Welcome to The Artist Matters premiere episode. It's a little get to know me and my artistic journey. And what the show will be about.

Did you ever fell like you just didn't fit in with any group? That there was something about you that was different? That's how today's guest, Laurie Ann Davis felt when she was a kid. But once she found acting, she knew where she belonged. Playing Anne Frank was the catalyst to push her to pursue this as a career. Taking classes. Auditioning. Getting roles on stage and screen. Someone felt she could be a teacher, so she decided to start teaching acting in the basement of her house in Hicksville, NY. I joined her class, The Acting Experience in 1999 and Laurie had us dig deep and pull out performances from places we didn't know existed. She eventually moved her class out of the basement and to a studio, renamed Star Map Acting. But she still went for roles in film and stage. However, Laurie found that getting the right monologues for auditions was tedious and frustrating, so she wrote her own. And then, published them in her book, "Finally...Monologues That Work". She even found time to raise her son. Now, she is releasing another book, "Finally..Scenes That Work", plus just last year, Laurie found a new location to teach which is 3 Stage Studios in Bethpage, NY. One of Laurie's greatest superpowers is being relentless. Her drive and determination is what keeps her in the game. She says, "All we have is this moment. Just be human." Enjoy this moment with Laurie Ann Davis.

"Happiness Made Solid". This is what you get when a family therapist turns to pottery. As a child, Dean McRaine always enjoyed building things with his hands. When he got older, he found pottery as a creative and relaxing way to take his mind off the often times stressful and intense world of family therapy. He taught himself through magazines, books and lots of trial and error. He considers himself to be a great problem solver. And you really have to be with clay. The intricacies of types of clay, molding it into the shapes you want, how long you fire them up in a kiln. And Dean had to one up himself and experiment with colored clay. This is what made me want to connect with him. I still can't grasp how he can create all these designs and patterns onto a sheet of clay. You have to check out the video. He's set up in Kauai with his shop, Lightwave Pottery. The name is not an accident. He wants his work to bring light to people. He hopes that someone can feel the emotional connection when they hold a mug or a plate he's sculpted. Dean prompts artists to ask themselves: what is your mission as an artist? What is the feeling you get out of your art? Do you have the desire? Well, Dean certainly has stuck to his mission for 30 plus years and still going strong at age 68. As one client complimented his work, "It's colored therapy." Let the session begin!

"Acting is like a disease, I don't know when or if it can be cured, all I know is that if I give up, It will surely kill me." This describes today's guest, actor Lou Lentino-Rodgriguez to a tee. As early as he can remember, he was entertaining the family doing character impressions and dancing and singing. It came natural to him. Maybe not by accident either. Turns out his family has connection to none other than Jimmy Durante. And when he did his first role as a dancing snowflake in a school play, he knew this was his calling. As he got older, Lou began pursuing acting and landed his first extra role in the TV show, Central Park West. From there, he landed other roles in plays, such as Stalag 17, Romeo & Juliet, The Passion of Dracula, Extremities and Wait Until Dark. Lou has been at this for 20 plus years and finally hitting some strides, with roles in TV series, such as Blue Bloods, Gotham, The Blacklist and High Maintenance. And just last week, he finally got his SAG/AFTRA card. A friend of his described him as the 49-year-old minor league ball player who never made it to the pros, BUT never gave up. And that's Lou. If his opening quote gives you any indication, he can't not act. Despite the struggles and competition, acting brings him joy and he has to do it. This man defines perseverance and I truly applaud him for that. And I think you will too. Enjoy my chat with Lou Lentino-Rodriguez.

What do you get when you combine a love of music with a love of photography? You get today's guest, Barbie Bowser. She found her love of music first. Learning the piano and the clarinet and later in life, the guitar, playing in school bands and church worship teams. Her husband Chuck introduced her to the world of photography and she was hooked. And in her 40's, Barbie decided to take it seriously. She went to the Art Institute of Tampa, got her Bachelor's Degree and was soon working. From wedding photography to shooting virtual tours of luxury hotels and resorts. Barbie now has her own photography business. To further expand her creativity, along with her husband, she started a blog and Youtube channel called the Bowser Journal. It just goes to show that no matter what age, you can always find ways to channel your creativity and maybe even make a profit from it. Enjoy my chat with Barbie Bowser!

Can creativity really help us heal the pain and struggles we go through? Today's guest, Deborah Louise Ortiz would answer that question with a resounding "Yes!" And not just one creative outlet, mind you. This multi-talented woman is a dancer, actor, writer, producer and director! Raised in the Bronx, Deborah had her share of tough times, but found release through the arts. Starting with dance, she joined a dance company called New York Guys & Dolls in the 70's. Then, she was drawn into the world of acting, joining the Latino theatre group, Vaso de Leche. From that group, Deborah was inspired to try her hand at writing and penned her first play called "Dirty Laundry". Soon after, she wrote and starred in her one woman play, "Changing Violet". She also started her own production company called Dangerous Curves Productions. Deborah spent 10 years with the New York Dinner Theatre Company, performing all over the tri-state area. Upon moving to Florida, she started up Standing Ovation Dinner Theatre (where I met her), producing shows like "The Godfather's Messhuggener Wedding", "Let's Kill The Boss", "Zeus' Big Surprise" and "Homecoming at Transylvania High". The next part of Deborah's journey took an expected turn. And she became a documentary filmmaker. Her husband was a retired NY police officer suffering from PTSD. It was affecting their relationship and their family. So, what does Deborah do? She creates the award-winning documentary, Code 9 : Officer Needs Assistance. This labor of love not only helped her, her husband and family heal, but has become a movement and community for officers and first responders suffering from this mental injury. Without skipping a beat, Deborah directed the short film, SIlver Alert. And is now co-writing (with her son, Frank) a script called "The Ortiz Sisters" loosely based on her and her sisters. I have known Deborah for 10 years now and she has become a mentor to me in my creative growth which I am so grateful for. I am so excited for you to enjoy my conversation with Deborah Louise Ortiz.

