The Full Expression Podcast is a series of one-hour conversations about the creative process with host, Dan Imhoff. Each month, Imhoff brings his lifetime of experience as an author, musician, and small-scale farmer to these enlightening dialogs. What is Creativity? Is it problem solving, disciplined practice, unexpected good fortune? The Full Expression Podcast explores these fundamentally human pursuits.
EPISODES — SEASON TWO
Peter Schaumann
Season 2, Episode 8, May 2, 2023
Peter Schaumann is a native of Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Newtown Square. He is a graduate of Philadelphia College of Art, and has been on the faculties of Philadelphia College of Art and Moore College of Art and Design.
Following a distinguished career as a New York illustrator where he was cited for numerous honors and awards, he turned to fine art, figure painting, and portraiture. His work has appeared in many galleries across the United States. Peter has earned numerous awards for his portraiture and most recently completed a painting of Tom Wolf, the former governor of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists. He is also my first cousin.
I spoke with Peter Schaumann about his early years as a sought after illustrator in New York City, his transition to fine arts and portraiture, and his need to feed his art through a daily practice of walking.
You can find out more about Peter Schaumann’s work here.
Bonnie Hayes
Season 2, Episode 7, April 18, 2023
Bonnie Hayes is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and educator. The eldest of seven children from a highly musical family, she attended Washington High School and San Francisco State University. Her brother, Chris, was the lead guitarist for Huey Lewis and the News. Her brother, Kevin, was a drummer with the Robert Cray Band. Bonnie has performed in numerous bands as well as on tours with Bob Seeger, Belinda Carlisle and Billy Idol. Her songs have been recorded by Cher, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Cole, Robert Cray, David Crosby, Adam Ant and Booker T and the MGs. Between 2013 and 2022 she served as the chair of the songwriting department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Bonnie Hayes is also a long-time board member at Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco. She currently directs Blue Bear’s All Star Songwriting Program for teens.
I spoke with Bonnie Hayes about her early years in the San Francisco music scene, her many ideas about the craft of songwriting, and why she believes limitations can positively help define an artistic persona.
You can find out more about Bonnie Hayes here.
Michael Pollan
Season 2, Episode 5, April 11, 2023
Michael Pollan is an author, educator, documentary film creator and avid gardener. His work investigates the nexus of nature and culture and spans topics of gardening, agriculture, nutrition and cuisine, and neuropsychology. Six of his nine books have been New York Times bestsellers; three of them (including, How to Change Your Mind) were immediate #1 New York Times bestsellers. His other books include This is Your Mind on Plants, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature. The Omnivore’s Dilemma won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, the James Beard Award for best food writing, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. I was grateful to include his Introduction in two versions of my book, Food Fight: A Citizen’s Guide to the Food and Farm Bill and his essays in Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature and CAFO.
Davia Nelson
Season 2, Episode 5, April 4, 2023
Davia Nelson is a radio producer, screen writer and casting director. She began her life in radio as a DJ in high school in Los Angeles. She later attended UC Santa Cruz and began documenting the community through a series of oral history pieces. With her partner, Nikki Silva, Davia founded the “Kitchen Sisters,” one of the most lasting and prolific public radio production teams in modern history. Their NPR series include “Hidden Kitchens,” “Lost and Found Sounds,” the “Sonic Memorial Project,” “The Hidden World of Girls,” and “The Keepers.” They have won two James Beard Awards, two Peabody Awards and the DuPont Columbia Award among others. Davia has also worked in the film industry as a casting director for Francis Ford Coppola, Wim Wenders, and Wes Anderson. She was a screenplay writer and producer of “Imaginary Crimes,” starring Harvey Keitel. This is just a short list. Davia Nelson is also a dear friend.
Joe Breeze
Season 2, Episode 4, Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Joe Breeze is an American bicycle frame builder, designer and advocate from Marin County, California. An early participant in the sport of mountain biking, Breeze — along with other pioneers including Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and Tom Ritchey — is known for his central role in developing the mountain bike. Joe is the co-founder and curator of the Marin Museum of Bicycling and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Fairfax, California. He helped me immensely with the introduction of a Chronicle book I wrote in the late 1990s, called Fat Tire: A Celebration of the Mountain Bike.
I spoke with Joe about the early days of mountain biking on Mt. Tamalpais, what it takes to be an industrial designer, and the key role the bicycle will play in sustainable transportation while keeping a smile on our faces.
You can see more about this extraordinary museum here.
