What would you give up to follow a calling no one else understands?

In Episode 2 of Season 2 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with Katie Wyatt, whose parents thought she was out of her mind when, in her mid-20s, she turned down a tenured viola professorship to spend 13 months touring Latin America, unpaid, with El Sistema, the youth orchestra movement born in Venezuela.

That decision became Kids Notes, the Durham nonprofit she co-founded, which grew into El Sistema USA. After a detour through the Weymouth Center for the Arts, Katie now leads the Durham Arts Council, the second-oldest arts council in the country.

Katie frames her work through the idea of stewardship, which her team distilled down to one value: service. She speaks candidly about the tension at the heart of arts funding, balancing donor passions, artistic excellence, and equitable access to limited resources, and about the pressure on artists to conform to whatever is selling. This is a conversation about sacrifice, purpose, and what it means to lift others up alongside you.

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A Blackbird Productions PodcastProduced and Directed by Sunlit Narrative

What happens when history forgets that its heroes were just kids?

In Episode 1 of Season 2 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with filmmaker Quinton Littlejohn to talk about “Aggie Pride,” his narrative film about the four North Carolina A&T students who launched the 1960 Greensboro sit-in movement. For Quinton, the heart of the story isn’t the single dramatic day at the lunch counter. It’s the months of quiet planning that came before February 1st, and the events, like the death of Emmett Till, that shaped a generation of teenagers before they ever set foot on campus.

Quinton is also unusually candid about the realities of independent filmmaking: proof-of-concept shorts, investors more concerned with making their money back than with the art, and the pressure to hand his own project to a bigger-name director.

Through it all, his creative philosophy stays simple: capture a moment, hand it to the audience, and don’t tell them what to feel. This is a conversation about courage, ownership, and the stories we choose to tell, and the ones we’ve been missing.

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A Blackbird Productions PodcastProduced and Directed by Sunlit Narrative

What does it look like to follow joy instead of obligation? Season 2 of Life & Art brings honest conversations about creating a life, not just a career.

Creativity doesn’t belong to a select few. It belongs to all of us. Everyone listening is creating something: a life, a business, a relationship, or a way of moving through the world that is entirely their own.

This season, host Nicole Burgess sits down with guests from worlds you might not expect. Some conversations will surprise you. All of them will stay with you.

Follow the show so you don’t miss a conversation.

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Instagram: @lifeandartpodcast

A BlackBird Productions Podcast | Produced and Directed by Sunlit Narrative

What does it take to go to dark emotional places for your craft and find your way back every time?

In the Season 1 finale of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with actress, model, and writer Dana McBride for an honest, grounded conversation about mental wellness, emotional resilience, and what it truly means to care for yourself while doing deeply expressive creative work.

Dana's journey into acting began young, sparked by inspiration and sustained through years of dedication. Over time her work expanded into modeling and writing with each medium strengthening her confidence and her relationship with self-expression. But with that depth of work came an important lesson: stepping into intense or painful roles requires an equally intentional process of recovery.

Dana's journey reflects what resilience really looks like and learning to fully embody a role without losing yourself in the process.

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Life & Art is a Blackbird Productions Podcast. Directed and Produced by Sunlit Narrative.

What separates a story that informs from a story that truly transforms?

In Episode 9 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with storyteller and documentary filmmaker Gareth Gwyn for a profound conversation about trauma, healing, and the emotional power of transformative narrative. For Gareth, storytelling is not simply a matter of structure or craft. It is an emotional journey that brings the audience through pain, tension, and healing alongside the subject.

Her work often lives in places where trauma and reconciliation collide. What has emerged across her body of work is a pattern that is both sobering and hopeful.

Her perspective bridges spirituality and human conflict, asking what it means to remain emotionally open in a world shaped by trauma and division. This is a conversation that will stay with you long after it ends.

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Life & Art is a Blackbird Productions Podcast. Directed and Produced by Sunlit Narrative.

What if the most powerful thing a teacher can do is let their students see them as fully human?

In Episode 8 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with educator Jasmine Nieto for a warm, inspiring conversation about creativity, connection, and what it truly means to teach with authenticity. Jasmine's philosophy is rooted in one core memory: being a child who felt deeply seen and valued by her teachers. That feeling now drives every decision she makes in the classroom.

Her approach transforms education into an experience. Through music, storytelling, movement, and an immersive values-based house model, Jasmine creates a classroom culture where students don't just learn, they belong.

This episode is for every educator, leader, and creative who believes that how people feel in a space shapes what they're able to do there.

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Life & Art is a Blackbird Productions Podcast. Directed and Produced by Sunlit Narrative.

What does it mean to be an author of a story that isn't entirely yours to tell?

In Episode 7 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with cinematographer Kail Dingle for a thoughtful conversation about collaboration, trust, and what it truly means to serve a story through visual language. Kail's path into cinematography began through developing a foundational understanding of color, light, and composition before transitioning into filmmaking and building his craft through practice and community.

At the center of his philosophy is a clear conviction: cinematography is not about control. It is about partnership. Understanding what the director sees, trusting the team, and staying committed to the story's truth is what separates good work from meaningful work.

Kail also reflects on identity within collaborative creative environments. His role is not about recognition. Authenticity, for him, is tied to the story's truth rather than personal expression.

This episode is for every creative navigating the balance between personal voice and collaborative work.

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Life & Art is a Blackbird Productions Podcast. Directed and Produced by Sunlit Narrative.

What does it really mean to serve a story and what does it take to do it well alongside others?

In Episode 6 of Life & Art, host Nicole Burgess sits down with writer, director, and producer Annie Taft for a rich conversation about craft, collaboration, and the discipline of storytelling in theater. Annie's journey began in performance, but evolved over decades into a deep and nuanced practice of writing, directing, and producing always with the story at the center.

Her philosophy is grounded and clear. Theater is inherently collaborative, and the director's role is to interpret the playwright's vision, not override it. Strong work emerges from openness, curiosity, and shared purpose. Poor collaboration, power struggles, and unchecked ego, she explains, damage both the process and the final product.

Annie also speaks to the discipline required in storytelling. A play must be engaging, structured, and emotionally grounded. Even when dealing with abstract or surreal elements, the internal world has to make sense.

Her most powerful insight: the best directing is invisible. "If you're a good director, your work should be invisible." The goal was never recognition. It was always impact, ensuring the story lands truthfully with the audience.

This episode is for every creative who works with others and wants to collaborate without losing artistic integrity.

🌐 lifeandartpodcast.com

Life & Art is a Blackbird Productions Podcast. Directed and Produced by Sunlit Narrative.