Meditations with Ryan Zlomek

Language as a Playground with Author Soma Mei Sheng Frazier

In this episode, author and novelist Soma Mei Sheng Frazier joins Ryan in conversation about her newest publication, Off The Books. Soma is a highly regarded educator having worked at institutions such as Oakland School of the Arts, Gavilan College, Cogswell College, and most recently SUNY Oswego. On top of molding minds, Soma is also a notable writer having published multiple prose chapbooks, stories in various publications including ZYZZYVA and Carve Magazine, and her first novel through Macmillan Publishers. 

In this conversation Soma discusses her life growing up in New Hampshire, falling in love with language in all its forms, her passion for education, and the road to writing Off The Books. She also discusses the balance between entertainment and density in her writing process, story structure, and how to develop captivating characters on the page. 

Check out Soma Mei Sheng Frazier online at https://somafrazier.com/  or on Instagram and X @somameishengfrazier. You can also order her novel Off The Books wherever books are sold.

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Facebook and Instagram (@ryanzlomek), TikTok (@ryanzlomek), or via email at meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

 

Showcasing Your Identity In Pixels with Digital Artist Jaleel Campbell

Celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Meditations with Ryan Zlomek, Jaleel Campbell comes on the show to share his artistic journey. Jaleel is a prolific artist and community organizer based in Syracuse, NY who is most famous for his various digital illustration series. Honing his skills over the last decade to develop multidimensional vector imagery, Jaleel has become a powerhouse in the commercial art world with his pieces decorating art galleries, puzzles, and even diabetic supplies (for which he collaborated with Patti LaBelle). In addition to his illustrations, Jaleel works in fiber arts with his Jalethal Doll project as well as crochet with the Off The Hook Crochet Club. Off The Hook has worked for the last several years to teach group members how to crochet through a series of public and private events. Most recently he was the grand marshall for the CNY Pride parade and is working on a new exhibition called In Secrecy with ArtRage Gallery that will be on display to the public in November 2024. 

Check out Jaleel online at https://www.jaleelcampbell.com/ or on social media @jaleelj.blige on Instagram, @jaleeljblige on Twitter, or as Jaleel Campbell on Facebook. 

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook, @ryanzlomek on TikTok, or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

 

Thinking In Code with App Developer Kent Sutherland

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Kent Sutherland, the developer of Fantastical and co-owner of the company Flexibits. Kent has been in the app development space for over a decade and was developing language processing systems before the invention of Siri or Alexa. His first major application, Fantastical, was so popular at release that it overtook Angry Birds, the most popular application at the time, for the #1 spot on the Apple App Store.

In this conversation Kent talks about discovering a passion for computers at a young age, learning how to identify and solve problems with programming languages, studying Computer Science in higher education, and eventually partnering with Michael Simmons to create their company Flexibits. He discusses the process to develop and launch an application, observing human behavior to see how technology can make existence easier, and even shares his adventures as a passionate rollerblader. 

If you're interested in learning more about Kent's work you can find Fantastical and Cardhop in the Apple App Store, visit https://flexibits.com/ or find @flexibits on X and TikTok. 

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Bringing Brooklyn To The Stage with Cartoonist and Playwright Dean Haspiel

Ryan travels to Carol Gardens, Brooklyn to chat with Dean Haspiel about his creative career. Dean is most famous for being a cartoonist working on books like The Fantastic Four, American Splendor and The Quitter (with Harvey Pekar), The Fox, The Alcoholic (with Jonathan Ames), The Red Hook and a million other titles for large and small publishers. But outside of the comic sphere, Dean is also a commercial illustrator and art director for projects like HBO's Bored To Death (for which he won an Emmy award), an art studio community builder, and a playwright. His plays are highly regarded but truly are an ephemeral art form, running for just a couple of days within NYC and living on in the memory of a few hundred people. In this interview, Dean lays out his creative careers, discovering a passion for comics, discusses his interest in collaboration, then talks about his journey writing for the stage. If you have ever wanted a glimpse into the way hard work in one art form can empower other modes of communicating your ideas, this is an interview for you.

Check out Dean Haspiel online at his substack (https://deanhaspiel.substack.com/) or Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeanHaspiel ). Dean can also be found on Instagram (@deanhaspiel_art) and Facebook (@deanhaspielart). 