Hal Mayforth
Season 2, Episode 3, Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Hal Mayforth is an American cartoonist, illustrator and abstract painter. A nationally recognized illustrator, Hal’s work has been widely published in magazines from Rolling Stone to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. His colorful paintings have been exhibited in galleries around the United States. He is a lifelong musician and most recently was the artistic collaborator on my “Gratitude” video that was released in May 2022.
I spoke with Hal Mayforth about his journey to becoming a professional illustrator, his daily practice of automatic drawing, his affinity for abstract expressionism and art history, and guiding belief in doing what you love.
Matt Goulding
Season 2, Episode 2, Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Matt Goulding is a co-founder of the independent media company, Roads and Kingdoms and the co-author of the New York Times best selling series Eat This, Not That! With Roads and Kingdoms, Matt Goulding has written a number of books that merge food culture, politics and history, including Grape Olive Pig (about Spain) Rice Noodle Fish (about Japan) Pasta Pane Vino (about Italy). He currently divides his time between the tapas bars of Barcelona and the barbecue joints of North Carolina.
I spoke with Matt Goulding about his journey to becoming a food writer, what makes a great title, and how a simple tweet from Anthony Bourdain changed his career.
David Quammen
Season 2, Episode 1, Tuesday, October 18, 2022
David Quammen is an American non-fiction writer and the author of 17 books about the history of science, evolutionary biology, zoonotic diseases and the outdoors. His articles have appeared in Outside Magazine, National Geographic, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, and other periodicals. David Quaamen’s highly acclaimed books include Spillover, The Song of the Dodo, The Tangled Tree and his most recent work, Breathless, about the Covid-19 pandemic.
I spoke with David Quammen about his journey from fiction to nonfiction writing, his extensive field reporting practices, and the brisk pace of writing Breathless during the Covid lockdown.
EPISODES — SEASON ONE
Season 1, Episode 1, Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Adam Wolpert is a painter of the naturalist landscape tradition. He is also a co-founder of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Sonoma County, California, an intentional community and thought leading nonprofit education center. A lifelong visual artist, for the past three years Adam has been painting large intimate portraits of trees he calls “The Great Oaks.”
I spoke with Adam about why he values the creative practice rather than finished products, the discipline and patience that the craft of painting requires, how drawing and painting can positively affect your mindset and memory, and the importance of doing what you love, showing up every day, and having faith.
Season 1, Episode 2, Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Tim Weed is an exceptional musician who has mastered numerous stringed instruments — from guitar to 5-string banjo and mandolin. For the past four decades he has been a touring and recording artist. His latest project, Light and Dark, consists of two original compositions for banjo and 82 piece orchestra. It was performed and recorded with the Prague Metropolitan Orchestra in 2019.
I spoke with Tim about his daily approach to music, the importance of understanding and overcoming fear, his lifelong journey to master various musical styles, and how a broken mandolin found by the side of the road opened a creative door.
Season 1, Episode 3, Tuesday, July 6
Abra Berens is a farm-to-table chef and author of the 2019 cookbook, Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Abra is a chef at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan and the co-founder of Bare Knuckle farm in Northpoint, Michigan. She was a contributing author to Waste Not, a James Beard Foundation publication on minimizing food waste. In addition to all this, she is a really fine writer, and is currently working on a new book, Grist, about grains and legumes.
I spoke with Abra about her writing process, her experience at the Ballymaloe Cooking School in southeast Ireland, the hard work it takes to grow vegetables, the importance of reducing food waste, and why being a professional cook also means being an entertainer.
Season 1, Episode 4, Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Ronnie Vanucci, Jr. is a classically trained percussionist perhaps best known as the drummer for the internationally acclaimed rock n roll band, The Killers. Ronnie studied music at the University of Las Vegas Nevada before joining bandmates Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer in 2002. Since that time his career has been on a stratospheric ascent. The Killers have recorded six best selling albums and have performed in over 50 countries. Their last album, “Imploding the Mirage,” debuted in 2020 at the top of rock album charts in both the UK and US. Ronnie also has 2 independent projects under the name Big Talk.
I spoke with Ronnie about his experience as a wedding photographer, the importance of mastering the art of listening, and the making of the band’s upcoming album, “Pressure Machine.”
