A Life Creative Podcast

Melanio Gomez
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Arts

This is a weekly show where listeners learn how creators navigate their careers in the arts, and find  community with like-minded people who face similar challenges and joys while pursuing their passions.  We'll be talking with photographers, artists, interior stylists and designers, food stylists, crafters, creative content creators, writers, publishers, marketers, and so many more.  If you're interested in a career in the arts or any creative field, or you just want to know how creators are inspired and execute on their ideas you'll want to catch this show, and if you're looking for a creator community you've found your people here.

  1. 23 Jun

    Episode 55 | The Architecture of Meaning with Ray Booth, Partner and Designer at McAlpine

    Ray Booth grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, studied architecture at Auburn, and today divides his time between Nashville, New York City, and Provincetown, Massachusetts — a life as layered as the interiors he creates. Ray's path to becoming a partner at McAlpine, the celebrated architecture and interiors firm founded by Bobby McAlpine, wasn't a straight line. After interning with the firm in college, he headed to New York to work in the studio of legendary designer John Saladino. He also spent time as a model with Click Model Management — a chapter that funded extended travel through Europe and deepened his eye for history, craft, and beauty. McAlpine eventually drew him back with an offer to build out the firm's interiors practice, and Ray has been shaping some of America's most thoughtful homes ever since. He's published two books: Evocative Interiors (2018) and The Expressive Home (2025). In this conversation, Ray shares a design philosophy rooted not in aesthetics but in emotion — he sees homes as emotional vessels, containers for the full breadth of human experience. Beauty, he'll tell you, is the byproduct of creating a soulful home. Host Melañio Gomez has known Ray since the early '90s, when both were just beginning their careers and adult lives. For more about Ray and links to his work: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    54 min

  2. 16 Jun

    Episode 54 | Generational Design with Cy & Genevieve Carter, Founders and Creative Principals at Carter Design

    Melañio Gomez, host of A Life Creative, first encountered Cy and Genevieve Carter while on assignment for Martha Stewart Living — and it's easy to see why they made an impression. After honing their craft at the celebrated Los Angeles design collective Commune Design, this married duo founded Carter Design, building a devoted following among actors, artists, and creative professionals drawn to their signature mix of modern and heritage, and their talent for delivering the unexpected. In this episode, Melañio draws out the origin stories behind that sensibility. Cy grew up on ranchland in the Texas Panhandle; Genevieve in New England, where her great-great-grandfather was the renowned architect, Stanford White. Two very different worlds — yet both formative, and both alive in their work. The Carters describe their approach as anthropological: a deep reading of who a client is, where they've been, and who they're becoming. Carter Design's clients often arrive at a particular moment — a life in transition, a new chapter opening while the last one still deserves honoring. Knowing how to hold both at once, the new and the cherished, turns out to be their quiet superpower. For more about Cy & Genevieve and links to their sites: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    58 min

  3. 9 Jun

    Episode 53 | Well Rooted with Co-founder & Creative Director of Star Bright Farm Helen Norman, & Organic Farmer Peter Elmore

    A Life Creative went on location for the first time, and it was worth the trip. We recorded this episode at Star Bright Farm in Baltimore County, Maryland — home to Helen Norman, an accomplished fashion, food, and lifestyle photographer whose career took her from New York City and beyond, all while keeping her roots firmly in rural Maryland life. Helen and her son Peter Elmore have built something rare at Star Bright: a fully hands-on herb farm where they grow, distill, and craft a line of home and wellness products — lotions, candles, teas, essential oils — that are as thoughtfully made as they are beautifully packaged. You can find them online, at farmers markets, or better yet, visit the farm shop in person. Host Melañio Gomez and Helen go way back — they worked together on a Martha Stewart Living entertaining story shot in Jon Carloftis' Bucks County potting shed. (Jon told his own story in an earlier episode — worth a listen.) For more about Helen, Peter & Star Bright Farm visit links below: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    1hr 2min

  4. 2 Jun

    Episode 52 | An Imaginary Café with Food Stylist & Imaginary Café Proprietor Frances Boswell

    Frances Boswell tells the story of her life in food, from working as a 'chopper' in a local restaurant as a teen, to editing food stories for Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple Magazine and everything in between.  Her creative interests are informed by her many interesting life experiences including a stint helping prepare mountain climber food at Mt. Everest base camp.  She talks about her later education in Traditional Chinese Medicine and becoming a licensed acupuncturist. These days she's creating beautiful still life photography of food under the moniker My Imaginary Café - check out the images and find her via links below and keep an eye out for her forthcoming book. For more on Frances and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    56 min

