetry, alot of writing for academia,
because I just have to, I haveto contribute.
I spend a lot of time absorbingacademic papers so I feel like
(28:15):
I have to give back.
But then aerialing oraerialisting is kind of a flow,
so I categorize that as dance,but it is.
It does take some category orsome some creativity.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And and are you?
When you say you think of itlike dance?
Are you on a tight wire?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
No, it's like a, it's a hoop.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
There's also a flying pole.
I didn't really do that onethat much because it hurts, but
the hoop is my favorite.
And then there's silks, butI've only done that a few times.
It's really pretty, but itgives you carpet burn, which I
don't know if it's worth it forme.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah.
So I mean you did say as achild you just wanted to do it
all.
And it sounds like you are outthere doing it all and I love
that.
What would you say is out ofeverything creative that you've
ever done?
What is the thing that has lityour fire the most?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Um, that's really hard to pick, because for me
it's not the most, it's morelike what do I feel like doing
today?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
My gosh, you two are peas in a pod.
It's just hard to say that.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Maybe it's like listening to music.
Do you want to listen to thesame song all the time, or same
genre all the time, or do youwant to listen to a different
genre today?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I have more playlists than you can shake a stick at.
You know, I set aside a periodof my life here about three or
four years ago where I decidedthat every day I was going to
wake up and I wasn't going tohave any plan.
There was going to be no plan,no schedule, and every day I
(30:04):
would wake up and I would justfrom moment to moment ask myself
what I want to do now, and Iwould only do things that I felt
like doing.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
That's very mindful.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I did it for several months and it was just life
changing.
It was the most.
At first I thought I'm going tohate this.
I had kind of a health thingthat came up and the doctor said
I want you to clear yourschedule.
I don't want that.
I want you to rest now that youcan't do anything.
And I thought, oh, I'm going tohate this Cause I'm a doer, you
(30:37):
know.
But it turned out very, verydifferent than what I thought.
I didn't hate it, it was it was, it was, it was.
Perhaps excuse me.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Did you learn to relax?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
I did.
I learned to relax, but I alsoI'm always a person that always
had a plan.
You know, it was like there wasalways a schedule.
I was a career hairdresser for40 years, so I'd wake up every
day and my whole day was plannedout for me already.
They were all scheduled oneright after the other, and so
I'd never been in a situationwhere I could just, from moment
(31:11):
to moment, think what do I feellike doing right now, and then
not having to do anything, justsaying, well, I feel like not
doing anything and just sittingand doing nothing.
It was perhaps one of thebiggest gifts I've given to
myself.
I would recommend it to anyone.
(31:31):
It might be a little weird andeasy at first, but I could talk
for hours about what unfoldedand what I learned about myself
and how amazing it was to justgive that to myself.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Yeah, I think that's something everyone should
practice.
I've tried it a few times, butI don't know.
I feel like I would just go tosleep Like that was my option,
not every day.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
And that's okay too, you know, just to let it be
whatever it is that is that'sscary.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
What if I just watch tv all the time?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
I need the appointment well, it might serve
you, though you never know.
And the reason I say that isbecause I thought, oh my god,
I'm gonna hate this.
And so I did it.
And but the the more space Icreated, where I didn't force
myself to do stuff, where I justwas just being, I began to feel
(32:32):
something well up inside of meand I wasn't real sure what was
going on.
And then at one point Irealized I was just feeling like
a level of inspiration that Ihad never experienced and I
don't think.
And out of that, you know,there was all this inspiration.
(32:52):
And then it began to, because,you know, the whole be, do, have
.
The world is more about do haveand then be, and in just that
beingness, the doing flowed fromit.
(33:16):
Naturally, I didn't have toforce it, I just was suddenly
very inspired to do all kinds ofthings at a level of
inspiration that I'd neverexperienced, and I don't know
whether it would be that way foranybody else or not.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I think that they do say you have to be in a state of
flow to be able to create.
So maybe it relaxes your mindor it takes off the blinders or
something.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
It takes off all the pressure.
So much of our world and wetalk to creatives every day.
There's this pressure to make,to create, to paint, to sculpt
and I've come to realize in mylife that you cannot.
Creativity comes from source.
(34:03):
That's my personal belief.
It comes through me and I can'tforce it to come through me.
I have to open myself and allowit to come through me.
And when I really got clear onthat and stopped trying to force
anything, now it flows soeffortlessly.
I don't ever have a block, Ever.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
That's amazing.
I was just thinking about thatthis morning.
Whenever I was driving.
I was thinking about how it gotto the point or my brand got so
big that it got to the pointwhere I could have become a
factory.
But I ended up going the otherroute and just saying I'm not
going to be forced to paint allthese paintings because people
are asking me to.
I'm just going to do itwhenever I want to and then make
(34:45):
it, I think, better than as ifit were a factory.
So I think it's noticeable,Like when you, when you start
being forced as a creative, Ithink you can you start to get
like noticeably resentful andstuff like that.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Yes and and to what you create, because we have
these conversations a lot about.
Do I create something that Iknow will sell, or do I create
what I just feel like creating,and and with no regard to
whether it may sell or not, andthat's a tough equation for most
artists.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I think it's a fork in the road that everyone has to
decide where they.
I mean.
I guess you could go back andforth if you eventually want to
go back that route, but I thinkpeople decide.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Well, and it's not an either, or it can be an and
yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
There's definitely a place for being able to
appreciate that you have to dosomething.
Where you're getting in thereps, you know you're you're not
going to wake up and suddenlybe an amazing artist one day.
You're, you're going to have toget there because you've done
the, the fundamentals, to try tobuild a skill to, or to build
(35:52):
the muscle to, to have thepractice, to develop your own
style, to learn about it and Tomake the mistakes Exactly and
and have the complete epicfailures.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
And that's well.
And the failures are where youmight learn the most.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, I think they're all inevitable.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Sertzi, what's a project that you're really
excited about right now?
Speaker 1 (36:25):
So you mentioned the big canvas.
I've never, ever painted a bigcanvas, so I've been thinking
about it, but I don't have aplace for it.
But that's.
I've been looking forward to itin my mind.
Like as soon as I get likemaybe a little workshop room or
something.
I'm going to start doing that,and I also got a unicycle, so
like those are like things thatI've been thinking about.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Have you?
Have you gotten on it and beenable to balance yet?
Speaker 1 (36:52):
No, no, that takes a while, but I, I use a little
rail on the side and I, I likeact like I'm going to do it.
I think that's like a goodpractice.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
I can't even imagine how one would learn to do that I
mean.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
I've ridden a bicycle all my life but one wheel.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Right, it's so silly and it makes everyone laugh, so
I can't wait to actually justget on there.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
It's a pretty.
