Ep. 50: The Artistry of Renaissance Man, David Ryan Scott

05/23/19 • 65 min

On today’s show, Sourdough has a conversation with David Ryan Scott who is a true creative polymath and renaissance man. He has written books, poetry, music and is just a multitalented artist, always busy creating and producing. Recently he has been expanding his skills in woodwork and leather craft, making beautiful hand-made objects such as briefcases, wallets and knives. Like many other creatives, David has a ‘real job’ but lives out his love for art through the many projects he takes on part-time. Together with his dad, he started crafting from a young age, initially to save money, but later realized that certain items were just hard to come by, which was all the motivation he needed to continue making things himself. On the show today David lets us in on some of the details about his work, including the tools he uses, the joy of hand stitching and what this artistic pursuit has meant for him on a personal level. To learn more about his unique craftsmanship, join us for this episode of Not Real Art! For more information about artists, links and resources from this episode, please visit https://notrealart.com/david-ryan-scott/

Key Points From This Episode:

Using Instagram as a platform for documenting his artistic journey and showcasing his craft.
Why David decided to get into leatherwork and how it all started with a bushcraft knife.
David’s process when wanting to learn a new skill and the resources he employs.
How he grew up with curiosity and craft as values that his father modeled and instilled.
The joy of using hand tools, hand stitching and slowing down the making of each item.
How to recognize the difference between a hand stitched and machine stitched product.
More about the specific items he makes and why wallets are especially tricky.
The challenge of working with leather and keeping it unscathed and clean throughout.
Transitioning from intense concentration to a meditative state and losing track of time.
Sourcing and selecting materials and experimenting with different exotic woods.
How he incurred his first injury while cutting leather!
Why he would be reluctant to make a business out of his craft.
And much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Using Instagram as a platform for documenting his artistic journey and showcasing his craft.
Why David decided to get into leatherwork and how it all started with a bushcraft knife.
David’s process when wanting to learn a new skill and the resources he employs.
How he grew up with curiosity and craft as values that his father modeled and instilled.
The joy of using hand tools, hand stitching and slowing down the making of each item.
How to recognize the difference between a hand stitched and machine stitched product.
More about the specific items he makes and why wallets are especially tricky.
The challenge of working with leather and keeping it unscathed and clean throughout.
Transitioning from intense concentration to a meditative state and losing track of time.
Sourcing and selecting materials and experimenting with different exotic woods.
How he incurred his first injury while cutting leather!
Why he would be reluctant to make a business out of his craft.
And much more!

Previous Episode

Ep. 49: Meditation: A Practice Artists Can’t Afford Not to Do, with David Gerken

Joining us on the show today is writer and meditation advocate David Gerken. He is a multidimensional human being who has gone from working as a legislative assistant and lobbyist to becoming a writer for The West Wing in LA. After going through an intensely stressful period in his life, he discovered the empowering practice of meditation and has since been fervent in communicating his knowledge with others. Being a pragmatist, David believes that meditation is not applicable only to hippies and certain elite groups, but instead claims that people of all backgrounds can reap from its many benefits. Meditating is not difficult, he says, and it does not have to take more than five to fifteen minutes a day, and therefore a busy schedule should not thwart you from getting into this life-changing habit. In fact, David argues that meditation gives back exponentially more than the little it takes: it gets you focused and living in the present moment, improving the quality of every single aspect of your life. Be sure to tune in for this awesome conversation with someone who can help you turn down that inner noise. For more information about artists, links and resources from this episode, please visit https://notrealart.com/david-gerken/

Key Points From This Episode:

Going from working in law in Washington to writing in LA and how the two fields came together with The West Wing.
His thought processes around creating conflict and tragedy for the characters in the series.
The role that tennis played in his career and getting connected with key people.
How he got into the practice of meditation and into the world of mindfulness.
The importance of meditating on a regular basis and how it transforms all facets of your life.
Why meditation is so important for artists who often struggle with negative internal dialogue.
Accessing the conscious self and being present as the foundation of focus.
How our values changed with capitalism and the development of the economy.
Focusing on doing your best in the moment and learning to trust in life.
The importance of becoming still in order to hear the voice of your intuition.
The stigma that exists around meditation and why it is for everyone, regardless of religious orientation.
Why every solution is inside of you and learning to stop blaming external circumstances.
The different factors that drive human behavior and the role of our environment.
More about his book and David’s everyday approach to meditation and moderation.
The role of religion, morality and values and why you have to listen to yourself.
And much more!

Next Episode

Ep. 51: Gratitude, Contribution + Experiential Marketing with Kelly Vaught of BeCore

In this episode Sourdough and Kelly Vaught from BeCore join in conversation about everything from parenting and core values to experiential marketing and politics. Starting off, Kelly shares with us what he is most grateful for and his personal philosophy for a happy, meaningful life. His family is incredibly important to him and he dishes out some of his tried and tested parenting advice and reflects on his own childhood experiences and how they have shaped him. We discuss the role of liberal arts in teaching critical thinking, what the world actually needs from politicians, forging meaningful connections with people and the need for advertising folk to grasp and engage with contemporary culture. We reimagine a society where the measure of success is holistic and where people’s contribution to all spheres of life is a more interesting consideration than just what they do as a job and the money they get from doing it. Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation with people who speak your language. For more information about artists, links and resources from this episode, please visit https://notrealart.com/kelly-vaught/.

Key Points From This Episode:

A reflective overview of Kelly’s parents and growing up in a very religious household.
Dealing with his mother’s mental illness, dropping out of school and moving out at age 16.
Being excommunicated from his religious network and the tough lessons he learned.
How Kelly’s childhood experiences informed his perspective on raising his own kids.
The importance of building confidence and adaptability into his children.
The critical role of arts in teaching critical thinking and problem solving.
Combing liberal arts and science to find solutions for the existential problems of humankind.
The need for politicians to adopt a human-centered approach to government.
Recognizing who ‘your people’ are and not wasting time investing in those who are not.
What the dissolution of the ego entails and how harmony is the foundation of success.
Unequal distribution of resources and population growth as two major concerns in our collective unconscious.
Doing work that matters, experiential marketing and engaging the younger generations.
Red Bull as an example of a company that supports and engages with arts and culture.
Artists’ role in stimulating conversations around social issues and challenging the status quo.
The interesting space where art and AI meet and the future of artistic presentation.
And much more!