Shows
Studio Sessions73. That's a Pretty Good TreeSend us a message.Matt picks up a Cartier-Bresson book at the used bookstore and we read two passages from it — one on prowling the streets, one on primitivism and the hobbyist trap. The quotes pull us into a longer conversation about what it means to make work outside commercial pressure, and whether the thrill of hunting for things to sell has become a structural parallel to street photography: the finding, the deciding, the sharing. We don't fully settle it, but the overlap is hard to ignore.From there we move through John Ruskin's definition of...
2026-05-261h 37Studio Sessions72. The Critic Problem: Why Great Art Resists Easy ExplanationsSend us a message.We open with a letter — Rilke's first letter to a young poet, written in 1903 — and the question at the center of it: must I write? Not do I want to, not is it going well, but must I. We talk about what it means to look outward for reassurance while making something, how that search for validation reshapes work before it's even finished, and what happens when you're writing toward an external voice instead of your own.That leads us into a broader conversation about photography as a practice of finding thin...
2026-05-121h 35Studio Sessions71. What If Success Is The Unmeasurable Part?Send us a message.We open with a 93-year-old woman who ran an oil pump valve repair business and a boutique until she was nearly 100, and what her life says about the post-WWII metrics we've organized our sense of security around — the 401k, the house, the college fund, the car in the driveway. We dig into EM Forster's observation that the novel is sogged with humanity, and what happens to a life when the humanity gets exercised out of it in favor of the spreadsheet.That leads us to a visit with a former fighter pi...
2026-04-281h 19Studio Sessions70. You Output What You InputSend us a message.We spend a lot of time thinking about what we make, and not enough thinking about what we take in. What we listen to, what we read, what we let interrupt us, what we hand our attention to without really deciding to — all of it shapes the output, whether we're conscious of it or not. This episode starts there.From that we get into the systems designed to keep you feeding them — platforms, algorithms, companies that started with a mission and ended with an optimization — and what it actually costs to let th...
2026-04-1455 minStudio Sessions69. What If Your Best Work Needs Less SharingSend us a message.This week we got into something we'd been circling for a while: what happens to the work when the work and the content share the same camera, the same hours, the same brain. We used the image of food coloring dropped into water — once it's in, you can't pull it back out — and followed that wherever it went. Which turned out to be pretty far: the scarcity feeling that keeps you posting, the fantasy that a YouTube channel is a path to an artistic life, whether conflict and economic pressure are actually what fuel...
2026-03-311h 15Studio Sessions68. Protect The Work At All CostsSend us a message.We started this one talking about whether building a content ecosystem around photography risks turning the work into content, and how the pressure to produce on a content timeline can collapse the space that photographs actually need. When you're operating from scarcity, you grab the recognizable brand for cheap instead of holding out for the thing that represents what you're building. That tension between immediacy and long-term identity ran through most of the conversation, how we each relate to our own work.We spent a lot of time on taste and...
2026-03-171h 06Studio Sessions67. Leica LuckSend us a message.More of a fun for us one here. What started as a pretty standard phone call turned into one of the most unexpected camera days we've had. Matt found a Leica M11 and Q2 listed on Facebook Marketplace by a woman selling her dad's collection to cover nursing care costs — and after some back-and-forth, both cameras came home with us. We talk through the full story, the legitimacy paranoia, trading a Zeiss 35mm for a 28mm viewfinder, the philosophy of owning things you actually use, and why paring down a collection can feel mo...
2026-03-031h 12Studio Sessions66. Back to Square OneSend us a message.We catch up on the gallery space that didn't come together — not because of conflict, but because the arrangement shifted enough that the original vision no longer fit. What stings isn't the logistics, it's the built-in community that came with that particular spot, and the version of things we'd already started imagining.From there the conversation turns inward. We're both feeling the gap between talking about making work and actually making it — the pull to get back out with a camera, the fatigue of looking at old sequences, and what it mean...
2026-02-171h 05
Health RecodedHow Cortisol affects your healthIn this episode of Health Recoded, we discuss cortisol and how it affects the human body. We’ll talk about:- Where cortisol comes from- How cortisol feels in the body- Nursing tips to support healthy cortisolIf you find this information helpful, consider subscribing for more episodes like this. New conversations are released weekly.Chapters00:00 Intro01:10 Where does Cortisol come from?03:28 How Cortisol present in the Body05:15 How Cortisol can affect the Body06:38 Why Cortisol can get “stuck”07:19 Alex’s personal story08:2...
2026-02-1012 minStudio Sessions65. Attempting A Low-Stakes Space For Photography And Conversation: PART 2Send us a message.WE STILL HAVE NO NAME... We spend most of this episode wrestling with what to name our new gallery space. The conversation moves through dozens of possibilities—from "Synchronicity" to "Room" to "Keyframe"—trying to find something that isn't pretentious, that wears well over time, and that captures the intersection between a photography gallery, Josh's furniture showroom, and a functional creative space. We talk about Star Wars naming, city names, and why the best names feel obvious once you hear them.Beyond the naming problem, we dig into what this space actu...
