The Human Signal — with Laura Sheeran

Laura Sheeran

An almost-daily podcast by artist and director Laura Sheeran exploring art, AI, power, embodiment, and what it means to remain human. laurasheeran.substack.com

  1. #33 - Something's gotta give... A missed funding deadline, reaching capacity and meeting the limitations of what you can realistically achieve as one human.

    6D AGO

    #33 - Something's gotta give... A missed funding deadline, reaching capacity and meeting the limitations of what you can realistically achieve as one human.

    In this episode, I’m reflecting on missing an Arts Council funding deadline and what that stirred up. There’s been a lot happening — freelance deadlines for important clients, family health issues, my fast approaching record release — there are only so many hours in a week and at a certain point, something has to give. I talk about some of the challenges of freelance life, the unpredictability of funding, and how quickly the mind can frame a missed opportunity as a personal failure. I also touch on sleep, capacity, and the quiet pressure to keep producing even when you’re stretched thin. Mostly, this episode is about limits, acceptance, and remembering that doing your best has to be enough — even when it doesn’t look the way you hoped it would. If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with a friend or consider leaving a review, it really helps me out. You can also support me by becoming a paid member on this channel for €5 per month on Substack and Patreon. And lastly, you can follow me @laurasheeran_ie on YouTube and Instagram where I still post often. That’s all for now. Thanks for being here, and remember: Put humans first. Don’t feed the machine. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasheeran.substack.com/subscribe

    15 min
  2. #32 - An update on my efforts to de-Google and de-Meta my life

    FEB 10

    #32 - An update on my efforts to de-Google and de-Meta my life

    In this episode, I talk through where I’m at with my ongoing efforts to step away from Google and Meta, and what that process actually looks like in real life. I share what I’ve been testing, what’s been harder than expected, and why I’m taking a slow, gradual approach rather than cutting everything off at once. Right now, I’m in a research and testing phase with different programs and tools, and I wanted to give an update because I think it’s important to share this process. Anyone out there who might feel like they want to get off these platforms, or just stop giving all of their data away, can see someone else’s process and how it’s going. It’s really not easy. When you start trying to do it, you realise how deeply intertwined these systems are with everyday life. All of this is about setting myself up for a future that aligns with my values. Success, for me, is slow, steady, human-centred growth. When I worry about visibility, I remind myself that the right people will follow me to the places that feel better to be. More and more people I talk to are desperate to get off platforms designed to consume our attention. The toxicity of the online space is becoming harder to ignore. This is very much a work-in-progress update — about browsers, email, storage, messaging apps, and the deeper questions that come up when you start untangling your creative work and personal life from these platforms. If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with a friend or consider leaving a review, it really helps me out. You can also support me by becoming a paid member on this channel to unlock exclusive episodes for €5 per month on Substack and Patreon. And for now, you can still follow me @laurasheeran_ie on YouTube and Instagram where I post often. Thanks for being here, and remember: Put humans first. Don’t feed the machine. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasheeran.substack.com/subscribe

    43 min

About

An almost-daily podcast by artist and director Laura Sheeran exploring art, AI, power, embodiment, and what it means to remain human. laurasheeran.substack.com