What is true artistic freedom? We’d all almost certainly argue that it looks something like having no boundaries or restrictions to one’s creative process or the time needed to perfect it. Maybe it means having the resources to rent a studio and pay musicians for months on end, or maybe it looks more like being able to create any convention-defying…

Why is it that no matter how vigorously we run the race of life, we always end up feeling like we’re falling behind? Whether we’re losing ground, time, or patience, why do we invariably get so bogged down by what we know to be but mundane detours in our quest for joy that we put on the back burner any of the activities that will actually bring us c…

A good friend can be hard to find. How is it that, for a subset of people who define themselves by their sensitivity and depth, it can feel so difficult to find relationships that aren’t centered on networking and shallow small talk? Sure, we may know a hundred other artists who we get along well with, but how well do we really know these folks, an…

Sometimes it gets to feeling like the acts we put on pervade well beyond the literal stage. In an age where we feel like the eyes of the world are always upon us (at least in our heads), it can become difficult to know who we are underneath it all—both as artists and as people. In this episode of Nah-cademics, Brett and John try to get to the botto…

Episode 4: You Are Not Your Art Why does it matter so much that others like our art ? Sure, we can all cling to the rational platitudes of “it doesn’t matter, so long as we personally love what we’re doing,” but let’s face it, it still hurts our feelings when others don’t share the belief that we’re doing something special—and more importantly, don…

Pt 2: New Year, Same Me ‘Tis (still) the season! In this follow up holiday episode, Brett and John shift their rambling from the past-looking pathos of Christmas to the futile futurism of New Years—for what better cure for spending another holiday ruminating on all that we’ve lost and fallen short of than to set new resolutions to invariably regret…

Pt. 1: Walking Backwards Through Life ’Tis the season! On this two-part episode, Brett and John sing the holiday blues—not literally, thank goodness—and attempt to get to the bottom of that subtle, unspoken sadness that always seems to undergird this time of year. Maybe it’s the dwindling sunlight, the passage of time, or having too keen an awarene…

Come, overthink with us. Who do you make art for? Do you feel like you owe it to anyone to keep being an artist? Is starting a podcast (and calling it art) really worth disappointing your parents over? This podcast will not help you answer those questions—well, except maybe the last one—but in the debut episode of Nah-cademics, Brett and John discu…