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Transforming Cities Through Public Art with Sign Painter and Illustrator Cayetano Valenzuela

Ryan sits down with artist Cayetano Valenzuela, known around the world for his imaginative paintings and illustration that have been shown in galleries from New York to Puerto Rico. In Syracuse, NY, he has put his stamp on the city with two famous murals: “We Are The Mighty Salt City” off of Fireman’s Park and “And I Still Rise” on Syracuse’s West Side. Both of these remarkable works have had such a tremendous impact that locals have shifted the manner in which they describe their relationship to the city. Outside of galleries and murals, Cayetano is known for commercial sign painting (Recess Coffee), band merchandise (Deftones, Incubus, Difficult), and comics (Night Moves).

In this conversation, Cayetano talks about transitioning from city to country life during his school years and finding collaborators at a young age. He humbly talks about his artistic gifts and finding the confidence to start a company that matched his artistic integrity. And he shares his transition in mediums from traditional illustration, to conceptual works, to signs and murals, to his most recent obsession with making comics that have appeared internationally in the pages of Savage Dragon. It’s a remarkable chance to see inside the powerhouse that is Cayetano and let his inspiring story empower you to go change the world with your imagination.

Check out Cayetano’s work online at https://www.theblackrabbitstudio.com/ as well as on Facebook (BlackrabbitstudioNY) and Instagram (@cayetanovalenzuela, @blackrabbitstudio, @blackrabbitcomics)

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Inventing The Algorithm For Fun with Game Designers Andrew and Kristin Looney

In this episode, Ryan chats it up with Andrew and Kristin Looney, the owners of the Looney Labs game company in College Park, MD. Looney Labs has been making, publishing, and distributing games since 1996. Most known for the game Fluxx, which has been made into over 40 iterations, they also have created the Pyramid gaming system and the time-travel game Chrononauts, among countless others. Two people who have always found a spirit fun around them, Kristin shares her history with the Rubik's Cube and Andrew talks about developing software for the Panasonic 3DO game console. They talk about their time working at NASA and writing software to assist with space missions. Most importantly, they share the origin story of Looney Labs and talk about the inter-workings of running a game company for almost 3 decades. It's an engaging chat including fun factoids about shoe requirements in NASA facilities, how short stories can lead to game design, and the work it takes to develop licensed and unlicensed products.

Check out Looney Labs on online at https://store.looneylabs.com/ as well as on Instagram (@LooneyLabs), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LooneyLabs) and X (@LooneyLabs).

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Tuning Into Your Scary Side with Goosebumps Commercial Artist Tim Jacobus

Ryan is joined by Tim Jacobus, the commercial artist best known for painting the original covers for the Goosebumps book series in the 1990s. His painting and airbrush techniques have graced book covers across the industry and sparked the imagination of young people at book stores, libraries, and Scholastic book fairs for decades. Tim talks about his journey becoming a commercial artist including attending Spectrum Institute For Advertising Art in New Jersey, teaching at the famed Kubert School, making his way into illustrating book covers, and eventually taking over the Goosebumps line. In conversation, Tim reveals the grit he needed to find his niche in illustration, experimenting and learning how to draw scary imagery, and the joy he has found in being known as the "Goosebumps Guy." Now working as a motion graphics designer and art director, Tim's perspective is inspiring for anyone wanting to work in the arts field to find their voice on the page. 

Additionally, Tim shares is charity work with a local food bank which you can help support by visiting his website https://jacobusstudios.com/. Tim can also be found on Facebook (Jacobus Studios) and Instagram @timjacobus.

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.

Sprinkling Your City In Positivity with The Ice Cream Stand owner Amanda Hughes

Joining Ryan on today's show is Amanda Hughes, the owner of The Ice Cream Stand in Syracuse, NY's Clinton Square. Amanda opened The Ice Cream Stand in 2016 and has turned it into a staple of the downtown Syracuse experience. In this conversation, Amanda dives into the entrepreneurial history in her family, her desire to start her own business from a very early age, discovering a passion for fitness and sports, studying at Duke, and the development of The Ice Cream Stand. It's an energetic, insightful, and thoughtful conversation exploring how different businesses cater to the community and become welcoming public space. Amanda also announces her newest venture, Cream And Coffee, which will be a dessert-forward cafe in Skaneatles, NY.

For more information on Amanda Hughes you can find her online at www.amandajaynehughes.com or @amandahughes on Instagram. You can also visit her amazing business online; The Ice Cream Stand (www.theicecreamstand.com, @theicecreamstand on Instagram) and Cream And Coffee (www.creamandcoffee.shop, @creamandcoffeeshop on Instagram). 

For more information on the Meditations with Ryan Zlomek podcast, you can find The World of Ryan Zlomek on Instagram and Facebook or email meditations@ryanzlomek.com.