The GOATs Podcast

The GOATs (Sophie, George & Alfield)

Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.

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ArtsArts
Society & CultureSociety & Culture
Visual ArtsVisual Arts

Episodes

S3:E6 | Family & Art, Stepping Away & Back to Art, Custom Steppers, Our Moods Effect on Art Creation & The Trauma Project Ft. Terrell ‘SCOOB’ Foy
Nov 9 2024
S3:E6 | Family & Art, Stepping Away & Back to Art, Custom Steppers, Our Moods Effect on Art Creation & The Trauma Project Ft. Terrell ‘SCOOB’ Foy
In EPISODE 6 of SEASON 3 we chat with Terrell ‘SCOOB’ Foy, a Multimedia Artist specializing in painting, shoe customization & artist curation. We chat about his initial art inspiration from family, stepping away & back into art, his back injury and Custom Steppers, his shoe customization business. He takes us through his favorite shoes to customize, paintings to-date, and the effects of your mood on creating. Last but certainly not least he takes through the process of his ArtPrize winning project, The Trauma Project, “a powerful artistic endeavor that addresses themes of trauma and healing through a combination of visual art and music.”  We wrap up the episode playing the "tell us the first question you would ask this person when you hear their name" game.BIO: Scoob the artist, whose real name is Terrell Foy, is a multidisciplinary artist and creative visionary based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is best known for leading “The Trauma Project,” a powerful artistic endeavor that addresses themes of trauma and healing through a combination of visual art and music. His project, which won the Grand Prize at ArtPrize, features collaborations with over 20 local artists. Aside from that he lives a double artist life as The artist behind Custom Steppers. a prominent custom shoe designer known for his innovative and artistic approach to footwear. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he has gained international recognition for creating one-of-a-kind, hand-painted sneakers that blend street style with artistic expression.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S3:E5 | Music Touring, Content Creation, The Importance of Consistency & The Social Media Influencer Lifestyle Ft. James White
Oct 5 2024
S3:E5 | Music Touring, Content Creation, The Importance of Consistency & The Social Media Influencer Lifestyle Ft. James White
In EPISODE 5 of SEASON 3 we chat with James White an all-around creative. His talents and expertise consist of rapping, graphic design, acting, photography, videography and social media influencing. We chat with him about his journey from being a hip-hop artist to being a social media influence. His journey goes from working in a factory to touring for music to shifting during the Pandemic to social media influencing. We chat about going from researching & studying "How to be an influencer" for 3 months to posting 6 videos a day to now having an audience of over 500k+ followers spanning from Instagram to TikTok. We chat about the importance of knowing your niche and the importance of being consistent. Lastly to wrap up the episode, we ask him for what one should have in their social media influencer tool kit. BIO: James White, known as MrPr3zz, is a Hip-Hop artist and motivational speaker. James delivers both his music and message from a welcoming platform that reaches audiences with a variety of backgrounds. James has a passion to reach the younger generation locally, nationally, and worldwide. In addition to his talent as a rapper and motivational speaker, James is a social media influencer on all social media platforms, with an audience of over 500k+ followers on Instagram and Facebook with more than 40M views on Tiktok since 2021.James resides in Grand Rapids Michigan with his 2 children, Journee and Addelyn.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S3:E4 | Journey in Radio, The Art of an Interview, VP Harris, Theater, Hosting, The Grand Rapids Music Scene & How To (& Not) Get Your Music on the Radio Ft. Alisha 'Lisha B.' Brown
Aug 10 2024
S3:E4 | Journey in Radio, The Art of an Interview, VP Harris, Theater, Hosting, The Grand Rapids Music Scene & How To (& Not) Get Your Music on the Radio Ft. Alisha 'Lisha B.' Brown
