Shows
Like Really CreativeHow to Be A Multimedia Multihyphenate with An Emphasis in Biological Anthropology with Thomas CorbinThomas Corbin discovered his creative calling through necessity and rebellion. After being publicly humiliated in art school for not following assignment rules despite creating beautiful work, he fled to biological anthropology, studying Neanderthal extinction and learning that our ancient cousins were sophisticated artists who made jewelry and buried their dead with flowers. But art kept calling him back. Now he operates as a creative "shuffler," constantly moving between music production, visual collages, and multiple band collaborations (General Labor, Cloudland Canyons, Melinda, and Infinity Stairs) because his brain solves problems when switching between mediums. His philosophy emerged from pain: reject...2025-07-311h 04Like Really CreativeHow to Paint a Divorce with Nate RennerNate Renner is a Memphis-based pop artist who finds inspiration in Southern rituals and commercialism. His work explores the repetitive traditions of the rural South—like the guy who throws beer cans in the same ditch every day after work—and how people prioritize vices over necessities. Growing up Church of Christ, Nate examines the connection between brands and memory, how families attach to specific products that stir up nostalgia. His recent solo show "Flowers Ain't Forever" at Ugly Art Co processed his divorce through black and white dying flower paintings, marking his first solo exhibition in seven years and...2025-07-1735 minLike Really CreativeHow to Be a Concept Artist from South Memphis with Dame MufasaDame Mufasa is a poet disguised as a hip-hop artist, "Trojan horsing poetry through gold teeth and hip hop.” His brain works in narrative connections, whether linear or abstract, creating entire universes from disparate thoughts before they become too big to execute. Dame's philosophy centers on art as sacred work—following in the footsteps of Tupac and James Baldwin—with every project carrying the weight of representation and the responsibility to prove hip hop is fine art. His recent album "Church in the Wild" emerged from a Crosstown Arts residency where life fell apart (lost job, lost someone close, car go...2025-07-1029 min
cityCURRENT Radio ShowThe Four Codes of Creative Energy: How to Reignite Your Artistic Spark with Zack OrsbornIn this deeply personal and inspiring episode, host Andrew Bartolotta sits down with Zack Orsborn, founder of Like Really Creative, to explore the intersection of mental health, creativity, and community. Zack opens up about growing up in a small Mississippi town where creativity was stifled, navigating mental illness, and the long road to rediscovering his artistic identity.He shares the powerful story behind his framework—The Four Codes of Creative Energy—and how it's helping creatives overcome fear, reconnect with their passion, and build intentional, expressive lives. From Collage Parties to MUSE gatherings, Like Really Creative is more...2025-07-0423 minLike Really CreativeHow to Edit the Arts Beat with Elle PerryElle Perry is Memphis's go-to Arts & Culture editor at The Daily Memphian, a self-described generalist who can hit five art gallery openings in one night. Her love affair with the arts began in third grade when a speech therapy teacher took her to see The Nutcracker, then deepened in college when she discovered the broke student's paradise of gallery openings (free wine and cheese). Elle's nosiness-turned-superpower drives her journalism, giving her permission to ask deeper questions while building genuine connections with artists. She approaches art like a tactile kid who wants to touch everything, drawn especially to abstract works...2025-07-0334 min
Like Really CreativeCreative Clarity Meditation #02: Releasing Creative Fear with Anthony LorenzoPhotographer Anthony Lorenzo leads this meditation to help you work through creative blocks and fear. You'll visualize yourself in your creative space, connecting with your tools and the process of making without hesitation. The session focuses on building confidence in your creative abilities and trusting your instincts.Designed for writers, artists, musicians, and other creators who feel stuck or anxious about their work. The meditation includes a 396hz Solfeggio tone woven in the music, known for helping release fear. Listen at likereallycreative.com/meditate2025-07-0204 minLike Really CreativeHow to Engineer a Drag Reveal with Vivica VanityVivica Vanity's path to drag began with a childhood creating digital art, anime obsession, and fictional world-building. As an "internet baby" who could type before writing, she spent years making animations and original characters while feeling like an outsider in school. Her drag career sparked in 2022 at Code Pink in Oxford, Mississippi after being inspired by Sasha Colby's reveal techniques. She reverse-engineered costume reveals by studying YouTube videos frame by frame, eventually mastering theater quick-release techniques. Her first performance came during a Jay Lee memorial night where she felt compelled to "embody the queer spirit," performing to Ayesha Erotica's "...2025-06-1236 minLike Really CreativeHow to Be a Tarot-Reading Drag Witch by Hunny BluntWhen drag star Hunny Blunt first discovered tarot as a child, she had no idea that a simple deck of cards would become the spiritual compass guiding her through life's wildest transformations. After her childhood deck was thrown away, curiosity eventually led her back to the mystical practice, where she found not just divination, but a roadmap for healing. When she stepped into drag, something magical happened—the spiritual depth of tarot merged with the glamorous artistry of performance, creating a practice where sequins and sacred wisdom coexist. For Hunny, humor is "the acceptance of pain," a way to tr...2025-06-0550 min
