Feels Like Healing

Al Lewis
Feels Like Healing

Feels like Healing is a series of conversations between myself Al Lewis and individuals who have turned to creativity as a way of helping them heal. Our need for healing is universal. However the reasons behind it can be oh so varied; a difficult childhood, a traumatic experience or perhaps a bereavement and our need to process grief. My search for healing stems from the death of my Dad, who died when I was 21 from Multiple Sclerosis. For over fifteen years I'd kept a quiet lid on my grief. However when it came to clearing out the last remaining boxes from my Dad's attic, that grief that I'd suppressed came rushing to the surface. It was then that I began to write songs about my Dad. Writing those songs was incredibly cathartic and I realised how useful creativity can be when confronted with the hardest parts of life. I believe that hearing other people's stories can help us to process ours and that the act of being creative can help turn something seemingly hopeless and incomprehensible in to something beautiful and hopeful. These conversations are here to provide solace and inspiration and to show you that healing can happen when we take our deepest pain and turn it into a work of art. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 29/01/2024

    Chris Kage

    This week my guest is Chris Kage, an artist/producer from Brooklyn New York. Through the years, Chris has primarily operated behind the scenes, as a songwriter in bands and as a backing musician, touring with the likes of Willie Nelson (and his sons Micah, Lukas) and Kris Kristofferson. In his mid-twenties, after ending up on a psychiatric ward for three days, Chris was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But rather than be totally destroyed by this, Chris decided to turn it into a collection of songs to share with others; these songs would become his debut album 'Cycles'. Chris states that this album is about trying to emotionally communicate his truths, in a way that can support others with theirs. In addition to inspiring the songs written for Cycles, Chris' experiences with his own mental health also led him to start Sound Mind Live, a non-profit organization whose mission it is to create a shared space where music and mental health can coexist. You can find Chris on Instagram @chriskageofficial Sound Mind Live - visit their website: https://www.soundmindlive.org/ Feels Like Healing is a show where I talk to individuals about how they've used creativity as a way of helping them heal. These conversations are here to show how we find comfort and solace through the act of being creative and how creativity can help us all reach a place of healing. :::: You can connect with Feels Like Healing on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @flhpodcast Produced / Edited by Al Lewis Theme music by Al Lewis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  2. 22/01/2024

    Carly Attridge & Annie Frost Nicholson

    This week my guests are Carly Attridge founder of the Loss Project and Annie Frost Nicholson a multidisciplinary artist from London. Both of them have worked on projects which have focused on how we can use creative practices as a catharsis for our grief. Carly started The Loss Project (a social enterprise focused on helping people find ways of processing grief) after she reflected on her own wellbeing struggles following various losses in her life and realised there was something lacking from what was on offer to support people. Annie's own devastating loss happened in 2011 when several members of her close family died in a tragic accident. Ever since, grief has been a subject she’s explored in a myriad of ways, including a film ‘Into Your Light’, a monthly Grief Mixtape that she hosted on Soho Radio and more recently, the Fandangoe Whip, Skip and the Grief Rave, which in turn, would spawn the Fandangoe Discoteca, their latest touring collaboration where bereaved people could dance out their grief. For more information on The Loss Project visit their website: https://www.thelossproject.com/ Annie Frost Nicholson visit her website: https://www.anniefrostnicholson.com/ Feels Like Healing is a show where I talk to individuals about how they've used creativity as a way of helping them heal. These conversations are here to show how we find comfort and solace through the act of being creative and how creativity can help us all reach a place of healing. :::: You can connect with Feels Like Healing on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @flhpodcast Produced / Edited by Al Lewis Theme music by Al Lewis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  3. 08/01/2024

    Stephen Wilson Jr.