In EPISODE 4 of SEASON 3 we chat with Alisha "Lisha B" Brown, a Radio Personality, MC, Podcaster, and Actress. We chat with her about journey into radio from how she got hired to what she thinks is missing, the art of an interview, her interview with the Vice President (now presidential candidate) Kamala Harris, her top 5 favorite/most memorable interviews, the importance of life outside of your job, her journey into Theater despite doubts from others, Hosting (her dream hosting gigs), The Grand Rapids Music scene, How to & not get you music on the radio, and her other dreams & aspirations. Lastly we play "tell us the first question you would ask this person when you hear their name" game to wrap up the episode.BIO: Alisha Brown, professionally known as Lisha B, is a media connoisseur. Born and raised in the Washington D.C., area, she fell in love with music and being in front of the camera. Growing up in church & school choirs, it was destined for her to be a part of the music industry.  In March 2019, Lisha created her own lane with the launch of a podcast, @TheLituationrpod. She grew the platform to 15+ countries, traction with labels, such as Warner Music, and over 3,000 downloads. After her time as the local producer for the syndicated morning show, Russ Parr Morning Show, Lisha B is the afternoon host of The Afternoon Lituation on Magic 104.9, the number 1 station for hip-hop in Grand Rapids, Michigan She also has a #1 rated show on 105.1 The Block, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.Lisha B has appeared on MSNBC as a guest correspondent for the Symone Sanders show and has interviewed many notable people, such as Musiq Soulchild and Vice President Kamala Harris. Lisha B strives to continue being a popular media personality, strong working woman, and entrepreneur.Follow HerThis episode was photographed by IllianaBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S3:E2 | Thinking like an Artist, Boredom, Wonder & Curiosity, The Power of Play, Artist Councils & Representation Ft. Cindy Foley
Apr 6 2024
S3:E2 | Thinking like an Artist, Boredom, Wonder & Curiosity, The Power of Play, Artist Councils & Representation Ft. Cindy Foley
In EPISODE 2 of SEASON 3 we chat with Cindy Meyers Foley, the Director and CEO of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. We chat about her journey to becoming an Art Museum Director,  the history of Art Museums, Thinking like an Artist, Losing Creativity, the catalyst that is Boredom & regaining our Wonder & Curiosity, the power of Play and importance of an Artist Council. Lastly we chat about the GRAM's recently launched Diversity & Equity Acquisition Fund, the importance of Representation and the upcoming exhibition of artist Mario Moore.The GRAM's Diversity and Equity Acquisition Fund - Learn More & donate HereMario Moore Exhibition DetailsBIO:  Cindy Meyers Foley (@CindyMFoley) (she/her) has worked for 30 years to help museums become welcoming spaces that cultivate curiosity and social engagement. She is currently the Director and CEO of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, an institution that has just opened a Creative Learning Center. Foley has been critical in the development of a several groundbreaking projects including two city wide Creativity Summits to advocate for intentional creativity in all sectors,  Making Creativity Visible and Cultivating Creative and Civic Capacities two nationally recognized teacher research and professional development programs, Wonder School a museum/university laboratory preschool, and the Center for Art and Social Engagement an experimental gallery developed to activate conversation, reflection and action in relation to experiencing art that addresses social issues. Foley curated Playground, 2002  which included an experimental project with Miranda July, Harrell Fletcher and Yuri Ono that launched Learning to Love you More a website that crowdsourced online content to fulfill play based assignments. Foley has been on the faculty of the Maine College of Art, and Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom Summer Institute and regularly keynotes a variety of Museum, Art, and Education Conferences.  In November 2014, she was a TEDX Columbus Speaker presenting Teaching Art or Teaching to Think like an Artist and in 2016, she was asked to again take the TEDX Stage to present The Benefits of Boredom . Foley received the 2018 Ohio Distinguished Educator for Art Education award.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S2:E7 | In-House Series Part 2 - Flowers, Dance, Photo & Video, Sabbath & "Haters"  Ft. Mary Partee
Dec 16 2023
S2:E7 | In-House Series Part 2 - Flowers, Dance, Photo & Video, Sabbath & "Haters" Ft. Mary Partee
