Studio Sessions

Matthew O'Brien, Alex Carter
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Discussions about art and the creative process. New episodes every other week.  Links To Everything:    Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT  Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT  Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT  Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG  Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG 

  1. 3 MRT

    67. Leica Luck

    More of a fun for us one here. What started as a pretty standard phone call turned into one of the most unexpected camera days we've had. Matt found a Leica M11 and Q2 listed on Facebook Marketplace by a woman selling her dad's collection to cover nursing care costs — and after some back-and-forth, both cameras came home with us. We talk through the full story, the legitimacy paranoia, trading a Zeiss 35mm for a 28mm viewfinder, the philosophy of owning things you actually use, and why paring down a collection can feel more intentional than building one. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 13m

  2. 17 FEB

    66. Back to Square One

    We catch up on the gallery space that didn't come together — not because of conflict, but because the arrangement shifted enough that the original vision no longer fit. What stings isn't the logistics, it's the built-in community that came with that particular spot, and the version of things we'd already started imagining. From there the conversation turns inward. We're both feeling the gap between talking about making work and actually making it — the pull to get back out with a camera, the fatigue of looking at old sequences, and what it means when commerce brain starts crowding out everything else. We end up somewhere around the question of what art even is — Tolstoy's definition, the transcendentalist framing, Rick Rubin and George Saunders on process — and whether finding your own answer to that matters more than finding the right one. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 6m

  3. 3 FEB

    65. Attempting A Low-Stakes Space For Photography And Conversation: PART 2

    WE STILL HAVE NO NAME... We spend most of this episode wrestling with what to name our new gallery space. The conversation moves through dozens of possibilities—from "Synchronicity" to "Room" to "Keyframe"—trying to find something that isn't pretentious, that wears well over time, and that captures the intersection between a photography gallery, Josh's furniture showroom, and a functional creative space. We talk about Star Wars naming, city names, and why the best names feel obvious once you hear them. Beyond the naming problem, we dig into what this space actually needs to be. Not a stark white-wall gallery, not a packed vintage shop, but something in between—a place that feels lived-in and functional while still formally presenting work. We discuss projectors versus CRT TVs, lighting strategies, and how to arrange furniture so the space encourages conversation rather than commerce. The bigger goal emerges: creating a scene in Omaha for street photographers and creative people, a place comparable to Warhol's Factory or the Neistat brothers' studio—somewhere work gets made because there's a community constantly pushing each other. We talk about curation philosophy, the difference between selling objects and presenting a way of seeing, and building trust with an audience by being selective about what gets shown. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    58 min

  4. 20 JAN

    64. Attempting A Low-Stakes Space For Photography And Conversation: PART 1

    We talk through the unexpected opportunity to create a photography exhibition space in Omaha's Old Market. The conversation covers how a casual connection through vintage reselling led to subletting a space for three months—low financial risk, no formal contracts, just the chance to experiment. We discuss rejecting the traditional gallery model entirely: no price tags, no sales pressure, just a place for photographers to gather, show work, and build community. The episode explores the tension between excitement and anxiety that comes with actually doing something instead of just talking about it. We examine why this informal approach feels right—how the lack of commercial pressure creates freedom to experiment, try different exhibition ideas, and focus on creating experiences rather than moving product. The metaphysical alignment between collaborators, the value of physical gathering spaces, and standing at the threshold of something that could either fail quickly or turn into something unexpected. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    50 min

  5. 6 JAN

    63. Build The Foundation, Lose The Costume, Keep Your Soul

    We sit down for our annual year-end conversation, reflecting on 2025 and mapping out intentions for 2026. The discussion moves between practical revenue planning and deeper questions about identity, authenticity, and what it means to build a creative life without losing yourself in the process. We explore the tension between chasing grandiose visions of success and learning to be present with who we actually are—people who source vintage records, make photographs, create videos, and build websites. The conversation touches on the difference between "playing the part" of a successful creator versus doing work that genuinely reflects our interests and values. We discuss building infrastructure: getting websites live, returning to photography, potentially publishing short stories, and establishing outlets for work that's been internal for too long. Both of us grapple with the pull of consumption and distraction versus the slower work of being present, disciplined, and engaged with the actual world. The episode ends on the idea of returning to being generalists rather than specialists—people with broad interests and connections across different areas of life, people who haven't traded their souls for narrow visions of achievement. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 22m