It's a pretty amazing skill.
We saw a unicyclist, uh, thispast winter at a festival at
Fair Park and, oh my God, shewas amazing.
She could do anything on thatunicycle and it was one with a
(37:37):
really, really tall pole, so shewas about 12 feet up in the air
with a little wheel on thebottom and she was juggling and
people were throwing things ather and she was catching them on
top of her head.
I can't even.
It was a phenomenal display.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
I can't believe people can do that.
That's so like so many yearsand skills combined there.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
I have to wonder if she started training as a small
child because it was like a partof her body.
The unicycle was literally likepart of her body.
She had complete control overit, like she would any other
appendage it was crazy.
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Yeah, I don't have any other projects that I can
think of right now, but I dohave a calendar that I like.
Whenever I do run out ofprojects, I go through and I'm
like what's the next thing?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I love that well, sorry sometimes it's time to
just take a break in betweenprojects, you know, and wait for
that creativity to show up.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
So, when the time comes to leave Dallas, do you
have any thoughts about whereyou'll go?
Speaker 1 (38:57):
I've been scoping new places.
We just got back from Tokyo andI don't think Tokyo is exactly
the size that I'd like, butsomeplace where, where it's
healthy, I really want to.
I don't even think the U?
S is for me anymore, butsomeplace that, like I, can
breathe good air and drink goodwater, yeah, yeah, that's a tall
(39:20):
order yeah, it's, it's beenhard because it's it's hard to
know if it's like the grass isgreener on the other side, if it
looks like that.
But um, we've been exploring tosee oh, and that's very cool.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Yeah, I.
I always like to keep in mind,whenever people talk about
looking for greener pastures,that wherever you go there, you
are.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, yeah, we take ourselves with us.
You know, you got to reallylook at your motivations for
moving.
Some of us are running towardssomething, some of us are
running away from something, andoftentimes what we're running
away from is ourselves and wedon't realize it, Since we take
ourselves everywhere we go.
That's why, no matter where yougo, there you are.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Yeah, that's a really good quote, but sometimes I
feel like I'm running away, likeif I I feel like the things
that I don't like.
Like, for example, it's likethe chemical in the food I feel
like I should be advocating forlike better foods in the place
that I am, versus like chasinganother place.
Sometimes it just feels like anuphill battle or like against
the tide.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Well, you know, I would argue that that's that's
by design.
It's made to feel that way whenyou really have far more power
than than you might think, andit's just a matter of applying
that creativity yeah, I did acomparison of a doritos bag in
(40:50):
the us versus a doritos bag intokyo and I think that helped a
lot of people.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
I think a lot of people didn't even notice that
they could get by with likeregular chips without red 40 or
like all the other preservatives, right, that's a whole other
conversation, yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
We have all kinds of chemicals in our food that
doesn't really belong there.
It's kind of amazing.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
It's just it feels random, like bread doesn't have
to be so complex, it could justbe like yeast and a few other
things.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
Exactly, yeah, I in the last few years I've gotten
to where I really read labelsand try to like buy as simple
things as I can that have as fewwords that I can't pronounce as
possible.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, well, I know that family is something that's
a really big driver for you, andnot just a family of origin,
but your family of choice.
You mentioned your boyfriend asas being someone that's
important to you.
How, how have you, how have youdrawn the connections to build
(42:05):
your, your chosen family thatsupports you here and in all the
places that you go?
Speaker 1 (42:12):
I think I find them based on like things that, like
I've always had this policy,since I've always moved a lot,
like most of my life, um, Ialways go to places where the
people that um when I that I'didentify with might be like
galleries or libraries ormuseums or universities, and
that's that's how I go and find,like my potential family and I,
(42:36):
I, just I, I adopt a lot ofpeople as my family, like it's
pretty easy for me to do.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Oh, that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Those are words of wisdom and pretty simple, and
yet so little of our populationreally understands that.
I mean, you just laid outsomething that is so simple and
doable by absolutely anybody.
Just go where people are thatare doing things that you're
interested in.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
Yeah, I think a lot of people try and grab people
that are in their sphere andmake them do things that that
they want them to do, but Ithink that's a lot harder way
harder.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Yeah, yeah.
We just got to let people dowhat they're going to do.
They're going to be who theyare.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Yeah, Like my mom got into crocheting and none of our
friends crochet.
But so I was like you should goto a workshop so you can run
into people that that alsocrochet and they already like it
.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
It's not easy, yes, yes, so Sertsi, how does
community play a role in yourcreativity?
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Oh, I don't know how community would not play a role
in your creativity.
Oh, I don't know how communitywould would not play a role in
anything.
How.
I don't know how that would bepossible, because to me, I think
nobody can do anything at allwithout community, like we
wouldn't be able to speak, or orfind pieces to inspire us or
anything, or find pieces toinspire us, or anything.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Wow, that's really well said.
I love the way I never thoughtof it quite like that.
But you're right.
You know we are interdependent.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Yeah, everything that's ever inspired me was made
by somebody or made by groupsof people and like built from
ancestors of like things thatthey've made, or I don't know
how to explain that.
But everything's like projectsand then I see that and then it
helps me do things.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
It's just like a never-ending cycle do you do a
fair amount of collaborationcreating with others?
Speaker 1 (44:38):
a lot.
I try and do one a day.
Like one project a day.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Today I'm doing a.
So today I have a filmrehearsal and that's a bunch of
people involved and we're alljust like reading scripts.
And then I'm also doing thisrehearsal with this group called
the Texas Harmonies.
We just sing songs, so like Ithink Poker Face is on the list
for tonight that, um, it'sacapella, so that's really fun,
(45:08):
nice.
And then I'm doing the podcastwith y'all, so I think I think
this counts yeah, definitelycollaboration yeah, just stuff
like that wow, that's.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
That's really inspiring.
I collaborate at least once aday.
Is that what I heard you say?
Speaker 1 (45:27):
I try.
Yeah, I do take days where Idon't do anything and I take
them as meditation days.
I do it by force, but I thinkit helps.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Well, there's a form of collaboration there, too, as
well.
You're collaborating withsource and you're collaborating
with self.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Yeah, I'm still brainstorming, though, because
it's hard to fight thebrainstorms when you're
meditating.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Oh, you know, I stopped trying.
I just let it be what it is.
If it's a time when I'msupposed to get good ideas for
creation, I just allow it to be,and if it's time when I really
need to be still and quiet, I'lljust allow it to be.
I stopped trying to make it beanything.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
I'm going to work on that.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
What it wants to be.
I let it just be what it wantsto be.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
That seems hard to do for me.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
It is.
