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© 2026 Chaos and Creativity
Description
Musician Kimi Recor and writer/director Lou Lesko bring you conversations with the outliers and outlaws of the creative industries.
Twice a month Kimi and Lou discuss the creative industries through the lens of their experiences and interviews with independent musicians, filmmakers, photographers, writers, and artists.
Chaos and Creativity is produced by Claire Duncan with music by Kieran Kerwin.
27 Episodes
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In this episode, Kimi and Lou sit down with Annicka Ekvall, a Swedish-American DJ and producer making major waves in the minimal melodic house scene. Closely associated with Insomniac, Annicka has performed on the world's biggest stages, including EDC, Coachella and Burning Man. She joins us to discuss the magic of staying grounded while playing for thousands and why her newest role, being a mom to a baby girl is her greatest blessing and inspiration. Key Highlights: The Power of Presence: Wh...
How do you handle criticism when you are deeply connected to your work? In this episode, Lou and Kimi talk about what it really feels like to receive feedback as a creative. Whether you are an artist, producer, designer, writer or entrepreneur, learning how to take criticism can be the key to growing your ideas and your confidence. Creatives often become emotionally attached to their work, which can make it hard to know if something is actually good or needs more development. Lou and Kimi sha...
In this episode, we talk all things music, DJ culture, and the creative process behind electronic music with rising DJ and producer Kieran Kerwin. Before the interview, Kimi shares exciting news from tour. She has officially joined a new band in France called Painmagazine, so be sure to check them out. Kieran is not only a talented electronic music producer and DJ, he also created the intro and outro music for our podcast. In this conversation, he takes us inside his creative process and expl...
In this mini episode, Kimi and Lou talk about why staying organized is honestly one of the most important parts of being a creative professional. When you're juggling multiple projects, ideas, and deadlines, having some kind of system makes everything way more manageable. They share what’s actually worked for them over the years, from simple habits to tools that help them stay on track and not feel overwhelmed. Organization doesn’t make you less creative, it gives you the space to be more cre...
In this episode, we talk with Michael Alan Ross, photographer, author of Porsche Outlaws: Stuttgart Hot Rods, and longtime creative professional. Michael shares his journey from a 25-year career as a musician to becoming a respected photographer after landing a singing role in a Ford commercial that introduced him to photography. We explore the world of Porsche Outlaws, where Porsche models are customized through weight reduction, suspension upgrades, and performance enhancements to create pe...
We’re kicking off the new year with some exciting announcements and big things ahead for the Chaos & Creativity universe. This year, we’re thrilled to introduce a new podcast hosted by Sabrina Sarl. Mothers of Creativity spotlights women who make a living through their creative work while also navigating motherhood. Becoming a mom can change everything, and this series explores how creative women continue to pursue their passions. Sabrina brings such a thoughtful, honest perspective to th...
Kimi and Lou explore the different “characters” we step into throughout our lives — the versions of ourselves that show up in different moments, relationships, and creative seasons. They talk about the parts of us that live quietly inside, the ones that guide our choices, and the ones we grow out of. Lou shares what he’s learned from writing a stage play and how storytelling forces you to meet all these inner characters. They dig into collaboration, what it means to step into someone else’s c...
Join Lou and Jeff Burkhart, award-winning writer, bartender, and columnist for the Marin Independent Journal, as they dive behind the scenes of Tale of a Barfly. Inspired by Jeff’s bestselling book Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Tale of a Barfly is a story of life, love, and cocktails. It’s a riches-to-rags journey that reminds us all of life’s greatest truths can be found while watching the world from behind a bar. For over a decade, Jeff and Lou have ...
Kimi and Lou are back with their well-deserved opinions in this week’s minisode or what we’re now calling bitchsodes. When Amazon quietly erased guns from classic James Bond posters, it sparked a bigger conversation about censorship, revisionism, and the strange urge to “remaster” the past. Why does art keep getting sanitized? Does censoring a movie poster really help anything? Lou and Kimi unpack it all, reminding us that erasing symbols won’t erase reality. Moral of the story: Bring b...
Lou heads to London to chat with Joe Ingham, an award-winning producer and filmmaker who works in development and production across both the UK and US. Joe has helped bring projects to life with Amazon, BBC, Sky, Channel 4, Paramount, and more, and his films Baby Lies Truthfully and The Microcosm. In this episode, Joe breaks down what “development” in TV and film actually means, taking an idea from its earliest spark and shaping it into something ready for the screen. He talks about the creat...
