VISIONS by Village Psychic

Village Psychic
  • 5.0 (1)
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  • Updated Semiweekly

Most of your favorite creative people (probably) skate. We talk to them. villagepsychic.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Jersey Dave and Jon Mecca Shot Photos (and Drove A Lot)

    There’s a specific bond between people that can only be gained through time spent in a car together. I have a feeling that the listeners / readers of this platform have an idea of what I’m referring to – even if a full day of spot hunting with a friend or two is a bust, you each go back home with a better friendship than the one you started the day with. Even if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Jersey Dave and Jon Mecca definitely do. During the filming of JP Blair’s latest (great!) video What Did You Expect?, Dave and Jon logged countless hours together in the car, driving from spot to spot to photograph Dave as he filmed his part with JP. It’s no doubt a unique experience to document someone with a heavy history in skateboarding as they film a part, especially someone who isn’t pro (except in our hearts), is in his 40s, and appears in a video alongside several prominent pros, each of whom are at least several years younger. All this makes for a special type of energy, one that comes through crystal clear in Jon’s photos. On today’s pod, we get into all that. No less importantly, we also talked about how kitty litter can help make a spot skateable, what skate activity warrants a trip to Applebees, and the extreme variations in topography that exist within New Jersey. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  2. May 6

    Travis Spinks Has Thoughts on Art

    Trigger Warning: Drugs are referenced Today’s episode is a BIG one, and if you’re familiar with today’s guest, multidisciplinary artist Travis Spinks, you’ll know why. He’s a stunningly bright guy with a shining personality and lot to say. Originally from Houston, TX, Spinks has been living in Brooklyn, NY for the last decade, after stints in Austin and the Bay Area. His journey as an artist has taken him from doing graffiti, to working in the art world in various ways. He’s truly developed his own unique (and popular!) style, which has led to doing client work and brand collaborations and, most importantly, making art just to make art. We had a great time talking about the realities of art world, his post-college lifestyle, a church youth group that REALLY wanted him to join, personal relationships with early internet celebrities, the merits and pitfalls of brand collabs, and his big reasons on why he makes art. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 46m

  3. Apr 23

    This or That with Alexis 'Bosco' Picard

    New York or Portland?!? What happens when you get arrested wearing Half Cabs and miss a test at school?!? What the hell is Bosco and why is that your nickname?!? These questions and so many more are answered in today’s installment of This or That™. YouTube link is here for the visual learners among us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    17 min

  4. Apr 21

    Bosco Picard Is Drawing Everything

    Today we’re talking with Alexis ‘Bosco’ Picard, an artist designer whose work truly comes through as authentic in our current era of cookie-cutter visual media. His style lives in that interesting space between art and design—you can tell it’s grounded in a serious painting practice. He’s also spent about a decade working at Nike, along with doing graphics for Allitmers and Palace. So yeah, he skates. Bosco grew up in New York City and did a brief stint in suburban Maryland, but New York clearly left a mark—he ended up coming back for college and got pulled into a really special era in NYC skating, hanging out at Autumn Skate Shop and being part of the Green Diamond crew. Our conversation gets into how all of that—painting, design, skating—comes together in how he works and thinks. There’s also a lot about what art school teaches you, and the (major) mindset shift that comes with entering the working world. Creative and professional growth get talked about, as they should. This or That with Bosco coming later this week as a separate post :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 30m

  5. Mar 18

    Richard Stickney is Launching a Skate Shoe Brand

    We like talking to shoe designers (see our past episodes), so it should come as no surprise that today we’re talking to Richard Stickney, the designer behind some of the biggest shoes of the past few years – the Alexis Sablone AS-1 Pro and the Louie Lopez Pro from Converse. Even more exciting is that he’s launching his own shoe brand, HRMNY Footwear. He’s also an amazing manny skater. See for yourself. Today we’re posting our chat with Richard, where we talk all things Boston, getting good at giving feedback, local videos, lesser known Coliseum videos, and how being a size 9 can lead to having a career. Of course, we play a round of This or That™ as well :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 14m

  6. Feb 18

    Vince Skelly is Sculpting With A Chainsaw

    Vince Skelly makes sculptures out of wood, oftentimes using a chainsaw. Some look like chess pieces, some look like furniture, some actually are furniture. They can be seen in a lot of interesting places, and we’ve been seeing more and more of them in recent years. Vince’s sculptures embody a timeless spirit, one that conjures West Coast energy into form – natural, clean, serene. One that’s clearly organic but somehow perfect for a streamlined midcentury living room, bringing to mind the term hippie modernism (a truly amazing book BTW). Also, (and this is a big ‘also’) - we just found out he skates. Vince grew up skating at the storied Chaffey High, of all places. This week, we talked to Vince about his path to making the work he does, chainsaws, the skate to graphic design pipeline, the mixed blessings of working with galleries, and how you know you have great friends when they send you photos of roadside wood piles. And, of course, we play This or That™. For the third time in a row, our guest will be involved in Slow Impact 2026, which is fast approaching. Hope to see you there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 12m

  7. Feb 5

    Maurice Crandall Knows History

    The academic life - it’s pursuit of many. A lot of days, you get to be the smartest person in the room, and on other days you get to hang out with the other smartest people from other rooms. It seems great. In previous generations, the idea of a university professor who skates would have been out of the question. Isn’t that stuff for kids? More and more, as the dynamic of this whole world we inhabit grows and changes, we know of folks who excel in both academic and skate spaces. Maurice Crandall is one of those people. At top of his field in History, specifically the history of Native American cultures of the Southwest, he’s taught at Dartmouth and Arizona State University, is published plenty, and is active in his community. Also, the dude rips. We talked to Maurice, or, as many know him, Mo, today on the pod about academic life in general, Native American cultures (and what people get wrong about them), working at a casino, how skating entered his life, and what it’s like too exist in both the worlds of academia and skateboarding. We also engaged in a spirited round out This or That :) Additionally, we talk about his involvement in Slow Impact, which is only a couple weeks away. See you there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 11m

  8. Jan 27

    Ryan Lay Has Endurance

    How do you know when you’re doing too much? It has to be hard balancing a career as a professional skateboarder while being the founder of one of our world’s best events (and, we truly do mean best), all the while finding time to complete endurance challenges that most of us, even at our respective peaks of physical health, would shudder at. Or is it? Today’s guest, Ryan Lay, does all the things referenced in the previous paragraph, and does them all quite well. One gets a sense from listening to him talk about these disparate activities that he gets a unique brand of fulfillment from each, and most importantly, truly enjoys them for what they are. So, is it hard? We’re not the experts, Ryan Lay is. Check out today’s conversation with Ryan and judge for yourself.Tickets to Slow Impact 2026 can be found here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m
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Most of your favorite creative people (probably) skate. We talk to them. villagepsychic.substack.com

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