Like Really CreativeCreative Clarity Meditation #01: Connecting with Your Creative Energy with Felicia WheelerFeeling creatively stuck or disconnected from your work? This quick guided meditation helps you reconnect with that creative energy that got you creating in the first place. Visual artist Felicia Wheeler's soothing voice walks you through a gentle body scan and visualization designed specifically for creatives dealing with blocks, self-doubt, or that feeling of being "off" from your creative flow.Perfect for when you're between projects, struggling with your inner critic, or just need a creative reset. No meditation experience required—just bring yourself and whatever creative challenges you're facing.Learn more about Cre...2025-06-0307 minLike Really CreativeHow to Wrestle With a Live Wire with Bobby FordBobby Ford discovered professional wrestling when he was a kid and was immediately captivated by its energy and theatricality. As a middle child among three brothers always vying for attention, wrestling's performative nature aligned with his natural inclination to entertain. After drifting away from his passion during high school and college, attending a 901Wrestling show reignited his determination to become a wrestler. He spent two years paying dues as a “do-boy” before finally getting consistent training in perhaps the most Memphis way possible: in a wrestling ring set up in someone's front yard in Nutbush. Under the guidance of Andy...2025-05-2224 minLike Really CreativeHow to Lean into The Ugly with Anderson GoinThe name "Ugly Art Co." comes from a pivotal moment when founder/owner and visual artist Anderson Goin overheard a friend's mother describe his early work as "just so ugly." Rather than being discouraged, he reclaimed the term, associating ugliness with authenticity and human imperfection. After stepping away from the art world due to its inauthentic culture, Anderson returned with a mission to build community among talented Memphis-connected artists. His own artistic practice has evolved alongside Ugly's growth, as interactions with the collective's diverse artists have made him more intentional while maintaining his immediate, raw style that changes frequently—he...2025-05-1532 minLike Really CreativeHow to Make the Most of a Memory with Felicia WheelerFelicia Wheeler's return to artmaking represents a significant transformation after years supporting others as an arts administrator. She describes this transition using a clay metaphor - like dry clay becoming malleable again when submerged in water, her challenging period actually softened her to become "something better than what I previously was." Art has served as her sanctuary throughout life, including during the pandemic when a pivotal dream about her grandmother's home inspired her creative rebirth. Her current focus is beaded portraits of family photographs, particularly "Way Up There," a 10,000-bead peyote stitch piece recreating a childhood photo of herself...2025-05-0842 minLike Really CreativeHow to MAKE a MAD Movement with IMAKEMADBEATSIMAKEMADBEATS (@imakemadbeats)—artist, producer, and founder/CEO of @weareunapologetic—began his artistic journey with rejection and the struggle of not fitting in. With a computer programming background and experience as a recording engineer at Quad Studios in Manhattan, a pivotal moment came during a session with Busta Rhymes, who shared Q-Tip's advice about knowing yourself before succeeding. This prompted him to draw his now-iconic mask during sociology class—a visual representation that "what I actually look like is not important." When founding UNAPOLOGETIC, he recognized many Memphis artists felt forced to leave their hometown to pursue unique creative visions. Having...2025-05-0135 minLike Really CreativeHow to Extend Reality with Kathryn HicksKathryn Hicks' artistic journey began with a childhood obsession with dragons that her mother once warned would never lead to financial success. Starting as a traditional artist with a strong foundation in drawing and painting, Kathryn was initially "anti-digital art" before completely reversing course. At the University of Memphis, she studied studio art before transitioning to graphic design, which taught her to think differently about creative work. Her path then led to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), where she initially pursued animation before discovering 3D modeling was her true passion. The pivotal moment in her career came...2025-04-2340 minLike Really CreativeHow to Be Hot Pink with Emily BurkheadEmily Burkhead is an intermedia artist whose work blends 3D printing, found materials, and surrealist filmmaking. Despite not having formal artistic training in her undergraduate years (she has a social science degree), Emily pursued an MFA where she developed her distinctive style featuring vibrant hot pink colors and varied textures. Her thesis project, "Trigger/Glimmer/Something Else," became a powerful exploration of her queer and neurodivergent identity. Emily was drawn to hot pink as a "dopamine inducer" that felt forbidden because of how society had conditioned her to view it as childish, trashy, or garish. Her work creates a...2025-04-1628 minLike Really CreativeHow to Build the Future of Sound with StroolyMicah McGee, known as Strooly, began his musical journey in a family of artists and musicians. His earliest memories include playing piano at his grandparents' house at age four, fascinated by harmonies and rhythms. Growing up around painters, illustrators, and screen printers instilled a DIY creative mentality that influenced his approach to art. Though he learned multiple instruments by ear (piano, guitar, drums, cello, and stand-up bass), his transition to electronic music production happened in college when limited space made traditional instruments impractical. After moving to Memphis in 2010, he joined a collective of DJs and producers called Voodoo Village...2025-04-0930 min
The SparkHow to Be Really Creative with Zack OrsbornIn this episode of The Spark, Dr. Weiss turns the microphone around to interview our own Director of Marketing and Communications, Zack Orsborn, who typically produces the podcast from behind the scenes.They explored Zack's journey from small-town Mississippi to becoming an integral part of both the Memphis artistic community and Bornblum.They talked about Zack's "Like Really Creative" podcast, where he's interviewed 30 artists in just six weeks so far, and learn about his evolution from journalism to marketing while maintaining his identity as a multidisciplinary artist. Zack shares candid insights about finding...2025-03-1319 min