I'm right there with you.
It's not easy.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
It is until it isn't right.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yep exactly.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
Mr.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Dwight, do you have some rapid fire questions for
Sartsy?
Speaker 3 (46:38):
Yes, we do.
We like to close with somerapid fire questions.
Are you ready with some rapidfire questions?
Are you?
Are you ready with some rapidfire answers?
I think so all right, so we'llhit you with three of them today
.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
First one is best piece of advice another creative
has given you um, it's socliche, but I guess they just do
it, just get started.
Okay, everyone says that.
So it's not like I can't creditthat to one specific person,
(47:10):
but, um, they're always justlike, just just get started and
like fix the problems as you goor fix the, the confusion as you
go and stuff.
Oh, that, that's great we.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We've heard it on here before, but it it bears
repeating.
Yeah, that's ego and stuff.
Oh, that, that's great.
We.
We've heard it on here before,but it it bears repeating.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
Yeah, that's why cliches are cliches for a reason
.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
That's right.
Yes, they are just likestereotypes.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Next one what's the most challenging creative skill
you're still trying to master?
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Probably the one we just talked about, the whole
relaxing and being in a sense offlow and just not forcing it.
That one, I think, is hard.
It's like a concert, it's aparadox, because it's like how
do you do both things?
I think a walking beam or abalance beam.
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Yeah, yes.
So the last rapid fire questionwhat is your dream
collaboration partner?
Who is your dream collaborationpartner, be they alive or dead?
Speaker 1 (48:16):
um, I don't have anybody in mind specifically,
because I just I feel like it'sthe whole doing too many things
thing, because I have.
I have idols for inspiration,people from each thing, like
fashion, singing, painting, soit'd be hard to pick one.
But I think like a really bigproject, like with involving
like hundreds of hundreds ofpeople, would be a dream come
(48:39):
true, just like like big, bigcities coming together to do
stuff together.
I think that would be wonderful.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
I bet you could pull that off yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Maybe eventually I feel like it takes a lot of.
Maybe you guys could help me,because you guys do events.
For me the organizing the, thebig groups of people together.
Part is hard.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
Yep, that's, that's what we do, and and it is
challenging, you're right, it ischallenging, but it is what we
do.
So you never know, could be a,could be a possible collab right
here.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah, that'd be wonderful.
Let's brainstorm on it.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
Yeah, we definitely will.
Well, this has been a fabulous,fascinating conversation.
I'm so glad that we sat down todo this.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Thank you so much.
I feel like I learned a lotabout myself and it was really
nice to meet y'all.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Oh, I love that, that you feel like you learned a lot
about yourself.
I think there is somethingmagical and I say this a lot
when we I mean we all have astory inside of us.
We all have lots of storiesinside of us and we get little
opportunities to tell littlesnippets here and there, but how
often do we get to really telllike a big part of the story?
(49:52):
And I think there's somethingmagical that happens when you
say it out loud where otherpeople actually hear it.
Kind of like that thing aboutwould the tree falling tree make
a noise if there were nobody inthe forest to hear it?
Somebody needs actually hear it.
Kind of like that thing aboutwould the tree falling tree make
a noise if there were nobody inthe forest to hear it?
Somebody needs to hear it andyou know people will hear it now
because it's going to go out onthe airways for the whole world
(50:13):
.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you so much for theopportunity.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Thank you so much for spending an hour with us Sertsi
.
This was amazing.
to me.
I think nobody can do anythingat all without community, like
we wouldn't be able to speak oror find pieces to inspire us or
anything that um for me that'sreally well said.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I love the way.
I never thought of it quitelike that.
But you're right.
You know we are interdependent.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, Everything that's ever inspired me was made
by somebody or made by groupsof people and like built from
ancestors of like things thatthey've made, or I don't know
how to explain that.
But everything's like projectsand then I see that and then it
helps me do things.
It's just like a never endingcycle.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Do you do a fair amount of collaboration creating
with others?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
A lot.
I try and do one a day.
Like one project a day.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Today I'm doing a no yeah.
So today I have a filmrehearsal and that's a bunch of
people involved and we're alljust like reading scripts.
And then I'm also doing thisrehearsal with this group called
the Texas Harmonies.
We just sing songs.
I think Poker Face is on thelist for tonight.
It's acapella, so it's reallyfun Nice.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Hey and welcome to another episode of For the Love
of Creatives podcast.
Another episode of For the Loveof Creatives podcast.
I am your Connections andCommunity Guy host Dwight,
joined by our other Connectionsand Community Guy host, maddox,
and today our featured guest isthe one and only Sertsy.
Hello, sertsy.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Hi, how are you doing ?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Wonderful.
We're so thrilled that youcould be here today.
I am so excited because I knowthat you have lived an
incredible life of things thatyou have done.
Tell our audience a little bitabout who you are and what
(02:31):
you're about.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I'm just a very, very curious person.
Ever since I was little, I'vewanted to learn how to do
everything, which is not reallypossible.
Obviously, we're limited by ourbodies and our skill sets and
location and stuff like that,but everything that I was able
to do I wanted to try it.
But my main goal, like ingeneral, is networking people
(02:54):
and like helping people get up.
So a little bit of backgroundthat I don't know if you know
about.
I did my my degrees inanthropology and sociology, so
that helped me figure out how toconnect people a little bit
more.
Like it taught me a lot aboutcode switching and just like the
Venn diagram of relationshipsand intimacy and communication
in ways that people can absorbinformation better.
(03:16):
So that helps me a lot with thenetworking and the arts.
And yeah, it's just, it's beena whiplash experience, but very,
very fun.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
You're speaking our language, because we're all
about connecting people.
It's like it's the blood thatruns through our veins.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
It's so there's.
It's an indescribable feelingto be able to see people connect
and then make things from it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, well, this is, this is definitely the, the
juice that that makes life worththe squeeze.
I'm so excited because I'vegotten a chance to find a lot of
things about you before weactually met, and it's
everywhere I turned.
(03:59):
It was just another moment ofwhat you is.
You started, you actuallyengaged in creative pursuits at
the tender age of four years old.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, my parents are also very into creating, but I
think they kind of like inspiredme, because for a long time I I
just think creating is like athing you have to be open to,
like a thing you have to like bewilling to give the energy to,
and they they kind of made itseem like it was just like a
part of life.
But as I got older I was like,whoa, I can do more of this and
(04:36):
help people.
But but four years old it was,yeah, it was, it was a lot.
I think they gave you a reallyreally big gift, you know just
leading you to believe that itwas just a part of life, because
it is.
