Do you work with your hands? While you are creating eye candy, here are some treats for your ears.
Sure, the act of creating is a meditation, and that quiet time can be the best part of your week. But sometimes you just want to be entertained while you work.
My perfect solution? Podcasts! And below are some great ones!
There is a podcast for almost every taste or interest, and if you haven’t listened to a podcast in awhile (or maybe never), you are in for a treat. Podcasts are extremely popular right now and have gotten better over time. Whether you want to laugh, be inspired, get the dish, learn a skill, or find out what’s trending, there are hundreds of options.
I’d like to share a few of my faves with you. These will have you craving to spend more time in the studio, just to have an excuse to listen. Each of the podcasts below are available through iTunes, Google Play, and on their respective websites. Enjoy!
Peculiar Podcast – This is my all-time favorite podcast, and I can’t wait for each new episode to drop. Veteran Seattle radio personalities Pat Cashman and Lisa Foster are enchanting and hysterical and wry, occasionally cornball, and pure fun. Sitting-in on their 45-minute podcast conversations is like spending time with old friends, with the hosts meandering easily from topic to topic. It would be very difficult to pick a favorite episode to start to you off, but I will say that “Headless But Happy” had my wife and I laughing so hard we were nearly breathless. And if you can’t imagine a shellfish allergy being funny, check out the episode entitled, “Red Fish, Blue Fish, Good Fish, Bad Shrimp.” http://www.peculiarpodcast.com
Serial – If you love true crime, mysteries, or just a story tell-told, Serial will grab you. The story is told by journalist Sarah Koenig, who brings to light a fascinating case that is far more complex than it appears. A high school student disappears. Her body is found in a city park a month later. Her boyfriend, who says he can’t remember where he was on the day she went missing, is accused of her murder after his friend claimed to have helped him bury the body. Yet is he really guilty? Is there a cover-up? Koenig’s research into the case is exhaustive and she interviews people the police missed. As she lays out the story over 12 episodes, you will find yourself not knowing exactly what happened… or why. https://serialpodcast.org/season-one
S-Town – By the makers of the Serial podcast, S-Town is every bit as riveting as its predecessor. The description on the S-Town website tells it best: S-Town is “hosted by Brian Reed, about a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, and the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.” This podcast is an emotional rollercoaster, with twists and turns you never saw coming. This is a story that will stay with you long after you have listened to the final episode. https://stownpodcast.org/
A Colored Pencil Podcast – For my colored pencil amigos, this podcast is a must! Hosted by John Middick of SharpenedArtist.com and Lisa Clough of Lachri.com, this weekly, half-hour show explores all things colored pencil. Hear interviews with some of your favorite CP artists, dig-down into product reviews, and get inspired by new techniques. Perhaps best of all, John and Lisa offer some great practical advice on the business side of art: marketing, blogging, social media, and more. http://sharpenedartist.com/podcast/
This American Life – Perhaps the granddaddy of podcasts, This American Life is produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and is one of the most popular podcasts ever, with millions of listeners and broadcast on more than 500 radio stations. These are mostly journalistic stories you will not hear anywhere else, told in an engaging manner. Each podcast is topical, with a variety of stories on that topic, and weekly topics are all over the board, from near-death experiences to a month spent at a Jeep dealership on Long Island as the sales associates try to meet their monthly sales goals. Can’t decide where to start? Go to “The Favorites” and branch out from there. (One of my faves is “The Psychopath Test.“) https://www.thisamericanlife.org/
Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People – What a brilliant premise for a podcast! Subtitled as “One hour, one phone call, no names, no holds barred,” each show is a recorded phone conversation between host Chris Gethard and an anonymous caller, discussing the caller’s unusual line of work or hobby or way of life. Recent titles like “Swingers,” “Escape from a Cult,” “Cruise Ship Mafia,” give you an idea what awaits. After listening to a few of these shows, you may begin to wonder what kinds of hidden stories your friends might tell, if they could tell them anonymously. Artists: be sure to check out one of the earliest shows and one my faves, “The Illustrator.” http://www.earwolf.com/show/beautiful-anonymous/
The Moth – Subtitled “The Art and Craft of Storytelling,” The Moth showcases true stories, told by storytellers without notes, to live audiences. For me, listening to The Moth is transport right back to the warmth and camaraderie of a summer campfire. The stories are sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, yet always poignant, and you feel a real bond with each storyteller. From The Moth website: “The Moth began on a back porch in small-town Georgia, where our founder — poet and best-selling novelist George Dawes Green — would spend sultry summer evenings swapping spellbinding tales with a small circle of friends. There was a hole in the screen, which let in moths that were attracted to the light, and the group started calling themselves “The Moths.” When he moved to New York City, George wanted to recreate the feeling of those nights in his adopted city. The first New York Moth event was held in George’s living room. But word spread fast, and the events soon moved to cafes and clubs throughout the city—and soon to popular venues throughout the country and beyond. Since its founding, The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds.” Listen to one episode, and you will see why the crowds are standing-room only. https://www.themoth.org
These sound so interesting! Never really listened to podcasts except for the colored pencil podcast. Might have to give them a try! Glad I came across your website!
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