Zack Soto and Mike Dawson have shared a big ole downloadable archive of their fantastic podcast, Process Party. This is one of very few podcasts where I can say I’ve truly listened to every episode. It led me to discover a ton of artists and books that were new to me at the time. I recommend you grab this audio while it’s up!
I said this on Twitter and I’ll say it again: I can think of times where I was feeling creatively challenged, creatively frustrated in grad school, and this was a go-to listen on long commutes, and tough studio days. Think “in the trenches” indie comix / indie artmaking / work/life balance conversations + interviews — comforting and GOOD for you.
Process Party reminds us of the value of documenting the creative community around you. Because they approach their guests as peers, Zack and Mike’s interviews end up feeling really inviting. They feel intimate. They’re full of advice. It’s not the distance of press coverage or fandom we’re getting here, but instead a series of honest and humorous conversations amongst adult human artists who are all actively making comix, where the distinction between “guests” and “hosts” becomes unimportant. This is the exact thing I enjoy about Process Party’s spiritual siblings: Cartoonist Kayfabe’s shoot interview series, and NY Comics Symposium.
Here are a few episodes you might start with:
Ep35 Katie Skelly (Maids)
Ep31 Bill Kartalopoulos / Austin English (Best American Comics, The Comics Journal, Domino Books)
Ep04 Matt Furie (Boy’s Club / Feels Good Man)
Ep23 Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy)
Ep26 No Guests, No Masters (Mike and Zack in conversation)
Ep50 Jesse Moynihan (The Midnight Gospel, Manly, Adventure Time)
DIY Animation Club co-founder Dave Merson Hess taught and developed animation curriculum for Aurora Picture Show’s youth workshops, 2014-2018. He also started Rush Process, a Gulf Coast-based festival celebrating animators who work with physical media, which ran from 2015 to 2018. Dave is currently an MFA candidate in Experimental Animation at Calarts.