But it's just, it's funny tothink about as an adult because
(04:56):
I remember when my dad they wereseparated so it was different
types of creativity, but hewould have us go through the
trash can and look at thingsthat we could use as canvas,
because canvas was reallyexpensive at the time for us.
But it's just, it's funnylooking back at that, like the
priorities, like just being opento looking through the trash.
I've never talked about thatbefore, but Well, that's, that
(05:21):
sounds amazing.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I think that's fascinating, because you never
know what you're going to find.
I mean all my life I've heardone man's trash is another man's
treasure.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, it's just like a humble entry to it.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
I think it's amazing how you put together some pretty
eclectic and, I'd say, I don'tknow whimsical experiences that
were part of your formativeyears and you managed to nail
down something that is, you knowby a lot of measures, very
solid, stable, predictable.
I mean, you're credentialed,you went, you, you went to
school and you, you got your,your background in anthropology
and sociology, so you're, you'refirmly planted in what everyone
(06:13):
thinks is, oh, you know,definitely, um, someone that's
um safe and no one that we needto worry about.
Um, but little little mightthey know if they just peel
beyond the surface.
Oh, my gosh, there's anexplosion of different creative
directions that you go, andthere's there's very little that
(06:36):
you're afraid to do.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Yeah, do you want to see some shoes that I made for a
fashion show?
Oh, we would love to here andstuff, because nobody would.
I don't think this is verycommon.
It's a moss shoe oh my goodnesssustainability show I love it
but um, you just reminded me ofthat because I think most people
would be like don't do that,there's also a purse with it oh,
(07:00):
wow oh wow.
I'm just so obsessed with natureright now.
I'm just like grasping for itbecause everything's so like,
especially in America.
Everything feels very like,boxy and very far removed.
Yes, but a lot of the designsthat I make are very like.
They're very like out of thebox when it comes to, like,
(07:23):
staying in the safe zone.
You reminded me of that withwhat you just said.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Well, you know, I find it quite refreshing because
my own background is one ofbeing very tethered to the
things that were predictable andsafe, and it wasn't until I got
to experience some loss aroundthe pandemic that I got in touch
(07:51):
with a lot of the things thatwere, from what I can tell about
you, just part of what it wasto exist.
To just go and figure out whereit was that your, your creative
spirit, wanted to go, and, andto just go and try things out.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Am I able to ask you about what might've encouraged
your, your pivot, during thepandemic?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Absolutely and understand that.
I know that everyone was wasdealing with being locked down
during that time and I was witha partner of 20 years who had a
severe medical condition, aterminal medical condition
(08:36):
advanced liver disease medicalcare during the time when
hospitals were surging and we'dwe'd go into hospitals and have
to deal with warlike conditions,uh, just to get what's well,
what's ordinarily in some prettyintense care.
(08:59):
And it was made even worse whileit was stressed and I uh, my
whole life uh, centered aroundbeing a caregiver at that at
that point.
And, um, once the once thelockdowns were lifted, we still
had to deal with the disease and, uh, there was a point and I
(09:21):
guess it was March of 22, wherethere was a hospitalization that
he didn't return from and,despite doing all the things
that were made to prepare forthe inevitable when he died, I
was wrecked and I went through apretty dark period and I also
(09:42):
went through a lot ofexploration to figure out just
who I was and what I was reallyabout and got to really meet
myself for the first time andit's been it's, it's been an
amazing experience and anamazing rebirth, if you will
(10:10):
rebirth, if you will.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah, I'm glad you were able to take it and turn it
into something like I call ittoroidal cycle, but I don't know
of a better word Like when youlike cycle it through, like to
help regenerate.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I'm sorry you had to go through that.
It was what brought us togetherbecause at the same time he was
going through that, I was singleat the time and locked in my
house by myself.
For two years I spent a lot oftime on Zoom, just to survive,
just to have some connectionwith the outside world, which
(10:43):
I'm grateful that I had.
But I think when we started toemerge for different reasons but
I started saying, before thepandemic even lifted, when this
is all said and done and I cango back out into the streets
without this mask, I'm going todo whatever it takes to create
(11:03):
an epic social life for myself.
I want my home to be a socialhub and not drunken parties by
any means, but real connection,real social time where you're
spending time with people thatyou know, like and trust and
(11:24):
want to have deeper meaning inyour, your connection with and
our.
Somehow our desires and ourdreams aligned and the universe
brought us together.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
That's so wonderful.
I'm glad that you're able tofind each other, because it
feels nice to be able to likefind people that are on the same
path and able to help eachother back and forth.
The Internet's an amazing place.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
We are very aligned particularly on this the
bringing of people together andcreating community, and we're
very aligned together andcreating community and we're
very aligned Well, and it'samazing, I'm sorry, it's amazing
how circumstances just work outwith things.
(12:14):
You know, I feel like weeventually just make it to where
we're supposed to be and Ithink that kind of leads into
how it is that you managed tofind your place in Dallas.
Like I know that you hadtroubled times with hashtag van
life.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah Well, I didn't really want to end up in Dallas
but in Kentucky.
Every time I would Google, soOK.
So before the pandemic I didtry the nine to to five, but
then the pandemic made it.
So I was like I don't want torely on that.
I feel like if I do the nine tofive it's going to take my
whole life away and then maybe Iwon't even have benefits by the
(12:54):
time it's time for retirement.
It just didn't make sense to meand I was like I'd rather just
live now.
So then I um, a lot of peoplemoved to to Texas from Kentucky
or a lot of people all acrossthe US are moving to Texas
because of the job opportunities.
So I was like, let me try oneof those.
And I got in an RV and I endedup in Corpus Christi and I met
my boyfriend.
(13:15):
He was a skydiving pilot and Iwas a skydiver, so yeah, it just
worked out, and his family'shere.
So this is not exactly at thebeach, but it's pretty close to
the beach.
So that's why I'm staying for alittle bit and I like the
people.
The people are.
There's just all types ofgroups Like, if you want to go
(13:38):
listen to reggae music.
You can listen to reggae.
If you want to go likeVenezuelan food, which is where
my family's from then I can godo that.
None of that was an opportunityin Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
We do have a lot.
Dallas offers a lot in the wayof culture and art and music and
dining and shopping and youname it Fashion.
It offers a lot.
You can walk out your door andjust about you know walk
oftentimes to.
It's not a walking city but ifyou're, especially if you're, in
(14:11):
the inner city, there's a lotthat's really close it's.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
That's new to me.
I've never really been around ametropolis.
I've heard about them and I sawthem on tv.
But, um, in kentucky,especially lexington, it was
like one street there was maybelike 15 buildings, not even that
tall, and everybody dressed thesame and everybody ate
sandwiches and salads.
