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Life's Questions, Answered
Life's Questions, Answered
Episode 3 : Leah Hewson
Back at the beginning of the year, in mid-January. In the depths of winter and lockdown 3, I had the pleasure of having a lovely, funny and engaging chat with the fantastic Dublin based artist Leah Hewson.
Leah is a mover and shaker at the moment in the modern art world in both Ireland and abroad, and I was delighted that she gave me her time.
Her style is abstract geometrical patterns and textures and bright, vibrant colours. She is influenced by studies of human behaviour and the unconscious mind and tries to visualise these studies in a visual art form.
It's hypnotic and really draws you in, and is fantastic stuff, so do take the time to check out her work by following the links below.
http://www.leahhewson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/leahhewson/?hl=en
http://www.leahhewson.com/store/p7/Almightyfizz.html
https://www.narsfoundation.org/leah-hewson
https://www.ateliermaser.com/events/2020/2/13/assemble-our-first-exhibition-of-2020
http://www.rhagallery.ie/exhibitions/new-work/
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=892580401485914
https://www.thebonnymen.ie/
https://soundcloud.com/thefamilyknife
https://ghostestates.bandcamp.com/
Yeah. Can you hear me? You there, I'm losing, you
Speaker 2:Turned into a robot. Can you hear me now? Yeah, I can hear you completely frozen, but for a while you were like,[inaudible]
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Hi, everybody. Welcome to another episode of life's questions, answers, and thanks to everybody for getting in contact so far. I really do appreciate people getting in touch and let me know their feelings on the podcast. I'm glad to say that the feedback so far has only been positive and today's guest is fantastic Dublin based artists, Leah Hewson, Leah is a mover and shaker at the moment in the modern art world both in Ireland and abroad. Over the past few years, she's had a number of group and solo exhibitions. That have really put her on the map and she's doing residencies in RHA and Berlin and New York, and she's been all over it. We w e re j ust, it was ju st r eally cool to have her on. And her style is kind of abstract, geometrical patterns, textures, bright vibrant colors. She's influenced by studies of human behavior an d t he unconscious mind, and tries to visualize that in an art form. And in an art from, so yeah really do check her stuff out its fantastic. And then, yeah, we d idn't check her stuff out and follow the links that are provided with the show that we'll b ring her to her work. And this is a lso one of the first episodes th at I did using zoom. So bear that in mind while you're listening to us, it d oes sound a little bit different, bu t, u h, b ut it works. It's w as recorded at t h e b eginning of the year in January an d t h e d epths of winter and lo ckdown t hr ee. And as you ca n r emember back to back do wn, it was pretty grim and, u h, b ut chatting to Leah at the time. Um, i t was good, fun and a good distraction. And hopefully you'll get a bit of enjoyment. We li stened b ack to the episode. So yeah enough waffeleing from me now, without a do here is Leah
Speaker 1:Thanks mate. For doing this. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Anything to get rid of the runoff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is. This lockdown is definitely the worst. So you think a hundred percent, so,
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. Um, so are you a you at home now at the moment? No, I'm in the studio. Where's the studio few Harcourt street. Yeah. So it's, it's within the 5k, which is great. Cause it's been, and it's even sort of just within the two cakes, so I've been able to command the whole time. Oh, that's brilliant. And I'm in a building on my own. Like, so it's yeah, it's been pretty okay.
Speaker 3:Kills. So it hasn't affected it that much to lockdown, but where would you be to it?
Speaker 2:No, not like not in my immediate circumstances. It's no, like, obviously I'm not seeing anybody, but yeah. It's funny, like, as you said, this lockdown is kind of seems to be the hardest, I'm certainly sort of finding it difficult to get motivated again. So I have this like initial thing when we had the first, like two weeks of lockdown and I didn't know, my arse for me elbow. And I was like, it was like, what's happening. The world is ending. Like does make sense, especially when you're just seeing images and you're hearing things, but you're not actually able to see anything in person, but yeah, with this one. Yeah. It's the same, but I suppose it's kind of the general January sluggishness.
