Artist Decoded by Yoshino – Details, episodes & analysis

Justin Tyler Close (b. 1984, Toronto, Canada) is an award-winning director, photographer & visual artist.

Justin founded the internationally distributed arts publication The Lab Magazine and was the active editor-in-chief/creative director from 2010-2018.

The interview magazine featured artists, designers, filmmakers, and activists such as Marina Abramovic, Wes Anderson and Noam Chomsky.

In 2020, Justin created his audio-visual installation titled The Fifty Eleven Project, which was exhibited at the prestigious Copenhagen Contemporary Museum.

Soon after, Justin wrote and directed two award-winning short films, Like Father Like Son and Where The Time Goes. 

He is currently developing several projects, and set to direct his debut his feature film in the fall, 2025.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Justin’s life in Athens, Greece (00:02:07)
• What Justin has been focusing on recently (00:05:09)
• The beginning stages of Justin’s painting process and nostalgia (00:08:45)
• Being nomadic, defining a home, and socially imposed ideals (00:12:26)
• Justin’s daily process and finding a flow state (00:22:06)
• Justin’s thoughts about turning 40 and what he learned in his 30s (00:27:49)
• Finding a balance between personal and commercial work (00:28:20)
• Finding our artistic voice (00:41:07)
• Justin’s advice to his younger self (01:00:02)

artistdecoded.com
jaeclose.com
instagram.com/justintylerclose

Rose Ides is an artist from San Diego specializing in veristic surrealism, and a writer exploring the sociology of the arts in the United States. With a background in sociology, education, public health, and art, her work aims to participate in creative liberation and artistic compassion. She has published two illustrative projects with Running Press, the Oracle of Pluto deck and the illustrated astrological compendium The Cosmic Symposium, which you can pick up at all major book retailers. You can connect with her on Instagram at @idesofrose.

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

• Why Rose decided to pursue art full-time (00:02:08) 
• Artistic insecurities developing in childhood (00:04:49) 
• The history of the word “art” (00:11:15) 
• Breaking through illusions to simply “be” (00:15:24)
• Using our emotions to fuel our creativity (00:25:34)
• Translating the dreamworld (00:29:47) 
• Working through educational trauma and Rose wanting to begin her PhD program in Indigenous Rights (00:40:43) 
• Rose’s advice for the audience (00:47:50)

Episode co-host: Jennifer Sodini

artistdecoded.com
roseides.com
roseides.substack.com
instagram.com/idesofrose

James “Munky” Shaffer is best known as co-founder and guitarist for American rock band Korn. With a career spanning three decades, his latest project Venera ventures into experimental electronic territory.

• Treating everyone with kindness (00:04:34)
• James’s newest project Venera (00:08:37)
• Unexpected occurrences while making music for Venera (00:18:29)
• How he experimented with new playing styles in Venera (00:21:34)
• Switching studios or environments to channel into different ways of creating and experimenting (00:24:19)
• Understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses / working with producer Ross Robinson (00:26:29)
• Exploring the origin of Korn’s unique sound (00:29:30)
• Discussing alternate realities (00:31:26)
• Creating time for creative practices (00:35:58)
• James’s daily habits and rituals (00:37:23)
• James’s struggle with addiction and how he overcame it (00:42:06)
• Spiritual transcendence (00:45:00)
• How James originally got into music (00:50:02)
• The importance of having a creative outlet in one’s life (00:54:28)

artistdecoded.com
instagram.com/munky_korn

instagram.com/_veneramusic
veneramusic.com
kornofficial.com

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Sean Cheetham was born in 1977 in San Francisco, studied at the College of San Mateo, in California, and earned a B.F.A. degree with honors from Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California. His paintings have been included in numerous significant exhibitions internationally including the National Portrait Gallery in London. He has a devoted following of collectors and art students that are inspired by his work and distinctive technique. Primarily a figurative painter, Sean is known for his technical prowess in achieving accuracy and harmony in his alla prima paintings which he credits to a deep understanding of drawing and his own system of mixing colors which he uses adeptly to govern shadows, midtones and highlights. In addition to having an exceptional ability to understand, draw, and paint the human form, Cheetham’s selection of subjects typically in familiar urban scenes contributes a truthful and often raw spirit that makes his work distinctive and a contemporary testimony of our time.

