10 Most Recent Episodes

Abbey Hunter is the owner of The Mortals Cafe + Confection in Grand Rapids, MI. They serve Vietnamese coffee drinks (as well as popular American coffee drinks) with an overall theme of death. They host grief groups, death talks, as well as a number of other regular and one-off events. Visit The Mortals online, then visit the store at 111 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Follow The Mortals on Instagram and Facebook. Do it before you forget and die. . . . Keep up on the show by following its host, Christopher Tallon, on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. Check out Tallon's novel, Switchers, on his website. Bye!

Jason Tieri (TEER-ee) is a podcaster from west Michigan. Actually, he's kinda my podcast mentor. (And beard guru.) He got me into podcasting. Hear what it takes to start a podcast, some techy stuff, some how-to, and us just kickin it.  This was a fun one, especially if you're a podcaster, you're thinking about podcasting, or you just like a peek at how it's done. (Recorded in the Hey Guys Media Group studio. Click the link to learn more about them and their podcast services!)

Hello everyone! Please feel free to use this episode as a "creativity playlist" for when you're drawing, running, painting, going to the store… It's all the original music from the podcast strung into one easy peasy playlist, with most songs ranging between 1-2 minutes, and the entire playlist coming in at just under 38 minutes. Enjoy. (By the way, you can hire me to make music for your project via my website http://www.christophertallon.com. Hit me up on Instagram @tallonwrites…I dare ya.)

ZERO is a fantastic beat producer in Grand Rapids, MI. His energetic performances are mesmerizing. I liken watching him play his drum machine to watching Stevie Wonder play the piano. Those performances, coupled with award winning music, are a can't-miss. Follow ZERO on his Instagram @zerodgaf to keep up with what's going on and to see some examples of his performing and musical abilities. He's on Twitter and Facebook as well, if you're not into the whole Instagram thing. . . . Thanks for listening. Check out more show stuff, listen to some original music, and take a gander at my time travel novel at http://www.christophertallon.com. Follow me on IG, FB, Twitter, & TT: @tallonwrites . . . Shout outs to Dante Cope, Wuzee, Beatrat, and DJ Phazer.

Jody J. Sperling came on to talk about creative stuff, including (but not limited to) his amazing novel, THE 9 LIVES OF MARVA DELONGHI. It's a story in a time loop, with a lot of cool characters, murder, booze, murder, psychopaths, murder, sacrifice, and…MURDER! Some characters die. A lot. It's a lot of fun. Jody also hosts a podcast called TRBM, he has other books, and you can find out about ALL of it at http://www.jodyjsperling.com! (Buy his books there!) . . . Thanks for listening. Go to http://www.christophertallon.com for more podcast info, or to check out Christopher Tallon's novel about teens in 1996 who get in a time travel war against their adult selves: Switchers If you're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and/or TikTok, please follow me @tallonwrites and let's keep the creativity flowing!

David Hayward is a former pastor turned full-time artist and he shares his story of becoming an artist, leaving the church, and moving into art as his main hustle. David makes art from a very welcoming place of spiritual freedom. If you're looking for a good follow on Instagram, check out @nakedpastor, and consider buying his book, sort of a "best of" collection of his comics: FLIP IT LIKE THIS. Get more at: http://www.nakedpastor.com!

Here's the second half of my conversation with Mike Salt. If you don't already know, Mike is an author worth reading if you're into being scared like a helpless baby in the night. He thrills and chills readers with his creepy novellas, which you can peruse on your own at http://www.mikesaltauthor.com. You can also click here for ALL Mike's links! . . . Thanks for your patience getting the second half of this one out!

This is part one of a a two-parter with horror author Mike Salt. Salt is more than just a fantastic writer from Oregon, he's a smart and creative guy with a knack for marketing and social media. He talks about writing to get attention, how many more followers he has than I do, and how he's glad he's not bald like me. And we explore his creative process, talk a little about his books, and what he's got up his sleeve. . . . Check out Mike and his books at http://www.mikesaltauthor.com, then follow him @mike_salt on IG, @mikesaltmoose on Twitter, and/or @mikesaltmoose on Facebook. . . . Check out my pod-friends Threads Podcast: Life Unfiltered (a space for authentic conversations)  

I'm talking about how to boost your creativity in the new year! (And the annoying start to my year that slowed the podcast to a crawl in January.) I'm coming at you with some quality CREATIVITY BOOSTING stuff. No matter who you are or your creative outlet, I hope you find this useful. (Or at the very least entertaining. (Or at the very most, both!)) LINKS and SHOUT-OUTS: Threads Podcast: Life Unfiltered is a great podcast and Jason got me into podcasting! Nick Nortier, @oldgrowthcreative on Instagram, is a talented artist and also bought my truck. Heather the librarian in Grandville, for letting me use a room to co-host… The TRBM podcast, which I guess I'll be co-hosting semi-regularly for an unspecified amount of time… The MINDFULNESS article I wrote back in the dizzay. Take a look…at my book! ***credible sources I used to prove to you weirdos I didn't make this stuff up: entrepreneur.com; ideas.ted.com; GCU.edu

Go to http://www.jasondemmon.com! Jason Demmon and I go back to his Michigan State University days (I was a townie). Jason talks about growing up with music, how music got him into college, gigging, composing music and sound production for film and… Getting testicular cancer! (Spoiler: he's now cancer free!) Through a few twists and turns in his healing process, he found great relief through cannabis, which led him to seek a career in the professional field of medicinal cannabis. We met through music as kids and, years later, reconnected as adults through some of the same musicians. Speaking of, shoutout to Heartsick, a fantastic band from Lansing, MI, that's been killing it for roughly two decades. Check out some a few band member appearances on earlier episodes of the show (#4, #20, #72)! Wondering about the podcast ad at the beginning? It's for my friends at Threads Podcast: Life Unfiltered. We're regulars on one another's podcasts, so we're giving each other a little support. No money changing hands. Just some creatives looking for a win-win. Check them out; they're good people.

The Diatribe uses performing arts to empower young people to share their stories, raise awareness of social issues, and create change within their communities. They were recently screwed over for political reasons by the Kent County Commission, which deprived them of 2 million dollars of federal funding because they were afraid of getting challenged politically and possibly losing their seats in government. I was there. It was one of the most shameful things I've ever seen. Listen to Marcel, the executive director/chief inspiration architect of The Diatribe, here and on episode 46. Then check out these youtube videos: Marcel's take on what happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xomEVejv60 The Full Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd7ggIFzAmc SUPPORT THE DIATRIBE: Website: https://thediatribe.org/support/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_diatribe/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheDiatribe/

As a former Montessori teacher, Mallory Shotwell's interest in art and business make her a great person to start a group like CULTIVATE, a collection of artists, teachers, and industry folks. With the acquisition of their new space in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they'll be able to highlight contemporary artists and teach community-based art & business classes, while also serving as a "traditional" art gallery for art shows and installations. Get the HOLIDAY GUIDE: http://www.cultivategrandrapids.org/2022-local-artist-holiday-guide Keep an eye on the CULTIVATE Facebook and Instagram pages for events and fun info! Learn all about CULTIVATE at their website: http://www.cultivategrandrapids.org. And check Mallory out at http://www.malloryshotwell.com and on Instagram via @mallory.shotwell