In this mini-episode, Lou and Kimi talk about YouTube running AI filters over videos, without creators asking for it. Has AI ever automatically edited your content? What does that mean for creativity? YouTube is one of the biggest living archives we have, but if AI starts changing our work, are we actually moving backward? Things are already at the point of overproduction, and social media feels exhausting. Lou and Kimi ask: should AI be making creative decisions, or do we need to bring...
In this episode, Kimi and Lou sit down with award-winning visual artist Natalie Lennard, also known as self-portraitist Miss Aniela, and surreal fashion photographer Natalie Dybisz. Natalie reveals the genesis of her highly imagined photographic art and how she holds on to the joy of creating despite the sometimes difficult challenges of realizing her vision. Lou and Natalie talk about what it takes to follow inspiration with intention, how art evolves over time, and why exploring new direct...
In this minisode, Kimi and Lou dive into the fascinating and sometimes unsettling world of AI. Sparked by the appearance of an AI model in Vogue, they explore how artificial intelligence is transforming art, fashion, and creativity. Is AI taking jobs from real artists and models? How is it impacting diversity and beauty standards? Could it be limiting the very creativity that inspires us? Kimi and Lou also reflect on the moments of raw, human creativity that AI cannot replicate and what...
In this episode, Lou and Kimi sit down with Ava Roy who is celebrating her 25 years at We Players, a theater company that brings productions to life in breathtaking outdoor locations. Ava has been transforming California’s parks, shorelines, and historic sites into epic stages for over two decades. Known for crafting performances that merge place with play, Ava shares how physical space can ignite the imagination and shape the emotional arc of a show. She breaks down the deeply complex and al...
Join Lou and Kimi for a conversation that’s been on our minds lately: Is content the new spam? With so much noise on social media, AI-generated posts, recycled trends, and endless “value-packed” videos, we’re starting to wonder... has content lost its meaning? It’s starting to feel like the internet is full of stuff that doesn’t really matter. And in the middle of it, the few pieces of truly good content stands out more than ever. We also talk about how real-world connection is becoming...
Have you ever watched a movie and thought, “This song is perfect for this scene?” That’s the work of a music supervisor, and in this episode, Kimi and Lou talk to one of the best. Terri d’Ambrosio is an audio post and music supervisor at MarcoCo. Studios, where she oversees projects from script to final mix. With experience in music production, licensing, editing, and sound design, she brings a rare depth of knowledge to every project she touches. Recent projects include We Live in Public, Th...
In this mini episode, Lou and Kimi revisit the story behind Chaos and Creativity and reflect on the power of origin stories. The ones that are messy. The ones that take time. The ones that remind us why we do the work. It started at the bar at The Buckeye Roadhouse. Lou and Kimi, a bottle of red, and a lot of chaos. Now, many years later, we got to thinking… where does a creative journey really begin? Do origin stories give us a sense of hope? Do they help us find happiness, or explain ...
This week Lou catches up with Tracy Marcellino-Aubert in LA, chef, artist, and creative force of nature. We first met Tracy at the Creative Supper Club in New York and from the start she’s been one of those people who just gets it. In this episode, Tracy takes us back to her early days in San Francisco, where the creative scene wasn’t about “making it” but just about being in it. At 22 she dove headfirst into "it" and hasn’t stopped. Lou and Tracy talk about food as art that you can eat, ...
In this episode of Chaos and Creativity, Kim and Lou explore the generational divide in the creative world and how it affects everything from career choices to collaboration. Whether you're a Gen Z content creator or a Gen X designer, you've likely experienced the tension between old-school expectations and today’s creative hustle. The Generational Stigma Around Creative Careers Older generations often value stability, leading to the belief that a 9-to-5 job is the only legitimate...
In this episode, we dive into the creative world of Marco D’Ambrosio, musical composer and owner of MarcoCo Music & Sound Art. Marco has spent his career shaping music and sound to enhance visual storytelling, drawing inspiration from films like Blade Runner, which he credits with changing his life. Marco breaks down his creative process—from the spark of an idea to a full composition—explaining how he builds a palette of sounds to evoke emotional depth. He believes sound has color, and t...
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