So it's just, and I couldn'teven really speak spanish
because it was offensive, so Ijust got used to it and now that
(14:41):
I'm here, I'm like whoa,there's so much stuff, so many
people.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Well, and I think the beautiful thing about the way
things are set up here, likethere is a world where you could
conceivably walk inside anexistence.
That was exactly what youdescribed in Lexington.
In lexington, um, but you canjust choose to to walk over a
(15:13):
street and, um, or you know,just pick a point on the map and
you've.
You've got all sorts of choices.
If you want to go and seewhat's happening with, uh, deep
bellum, or, um, lower greenville, uh, if you're into, you know,
going to nightclubs and bars andthat kind of thing, there's
that for you.
And if you want things that aremaybe very focused on arts and
(15:38):
design, you know we've got allkinds of things with the design
district and with the, with the,the beautiful, well, everything
that they have going on in the,in the arts district, you know,
especially around the spring, Imean, my goodness, there's you,
you can just go walk in anydirection.
(16:00):
Once you go to where the M lineterminates and you, you know,
you're just bombarded with allkinds of things on offer for you
to do.
It's crazy.
So let's see, I'd like to divea little bit deeper.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I love the opportunity and the choices.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Oh yes, lots of opportunity and choices.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I think there's a lag .
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I think there is a little bit of a lag.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I'd like to dive in a little bit.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, I would like to ask, on an internal level, what
would you say?
Maybe it's life experiences orstruggles or pain that you've
been through, and maybe not.
Maybe it's something else, butwhat would you say is the
(16:52):
driving factor behind what youcreate?
Where does that come fromwithin you?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So I have Graves' disease and I discovered it when
I was like 19 and I think that,um, I've always kind of wanted
to do things.
I've always been kind of adreamer, but I always some.
I think most people think theyhave time forever, but um, that
that Graves disease made merealize that I could probably
not have that much time, and alifetime isn't very long if you
(17:27):
think about it, even if you dolive to like the max.
So I just I feel like it's likethose things combined with the
fact that I want to document alot, like I think everyone needs
to.
If they have things to give,they have to give it out so that
other people can grab onto whatyou have and then make things
from that.
So I'm just like constantly likeI need a.
I need to make it for not justfor myself, but because of the
(17:49):
time and because other peopleprobably need to see it.
I don't know if that makessense.
It's like good, it's a lot ofthings it makes perfect sense it
makes perfect sense and maybeif we add a little texture.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
I know that you've done some things like
avant-garde modeling.
What is that even like?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
So the shoes that I just showed you that's for a
show, that's it's an avant-gardeshow, and so avant-garde is
basically the way I like todescribe it is something that
you wouldn't wear every daybecause it might break and it'd
also be very uncomfortable tosit in, and you can't even
really get into cars with itbecause it's just so delicate
usually, and it's also strange,some people would look at it.
(18:37):
That part's not so bad, butit's basically strange, strange
fashion.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
I see a lot of that floating across social media,
things that I couldn't imagineever wearing in public.
It makes for a spectacular viewas they're running down you
know walking up and down therunway.
But you're right, there'snothing practical about it.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, it might even be dangerous, like tripping over
certain things and stuff likethat, but I think the goal is to
be able to use it once and thentake a picture, and then I
think the redundancy of it iswhat makes it more of an art
piece like a one-of-one pieceyeah, I never thought of it like
that yeah, it's like the moreridiculous the better, almost.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah, I get it and I've certainly seen that, but
you just kind of put like a spinon it where I, for the first
time, kind of understand it.
You know, I've kind of thoughtI've always been into fashion my
whole life and I'm likethinking, what are they doing?
Speaker 1 (19:40):
You know, this doesn't have anything to do with
what you would, people wouldbuy and actually wear on the
street, but that's not what it'sabout I feel like it also
combines elitism in it for alittle bit, or I don't know how
to explain it because, um, youhave to have a certain amount of
money to be able to spend onmaterials that you will never be
able to use again or that youcan't even use at all, just like
(20:02):
hanging it up and put it as adisplay.
So it kind of like feels likeclassist in a bit, but that's a
whole other discussion.
But I can make it and I get itfrom like, very, very cheap
materials, so I'm able to,thankfully, do it.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
That's interesting, paying for it, and stuff like
off the runway.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
I don't know, that'd be hard.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
That's really cool and makes us kind of appreciate
Well, and it definitely makesyou think.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I mean, the pieces that you showed this morning
were about sustainability, youknow kind of it's like it's
contradictory because it hasplastic and then I'm not even
sure what the fake moss is.
I did upcycle the shoes likethat the base shoes but it's
(20:55):
it's just like a lot of layersto it.
I wish it was fully sustainable, but we're still using plastic.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
It's hard to say that I think that I will now really
have a different level ofappreciation for those videos as
I see them.
Or, you know, we've gotteninvolved in an organization that
is about fashion, so we will beattending some things like what
you're describing, and I thinkI'm going to.
Just what you've shared hasgiven me the ability to have an
(21:25):
appreciation that I wouldn'thave had, so I hope that there
are listeners out there thatmaybe have gained something from
what you shared as much as Ihave.
Thank you for that.
That was a gift.
You know I'll be able to see itdifferently now.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Yeah, do you like paintings?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I do.
I've painted a little bit.
In fact, that colorful one backbehind me here is one of mine.
The thing about it is I like it, but I don't like doing it by
myself.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Oh, we should host a workshop one of these days.
But I was going to say thatit's kind of like paintings,
like you can't always exactlyuse your paintings.
I mean, they're decorations.
I have some paintings in here Idon't know if you can see them,
some things like that but youcan't exactly use them.
But it's still kind of likeit's gotten to the point where I
(22:25):
think people are making thingsnot just to use them.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
They're making them just to make them.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
And to practice skills.
I think too.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
And I certainly did my share of that.
In fact, there was a pointrecently, six months ago, where
I cleaned the garage out and Ihad, like, I like to paint big
canvases, but most of mycanvases were practice canvases,
so they they didn't look likefinished art, or they didn't to
me, you know, and I I donatedall of them to a local thrift
(22:59):
store, which I doubt anybodyactually bought them, and hung
them on the wall.
They probably bought the canvason the cheap and then just
re-upcycled it, as you said,painted over.
Whatever I did, I knew when Istarted it it wasn't art.
I knew it was just mepracticing technique and playing
with color.
But my heart's happiest whenI'm painting next to someone
(23:24):
else.
When I started painting I tooka class and every week I was in
class where I was painting withother students and I got so
indoctrinated in the paintingwith others that when I ended
the class and thought, oh, I'llpaint, I didn't enjoy it.
I didn't enjoy painting bymyself.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Yeah, it's a lot more fun with people.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
It's an energetic thing for me.
