Episodes

Introducing: The Art Biz with Alison Stanfield Today's feed drop comes from a podcast that has had a meaningful impact on how I think about building a sustainable art practice: The Art Biz with Alison Stanfield . If you've ever struggled to title your artwork—or wondered whether titles matter at all—this conversation is for you. In this episode, Alison Stanfield sits down with artist, writer, and educator Fran Gardner to explore why titling artwork is much more than an administrative task. Toget...

Ep #114: Sheri Rush — a life in art, big paintings, and staying creatively alive (noseyAF Classic) Summary This one's for every artist who's ever wondered how to keep the fire going — through decades, through doubt, through life just getting in the way. Chicago-based painter Sheri Rush has been making art since childhood, and she brings a rare honesty to this conversation. We get into what it actually looks like to sustain a creative practice long-term, the residencies that changed her, how natu...

Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears! Join the noseyAF Dispatch 📬 At the end of the month, your inbox gets a little happier — all the month's noseyAF episodes sent straight to you. → Subscribe to the noseyAF Dispatch This conversation was recorded Live at Lumpen Radio on Saturday May 9th, 2026 Ep #113: Doing Both: Art, Film, and Building Worlds with Aaliyah Shae Summary This episode is for everyone who's ever looked at a film set and wondered who put that there, and why...

Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears! Join the noseyAF Dispatch 📬 At the end of the month, your inbox gets a little happier — all the month's noseyAF episodes sent straight to you. → Subscribe to the noseyAF Dispatch Ep #112: Mutual Aid Isn't Charity with Eric Von Haynes (noseyAF Classic) This is a noseyAF classic — a conversation originally recorded in 2024 with Eric Von Haynes that was edited and reshaped to air live on Lumpen Radio (WLPN Chicago 105.5 FM). Eric is a ...

This episode is a quick update about what’s coming next for noseyAF . In August, I’m launching a new series called 31 Days of Black Business — 31 conversations with Black business owners throughout Black Business Month. The idea came after hearing about the month from Denzell Turner of the Black Fridays podcast and getting inspired to try an everyday podcast challenge. Throughout August, I’ll be talking with Black business owners about how their businesses got started, what they do, and how we c...

Ep 110: What We Owe Each Other: Season 7 Reflections (22 Conversations Later) Summary Season 7 of noseyAF is officially wrapped — and what a season it’s been. In this reflection episode, host Stephanie Graham looks back on 2 2 conversations with artists, activists, filmmakers, educators, and community builders and the themes that kept showing up again and again. From redefining success and practicing care as infrastructure, to documenting the people and stories that matter, this season became so...

Ep #109 : Neighbors, Strangers, and the Stories Between Us with Ann Rosen Summary: It's our season finale, y'all! 🎉 We made it to the end of Season 7 of noseyAF — AND we crossed 100 episodes! I still can't believe it. None of this happens without you, so thank you for being nosey right along with me all season long. I am so grateful. In this episode, I sit down with Ann Rosen, a Brooklyn-based portrait photographer and activist whose decades-long practice sits at the intersection of art, social ...

Ep # 108: Your Calm Calendar: Rest, Burnout Recovery, and Resisting Hustle Culture with Nicole Havelka Welcome back to another episode of noseyAF on Lumpen Radio!! We have Nicole Havelka joing us, a burnout recovery coach, mindfulness teacher, former pastor, and host of the podcast Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals — to talk about what it actually takes to stop running on empty. Nicole gets into how she went from a self-described "recovering grind culture addict" to building a whole ...

Ep #:107 The Introvert’s Guide to Speaking Up with Mahlena-Rae Johnson Summary of the episode Public speaking can be intimidating—especially for introverts. In this episode of nosey AF: conversations about art, activism, and social change, Stephanie talks with speaker, comedian, and author Mahlena-Rae Johnson, who calls herself the Professor X for introverted edtech CEOs with stage fright . For more than two decades, Mahlena has helped leaders learn how to communicate clearly and confidently, wh...

Ep # 106: Consistency Over Perfection: Briana Clearly on Making 12 Films in a Year This episode was recorded live on Saturday February 28th, 2026 at Lumpen Radio. Summary of the episode In this live, unedited episode recorded at Lumpen Radio 105.5 FM in Chicago, I sit down with Chicago filmmaker Briana Clearly to talk about what it really means to choose consistency over perfection. Briana took on the ambitious challenge of making 12 films in 12 months — and then turned that experiment into a co...

Episode 106: Why Welcoming Everyone Gets Complicated with Garland Fuller What this episode is about: What does it actually take to build a space where people feel like they belong? Garland Fuller — culture consultant and founder of Third Space Academy — has made it her life's work to answer that question. We get into the gap between what organizations say they value and how they actually operate, why "I want everyone to come" is a lot trickier than it sounds, and what intentional community build...

Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears! This Conversation was recorded live for Lumpen Radio Ep #104: Joe Schupbach: Care Is the Curriculum SUMMARY What does care really look like — beyond Valentine's Day chocolates and heart-shaped cards? In this episode of noseyAF, Stephanie Graham sits down with Joe Schupbach, a mission-driven educator, theater maker, and instructional coach with over two decades of experience in public education, nonprofits, and community-centered the...

