During the pandemic, I was interviewed by Wes Brown and Todd Pierson for an episode of their weekly “Tenet Podcast: Giving Voice to the Arts.” In my episode (taped live on September 17, 2020), we talk about my work, my firm CauseConnect, my alter ego as Downtown Muse, my life growing up in Texas, my 25 years of living in Los Angeles, and even about my own podcast “MUSED: LA 2 HOU.” If you get a chance, listen to the entire two-hour show and subscribe to their arts-related series anywhere you get your podcasts.
Founded in 2019, the Tenet Podcast focuses on the visual arts and the business of art. Each week, hosts Brown and Pierson post weekly conversations with artists discussing their beginnings, influences, processes, and how they make a living as an artist. Recognized as being one of the top art podcasts in the industry, the Tenet Podcast provides a platform for artists to share their journey, their business tactics, and the process of making art. Episodes featuring provocative stories from around the world of art launch every Thursday and can be found on all the major podcast platforms and apps.
Wes Brown, Photographer
“All my life I have been curious. I find being curious is essential as it is what drives me to explore new things. I enjoy learning, especially the stories behind all art forms, meeting new artists, attending exhibitions I normally wouldn’t, to find a fresh point of view of life and culture. I have been taking photos since I was 14. I get this feeling…I find myself making photographs for various reasons, mostly landscapes for myself. I see the story through the lens and I am compelled to make the photograph. So because of that I want to take this podcast journey of exploration of artists, find out more of what compelled them to do what they are doing and how they are doing it.”
Todd Pierson, Photographer
“One of the things I like about my job, in addition to doing what I love is, I enjoy talking and learning about other people. I enjoy finding the common thread that connects us all. It doesn’t matter what medium of art you work in there is always a commonality we all share among the arts and as artists. Every person I meet through my work as a photographer or through this podcast I learn something, the information I gain from meaningful conversations through my job or through this podcast I can see ways it applies to me and others.”
Melissa Richardson Banks, Photographer and Arts Marketing Specialist
The founder of CauseConnect, a consulting firm that services clients nationwide in the arts, Richardson Banks is also a photographer that has documented the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles (and now Houston where she currently resides) and is known by the moniker Downtown Muse. For nearly 20 years, she has produced, marketed, managed, and toured museum exhibitions of Cheech Marin’s renowned Chicano art collection.
Links to a one-minute excerpt and a longer excerpt (4:52) from the full episode are also available for listening.