A Life Creative Podcast

Rafé Totengco grew up in the Philippines, where having clothing made was — and continues to be — a common practice. As a kid, his mom would send him to the tailor, who'd ask, "Okay, what do you want me to make?" That open question sparked Rafé's imagination in a way that led him to launch his own apparel business when he was still a teenager.
When his sister moved to New York City, she invited him to come check it out — & Rafé never really left. He immersed himself in the city's fashion world, studying at FIT, working in fashion houses, freelance styling, & ultimately launching the accessories line he's known for today. His designs include the polished seashell minaudières that have become his signature — bags carried on red carpets by Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, & The Pitt stars Kristin Villanueva & Amielynn Abellera.
Join us on A Life Creative as Rafé shares the story of how a tailor's question in Manila grew into a career at the front of American accessories design — & how he continues to evolve the work today.
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Frances Palmer's path to creating her own pottery studio and cultivating a fabulous flower garden comes down to focus and dedication.  She put the time in to learn and develop her craft with an eye toward building a sustainable business where her work is not just a collection of beautiful objects but also usable in everyday life.
Show host Melanio Gomez was made aware of her work years ago when Martha Stewart suggested using some of her pottery in a story being developed for the magazine.  
She's published two books that take us into her world: Life in the Studio and Life with Flowers both of which we spoke about with book editor Ellen Morrissey in episode 49 (Ellen worked with Frances on both books).  It's an honor to have Frances on A Life Creative this week!
For more about Frances and our other guests check out:
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What does it take to turn an author's vision into a bestselling book? Book editor Ellen Morrissey has done it more than ten times over. After 16 years at Martha Stewart Living — where she shepherded dozens of books to publication, with more than 10 landing on the New York Times bestseller list — Ellen has built a thriving post-Martha career helping authors of illustrated lifestyle books realize their creative visions. 
Her collaborators include ceramicist Frances Palmer, writer Matt Hranek, and baker Kristina Cho. And in a full-circle moment, Ellen stepped into the author's chair herself with I Want to Eat Cookies, a collection of more than 90 cookie recipes. In this episode, she traces the path that led her into book editing and shares what that creative life looks like today—and somehow, she has time to craft fantastical cakes whose inspiration often comes from the minds of 4-year-olds.  Think ‘zombie unicorn’ for example.
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A divorce and the pandemic aren't the events most people credit for their creative breakthrough — but for collage artist James Gallagher, they were turning points.
In this episode of A Life Creative, host Melañio Gomez sits down with James — introduced through James' wife, prop stylist Pam Morris — to trace a winding path to full-time artistry. James spent years inside and outside the medium of collage, pulled in and out by professional, economic, and life events, before a period of real soul-searching turned art into something closer to therapy. That self-reflection showed up in the work, and it's what finally connected him to the wider collage community.
Today James is known as a curator, collaborator, portraitist, and educator — hosting live collage events that help non-artists find something unexpected with cutting tools and a stack of paper.
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David Weeks is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who is recognized for his iconic lighting designs crafted in his Brooklyn studio.  Post college he made his way to New York City and did what many artists do: freelance and say 'yes' to just about everything.  He eventually landed a position in the studio of acclaimed jewelry designer Ted Muehling who modeled a standard of excellence and beauty echoed in David's work to this day.
Show-host Melañio Gomez became aware of David's work years ago and happily acquired a bespoke lamp from one of the many maker fairs at which David would create lamps from spare parts on the spot.  Fast forward to now and we're delighted to catch up and hear more about this Athens, GA (home of the B-52's!)  native.
www.alifecreativepod.com
alifecreative.Substack.com
@alifecreative on Instagram
alifecreative on YouTube