INTRODUCING our mini-series entitled: THE IN-HOUSE SERIES: Part Two.The In-House Series highlights and give flowers to the in-house team members that are essential to our podcast success.. In EPISODE 7 of SEASON 2 we chat with Dancer, Photographer and Ministry Leader, our very own podcast photographer Mary Partee. We give her her flowers (literally) and chat with her about dance, transition from videography to photography, the tension between what the client wants and your own photographic style,  sabbath and "haters" being our motivators.BIO:  Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Mary Partee is a creative individual with a wide range of interests. She is a ministry leader for youth and a self-taught photographer. Mary is passionate about apologetics and expresses a lot of her creativity through dance. In addition to her diverse pursuits, she finds joy in soccer, travel, and spending time with friends.This episode was photographed by Ivan Labra.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S2:E5 | Family Matters, Artist Community & My Story 5 Show Ft Esan Sommersall
Oct 14 2023
S2:E5 | Family Matters, Artist Community & My Story 5 Show Ft Esan Sommersall
In EPISODE 5 of SEASON 2 we chat with Graphic Designer, Painter,  Muralist, and Musician Esan Sommersell about his creative journey from getting into the arts via inspiration from his brother, family matters and the creative life as a husband and father while fostering the creative freedom of his children, artist communities and the importance of them. Lastly wrapping up talk about his show coming up and a few pieces the will be presented. Esan's Show Details:Tuesday to Saturday October 24 -28th1-7pmMuse Gallery727 Leonard St NWGrand Rapids, MI 49504ABOUT ESAN | For visionary Esan Sommersell, making is living. In a world where it's become increasingly more difficult to discern fact from fiction, Sommersell's paintings remind us that what we see, hear, touch, and taste cannot be separated from what we feel. With bold forms and surreal color palettes taken from the landscape of lucid dreams, his work is an affirmation of humankind's innate desire to create, to mold, to touch the raw nerve of experience and discover for ourselves what it means to be alive.IG - @plutomondayWebsite - https://www.starhustler.art_________ BTS Photography for this episode was by KamBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S2:E4 | Creative Transitions, Still figuring it out & Artistic Voice Ft. Kristin Zuller
Sep 23 2023
S2:E4 | Creative Transitions, Still figuring it out & Artistic Voice Ft. Kristin Zuller
In EPISODE 4 of SEASON 2 we chat with Kristin Zuller about her creative journey from being a tap, jazz & ballet dancer in grade-school to being a multi-disciplinary artist consisting of Illustration, Murals, & Graphic Design. We get into chatting about her kids being creatives in their own right, still figuring out what she wants to say with her personal artwork, being ok having a “see what happens” mentality when it comes to creating & much more.We then dive into conversations surrounding the following questions:⠀What is the end game for you? (What’s is the overall goal for you, your work & artistic career)⠀What happens when the work isn’t enough? (What do you do, how do you feel when things outside of your control affect your opportunities and work?)⠀Who or what determines what “better” is for us in-terms of our art? ⠀How do we as artists measure growth for ourselves? ⠀ABOUT KRISTIN | Kristin Zuller, a multidisciplinary artist, harnesses the transformative power of design and technology to uplift humanity. Her background in design, illustration, user experience, and mural painting fuels her explorations in merging these disciplines. ⠀With over 15 years of corporate design experience, she has honed her skills in print and digital media, contributed to large-scale mural creation throughout her city, and collaborated with world-leading companies. Her passion for problem-solving led her to UX design, where she fervently advocates for user-centered solutions. Kristin's creative direction aims to elevate those she serves, pushing boundaries, experimenting with new ideas, and delving into the realm of installation and interactive arts. ⠀Infusing visual communication with storytelling, she believes in design as a tool for liberation and community-building, striving to create work that is beautiful, meaningful, and functional. ⠀Outside of work, her interests range from dream documentation, to reading Octavia Butler texts, and exploring nature.Follow Kristin | InstagramBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S2:E1 | Impermanence Magazine, Fashion in relation to Identity & freedom, Creating Excellence again & more Ft. Tanasia Najae
Feb 18 2023
S2:E1 | Impermanence Magazine, Fashion in relation to Identity & freedom, Creating Excellence again & more Ft. Tanasia Najae