I have one piece, but thefavorite piece that I painted
hangs down in our dining roomand I hosted a big painting
party where there were probablyI don't know 15 or 20 people and
we had canvases stuck all overthe walls of this big, huge
studio and people were sippingon wine and laughing and talking
(24:12):
, having a good time andpainting.
And the energy in the roomenabled me to paint my best
piece ever and I did it in 45minutes flat and I knew it was
done.
I was like I'm done and it wasjust.
It all came from.
It didn't look like anythingelse I'd ever painted and it all
(24:35):
came from just the energy thatwas flowing in the room.
It was an amazing experienceand I'll never forget it.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Oh, and it's a testament to how anything worth
doing, worth having, is justenhanced whenever we're able to
share it.
Yeah, it's.
I have this, this quote, that Itell my boyfriend all the time
that it's like did I even go fora walk at the park if I didn't
take a picture of it and show myfriends or my mom or something?
It's not.
I mean, it's still nice, butit's not as nice.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes, I love it.
Yeah, there are some thingsthat cameras just can't capture.
Yeah, the things that our eyessee, that the camera lens just
doesn't have the ability to, tosee and capture, that's always
fascinating to me.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Well and I know that there's something that comes
from just being there theexperience of an event is going
to be far different from any waythat can be recorded or relayed
.
We, we, we just get so muchmore by just being in the moment
(25:45):
.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Cersei, do you, do you have any creativity?
That is, that is not makingthings like like you know.
For instance, you know mycreativity comes in the form of
ideas.
You know we host events and weconnect people, we publish this
(26:13):
podcast and I guess you couldsay we're making something with
the podcast, but we're notmaking something that is like a
tangible piece of art that youwould display.
I write a lot and that's how mycreativity shows up, but
honestly, you know, I alwayslaughingly say creativity comes
(26:34):
into every piece of my life.
You know, I got really, reallycreative at one point in my life
to figure out how to fold thechip bag down in a manner that
it would keep the chips fresh.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
That's really cool.
That's like an invention.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I love that, but I'm, you know, I see the things that
you create.
But Dwight also said at onepoint that you worked, you were
an aerialist, and I don't knowmuch about that and it's
certainly a form of creativity,so, but I'd love to know that or
anything else that you dothat's been creative.
(27:09):
That hasn't been about makingsomething, because we don't talk
about that that much.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
So I want to before I answer, where can I read some
of your stuff?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
We have a sub stack page and we haven't had it for
very long, so there's only ahandful of articles in there,
but I would I would love toshare that with you.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I would love to see some.
I was going to read today,since it's all rainy, but.
But, creativity wise.
I used to host events with myfather in Lexington.
We used to have wine and dineparties and then also we would
paint and talent shows and wewould invite everyone and
everybody would bring theirinstruments and we just
organized events like that.
And when I started travelingthat had to stop, because you
(27:55):
have to stay in one place ifyou're doing events, because you
kind of have to be like a hubfor people.
But I sing, I dance poetry, alot of writing for academia,
because I just have to, I haveto contribute.
I spend a lot of time absorbingacademic papers so I feel like
(28:15):
I have to give back.
But then aerialing oraerialisting is kind of a flow,
so I categorize that as dance,but it is.
It does take some category orsome some creativity.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
And and are you?
When you say you think of itlike dance?
Are you on a tight wire?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
No, it's like a, it's a hoop.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
There's also a flying pole.
I didn't really do that onethat much because it hurts, but
the hoop is my favorite.
And then there's silks, butI've only done that a few times.
It's really pretty, but itgives you carpet burn, which I
don't know if it's worth it forme.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah.
So I mean you did say as achild you just wanted to do it
all.
And it sounds like you are outthere doing it all and I love
that.
What would you say is out ofeverything creative that you've
ever done?
What is the thing that has lityour fire the most?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Um, that's really hard to pick, because for me
it's not the most, it's morelike what do I feel like doing
today?
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
My gosh, you two are peas in a pod.
It's just hard to say that.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Maybe it's like listening to music.
Do you want to listen to thesame song all the time, or same
genre all the time, or do youwant to listen to a different
genre today?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I have more playlists than you can shake a stick at.
You know, I set aside a periodof my life here about three or
four years ago where I decidedthat every day I was going to
wake up and I wasn't going tohave any plan.
There was going to be no plan,no schedule, and every day I
(30:04):
would wake up and I would justfrom moment to moment ask myself
what I want to do now, and Iwould only do things that I felt
like doing.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
That's very mindful.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I did it for several months and it was just life
changing.
It was the most.
At first I thought I'm going tohate this.
I had kind of a health thingthat came up and the doctor said
I want you to clear yourschedule.
I don't want that.
I want you to rest now that youcan't do anything.
And I thought, oh, I'm going tohate this Cause I'm a doer, you
(30:37):
know.
But it turned out very, verydifferent than what I thought.
I didn't hate it, it was it was, it was, it was.
Perhaps excuse me.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Did you learn to relax?
Speaker 2 (30:50):
I did.
I learned to relax, but I alsoI'm always a person that always
had a plan.
You know, it was like there wasalways a schedule.
I was a career hairdresser for40 years, so I'd wake up every
day and my whole day was plannedout for me already.
They were all scheduled oneright after the other, and so
I'd never been in a situationwhere I could just, from moment
(31:11):
to moment, think what do I feellike doing right now, and then
not having to do anything, justsaying, well, I feel like not
doing anything and just sittingand doing nothing.
It was perhaps one of thebiggest gifts I've given to
myself.
I would recommend it to anyone.
(31:31):
It might be a little weird andeasy at first, but I could talk
for hours about what unfoldedand what I learned about myself
and how amazing it was to justgive that to myself.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Yeah, I think that's something everyone should
practice.
I've tried it a few times, butI don't know.
I feel like I would just go tosleep Like that was my option,
not every day.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
And that's okay too, you know, just to let it be
whatever it is that is that'sscary.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
What if I just watch tv all the time?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
I need the appointment well, it might serve
you, though you never know.
And the reason I say that isbecause I thought, oh my god,
I'm gonna hate this.
And so I did it.
And but the the more space Icreated, where I didn't force
myself to do stuff, where I justwas just being, I began to feel
(32:32):
something well up inside of meand I wasn't real sure what was
going on.
And then at one point Irealized I was just feeling like
a level of inspiration that Ihad never experienced and I
don't think.
And out of that, you know,there was all this inspiration.
(32:52):
And then it began to, because,you know, the whole be, do, have
.
The world is more about do haveand then be, and in just that
beingness, the doing flowed fromit.
