It’s a classic Kimi and Lou episode of best laid plans. They start by talking about how professional creatives are now digital janitors to AI slop, then quickly get lost in the woods talking about Universal Basic Income, Phoebe Waller Bridge’s Flea Bag and myriad other topics loosely tied to the main topic. “Loosely” is doing a lot of work in that previous sentence.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Flea Bag by Phoebe Waller Bridge
• No Time to Die featuring Daniel Craig
• The Guardian: Freelancers are getting buried with ‘soulless’ AI slop cleanup
• Hurt by Nine Inch Nails
• Brandy Hellville and The Cult of Fast Fashion

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• Hosts: Kimi Recor and Lou Lesko
• Producer: Cheramie Johnson
• Editor: Alexandra Covey
• Music: Kieran Kerwin
• Instagram: @chaosandcreativitypodcast

I’ll admit to having a ridiculously pedestrian perception of classical music artists. Pianists specifically. Call it lack of direct exposure, or maybe too much Bugs Bunny when I was a kid. Or maybe, maybe, maybe it’s the awe I feel when I watch a pianist play with a supernova-like intensity that I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced. Is this envy? Insecurity? Probably a blend.

My next guest, classical pianist Dorothy Robbins, was kind enough to set me straight when she visited the Chaos & Creativity headquarters in Marin county.

Dorothy Robbins is the epitome of talent and grace. A confident young woman with a warm and friendly disposition that mildly contradicts what one might expect when looking at her long list of accomplishments. Which—so far—have culminated in her recently received Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance. It turns out the political dynamics of the classical music space are not that dissimilar from the ones found in Hollywood. Unexpected, but understandable when you look at the competitive nature of the landscape.

What became abundantly obvious after my conversation with Dorothy is the pursuit of a career in classical music is meant for the talented and the hyper-driven. It starts with a choice that’s made at a young age, Dorothy was ten when she started. What follows is a relentless pursuit of perfection. Classical music is a lifestyle choice that requires superhuman dedication for a very long run.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Whiplash, written and directed by Damien Chazelle

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Be cool, be classy, subscribe to email updates. You'll be the first to know when a new episode drops and you'll also receive our quarterly newsletter Memos to the Chaotic & Creative.

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Connect with the Show

• Hosts: Kimi Recor and Lou Lesko
• Producer: Cheramie Johnson
• Editor: Alexandra Covey
• Music: Kieran Kerwin
• Instagram: @chaosandcreativitypodcast

We’ve all been there. Stuck in traffic, running late, woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Caught a mood from somebody else. Barista didn’t quite get your morning coffee right. And what started as a crap moment begins to seem like a crap day, a crap week, a crap life. You. Are. Spiraling. You know you might pull other people in with you. What happens next? In this minisode, Kimi and Lou share their secret inner sages’ insights into pulling out of emotional tailspins before minor mood changes become major meltdowns. But most importantly — if you take nothing else away from listening — remember never, ever to get in the way of Lou and his morning latte. And also, don’t give Kimi too much espresso.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Red Whale Coffee, San Rafael CA

Want More Chaos & Creativity? Subscribe!

Be cool, be classy, subscribe to email updates. You'll be the first to know when a new episode drops and you'll also receive our quarterly newsletter Memos to the Chaotic & Creative.

Subscribe now.

Connect with the Show

• Hosts: Kimi Recor and Lou Lesko
• Producer: Cheramie Johnson
• Editor: Alexandra Covey
• Music: Kieran Kerwin
• Instagram: @chaosandcreativitypodcast