Season 1, Episode 5, Tuesday, September 7, 2021
PC Muñoz is a multidimensional musician: a poet, percussionist, producer, performer and recording artist. Over the past three decades, he has worked in a wide range of music styles, from hip hop and jazz to funk, classical and spoken word. PC’s work with Kronos Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud earned a Grammy nomination. He has recorded with rock legend Jackson Browne, synth wizard Dr. Fink and most recently, Berkeley Symphony violinist Matthew Szemela. PC Muñoz also serves as the director of Education and Community Engagement for the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California.
I spoke with PC about his creative process, his continual evolution as a boundary breaking musician, and his recommendations to young people interested in cultivating an authentic artistic identity.
Ames Morrison
Season 1, Episode 6, Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Ames Morrison is a grape grower, wine maker and partner at Medlock Ames Winery in Sonoma County California. He received a degree in ancient history from Tulane University before serving in the Peace Corps in Guatemala and teaching public high school in New York City. Raised on a farm in Virginia, Ames ultimately decided to pursue his love of agriculture. In 1998 he teamed up with college friend Chris Medlock James to form the Medlock Ames Winery. For the last 25 years, he has been learning the art and craft of growing grapes and making humanity’s most captivating magical elixir.
Shea Breaux Wells
Season 1, Episode 7, Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Shea Breaux Wells is a vocal artist, singing instructor and songwriter. Raised in an artistic household in Texas, she later found her way to Los Angeles where she explored numerous musical styles, from art rock to jazz and electronic music. Shea lived in Sonoma County for many years before a recent return to her home state.
I spoke with Shea about her lifelong musical journey, the benefits of singing with intention, her various recording experiences and balancing a busy life with a creative practice.
Jessica Martin
Season 1, Episode 8, Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Jessica Martin is a visual artist who lives, practices and teaches in Healdsburg, California. She works in various mediums, from painting to sculpture and ambitious urban curating. Her pieces often involve extensive research into how the passage of time affects and shapes our memories. She received an M.A. from the California College of the Arts in 2006 and has been working as a professional artist ever since.
I spoke with Jessica about the influence of nature on her art, her long-standing vocabulary of shapes project, and how being creative on any number of levels is essential to being human.
J. Henry Fair
Season 1, Episode 9, Tuesday, January 4, 2022
J. Henry Fair is a photographer who works at the intersection of art, environmental science and our consumer society. For decades, Henry has been making what he describes as “ironically beautiful images of terrible things.” These abstract highly composed aerial photographs are intended to tell the story of industrial mining, factory farming, clearcut forestry and other exploitive activities. Most recently he was chosen as one of 12 photographers featured in Human Nature: Planet Earth in Our Time, published by Chronicle Books.
I spoke with Henry Fair about his passion for scientific research, storytelling from the air, and his quest to draw viewers into critical issues, such as climate chaos.
Chris Blum
Season 1, Episode 10, Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Chris Blum is a graphic artist and art director who works in a variety of mediums from product graphics and advertising to film and video production. He’s also a lifelong producer of art boxes: dimensional collages that combine wordplay and found objects to make a statement about current events and cultural affairs. Chris is an ardent student of pop culture and I collaborated with him for many years when communicating about issues of food and agricultural policy.
I spoke with Chris Blum about his ability to visualize his creative projects, what it was like to work with Tom Waits, the art of making a wine label, and his great grandfather’s confectionary business.
Alam Khan
Season 1, Episode 11, Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Alam Khan is the son of Mary Khan and sarode master, the late Ali Akhbar Khan. He was trained in the Indian classical music tradition since the age of seven. Also a sarode player, Alam has played alongside India’s tabla masters in venues throughout the world. He has also collaborated and performed with a wide range of artists, including the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the San Francisco Symphony, Bob Weir, and his hiphop project, Grand Tapestry. Alam is a techer of advanced instrumental instruction at the Ali Akhbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.
I spoke with Alam Khan about his family’s artistic legacy, growing up as a fan of gangsta rap and Seattle grunge, making connections between Indian classical music and hiphop, and his aversion to modern sitar samples.
Laura Guido-Clark
Season 1, Episode 12, Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Laura Guido-Clark is an interior designer and material and color consultant. She has worked on an impressive list of everyday products, from furniture and automobiles to electronics and chocolate. In 2011 she founded Project Color Corps, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing urban neighborhoods with paint and pattern. In 2017 Laura founded Love Good Color, a revolutionary color tool that fuses science with the senses.
I spoke with Laura Guido-Clark about what it means to re-design an iconic product, the power of color to change people’s lives, and her dream to one day design theater and movie sets.
Full Expression is available for download on most podcast platforms.