2026-02-0357 minStudio Sessions64. Attempting A Low-Stakes Space For Photography And Conversation: PART 1Send us a message.We talk through the unexpected opportunity to create a photography exhibition space in Omaha's Old Market. The conversation covers how a casual connection through vintage reselling led to subletting a space for three months—low financial risk, no formal contracts, just the chance to experiment. We discuss rejecting the traditional gallery model entirely: no price tags, no sales pressure, just a place for photographers to gather, show work, and build community.The episode explores the tension between excitement and anxiety that comes with actually doing something instead of just talking about it...
2026-01-2049 minStudio Sessions63. Build The Foundation, Lose The Costume, Keep Your SoulSend us a message.We sit down for our annual year-end conversation, reflecting on 2025 and mapping out intentions for 2026. The discussion moves between practical revenue planning and deeper questions about identity, authenticity, and what it means to build a creative life without losing yourself in the process.We explore the tension between chasing grandiose visions of success and learning to be present with who we actually are—people who source vintage records, make photographs, create videos, and build websites. The conversation touches on the difference between "playing the part" of a successful creator versus doing wo...
2026-01-061h 21Studio Sessions62. What Do We Owe The Past When We Build With Its Pieces?Send us a message.We stumble into uncomfortable territory when Matt shares a YouTube channel that initially captivated him—a series of video essays about art and commerce, aesthetically compelling and philosophically engaged. But when Alex identifies the footage as a filmmaker's documentary work, used without direct credit, we're forced to examine our own assumptions about appropriation, influence, and artistic honesty. What begins as a simple observation becomes a deeper interrogation: Is this reconstitution or appropriation? Branding or art? And why does it bother us so much when someone's work doesn't match the authenticity it preaches?...
2025-12-231h 09Studio Sessions61. Are We Curating Identity Or Chasing Dopamine?Send us a message.We explore the vintage clothing and collectibles scene in Omaha, examining the intersection of genuine appreciation, social signaling, and dopamine-driven consumerism. The conversation ranges from Matt's solo trip to a vintage event at A Priori (complete with Polaroid gift-giving) to broader questions about why we acquire things—whether it's a 1940s bomber jacket, rare vinyl records, or another book for the shelf. We discuss the spectrum between celebrating quality craftsmanship and using purchases to fill psychological needs, touching on everything from $500 Nebraska garage band 45s to the declining quality of modern retail clothing....
2025-12-091h 14Studio Sessions60. Artists Make Ways of Seeing, Not ObjectsSend us a message.We spend most of this episode exploring James Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games," working through the distinction between societies that defend boundaries and cultures that exist on horizons. Alex reads passages from the book about how patriotism requires enemies to function, why authentic movements like the Renaissance don't oppose anyone, and how any finite concept that tries to contain everything else is inherently evil. Matt reflects on his own pull toward rigid, binary thinking despite intellectually understanding the value of infinite play. We discuss how systems naturally protect themselves when threatened, why baseball...
2025-11-251h 17Studio Sessions59. Rethinking Collaboration: Why Working Together Still MattersSend us a message.On one side, there’s the protected solitude every creator needs: the quiet pass where you can be wrong in private, find the frame, and follow intuition without a chorus in your ear. On the other side, there’s the charge you only get in a room full of capable people. Being back on a large production rekindled that feeling—clear roles, shared language, and the thrill of adding a small but meaningful piece to something thousands will experience. We unpack the difference between leadership and tyranny, how to invite notes that respect intent...
2025-11-111h 23Studio Sessions58. The Work You Keep DeferringSend us a message.We establish guardrails for the podcast after recognizing we've been on autopilot for months, using this as a state of the union where we commit to actual accountability instead of vague intentions. Matthew discusses diversifying revenue streams to reduce dependence on sponsorships that feel like selling rather than curating, while trying to build financial stability that allows space for reading and creative work. Alex confronts how illness disrupted his morning writing routine and the challenge of getting back to consistent discipline when life knocks you off schedule. Both of us recognize a pattern...
2025-10-281h 08Studio Sessions57. Private Work, Public TruthsSend us a message.We explore the tension between private creative work and public output—why some projects stay hidden in desk drawers, what gets lost when we don't capture ideas in the moment, and how the act of recording thoughts (whether on paper, voice memo, or typewriter) shapes what eventually gets made. The conversation moves through the craft of writing, from Dostoevsky dictating novels to assistants to the question of whether our image-saturated culture has made us illiterate in different ways than previous generations.The second half examines our complicated relationship with technology: the gr...
2025-10-1458 minStudio Sessions56. Seasonality, Not SpeedSend us a message.We examine the tension between artistic evolution and audience expectations, using examples from Mac Miller to Paul Thomas Anderson to explore what happens when creators follow their interests rather than trying to replicate past successes. The conversation moves through Matthew's strategy of operating multiple YouTube channels as both creative experimentation and financial hedge—separating pure documentation from tutorial content while trying to preserve the act of curation from the corruption of commerce.The discussion deepens into questions about cultural pressure and achievement metrics: the constant comparison to others' milestones, the invisibility of...