    This week my guest is Stephen Wilson Jr. a singer/songwriter from rural Indiana (USA). As a teenager Stephen moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology. After completing his degree, he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until one day, faced with the prospect of a life climbing the corporate ladder, Stephen decided to take a leap of faith and pursue his dream of becoming a songwriter. A few years later his father – Stephen Wilson Sr - died at 59 and this set Stephen on a path to becoming an artist in his own right. He is quoted as saying that music was the only thing that had any ability to help him understand grief. The proof of this is in Søn of Dad, his debut album which came out to critical acclaim in 2023 You can find more information about Stephen's music at https://www.stephenwilsonjrmusic.com Songs featured on this episode include twisted by Stephen Wilson Jr. Father's Søn by Stephen Wilson Jr. Grief is Only Love by Stephen Wilson Jr. Feels Like Healing is a show where I talk to individuals about how they've used creativity as a way of helping them heal. These conversations are here to show how we find comfort and solace through the act of being creative and how creativity can help us all reach a place of healing. :::: You can connect with Feels Like Healing on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @flhpodcast Produced / Edited by Al Lewis Theme music by Al Lewis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  4. 01/01/2024

    Jo Ritchie & Laura McDonagh (Projecting Grief)

    This week my guests are Jo Ritchie and Laura McDonagh, the team behind 'Projecting Grief'. Projecting Grief tells the stories of people finding comfort, distraction or hope in a creative pursuit after losing someone they love. After losing her brother Jack in 2017, the last thing photographer Jo Ritchie wanted to do was pick up her camera. But as she started to search for others who had been through a similar experience, she was intrigued to meet many whose grief had been the catalyst for a creation. Fascinated and uplifted by this discovery, Jo began actively searching for people using a creative practice for distraction, relief or an expression and asked to take their portraits. In 2019, she enlisted the help of writer Faye Dawson to interview sitters and write up their stories. Faye worked on the project for three years before deciding to take a step back from Projecting Grief in 2022.  Laura McDonagh’s mum Anne died suddenly in 2019. Afterwards, Laura felt compelled to write about family, identity and home; to get things down before anything else could be lost. Laura was featured on Projecting Grief in 2020, before joining the team as an interviewer and writer.  You can see more of Jo’s photography at www.joritchiephoto.com You can find Laura at www.heylauramc.com Feels Like Healing is a show where I talk to individuals about how they've used creativity as a way of helping them heal. These conversations are here to show how we find comfort and solace through the act of being creative and how creativity can help us all reach a place of healing. :: You can connect with Feels Like Healing on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @flhpodcast Produced / Edited by Al Lewis Theme music by Al Lewis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min
  5. 18/12/2023

    Si Martin - Live at Heads Above the Waves

    This week my guest is Si Martin, founder and managing director of Heads Above the Waves, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to help young people deal with the root causes of self-harm. Having experienced self-harm himself as a young person, Si wanted to share his experiences and let others know that they weren't alone. As well as spending his time creating what HATW does, Si Martin is also a drummer for his band Junior and renowned Welsh act Novo Amor. In this special live episode we discuss how Si turned to drumming as his healthy coping mechanism and how music helped him overcome his desire to self harm. We discuss how this led him to want to help others find their creative outlet and healthy coping mechanisms. During this conversation Si offers advice to those seeking ways to alleviate their stress, anxiety and harmful behaviour. If you're affected by the issues covered in this episode; you can find more information about Heads Above the Waves on their website: https://hatw.co.uk :::: Feels Like Healing is a show where I talk to individuals about how they've used creativity as a way of helping them heal. These conversations are here to show how we find comfort and solace through the act of being creative and how creativity can help us all reach a place of healing. You can connect with Feels Like Healing on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @flhpodcast Produced / Edited by Al Lewis Theme music by Al Lewis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Feels like Healing is a series of conversations between myself Al Lewis and individuals who have turned to creativity as a way of helping them heal. Our need for healing is universal. However the reasons behind it can be oh so varied; a difficult childhood, a traumatic experience or perhaps a bereavement and our need to process grief. My search for healing stems from the death of my Dad, who died when I was 21 from Multiple Sclerosis. For over fifteen years I'd kept a quiet lid on my grief. However when it came to clearing out the last remaining boxes from my Dad's attic, that grief that I'd suppressed came rushing to the surface. It was then that I began to write songs about my Dad. Writing those songs was incredibly cathartic and I realised how useful creativity can be when confronted with the hardest parts of life. I believe that hearing other people's stories can help us to process ours and that the act of being creative can help turn something seemingly hopeless and incomprehensible in to something beautiful and hopeful. These conversations are here to provide solace and inspiration and to show you that healing can happen when we take our deepest pain and turn it into a work of art. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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