Listening

I thought I would take a moment to share with you what fills my ears during the hundreds of hours I spend painting, drawing and designing.

Growing up, my art teacher always played classical music. I learned to love Debussy, Mozart and Bach, to name a few. In college I was excited by all the different types of music that would fill the studios. There was always some new band to learn about, and my love of music grew. Just after college, I discovered that I often would reach a point in my illustrations where one part of my brain could focus on the painting and the other could listen to an audio book. This was before podcasts were really a thing, and before I had discovered the wonders of NPR. Over the past eight or so years, my listening has grown to include a vast array of podcasts. I find audio books challenging because a book is created to be read, not heard. Podcasts use language and sound in a different way since their original format is made for the ears.

My endless curiosity is fed by the constant flow of new information. I love hearing the stories, both true and make believe that I listen to. They make me think about new and different things and indirectly influence my work. I'm always searching for more! Below are some of my favorite podcasts:

99% Invisible
RadioLab
This American Life
The Moth
Invisiblia
Serial
Planet Money
Freakonomics Radio
Death, Sex & Money
StartUp Podcast
The Longest Shortest Time

And last, take a listen to episode 167: Voices in the Wire from 99% Invisible to truly understand the novelty and power of broadcast sound.