Speaker 3:That's not a thing that's January is always. Like, do you know now this has got a COVID winter. So like it's always pretty.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Unlike the darker, the dark days and stuff. Now I did like, I cycled home at like five o'clock the other night and it was sort of bright. So I was like,
Speaker 3:Every time we look out the same window during journ here, and it's always been, you know, when it's black, it's like black or fives like, Oh God, but down, it'll tell today at five. And I was like, it's kind of long and you could hear a bird sing and then soften. I was like, this is, this is amazing. Like I was so happy
Speaker 2:We buy and swim and togs on aseos all day. That's all I'm doing, but like, I've not like I've loved to be doing, which is great. So you're
Speaker 3:Keeping up your, your routine
Speaker 2:It's taken over. Um, I mean like always with our, well, with my particular art practice, um, I didn't have a clue. I didn't have anything lined up for this year until like December, you know, it all kind of comes rolling in. So now I'm sort of busy up until April time. Yeah. Loads of kind of nice little projects going on and private commissions, private like paintings, some of the perspex laser per person. So there's stuff coming up, which is, which is really good.
Speaker 3:Your day involve Monday to Friday or Monday to Sunday, you just began up early, get into pseudo.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I get up at eight or half seven or if I'm feeling anxious or stressed, it could be six. Okay. Yeah. But, um, no, well, I think, I think what happened was I used to work in film, film production. Yeah.
Speaker 3:[inaudible] in saying that you were at Vikings or software.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I did like three, three years. Well, I did three seasons on Vikings working in the subject grading department. Really, really interesting work. Really good. Then I, I got a residency in your ha and I sort of call it like, so that was kind of, I was still sort of working both on, I just sort of thought like if I don't keep getting up early in the morning, it's going to kill me to get up early in the morning for film work. So I just like disciplined myself and I've been doing it ever since. And it seems to work for me.
Speaker 3:The, it is good to kind of get up early. I find it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And I can like, if you're working for yourself, you have to find ways to discipline yourself and structure your day yourself. It's great to be able to do it in whatever way suits you, but you still have to kind of do it, you know, there's days where you're just not in the mood come in. But like I just say to myself, like as long as you just show up, like I could come in here and I could watch like episodes on Netflix all day, but I've showed a, it's amazing how I get anywhere. So five minute break, every 15 minutes, that's the structure.
Speaker 1:How are you finding out, going out to bars and whatever and stuff?
Speaker 2:Oh, I re like I do miss the cracks. I really miss. I miss dancing. You know, it'd be in sort of in dark from spaces like shoulder to shoulder with people. I sometimes kind of dance around here, like a crazy woman just to,
Speaker 1:I don't know too many religions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly has to be done.
Speaker 1:So, um, I'm going to say the first, one of the first set of questions here. Now
Speaker 2:This lead to be hilarious or it'll be like tumbleweeds, if it's tumbleweed, it will be[inaudible], I'll be like
Speaker 1:[inaudible] person, like, yeah, obviously. So where did like the Craig spark begin in? You, do you remember when you were a kid where it started like, Ooh, I can actually, I'm good at this arm.
Speaker 2:Gosh, I remember I drew a picture of Dumbo. I think I was in third class and I won a competition with him. And I remember that feeling of like being a winner. It was like, right. I'm gonna, I'm going to stick with it. No, I, you know, it was something that was always encouraged, like with my teachers, my parents, and, you know, I, I, yeah, I do have a really old school report from forest class saying that Leah's really gifted in art doc just really stuck with me, you know? And then like somewhere along the way, like we were always encouraged to be creative at home. Um, like the cardboard boxes were like the most amazing thing ever, you know, but then somewhere along the way, becoming a teenager and stuff, I was just like, I was like, I don't care about anything other than going on boys. So I really lost it like for a good few years and even all through school. Like I was, you know, I was good at it, but I had no real interest in it. There was never a kind of this idea of it being some sort of a career on, uh, both of my sisters, older sisters went to UCD and they were having the old mighty crack there. So that's what I wanted. So I followed that and I, I ended up living on campus and went bananas for the year failed. I was doing arts, uh, yeah. Having too much fun, but I also kind of hated it. You know, I hated the, this kind of being anonymous and I'd come from quite a small school. Like our year had 48 people. And then all of a sudden I was in a class in the thighs and didn't really know how to cope with the independence or something. It was. So I just went bananas on a yeah. Failed a year. And then it was my dad who was like, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do come September. He was like, go and do a portfolio course there that's true. That's what happened. So it wasn't like this on dying passion, but it was definitely like, it was, it was bubbling under the surface. They're like, yeah. Yeah. And I think I've, I've thought about this quite often, like being the youngest child and that the dynamic of that feeling like you don't have your own voice necessarily. I think it's kind of given me my own way of, of, um, uh, communication.
