Brave Castle Cast

I met Brandon when he was a bar tender in Santa Rosa's local whisky bar named Jack and Tonys. I have an interest in Brandon's work because he builds cocktail menus and is constantly creating new drinks. He is now running the bar in Healdsburg's Vallette. I ate there recently and I got to enjoy Brandon's creativity. Brandon studied martial arts for a long time and is also a tattoo and art nerd. He and I always have something to talk about. Please check out Brandon's work at Vallette in Healdsburg, you will not be disappointed. Both the food and drinks are top notch. This episode I introduce the Brave Castle Drawing Challenge. Every episode or so I will be giving out simple drawing assignments for all of us to do. This episodes challenge is HARP. I will be doing the challenges as well and posting to instagram. If you would like to participate, Draw, build, sculpt or whatever to achieve a "HARP" take a photo and post on instagram with the hash tag #bravecastledrawingchallenge and tag me in the photo as well @ren

Klaus Rappensperger is an artist who owns and operates Schnitzkraft where he designs and fabricates products for homes and businesses. He is a builder, artisan, designer, illustrator, skateboarder, thinker, self publisher, father and big time podcast listener. Klaus and I have been talking about art together for a few years now and we always have great conversations. I always enjoy my time with Klaus, he will be a repeating guest. This podcast is being reposted due to an audio editing issue. Sorry for any disruptions. Podcasting has a steep learning curve for me. Enjoy. Find Klaus on Instagram @klausvonschnitz  

I am joined on this episode by Francesco Catania who is a musician and visual artist. We discuss the creative process, electronic music versus playing normal instruments, art space, downloading theft of music and trickle down bad attitudes. This is a very positive episode about healthy mindsets and living to foster a life of artistic production. Cesco is a very motivated and talented person. From playing guitar to building large scale sculpture, Francesco is always working on something. check out his band The Drought Cult on band camp, his website is www.francesco-echo.comand his instagram is @francesco.echo 

John Blackwell is a long time photographer, mountain biker and all around adventurer. John chases good times outdoors endlessly. If he cant get out on his bike for a few days, he suffers. A man of motion but also deeply creative, John is always looking for subjects for his photography. When the muses don't show up he doesn't force inspiration. Instead, he takes to the road or mountain seeking another hill to conquer and descent to navigate. John is a motivated guy who I find is always switching it up. From bartending to mountain bike adventure photography, John is always up to something and making moves. We discuss his journey in photography, his time in the bike industry and his wild adventures getting lost in the desert with BIKE magazine. Look John up on Instagram @johnmblackwell and navigate to his website johnblackwellphotography.net to see his work and outdoor life. 

I met Walter Blair Tom ( I know him as Blair) in high school. He was like a big brother to me, him being 2 years older. Most of our time together was spent art making and he was a fun wild dude to run around with. Always up before everybody else, Blair was getting after it at a young age. From hockey to surfing, to studying history to visual art and skate boarding, Blair was always rolling the rock up the hill. His level of energy has always inspired me. A wild renaissance man, good friend and smart guy who is always a good time. Blair's life is of interest because he is constantly doing big things and his life evolves quickly into new things often. If you would like to see Walter Blair Toms work, look him up on Instagram @gnarlytubes 

Morgan Jaeckel is a long time friend of mine. I really enjoy speaking with Morgan because he see things very differently then I do. He is a very intelligent dude and I always learn something when I talk with him. I had Morgan on specifically because he built his own education and understanding of finance and Macro economics by chasing information down online. Morgan stands as a testament to the power of Youtube and self motivated research. I don't always agree with Morgan, and when I try and debate ideas with him I quickly see how little I know about why I think the way I do. To hang out with Morgan is to learn and play with ideas. He is a great friend and someone I am proud to know. On this episode I try and find my bearings as a host while Morgan and I jump from topics ranging from the Federal Reserve to what a stock market Short is, the power of curiosity matched with the internet, head injuries and a rabbit hole of ideas about politics and the human experience. This being the official episode one, my inex