(33:16):
Naturally, I didn't have toforce it, I just was suddenly
very inspired to do all kinds ofthings at a level of
inspiration that I'd neverexperienced, and I don't know
whether it would be that way foranybody else or not.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I think that they do say you have to be in a state of
flow to be able to create.
So maybe it relaxes your mindor it takes off the blinders or
something.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
It takes off all the pressure.
So much of our world and wetalk to creatives every day.
There's this pressure to make,to create, to paint, to sculpt
and I've come to realize in mylife that you cannot.
Creativity comes from source.
(34:03):
That's my personal belief.
It comes through me and I can'tforce it to come through me.
I have to open myself and allowit to come through me.
And when I really got clear onthat and stopped trying to force
anything, now it flows soeffortlessly.
I don't ever have a block, Ever.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
That's amazing.
I was just thinking about thatthis morning.
Whenever I was driving.
I was thinking about how it gotto the point or my brand got so
big that it got to the pointwhere I could have become a
factory.
But I ended up going the otherroute and just saying I'm not
going to be forced to paint allthese paintings because people
are asking me to.
I'm just going to do itwhenever I want to and then make
(34:45):
it, I think, better than as ifit were a factory.
So I think it's noticeable,Like when you, when you start
being forced as a creative, Ithink you can you start to get
like noticeably resentful andstuff like that.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
Yes and and to what you create, because we have
these conversations a lot about.
Do I create something that Iknow will sell, or do I create
what I just feel like creating,and and with no regard to
whether it may sell or not, andthat's a tough equation for most
artists.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I think it's a fork in the road that everyone has to
decide where they.
I mean.
I guess you could go back andforth if you eventually want to
go back that route, but I thinkpeople decide.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Well, and it's not an either, or it can be an and
yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
There's definitely a place for being able to
appreciate that you have to dosomething.
Where you're getting in thereps, you know you're you're not
going to wake up and suddenlybe an amazing artist one day.
You're, you're going to have toget there because you've done
the, the fundamentals, to try tobuild a skill to, or to build
(35:52):
the muscle to, to have thepractice, to develop your own
style, to learn about it and Tomake the mistakes Exactly and
and have the complete epicfailures.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
And that's well.
And the failures are where youmight learn the most.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, I think they're all inevitable.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Sertzi, what's a project that you're really
excited about right now?
Speaker 1 (36:25):
So you mentioned the big canvas.
I've never, ever painted a bigcanvas, so I've been thinking
about it, but I don't have aplace for it.
But that's.
I've been looking forward to itin my mind.
Like as soon as I get likemaybe a little workshop room or
something.
I'm going to start doing that,and I also got a unicycle, so
like those are like things thatI've been thinking about.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Have you?
Have you gotten on it and beenable to balance yet?
Speaker 1 (36:52):
No, no, that takes a while, but I, I use a little
rail on the side and I, I likeact like I'm going to do it.
I think that's like a goodpractice.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
I can't even imagine how one would learn to do that I
mean.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
I've ridden a bicycle all my life but one wheel.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Right, it's so silly and it makes everyone laugh, so
I can't wait to actually justget on there.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
It's a pretty.
It's a pretty amazing skill.
We saw a unicyclist, uh, thispast winter at a festival at
Fair Park and, oh my God, shewas amazing.
She could do anything on thatunicycle and it was one with a
(37:37):
really, really tall pole, so shewas about 12 feet up in the air
with a little wheel on thebottom and she was juggling and
people were throwing things ather and she was catching them on
top of her head.
I can't even.
It was a phenomenal display.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
I can't believe people can do that.
That's so like so many yearsand skills combined there.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
I have to wonder if she started training as a small
child because it was like a partof her body.
The unicycle was literally likepart of her body.
She had complete control overit, like she would any other
appendage it was crazy.
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Yeah, I don't have any other projects that I can
think of right now, but I dohave a calendar that I like.
Whenever I do run out ofprojects, I go through and I'm
like what's the next thing?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
I love that well, sorry sometimes it's time to
just take a break in betweenprojects, you know, and wait for
that creativity to show up.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
So, when the time comes to leave Dallas, do you
have any thoughts about whereyou'll go?
Speaker 1 (38:57):
I've been scoping new places.
We just got back from Tokyo andI don't think Tokyo is exactly
the size that I'd like, butsomeplace where, where it's
healthy, I really want to.
I don't even think the U?
S is for me anymore, butsomeplace that, like I, can
breathe good air and drink goodwater, yeah, yeah, that's a tall
(39:20):
order yeah, it's, it's beenhard because it's it's hard to
know if it's like the grass isgreener on the other side, if it
looks like that.
But um, we've been exploring tosee oh, and that's very cool.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
Yeah, I.
I always like to keep in mind,whenever people talk about
looking for greener pastures,that wherever you go there, you
are.
Speaker 1 (39:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, yeah, we take ourselves with us.
You know, you got to reallylook at your motivations for
moving.
Some of us are running towardssomething, some of us are
running away from something, andoftentimes what we're running
away from is ourselves and wedon't realize it, Since we take
ourselves everywhere we go.
That's why, no matter where yougo, there you are.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Yeah, that's a really good quote, but sometimes I
feel like I'm running away, likeif I I feel like the things
that I don't like.
Like, for example, it's likethe chemical in the food I feel
like I should be advocating forlike better foods in the place
that I am, versus like chasinganother place.
Sometimes it just feels like anuphill battle or like against
the tide.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
Well, you know, I would argue that that's that's
by design.
It's made to feel that way whenyou really have far more power
than than you might think, andit's just a matter of applying
that creativity yeah, I did acomparison of a doritos bag in
(40:50):
the us versus a doritos bag intokyo and I think that helped a
lot of people.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
I think a lot of people didn't even notice that
they could get by with likeregular chips without red 40 or
like all the other preservatives, right, that's a whole other
conversation, yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
We have all kinds of chemicals in our food that
doesn't really belong there.
It's kind of amazing.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
It's just it feels random, like bread doesn't have
to be so complex, it could justbe like yeast and a few other
things.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
Exactly, yeah, I in the last few years I've gotten
to where I really read labelsand try to like buy as simple
things as I can that have as fewwords that I can't pronounce as
possible.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, well, I know that family is something that's
a really big driver for you, andnot just a family of origin,
but your family of choice.
You mentioned your boyfriend asas being someone that's
important to you.
How, how have you, how have youdrawn the connections to build
(42:05):
your, your chosen family thatsupports you here and in all the
places that you go?
