Aaaaand we're back! It's been a while since our last Podcast, both Nick and Ryan have been super busy! We do a little catch up here, and talk at length about Ryan's EP release (Lead Salad - Move On) from last month!  We go in depth on the musical creative process, inpsiration, feedback and criticism. We had a lot of fun recording this episode, it feels good to be back! Check out Ryan's solo music project Lead Salad at https://leadsaladmusic.com This episode is Sponsored by Status Foe music -...

Episode 21 of Forging Flame is a veritable cornucopia of inspiration and valuable perspective, thanks to the conversation Nick and Ryan had with this week’s guest, Charles Burt! Charles and the guys get into his military experience, the intersection of science and spirituality, and the recent recurring theme of art therapy! Charles Burt is a 20-year Army veteran, and an incredible painter, turning photo-realistic, classical still-life work into portals of memory, encapsulating time, space,...

Our guest Kim is an actor/performance artist for a historical museum, a writer (fiction, playwright, fan-fiction), and the quintessential artist type. The overarching theme for this podcast is how art, in its highest form, can evoke powerful emotional responses in people. This is a huge motivation behind the creative process, and in itself a fulfilling currency for many artists—tangentially, we talk about the ways our current economy can be crippling for creative types. We also discuss...

In this energy-filled episode of Forging Flame, Nick and Ryan sit down with fellow podcasters Kris King and Dyke Michaels, of the “Harder Brunch” podcast. The guys ditch the typical show format, and dig more into experience than process. The conversation goes some...interesting places.  Harder Brunch is a comedy podcast focused on late-morning food and drink with guests from the service industry and stand-up comedy. Kris King is a former bartender-turned-podcaster, with loads of experience...

In this energy-filled episode of Forging Flame, Nick and Ryan sit down with fellow podcasters Kris King and Dyke Michaels, of the “Harder Brunch” podcast. The guys ditch the typical show format, and dig more into experience than process. The conversation goes some...interesting places.  Harder Brunch is a comedy podcast focused on late-morning food and drink with guests from the service industry and stand-up comedy. Kris King is a former bartender-turned-podcaster, with loads of experience...

Ricardo Laranja is a super-talented world class musician, multimedia producer, and Ryan's former college professor/mentor. Recorded on location at Laranja Studios, we talk music, creativity, inspiration, teaching, old class projects, Foley parties, and we nerd out at length about audio/video production equipment.

In Episode 17 of Forging Flame, Nick and Ryan are joined by the Sauce Boss of the Midwest, Colonel Mustard himself, Zach Rohn, of Batch No. 2 Mustard. Zach owns and operates the business, as well as being the primary Saucerer on duty. Zach and the guys discuss sauce slinging in times of global calamity, personal tragedy, and then take a hard left into the murky realm of conspiracy theories. Buckle up! This one’s…fun? Batch No. 2 - http://www.batchno2.com/

In Episode 16 of Forging Flame, Nick and Ryan get together sans-guest to discuss their experiences and opinions relating to suicide and loss, as September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  If you or someone you care about are experiencing suicidal thoughts and you’re in need of help, check out some of the excellent, national resources below: National hotline and resources of all types - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  Art Therapy - https://arttherapy.org/ Resources for...

In Episode 16 of Forging Flame, Nick and Ryan get together sans-guest to discuss their experiences and opinions relating to suicide and loss, as September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  If you or someone you care about are experiencing suicidal thoughts and you’re in need of help, check out some of the excellent, national resources below: National hotline and resources of all types - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  Art Therapy - https://arttherapy.org/ Resources for...

In Episode 15 of Forging Flame, Ryan and Nick sit down with yet another fascinating and hard-working Ryan! Ryan Penington is an LA-based filmmaker, musician, and stand-up comedian with an origin story based in Indianapolis.  Nick and the Ryans get together over Zoom and power through some early technical issues, and then cover a whole bunch of fun and interesting topics, such as open mic comedy sets as a method of finding catharsis, Penington’s time in a Rockabilly band, hacking your way...

In this far-out episode of Forging Flame, Ryan and Nick sit down with Joey Turner and “Baby Nick”, from the yet-to-be-released “Mellow + Yellow” podcast. Joey is also a poet, a stay-at-home dad, and the founder of a work-in-progress collaborative art project called “Dojo Ink”. The guys talk with Joey and Baby Nick about their upcoming projects, as well as living with severe dyslexia, the devastating impact of an outdated education system on dyslexics and creatives, flow states, magick,...

Episode 13 of Forging Flame features special guest Ryan M. Brewer. Ryan is a super-talented singer-songwriter with a brand-new album just released called Exorcism. He also teaches a university-level songwriting class.  Ryan and Nick sit with Mr. Brewer and discuss COVID concerts, willing possession, the super-slick way he released his new album, and WAP.  Go buy Ryan M. Brewer’s new interactive album at the link below! https://www.ryanmbrewer.com/

Episode 12 of Forging Flame is loaded with fun and twisted whimsy! Nick and Ryan sit down with visual artist Mallory Hodgkin to talk about her color-bending creative process, furry conventions, sustaining life’s needs with her art, and overcoming the same internal blockades so many creators know with intimate disdain.  Mallory Hodgkin is an Indianapolis-based artist most easily described as “Trippy Disney” or “Psychedelic Lisa Frank”. Mallory’s art is not only available for sale as standalone...