  6. 23-12-2025

    62. What Do We Owe The Past When We Build With Its Pieces?

    We stumble into uncomfortable territory when Matt shares a YouTube channel that initially captivated him—a series of video essays about art and commerce, aesthetically compelling and philosophically engaged. But when Alex identifies the footage as a filmmaker's documentary work, used without direct credit, we're forced to examine our own assumptions about appropriation, influence, and artistic honesty. What begins as a simple observation becomes a deeper interrogation: Is this reconstitution or appropriation? Branding or art? And why does it bother us so much when someone's work doesn't match the authenticity it preaches? We contrast this with examples of master filmmakers who dialogue with the past—borrowing a philosopher's cadence, recreating classic shots—in ways that feel transformative rather than extractive. The conversation spirals through our own creative missteps (using music as a crutch in early screenwriting), the finite game of protecting acquired cultural capital versus the infinite game of genuine artistic exchange, and the uncomfortable recognition that we all walk the line between inspiration and imitation. We try to avoid drawing hard rules while acknowledging that when your essay is about rejecting commerce, maybe your method shouldn't look like effective branding. We also examine the uncomfortable but inevitable gap between taste and skill. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 10m

  7. 09-12-2025

    61. Are We Curating Identity Or Chasing Dopamine?

    We explore the vintage clothing and collectibles scene in Omaha, examining the intersection of genuine appreciation, social signaling, and dopamine-driven consumerism. The conversation ranges from Matt's solo trip to a vintage event at A Priori (complete with Polaroid gift-giving) to broader questions about why we acquire things—whether it's a 1940s bomber jacket, rare vinyl records, or another book for the shelf. We discuss the spectrum between celebrating quality craftsmanship and using purchases to fill psychological needs, touching on everything from $500 Nebraska garage band 45s to the declining quality of modern retail clothing. The episode takes a practical turn when Alex proposes a personal experiment: a multi-month period of not buying anything beyond necessities. We examine the motivations behind this challenge—not primarily financial savings, but rather an exploration of impulse control, creative constraint, and resistance to consumer culture. We also revisit the idea of annual reflection sessions, moving away from metric-based goal-setting toward describing what we want our lives to look and feel like, and how to balance the fulfillment that comes from new pursuits with the discipline that characterized earlier periods of better health and lower consumption. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 14m

  8. 25-11-2025

    60. Artists Make Ways of Seeing, Not Objects

    We spend most of this episode exploring James Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games," working through the distinction between societies that defend boundaries and cultures that exist on horizons. Alex reads passages from the book about how patriotism requires enemies to function, why authentic movements like the Renaissance don't oppose anyone, and how any finite concept that tries to contain everything else is inherently evil. Matt reflects on his own pull toward rigid, binary thinking despite intellectually understanding the value of infinite play. We discuss how systems naturally protect themselves when threatened, why baseball feels different from other sports, and how finite games can exist beautifully within infinite contexts. The conversation shifts to Werner Herzog's question about uranium storage: how do you warn people 40,000 years in the future when language, images, and cultural context will have completely dissolved? Even Shakespeare is barely comprehensible after a few hundred years. We discuss breeding blue cacti, building impossible structures, and why rituals might be the only way to transmit meaning across deep time—though even Stonehenge gets misread as alien intervention. This leads us into territory about synchronicity and consciousness: Alex's story about needing a bat at his lowest point and immediately stepping on one, Matt's impossible birthday coincidence, seeing Alexander Payne right after thinking about him. We talk about channeling, glimpses of God, and whether these moments suggest something beyond atoms randomly floating around. -Ai If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode. Links To Everything: Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

    1u 17m
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Info

Discussions about art and the creative process. New episodes every other week.  Links To Everything:    Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT  Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT  Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT  Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG  Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG 

Informatie

  • Maker
    Matthew O'Brien, Alex Carter
  • Jaren actief
    2023 - 2026
  • Afleveringen
    67
  • Beoordeling
    Expliciet
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Studio Sessions
  • Website van aflevering
    Studio Sessions