Speaker 1:What is your current state of mind?
Speaker 2:Um, it teasers between severe anxiety and severe optimism feel at the moment, it's it is like, um, a constant conscious effort to, to try and stay in a positive head space. I actually started a gratitude journal. So I do like just a small paragraph every day. And it might even be like something really small, like I'm grateful for an ice bag or like a hot shower or to be able to make some nice food, just very simple things. But what it does is it sort of, um, way of thinking is kind of closer to the surface. So I'll be cycling through time, kind of with lash and rate of like, I'm grateful for this rain. God seems to be working for me. It's definitely a good tool at the moment to try and kind of stay out of the day.
Speaker 1:What is quality you'd most admire?
Speaker 2:Um, kindness. Yeah. I think it's something I'm really drawn to in people. And I think like, I mean, people sort of, you know, say, Oh, do you believe in God? Or do you believe in religion? And I, my answer to that is no, I believe in love and kindness. That's like human human interaction of loving kindness, you know? And I suppose what comes with that is like empathy as well. Like I'm being nonjudgmental of people. And you know, like if somebody sort of does something crap to you in public or there, they're kind of like, I didn't know, they bump into you and they don't say sorry, or whatever. It's like to sort of approach that situation with like, you know, they're just having a bad day or whatever it is, you know, and try and try not to be judgmental. I like when people are sort of kind to each other, I think it's, it's difficult at the moment because even like today I was walking down the road, um, I smiled at a kid, but I was wearing a mask, so I got no response. So I was like, Oh, rejection. But also like, and then, I dunno know, I've seen a few times like an elderly person sort of with heavy bags. Like, all I want to do is go and help them. But like you can't, you know,
Speaker 4:Who are, if you have any, your favorite writers.
Speaker 2:Oh, did you know? Uh, like this is Def on this definitely something I wish I was better off. I I'm crap at reading. Well, actually saying that I do, there is, um, one guy who's a neuroscientist called David Eagleman, I've read two and a half of his books. He finished the third one. I just, I find her great, uh, Oh, there thereby like neuroscience and psychology.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Is that in your arse research and stuff yet?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm quite like I'm, I'm really interested in, in that stuff anyway, you know, and human behavior and all that.
Speaker 5:The majority, the vast majority of what we think do we've generated by parts of our brain, that we have no acquaintance with no access to at all. And, um, you know, when you think of an idea, when you say, Oh, I just thought of something, it wasn't actually, you, your brain's been cooking that under the surface for days or weeks and it serves it up to you and you say, Hey, I'm a genius. I just thought it was, but it wasn't actual because I'm in this vast, you know, wet biomechanical network that's happening under there. That's where most of our life is actually happening.
Speaker 2:Um, but he he's really good in the sense, like he's been called the sort of modern translator of neuroscience. So he sort of, he basically describes all of these like really amazing sort of phenomenon that goes on and brain, but like very simple context. It's very simple examples and stuff. So it's very easy to understand. Yeah, he's definitely, he's definitely my go-to.
Speaker 4:What do you Sidore to be your greatest achievement so far?
Speaker 2:I feel like I'm just really pride with myself at the moment for, for being persistent, being persistent and determined in my career. I'm not really kind of knowing I'm still like, I mean, this will just be forever, but like not knowing where the path is going and sort of being okay with that. I think just like, I mean, I mean, obviously 2020 was so in so many different ways, but actually it was the best year that I've had to date in terms of my work. So like, I feel really pride of thought where it's kind of, it sort of flipped over where I don't have to, I don't have to look for all the work, you know, it's some of it's coming to me now. I kind of have to remember to sit back and just be like, you know, well done, you know, you should be proud of yourself, I'm doing it your way and just kind of, you know, figuring it out. It it's a good feeling to have not
Speaker 3:To be like chasing things like, am I down? But
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's, that's still certainly there because you still have to like, look for things that are going to challenge you and you don't want to like, you know, rest on your laurels or whatever Bush. Um, yeah, I would, I would say, I'd say my lasers painting. You're only as good as your last painting
Speaker 3:Body of work there though. No, it's brilliant. I mean, it's building a building.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's really nice actually, to look back on some of the stuff as well and different phase. It's so funny. I look back at
Speaker 3:The,
Speaker 2:The weird, weird stark.