Words can either create or destroy. You can build someone up with a heartfelt compliment or easily tear them down with a hurtful remark. Thankfully, today's guest - Billy Lamont - uses his words and his voice on the creation side. As a poet for over 30 years, his focus has been to help, inspire and bring some joy into the lives of others. Whether it's performing skits with his family when he was a kid or reading poetry for a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving or performing at bigger venues including MTV and Lollapalooza. He has published several audio poetry albums, including Into the 21st Century and Beyond Babylon. Billy has also penned three poetry books: The Gallery of Light, Strobe Light Generation and Words Ripped From a Soul Still Bleeding. He even has a spot in the Guinness Book of World's Records! He encourages future poets to be true to thier own voice and reminds them that their words are needed. I've known him since 2004 and always felt this artistic kinship with him. As I hope you will. Enjoy my chat with Billy Lamont.

What would it mean to you if your mother said you have a special mission in life? For this episode's guest, Rodini Almonacy, it means a great deal. Not only because his mother actually said this to him, but also for the fact that his own life almost never began. That is because Rodini was stillborn! I kid you not. Obviously, he's a survivor. And this plays a huge part in how he approaches life, work, everything. So, where does the special mission come into play? Rodini discovered a passion for art at a young age. As he got older, he was drawn into the world of graphic arts. Staring off small by creating logos for clothing, making up party flyers. But demand for his work started to grow to the point where he needed help. So, Rodini created his own graphic design company, Maximum Grafx. More clients and gigs kept his company busy. Eventually, the company grew into Maximum Marketing Media Group and Rodini earned a new title as a Consultant. And that became Maximum Marketing Enterprises. Rodini also created Iluvbball.com. This helps and showcases young basketball players. Through it all, he stays grounded with his wife and five children. A man with a good heart wanting to not only make his clients happy, but anyone he comes into contact with. This was such an inspiring chat we had and I'm sure you're going to be inspired too. Enjoy my conversation with Rodini.

 This is a first. A returning guest. Erik Herrmann is back from the last episode. And he’s not alone. With him is his bandmate from the group, Slow Apollo, Joram Roubique. We heard Erik’s story already, so this episode begins with a focus on Joram’s journey. Joram was born and raised near, in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The eldest of 5 children (4 boys, 1 girl), He was brought up in a strict fundamentalist Christian household and wasn't allowed to listen to "secular" music. Thankfully, Joram’s parents loved music enough, especially his mother, to expose the family to music that, despite having a strong obvious religious message, was made by objectively talented artists. When she was growing up, Joram’s mom often sang with her brother, a fantastic guitarist, and won singing competitions in high school. So, was Joram destined to follow in his family’s musical footsteps? Well, at the age of 13, his parents bought him an acoustic guitar for Christmas, but without lessons he grew frustrated trying to learn and gave up. A couple years later, his best friend bought an electric bass, which reignited Joram’s interest in learning to play. In 2001, his family moved to San Jose, California. Recovering from a knee injury, Joram began to play guitar more and more and was basically self-taught. He eventually got a car and began listening to secular music on the radio, buying CDs and catching up on as much of the music he missed out on. He joined a church at one point and was a member of their music team for junior high kids. He sang and later played bass and guitar with them for a short while. Joram and his family moved back to Louisiana in 2006. Back there, he attended Southeastern Louisiana University in 2008 and got a degree in Mass Comm with an emphasis in journalism in 2011. Just last year, Erik and Joram’s paths crossed and they felt they could create a band together. So, they did. With Joram (Lead Vocals), Erik ((Rhythm Guitar/vocals), Tyler Herrmann (Drums & Erik’s brother), Erik Herrmann Sr. (Bass & you probably guessed by now, Erik’s dad) and Robert Holden (Lead Guitar), they formed the rock & roll group, Slow Apollo. Enjoy this chat with Joram & Erik.

What is grizzly life? Today's guest, Illustrator and Designer, James T Ellison can explain. For the last few years, James has been pursuing his dream as a freelance illustrator. He studied graphic design at Northern Kentucky University, but is mostly self-taught. He has gone to comic conventions and craft festivals to showcase his work. He's created posters for a local bar, logos for small businesses, T-shirt designs and more. But illustrating remains his passion. With the dream being, story telling via comic books and graphic novels.  But his health took a hit a few years back. James lives with a chronic autoimmune disease, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. Yet, he hasn't allowed this to slow him down. He's dedicating the rest of his life to spreading awareness through art and speaking about chronic invisible diseases. The grizzly "within" keeps him active in other areas too. James likes to go hiking in his favorite National forest, walking his dog through the city, spending quality time with family, his black lab, Daisy and kitten, Lancelot in Covington, KY. An inspiring story to say the least, enjoy my chat with James.