Speaker 1 (42:12):
I think I find them based on like things that, like
I've always had this policy,since I've always moved a lot,
like most of my life, um, Ialways go to places where the
people that um when I that I'didentify with might be like
galleries or libraries ormuseums or universities, and
that's that's how I go and find,like my potential family and I,
(42:36):
I, just I, I adopt a lot ofpeople as my family, like it's
pretty easy for me to do.
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Oh, that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Those are words of wisdom and pretty simple, and
yet so little of our populationreally understands that.
I mean, you just laid outsomething that is so simple and
doable by absolutely anybody.
Just go where people are thatare doing things that you're
interested in.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
Yeah, I think a lot of people try and grab people
that are in their sphere andmake them do things that that
they want them to do, but Ithink that's a lot harder way
harder.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
Yeah, yeah.
We just got to let people dowhat they're going to do.
They're going to be who theyare.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Yeah, Like my mom got into crocheting and none of our
friends crochet.
But so I was like you should goto a workshop so you can run
into people that that alsocrochet and they already like it
.
Speaker 2 (43:31):
It's not easy, yes, yes, so Sertsi, how does
community play a role in yourcreativity?
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Oh, I don't know how community would not play a role
in your creativity.
Oh, I don't know how communitywould would not play a role in
anything.
How.
I don't know how that would bepossible, because to me, I think
nobody can do anything at allwithout community, like we
wouldn't be able to speak, or orfind pieces to inspire us or
anything, or find pieces toinspire us, or anything.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Wow, that's really well said.
I love the way I never thoughtof it quite like that.
But you're right.
You know we are interdependent.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Yeah, everything that's ever inspired me was made
by somebody or made by groupsof people and like built from
ancestors of like things thatthey've made, or I don't know
how to explain that.
But everything's like projectsand then I see that and then it
helps me do things.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
It's just like a never-ending cycle do you do a
fair amount of collaborationcreating with others?
Speaker 1 (44:38):
a lot.
I try and do one a day.
Like one project a day.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Today I'm doing a.
So today I have a filmrehearsal and that's a bunch of
people involved and we're alljust like reading scripts.
And then I'm also doing thisrehearsal with this group called
the Texas Harmonies.
We just sing songs, so like Ithink Poker Face is on the list
for tonight that, um, it'sacapella, so that's really fun,
(45:08):
nice.
And then I'm doing the podcastwith y'all, so I think I think
this counts yeah, definitelycollaboration yeah, just stuff
like that wow, that's.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
That's really inspiring.
I collaborate at least once aday.
Is that what I heard you say?
Speaker 1 (45:27):
I try.
Yeah, I do take days where Idon't do anything and I take
them as meditation days.
I do it by force, but I thinkit helps.
Speaker 2 (45:38):
Well, there's a form of collaboration there, too, as
well.
You're collaborating withsource and you're collaborating
with self.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Yeah, I'm still brainstorming, though, because
it's hard to fight thebrainstorms when you're
meditating.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Oh, you know, I stopped trying.
I just let it be what it is.
If it's a time when I'msupposed to get good ideas for
creation, I just allow it to be,and if it's time when I really
need to be still and quiet, I'lljust allow it to be.
I stopped trying to make it beanything.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
I'm going to work on that.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
What it wants to be.
I let it just be what it wantsto be.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
That seems hard to do for me.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
It is.
I'm right there with you.
It's not easy.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
It is until it isn't right.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yep exactly.
Speaker 1 (46:33):
Mr.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Dwight, do you have some rapid fire questions for
Sartsy?
Speaker 3 (46:38):
Yes, we do.
We like to close with somerapid fire questions.
Are you ready with some rapidfire questions?
Are you?
Are you ready with some rapidfire answers?
I think so all right, so we'llhit you with three of them today
.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
First one is best piece of advice another creative
has given you um, it's socliche, but I guess they just do
it, just get started.
Okay, everyone says that.
So it's not like I can't creditthat to one specific person,
(47:10):
but, um, they're always justlike, just just get started and
like fix the problems as you goor fix the, the confusion as you
go and stuff.
Oh, that, that's great we.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We've heard it on here before, but it it bears
repeating.
Yeah, that's ego and stuff.
Oh, that, that's great.
We.
We've heard it on here before,but it it bears repeating.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
Yeah, that's why cliches are cliches for a reason
.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
That's right.
Yes, they are just likestereotypes.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Next one what's the most challenging creative skill
you're still trying to master?
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Probably the one we just talked about, the whole
relaxing and being in a sense offlow and just not forcing it.
That one, I think, is hard.
It's like a concert, it's aparadox, because it's like how
do you do both things?
I think a walking beam or abalance beam.
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Yeah, yes.
So the last rapid fire questionwhat is your dream
collaboration partner?
Who is your dream collaborationpartner, be they alive or dead?
Speaker 1 (48:16):
um, I don't have anybody in mind specifically,
because I just I feel like it'sthe whole doing too many things
thing, because I have.
I have idols for inspiration,people from each thing, like
fashion, singing, painting, soit'd be hard to pick one.
But I think like a really bigproject, like with involving
like hundreds of hundreds ofpeople, would be a dream come
(48:39):
true, just like like big, bigcities coming together to do
stuff together.
I think that would be wonderful.
Speaker 2 (48:47):
I bet you could pull that off yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:49):
Maybe eventually I feel like it takes a lot of.
Maybe you guys could help me,because you guys do events.
For me the organizing the, thebig groups of people together.
Part is hard.
Speaker 2 (49:02):
Yep, that's, that's what we do, and and it is
challenging, you're right, it ischallenging, but it is what we
do.
So you never know, could be a,could be a possible collab right
here.
Speaker 1 (49:12):
Yeah, that'd be wonderful.
Let's brainstorm on it.
Speaker 3 (49:15):
Yeah, we definitely will.
Well, this has been a fabulous,fascinating conversation.
I'm so glad that we sat down todo this.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Thank you so much.
I feel like I learned a lotabout myself and it was really
nice to meet y'all.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Oh, I love that, that you feel like you learned a lot
about yourself.
I think there is somethingmagical and I say this a lot
when we I mean we all have astory inside of us.
We all have lots of storiesinside of us and we get little
opportunities to tell littlesnippets here and there, but how
often do we get to really telllike a big part of the story?
(49:52):
And I think there's somethingmagical that happens when you
say it out loud where otherpeople actually hear it.
Kind of like that thing aboutwould the tree falling tree make
a noise if there were nobody inthe forest to hear it?
Somebody needs actually hear it.
Kind of like that thing aboutwould the tree falling tree make
a noise if there were nobody inthe forest to hear it?
Somebody needs to hear it andyou know people will hear it now
because it's going to go out onthe airways for the whole world
(50:13):
.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you so much for theopportunity.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Thank you so much for spending an hour with us Sertsi
.
This was amazing.
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