Speaker 3:Yeah, cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I've been pursuing it directly. I was in college for six years and then I kind of gave up, I gave up on a show and was like, this is too hard, you know? And then went into the film work and then, and then actually went to New York and worked for Sean's goalie and then was like, Oh, well this. I had like a real itch then having spent some time away from it. And then I had a better understanding of kind of how to put myself more into the work, on how to yeah. What I wanted to make, what I wanted to say. Whereas like before I was kind of just being weird for the sake of being weird because people want it, he can't make work from that place. It's not, it's not authentic.
Speaker 3:And come back as a live in person or Tang, what would it be?
Speaker 2:You're killing me here.
Speaker 3:I've got some weird answers from
Speaker 2:A lot. Well, if I was around, you would last very long. I quite like to be like a nice little high skosh.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. Pretty good Tabby.
Speaker 2:Hi Scott. Hi Scott. Some lovely lives. I don't necessarily prefer them to dogs, but like, I quite like the attitude they have, you know, they're sort of independent as soon as go off on adventures, then get like hoes,
Speaker 3:Secretive cats. Like to know what bird it been. What's been up to like, it's gone. It's like going off a secret of it.
Speaker 2:They could talk. Yeah. And actually, so my friend banks who, you know, she, I'm really jealous. She's called and Fleabag, but like, I'm really jealous. It's the perfect time to get a little passionate.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I wanted to dance. Okay. How's cosh. Cool. What would you most like to have that you don't have at moms?
Speaker 2:I'd really like to be confident, uncomfortable, public speaking. I know that kind of surprises you maybe a little bit. And everyone always says that
Speaker 3:Because you're very confidence. Open, friendly person.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. I am. I am like in, you know, when I'm water in a small group, but like all eyes on me. I, it turns into like this Philly, physiological nightmare, Stephie his
Speaker 3:To, you know, P speaking to lows people. If you're coming to person of be nervous.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I'd love. Yeah. Because I think sometimes that's a problem for me where I'm where I am
Speaker 3:And exhibitions and stuff. Kind of like, thanks everybody. You start where you kind of like get fear or like butterflies or
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do. I actually don't know what it is. I was trying to like understand where it comes from. I just hate, I just hate when like all attention is on me. And again, I think that's why I like painting brand to art because it's like the work everyone's looking at the work or they should pay, not me. You know, if God exists,
Speaker 3:What would you like him to say to you when you arrive?
Speaker 2:Oh, you do exist. I'd like him to say, uh, I know you didn't believe in me, but[inaudible], don't worry about it anyway. I'll be kind to you. I love you have a, have a margarita.
Speaker 3:What is your greatest fear?
Speaker 2:Spiders.
Speaker 3:Spiders. Yeah. Um, they're able they're with you on that one. Oh, God hates wires.
Speaker 2:Uh, like, I mean, that's a consistent one. I tried to sort of get over it in various ways. Um, I did a project in third year in college, a bank getting over the fear of spiders, which involved me putting myself into the situation where I was going to hold a drunk and I did it. I did it. And it was great. And then I realized actually part of the fear isn't cause that was a really super controlled environment where I had like the handler sort of sit next, sitting in front of me and he passed him over and all of that. And that was fine. Part of the fear is actually the shock of seeing them a thought is true. What's kind of more like, why do you need eight things? You know what I mean? Do you know what happened to me very recently? So I took, I took a scar fall off like my mirror and wrapped it around my neck on this
Speaker 3:False widows or whatever the they're called, the Irish ones.
Speaker 2:[inaudible] literally like that big. And I know everyone's going to be like, you're totally exaggerating. It was probably tiny. And then it sort of like jumped, like not jump, but I kind of freaked out and then it like ran off my bed and then crawled under the duvet. Oh my gosh, this was early in the mornings. It was getting up to go to the studio on my screams, the high Stein book, my housemates. They said it was the biggest fighter they've ever seen. So that's my I'm actually not lying, but
Speaker 3:I can't be, I know there's one there. I was like, I'm leaving the room and it doesn't matter how small or big or smile come on here. out of here,
Speaker 2:Deepen our psyches or something. Yeah. Post cause second spiders is dying.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. That old Chestnut. Yeah. Two questions left and then we're done and you're really enjoying this math in your head.