  5. 19 May

    Episode 51 | Carrying Style with Fashion Accessories Designer Rafé Totengco

    Rafé Totengco grew up in the Philippines, where having clothing made was — and continues to be — a common practice. As a kid, his mom would send him to the tailor, who'd ask, "Okay, what do you want me to make?" That open question sparked Rafé's imagination in a way that led him to launch his own apparel business when he was still a teenager. When his sister moved to New York City, she invited him to come check it out — & Rafé never really left. He immersed himself in the city's fashion world, studying at FIT, working in fashion houses, freelance styling, & ultimately launching the accessories line he's known for today. His designs include the polished seashell minaudières that have become his signature — bags carried on red carpets by Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, & The Pitt stars Kristin Villanueva & Amielynn Abellera. Join us on A Life Creative as Rafé shares the story of how a tailor's question in Manila grew into a career at the front of American accessories design — & how he continues to evolve the work today. For more on Rafé and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    51 min

  6. 12 May

    Episode 50 | Clay & Cuttings with Ceramicist Frances Palmer

    Frances Palmer's path to creating her own pottery studio and cultivating a fabulous flower garden comes down to focus and dedication.  She put the time in to learn and develop her craft with an eye toward building a sustainable business where her work is not just a collection of beautiful objects but also usable in everyday life. Show host Melanio Gomez was made aware of her work years ago when Martha Stewart suggested using some of her pottery in a story being developed for the magazine.   She's published two books that take us into her world: Life in the Studio and Life with Flowers both of which we spoke about with book editor Ellen Morrissey in episode 49 (Ellen worked with Frances on both books).  It's an honor to have Frances on A Life Creative this week! For more about Frances and our other guests check out: www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    40 min

  7. 5 May

    Episode 49 | Everyone Needs an Editor with Author and Book Editor Ellen Morrissey

    What does it take to turn an author's vision into a bestselling book? Book editor Ellen Morrissey has done it more than ten times over. After 16 years at Martha Stewart Living — where she shepherded dozens of books to publication, with more than 10 landing on the New York Times bestseller list — Ellen has built a thriving post-Martha career helping authors of illustrated lifestyle books realize their creative visions.  Her collaborators include ceramicist Frances Palmer, writer Matt Hranek, and baker Kristina Cho. And in a full-circle moment, Ellen stepped into the author's chair herself with I Want to Eat Cookies, a collection of more than 90 cookie recipes. In this episode, she traces the path that led her into book editing and shares what that creative life looks like today—and somehow, she has time to craft fantastical cakes whose inspiration often comes from the minds of 4-year-olds.  Think ‘zombie unicorn’ for example. www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    42 min

  8. 28 Apr

    Episode 48 | Piecing it Together with Artist James Gallagher

    A divorce and the pandemic aren't the events most people credit for their creative breakthrough — but for collage artist James Gallagher, they were turning points. In this episode of A Life Creative, host Melañio Gomez sits down with James — introduced through James' wife, prop stylist Pam Morris — to trace a winding path to full-time artistry. James spent years inside and outside the medium of collage, pulled in and out by professional, economic, and life events, before a period of real soul-searching turned art into something closer to therapy. That self-reflection showed up in the work, and it's what finally connected him to the wider collage community. Today James is known as a curator, collaborator, portraitist, and educator — hosting live collage events that help non-artists find something unexpected with cutting tools and a stack of paper. www.alifecreativepod.com alifecreative.Substack.com @alifecreative on Instagram alifecreative on YouTube

    46 min
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About

This is a weekly show where listeners learn how creators navigate their careers in the arts, and find  community with like-minded people who face similar challenges and joys while pursuing their passions.  We'll be talking with photographers, artists, interior stylists and designers, food stylists, crafters, creative content creators, writers, publishers, marketers, and so many more.  If you're interested in a career in the arts or any creative field, or you just want to know how creators are inspired and execute on their ideas you'll want to catch this show, and if you're looking for a creator community you've found your people here.

Information

  • Creator
    Melanio Gomez
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Life Creative Podcast
  • Show Website
    A Life Creative Podcast

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