2025-09-301h 00Studio Sessions55. Reclaiming The Soul of Digital Technology - Less Capability, More FreedomSend us a message.We explore the philosophy behind building personal websites and using intentionally limited computing as creative practice. The conversation examines why modern computers feel "too dangerous"—offering infinite possibilities that paradoxically constrain focus—and how deliberately choosing simpler tools can restore agency over our attention and creative output.Through discussions of building throwback websites, setting up old computers as single-purpose machines, and integrating AI through terminal interfaces, we unpack the psychological difference between technology that serves us versus technology that exploits our behavioral patterns. The episode ultimately centers on a deeper question: how...
2025-09-161h 40Studio Sessions54. Embracing Necessary ImperfectionsSend us a message.We examine how digital culture's promise of frictionless perfection has created unrealistic expectations that we unconsciously apply to relationships, creativity, and life itself. The conversation explores the psychological residue of living in an attention economy—how algorithmic thinking shapes our behavior even when we consciously reject it, and why we find ourselves reaching backward in time for tools and practices that feel more aligned with human limitations.The discussion reveals how consumer culture has colonized our emotional lives, creating cycles of acquisition that promise depth but deliver dopamine hits instead. We ex...
2025-09-021h 18Studio Sessions53. The Terrible Master: On Ego, Perception, and the Choice to See DifferentlySend us a message.We look at David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" commencement speech, examining its central themes of awareness, ego death, and the daily struggle against our "default settings." What starts as a discussion of the speech evolves into a broader exploration of how we navigate modern life—from the challenge of maintaining consciousness in consumer culture to the difficulty of having genuine conversations without blind certainty.We explore the paradox of participation versus checking out: how do we engage with contemporary media, technology, and culture while maintaining critical awareness? Through examples ranging fro...
2025-08-191h 47Studio Sessions52. The Homogenization Problem: Is Culture Losing Itself? PART 2Send us a message.Part two of two. We explored the cultural tension between our fascination with the past and uncertainty about the future, using the metaphor of returning to an earlier video game save point when the current level feels impossible to beat. The conversation examined how platforms like YouTube are becoming flooded with AI-generated content, creating what we called a "cobra effect" where attempts to solve one problem create bigger ones. We discussed how the ease of content creation tools has led to an overwhelming amount of low-quality material that drowns out authentic v...
2025-08-0548 minStudio Sessions51. The Homogenization Problem: Is Culture Losing Itself? PART 1Send us a message.Part one of two.We once again dive into the tension between artistic integrity and algorithmic demands in today's creator economy. As YouTube's algorithms continue evolving in 2025, prioritizing engagement metrics and recommendation systems that analyze billions of signals, we explore what happens when content creators face the pressure to homogenize their work for maximum reach.The conversation touches on the current shift away from what industry experts call "the era of excess" or "the Mr. Beastification" of content, examining how viral success can both validate and potentially corrupt creative...
2025-07-2259 minStudio Sessions50. Fragmented Culture: What Matters When Nothing Really Matters?Send us a message.We examine whether culture has actually become decentralized or if we just live in isolated "slivers" while still being shaped by the same underlying systems. Starting with observations about feeling "out of touch" we explore how everyone now consumes completely different content yet we can still connect meaningfully with friends over shared experiences. This raises questions about what really drives human connection and whether platforms like YouTube and social media create genuine cultural diversity or just the appearance of choice.The conversation shifts to fundamental tensions in how we structure our...
2025-07-081h 11
PCMA Convene PodcastConvene Series: How to Negotiate with Confidence: Collaboration, Communication, and Executive Presence with Alex Carter and Anne Marie NestIn the last Season 7 episode, we talk with two powerhouse guests — Alex Carter, Columbia Law professor and best-selling author of Ask for More, and Anne Marie Nest, expert in voice, speech, and executive presence. Together, they unpack how negotiation can be reframed as a collaborative problem-solving process — not a confrontation.Links:https://alexcarterasks.com/iBreathe App - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ibreathe-relax-and-breathe/id1296605806https://askformoregroup.com/Follow Convene:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pcma-convene/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcmaconvene/ YouTub...
2025-06-2637 minStudio Sessions49. The Human Cost of "Artificial Intelligence": What Are We Trading Away?Send us a message.We dive deep into the seductive promise and hidden costs of AI technology and the question that haunts every creative: what are we trading away for convenience? Through our exploration, we examine how tools shape not just what we make, but who we become in the process.We also wrestle with the tension between efficiency and authenticity, discussing everything from DV tape workflows to AI-generated content and the race to the bottom that threatens meaningful creation. This conversation challenges us to consider whether the magic intelligence in the cloud will free...
2025-06-2449 min