This episode of the podcast is all about perfectionism, which is too often a detriment to the creative process. "Perfectionism leads to procrastination, which then leads to paralysis." We reflect on our previous 10 episodes as well as our own conjecture of the creative process, and hopefully provide some motivation and useful perspective to help creatives overcome their own crippling perfectionism.

In this on-location episode of Forging Flame, Ryan and Nick sit down with their mutual longtime friend, Brandon Whittington.  Brandon is a consummate creator, formerly applying his artistic approach at life to angry rap music as a young man, and now applying it to everything aspect of his outwardly-normal life, from miniature art projects to child rearing.  Nothing about Brandon is “normal”.

In Episode 9 of Forging Flame, Ryan and Nick sit down with entrepreneur, philosopher, and Midwestern fashion guru, Tommy James Dant II. Tommy owns James Dant - A Store for Men, purveyors of fine men’s fashions.  Tommy shares a deep look into his follow-your-heart-style creative process and how he applies that, alongside a deep love of history, family, and backstory, to being a business owner, pivoting a business like a Tai Chi Chuan Grandmaster during the COVID pandemic, his own snappy style,...

This episode of Forging Flame features Joey Edwards—a multi-medium dark-artist residing in the Portland Oregon area. Joey makes weird and wonderful things! From wire frame sculptures to award winning photo-realistic pumpkin carvings, to video, painting, and mixed media visual art—Joey's work clearly shows his affinity for all things spooky and dark, but with an air of absolute delight and joy. Think Tim Burton meets Jim Carrey. Our conversation covers how Joey started creating as a child...

This gut-wrenching episode of Forging Flame is all about knowing when to kill your darlings, from the perspective of Jared & Fabian from the now defunct (but arguably successful) local Indianapolis Drink Culture podcast.  We discuss how the Drink Culture podcast started and the events/circumstances that lead to its conclusion. This was a fantastic opportunity for podcast amateurs like us to learn from seasoned pros, and a must-listen for anyone looking to begin a creative venture.  This...

This gut-wrenching episode of Forging Flame is all about knowing when to kill your darlings, from the perspective of Jared & Fabian from the now defunct (but arguably successful) local Indianapolis Drink Culture podcast.  We discuss how the Drink Culture podcast started and the events/circumstances that lead to its conclusion. This was a fantastic opportunity for podcast amateurs like us to learn from seasoned pros, and a must-listen for anyone looking to begin a creative venture.  This...

In this well-lubricated (thanks, Hotel Tango!) episode of Forging Flame, we sit down with hometown hero and Midwestern heartthrob, Mike Angel. On top of being one of the most charming and effortlessly charismatic dudes we’ve ever met, Mike is a super-talented musician and an entrepreneurial alchemist with a footprint larger than a Bigfoot Yancey track! (Get it??) A bit of bio - Mike is the co-founder of the (former) Virginia Avenue Music Fest in Indianapolis, co-owner of Square Cat Vinyl, an...

In this well-lubricated (thanks, Hotel Tango!) episode of Forging Flame, we sit down with hometown hero and Midwestern heartthrob, Mike Angel. On top of being one of the most charming and effortlessly charismatic dudes we’ve ever met, Mike is a super-talented musician and an entrepreneurial alchemist with a footprint larger than a Bigfoot Yancey track! (Get it??) A bit of bio - Mike is the co-founder of the (former) Virginia Avenue Music Fest in Indianapolis, co-owner of Square Cat Vinyl, an...

Past conversations with Jessica Haeckel may have been the key inspiration for starting this podcast. Jessica is a multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-instrumental polymath artist with such a down to earth and unique relationship to her own creative process. She is releasing her new album Empty Boat on July 15th, 2020, and she has been so kind as to unveil the highly anticipated physical copies of the album on this podcast. Jessica is embracing the obsoletion of physical CD's, boldly...

Past conversations with Jessica Haeckel may have been the key inspiration for starting this podcast. Jessica is a multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-instrumental polymath artist with such a down to earth and unique relationship to her own creative process. She is releasing her new album Empty Boat on July 15th, 2020, and she has been so kind as to unveil the highly anticipated physical copies of the album on this podcast. Jessica is embracing the obsoletion of physical CD's, boldly...

Our guest on this podcast is Mike Gillis. Mike G (@wheresmikeg on Instagram) is a cultural icon in Indianapolis and Chicago, cementing his foothold in the social media space as a digital marketing monolith. On top of building a subversive and burgeoning marketing empire, Mike G is a thought leader, fashion mogul of WDRFA, tastemaker, an activist, a philanthropist, and one of the hardest-working dudes in the Midwest. We're super grateful he took the time to sit and speak with us.  In this...