Kate Zambrano is a self-taught fine artist who applies major influences and themes such as the systemic urge to understand human nature, behavior, and the beauty in the expressive nuances.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Kate and Sean’s relationship 
• COVID’s effect on workflow 
• Personal hobbies and the meditation behind them
• Endless curiosities within relationships and art
• Community and interaction in the midst of COVID 
• Appreciating the mundane experiences of life
• The origin of Kate and Sean’s art practice
• Balance
• Teaching and lessons learned from the experience 
• Remaining flexible within your career 
• Relying on other mediums to feed into your main passions
• Refinement
• Flipping your mentality 
• Ego
• Natural talent, and doing the hard thing 
• Persistence

www.artistdecoded.com

www.seancheethamfineart.com

www.katezambrano.com

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Laura Fried is a Los Angeles-based curator and is a Co-Founder and Director of Active Cultures, a nonprofit organization that explores the convergence of food and art in contemporary life. Through collaborative projects by cooks and artists, Active Cultures' programming takes a multitude of forms such as performances, workshops, meals, and education initiatives. Throughout her career, Fried has advocated for artists and institutions while pushing forward new models for engagement and exhibition-making. She recently served as founding Artistic Director of the Seattle Art Fair, for which she organized a comprehensive program of large-scale installations, performances, talks, and projects. Fried was previously on the curatorial staff of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, MA, as well as a curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Fried received her MA in the History of Art from Williams College and the Clark Art Institute.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Laura’s journey in curation
• Working within non-profit organizations
• The convergence of food and art 
• Collaboration 
• Unique opportunities that are provided through the community
• Laura’s work with her business partner 
• Laura’s advocation for artists and institutions 
• The innovation of the exhibition 
• The interconnected nature of art and food 
• The beginnings of “The MSG Club” 
• Future endeavors of Active Cultures in the midst of COVID-19

www.artistdecoded.com

www.laurafried.info

www.active-cultures.org

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Cliqua is a directing duo (Pasqual Gutierrez and RJ Sanchez) born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. They have directed music videos for J Balvin, Rosalia, Bad Bunny, and others. In the span of a year, the duo has amassed over 700 million Youtube plays. They have also worked with brands like Adidas, Nike, Amazon, and Tecate. Currently Cliqua is continuing to shoot music videos and commercials while developing a feature-length film and an episodic television show.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• Pasqual and RJ forming Cliqua
• Reflections on past commercial and music video work
• Intentionality within Cliqua’s planning process
• Going into the trenches within business and collaboration
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Shared business values
• Examining the future, reevaluating work practices, and moving forward
• Inspiration through others
• Taking a step back from one’s work
• Controlling one’s process
• Being aware of faults
• Workflow
• Cliqua’s recent music video for The Weeknd’s track “Too Late”
• Thematic filmmaking within music videos
• Creating something that is bigger than you
• The distillation of aesthetics and ideas

www.artistdecoded.com

www.cliqua.net

www.instagram.com/cliquamundo

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Densil McFarlane is the lead singer and guitarist of the Canadian rock trio, The OBGMs. 

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• The origin of The OBGM’s
• Complications and stresses of the business of music
• Densil’s honest self-reflection on why he creates music
• Not caring too deeply about what others think of you
• The new clarity and purpose found within Densil’s latest album.
• Being in touch with how you are feeling
• Success being a multi-dimensional phenomenon
• Batteling the identifiers of success
• Balancing your ego
• Shifting negative energy into positive and productive motivation
• The energy found within Densil’s latest album
• The changes within the music industry
• Staying innovative
• Specific values that current listeners have
• Incentivization within social media
• Keeping musicianship alive throughout covid
• Cultivating real friendships
• Staying committed to your craft
• Differences between Canada and America

www.artistdecoded.com
www.theobgms.com
www.instagram.com/theobgms

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

About Adam Hall:

As a visual artist, Adam Hall began working mostly with charcoals and oils. Self-taught, he attempts to mix traditional style with contemporary. Using palette knives and layering techniques he creates a true richness and depth to his work. Adam believes every painting is his next opportunity in truly expressing his vision and vibe through landscape. “Art is such a powerful tool and I strive to use it in the most positive way I know how.”