In our SEASON 2 debut we chat with creative Tanasia Najae about what she is up to with Impermanence Magazine, Fashion in relation to identity & freedom, creating excellence again, the tension between idea & execution and the feelings that come with going from artist to becoming the art.About Tanasia |  Tanasia Najae is a 24-year-old writer, stylist and artist living in London, England.  Born and raised in the small town of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Tanasia found early on that she had a love for fashion and storytelling.In 2020, she graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a BA in Mass Media Arts and a concentration in Print Journalism. Following her Bachelor’s, she moved to London in 2020 to study for her MA in Magazine Journalism. There, she was awarded Editor of the Year and created an arts and culture magazine awarded Best Magazine Design in all of England and Ireland (2021).Though Tanasia’s primary medium is writing, she also has a profound love for all things art ranging from fashion and runway to photography and curation. She is also immensely detail-oriented and a lover of words.Tanasia | Instagram & WebsiteAbout Impermanence Magazine | This magazine exists as the comfort and guide that one may need while working through the intricacies of their personal and worldly transitions. Through photography, fashion, and raw storytelling, Impermanence will tell the in-depth stories of the lives of people and the shifting truths of contemporary society.Impermanence Magazine | Instagram & WebsiteSupport Impermanence Magazine Social Impact Project | GoFundMeBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee
S1:E5 | Ft. 2015 Art Prize 2D Winner Monroe "Aki" O'Byrant
Jul 30 2022
S1:E5 | Ft. 2015 Art Prize 2D Winner Monroe "Aki" O'Byrant
In EPISODE 5  we chat with Monroe  about his upbringing in New York, transition to West Michigan and his creative hardships, artistic responsibility and acclaim.About Monroe: Monroe A. O’Bryant, known as Akibang, is a self-taught Grand Rapids photographer, producer, and videographer. As the owner of the production company, A Fearless Brother Project, Akibang seeks to engage people in conversation about injustice in the American system, with a focus on the black experience. One of Akibang’s 2018 photography exhibits, “A walk in the park in America”, opens space for respectful conversation and explores the history of issues the black community faces today. Akibang uses his work and production company as a platform to encourage everyone to share their stories and to listen with open minds to the stories of others.  Akibang was born and grew up in Brooklyn, East New York, NY. In 2003, Akibang began developing his passion for the camera, teaching himself and watching the works of skilled videographers and producers such as Gordon Parks, Quentin Tarantino, and Spike Lee. His mentors and family embolden him in this motivation and his work. Through meetings with these inspiring people, Akibang found purpose and started using his camera as a weapon to fight for humanity. One of his mentor’s, James Palmore reminded Akibang of the importance of being an Artist, inspiring him to keep pursuing and developing his skills. While Akibang’s mentors and family have played a big role in his work, it is Akibang’s persistence that helps him keep pushing forward for positive change in the Grand Rapids community and America. His work will continue to bring attention and conversation to today’s important social subject matters.Now Akibang’s current works reflect the subject matter, passion, and technique of those that he looks up to, but with his own style. “I only have one chance in life to be the best me. I might as well go all out.” He said when reflecting on his motivation for continuing his art. His upcoming video project, “American Synonym: Where the same seems different”, will take an in-depth look at relevant controversial elements of today’s society. Freedom of speech, religion, sexuality, non-dualism vs dualism, and the future of America are just a few of the subjects he hopes to address in his new series. “American Synonym” will encourage conversation as well as document the current views of Americans. “Let’s tell’em a story by embodying timeless information that will be artifacts for the future.” He finds motivation in growth and a hopeful view of the future. Akibang is determined to use his life as an opportunity to affect positive change in his community and in the world.Find Monroe on Instagram About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook & WebsiteProduced by Dave BenoitPhotography by Mary Partee