Speaker 2:No. And it's actually like, it's nice. It's nice that it's kind of a little bit different too. Like, so tell me about color green and this raging that's refreshing.
Speaker 1:[inaudible] one of your favorite jobs in the past.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. The film work could easily go back to that. Like, you know, if all of this, um, yeah, I would have no problem. Going back to that work. It was great really, really, really interesting. Every day. It was totally different. It would have been sort of at the bottom rung of the office, I would have been the gopher so to speak. Yeah, yeah. Then rolling it out, which kind of suited me in a way because I, I had very little responsibility and just basically had a list of things to do every day and went off and did it sometimes, you know, the stuff you were asked to do was outrageous, you know, go into a sex shop at 10 in the morning and buy like five different types of whips versus like go to Tesco and buy 20 cook chickens, go and pick up this fabric or, you know, and then, and then actually part of that was like doing some dressing of the stacks and things. So like, it was basically just put wherever it is needed, you know? So it was great. Yeah. And I really enjoyed my team, like working with the team down there, they were, gosh, like,
Speaker 3:What is your poison? If any,
Speaker 2:Yeah. I'm a devil for chocolate
Speaker 3:Chocolate, like couple of times a day, little bits.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I'm trying to, I'm trying to call my sugar intake at the moment. Okay. And sometimes I'll go in, I'll go in waves where I'll just be like, and actually like my friends used to Slack the out of me just because I would just, they would call it like blacking age where I would just like, I would just go loads of chocolate. I should then there'd be like, Oh yeah, there'll be loads rappers Ryan. Me. But no, I like to think I'm not that bad anymore. Do you have a favorite chocolate bar? Oh, um, a blend
Speaker 3:Brando. The white pianos.
Speaker 2:Why? Why does it great? Yeah, just to mix it up a little bit,
Speaker 3:Sprinkled it, the little bits. I mean the rapper on, on to T Oh, that's
Speaker 2:Good. Nice flaky bits in the wrapper put into yeah, it's a T
Speaker 3:Yeah. Just bring it onto the top. Like, so
Speaker 2:Thanks like my Friday night. Thanks.
Speaker 3:One last question then. What is your
Speaker 2:Model? What is my motto? Um, I probably have a few actually that I've picked up from, I have a few that I've picked up from my dad's for sure. But my motto is, uh, persistence is the key, um, or hydration is the key, but that was more for like when we realized, but um, no. Yeah. Persistence. Persistence is the key. And then one that I've picked up from my dad is a dumb priest. Never got a parish priest, never got a prom priest, never got a parish. So it's, it's kind of like, um, if you don't ask for things, you won't get them. So like always ask for what you want. Okay. Um, and if you, if you do what you love, the money will follow. That's another one from him. Nice. And then yeah. So a few, few good solid ones to kind of keep me going. Yeah.
Speaker 1:[inaudible]
Speaker 2:Brilliant. Crack. Okay. Great. Enjoyed it.
Speaker 3:Thanks for doing this. You're a great guest.
Speaker 2:You should do one on yourself. I'd be interested to hear it.
Speaker 3:All right, Leah. Thanks. Yeah. Same to you. Take care.
Speaker 2:We'll see each other in the summer. Definitely.
Speaker 3:Yeah. There we have an episode tree Donotos it's thanks. Me and Leah for giving me your time. I really appreciate it. She was really good crack and go phone and uh, yeah. And do check her workout. It's absolutely fantastic by following the links to this week's episode. Um, and you won't be disappointed. I also want to say a big shout out to the Bonnie man and to, uh, Alvin Hill and family knife for, let me use some of the tracks the last week's episode. I really appreciate it. And you can follow links to the work who this week shows well and, uh, on a warm final topic, a lot of people have been asking me about am the team music for the show. And it's a track called Paris by my old band back in the day, a band used to be in colleague, go States and band featured myself and my brother, Brian and Albert hin and Keith Bern. And next week's guest on bass producer in demand Daniel Dardy. So what does it[inaudible] for Christmas? We had to go catch up and I got shot and it was called fun and a, yeah. Something to look forward to. So that's next week's episode. So to keep an ear out. So until then take care of yourselves, uncle look and take care.
Speaker 1:[inaudible].