While his passion for art began growing up in Wellsburg, West Virginia, his professional artistic career began nearly two decades ago in Nashville. When he was not on the road touring with bands all over the world, Adam slowly became involved with a local design firm whose clientele took great interest and demand for his art. Eventually, he started working full time with major record labels and recording artists in Nashville, all the while pursuing his dream to become a full-time artist.

Today, his work has been represented in galleries all over the United States and has been featured in such magazines as American Art Collector Magazine & Fine Art Connoisseur. Adam Hall proudly resides in Nashville, TN, with his wife Thais. Adam spends most of his time in his studio in Historic Franklin and continues to discover a fulfilling purpose through art.
 
Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• The benefits of technology during COVID
• Adam’s early career in the music industry
• Utilizing elements from outside fields of study and incorporating them into your artistic practice
• Adding different experiences and tools to your “toolkit”
• Adam’s changing perspectives on painting
• The dynamic of a career vs. a hobby
• Being disciplined and producing organic results
• Healthy competition
• Surrounding yourself with individuals who are greater than you
• Humility
• Faith and understanding how it relates to our experiences
• Being in a constant state of questioning
• The notion of personal truth(s)
• Religion and ideologies
• Inclusivity and exclusivity
• Remaining open to other aspects of the world
• Adam’s experiences traveling to Africa
• Morality and ethics
• Intentions behind our actions
• The meaning behind Adam’s ocean paintings
• The emotion that translates through a person’s artwork
• Adam’s experiences as a father
• Micro-decisions within our daily lives
• Striving creatively through parenting
• “Current Journeys”

Links:

www.artistdecoded.com
www.adamhallart.com
www.instagram.com/adamhallart

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Jeffrey Martin Zacks, American psychology educator, member of the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, and the Cognitive Science Society. 

His book, Flicker: Your Brain on Movies, delves into the history of cinema and the latest research to explain what happens in your brain when you sit down in the theatre and the lights go out.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• How the brain helps us think perceive and aid us in solving problems
• Mirror neurons
• The impact that film has on it’s viewers
• Mimicking attributes of the brain and how it specifically helps us in daily life
• Film perception
• Evoking and implementing cues for specific responses within films
• “The willing suspension of belief”
• Kids viewing violent films and how it affects them when they are adults
• Mindset and engagement
• Age and films
• Neuroplasticity
• The “nimble brain”
• The brain’s development and how we can shift the way we think in order to retain a greater amount of plasticity
• Movies and the brain’s correspondence with what we are visualizing
• “Feeling” what we are viewing
• Creating plots and narratives that affect your emotion
• The power of non-analytical effects
• The documentary “The Social Dilemma”, and Jeff’s views on the way technology is progressing
• “What are you subscribing to?”
• Children and social media
• Reflecting on how we use social media and how it influences our brain and habits

www.artistdecoded.com

www.patreon.com/artistdecoded

Self-taught, David Uzochukwu (b. 1998, Austria) creates (self-)portraits that speak of both placelessness and belonging. His work sees bodies shifting through nature, performance, and digital reconfiguration. Uzochukwu’s photographs have been exhibited at Bozar, Photo Vogue Festival, and Unseen Amsterdam. He has collaborated with artists FKA twigs, Pharrell, and Iris Van Herpen, and received commissions by Dior and Hermès. Since 2019, he is a participant of CPH:DOX’s talent development program. British Journal of Photography named him One to Watch in 2020. He currently lives in Berlin, where he pursues his first degree in philosophy.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

• David’s development and obsession with photography
• Looking at other photographers work and being inspired
• Distraction and aesthetic within David’s work
• Emotions and the expression of an image
• David’s photography process
• Finding your signature approach
• Navigating your youth, and standing your ground
• Leaning into your intuition
• Organic transition within artwork
• Simplicity
• Swallowing your feelings and fighting to have your needs met
• Finding your artistic voice and rooting yourself within that
• David’s interest in philosophy
• Ethics and practical reasoning for the things that you do
• Aesthetics being used as a “glazing” to your art
• Masculinity and the roles of gender
• Strength and vulnerability
• Futurism
• Getting to the point of reflecting your opinions within your art
• Bias 
• The future for Davids self-portraiture and photography

www.artistdecoded.com 

www.daviduzochukwu.com/ 

www.instagram.com/daviduzochukwu/