Ep #103: Mental Health for Expats — Building Community Abroad with Moved With Peace Summary of the Episode What really happens after you move abroad and the honeymoon phase wears off? In this episode of noseyAF, host Stephanie Graham sits down with writer and community-builder Stephanie Rubinato to talk honestly about mental health for expats, postpartum depression, and the emotional realities of building a life far from home. Living abroad is often portrayed as dreamy and effortless—but this co...

Ep #102: Getting Dressed Is Identity Work How Personal Style Opens Doors with Stylist Kyla Summary of the episode Ever had a full-blown meltdown trying to figure out what to wear? Personal stylist Kyla gets it—and she's here to tell you that your closet struggles go way deeper than just "not having the right clothes." In this episode, we're diving into the psychology of personal style, why taking your image seriously is actually a power move (not vanity), and how getting dressed every single day...

Ep #101: Freedom, Flexibility, and Filling the Gap: How Melquea Smith Built a Creative Life Through Children's Book Illustration Summary In this episode, I sit down with Melquea Smith, a children's book illustrator, author, and world traveler who's redefining what it means to build a creative life on your own terms. Fresh off five weeks in Belgium (with cats and a chicken!), Melquea shares how losing her nonprofit job became the catalyst for going full-time as an illustrator, why representation ...

This conversation was recorded live at Lumpen Radio in Chicago on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Ep # 100: Chicago Artist Deirdre Fox on Turning Plastic Waste into Environmental Art & Visual Poetry Summary of the episode Chicago-based artist Deirdre Fox joins noseyAF for a live, unedited conversation from 105.5 FM Lumpen Radio about art, plastic waste, and environmental consciousness. Deirdre’s practice transforms discarded consumer packaging into drawings, fiber works, and installations that chall...

EP# 99 The Rise of Women’s Sports, NIL Money, and the Power of the Everyday Athlete with Angela Hollowell ✨ Episode Summary Women’s sports are having a moment — and it’s about time. In this episode of noseyAF , Stephanie Graham sits down with filmmaker, writer, and Melanin MVP founder Angela Hollowell to talk about the rise of women’s sports, the impact of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) money, and why the idea of the “everyday athlete” might change how we think about movement altogether. We get...

Ep #98: Print Your Legacy: Lawrence Nalls on Multi-Generational Photography and Pride Summary of the episode Lawrence Nalls, managing photographer of Forty Photography, shares the profound journey of building a multi-generational Chicago photography studio rooted in legacy, storytelling, and community service. In this conversation, Lawrence reveals how his father's Vietnam War documentation sparked a family tradition that's now entering its third generation. We explore the emotional weight of ph...

Ep #97: Outcry Project: How Collective Scream Sessions Create Radical Empathy and Healing with Whitney Bradshaw Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears! This conversation was recorded live at Lumpen Radio on Saturday, December 13, 2025 Summary of the episode What does it look like to be allowed together? In this powerful episode, artist and activist Whitney Bradshaw shares the story behind Outcry—her groundbreaking social practice project that brings women, non-binary, and...

Ep #96: Bring the Avalanche: How to Turn Rejection Into Motivation — with Maurice Proffitt “Trust yourself. This world will try to tell you otherwise every single day.”- Maurice Proffitt This conversation was recorded live at Lumpen Radio on Saturday November 22, 2025 Summary of the episode In this episode, we sit down with Chicago creative and producer Maurice Proffitt to talk about creative rejection , the fear of success , and what it really takes to build a career without waiting for permiss...

Ep # 95: Queer History Is Everywhere: Dr. Kate Henry on Archives, Rhetoric & Lisa Ben Summary of the episode Hey its Stephanie here! In this episode of noseyAF, we get into queer history, archives, and public scholarship with Dr. Kate Henry — writer, scholar, poet, and creator of Lisa Benography , a public scholarship project documenting Lisa Ben, the woman behind the first known lesbian magazine in the U.S. Kate and I talk about the magic and messiness of archives, what feminist historiography ...

Ep # 94 : Plant-Based Entrepreneur Niehla Ollie: From Beauty Industry to Homegirl’s Hummus This episode was recorded live on Saturday November 8th at Lumpen Radio in Chicago. Summary of the episode This week on noseyAF, I’m talking with Niehla Ollie, the creative behind Homegirl’s Hummus. After more than 20 years in the fashion and beauty world, Niehla had a late-night hummus craving in Milwaukee that changed everything. What started as a midnight snack moment turned into a full-on business buil...

Ep 93: Stop Overthinking Your Brand: A Real Talk Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs Summary of the episode In this episode of noseyAF, I sit down with brand designer and website strategist Bridget Baker to demystify the overwhelming world of branding for artists and creative entrepreneurs. Bridget shares her journey from professional dancer and choreographer to helping people build authentic brands that actually reflect who they are—not who they think they should be. We dig into why branding feels...

Ep #92: Voices of Survival — A Conversation with Filmmaker James Coney Thank you for listening to noseyAF! So happy to have your ears! Good Stuff Only 💅🏾 Fresh art, messy ideas, tiny victories, wild inspirations, candid stories, fun secrets, and the occasional surprise—straight from my studio to your inbox. Join artists, curators, gallerists, and art lovers getting first looks at new work 1-2x a month. → Subscribe to Good Stuff Only This episode of noseyAF was recorded live on Lumpen Radio on Oc...