On this episode, I'm thrilled to welcome Lisa Solomon to the podcast! Lisa is a studio artist, college professor, and illustrator whose work explores themes of domesticity, craft, and personal history—often blurring the lines between art and craft through her mixed-media pieces and large installations. She's exhibited nationally and internationally, with work in both private and public collections, and she's also the author of several books including A Field Guide to Color, The Color Meditation Deck, Knot Thread Stitch, and more (find all her books here). Beyond her art practice, Lisa teaches on CreativeBug and continues to create from her backyard studio in Oakland, where she lives with her husband, their teenager, two cats, a three-legged pit bull, a dachshund mix, and countless spools of thread.

Shout-outs to artist and UC Berkeley professor emerita Katherine Sherwood (also the reason I first met Lisa over 20 years ago) and longtime Chroma series collaborator Christine Buckton Tillman.

Lisa shares more about how her many books came about on various other podcasts and interviews (so we didn't spend too much time talking about it), including Authentic Obsessions earlier in 2025, a 2019 conversation with Abby Glassenberg, and a recent Canvas Rebel article here.

We do talk about Lisa's dreamy backyard studio in Oakland, California. You can check out a cool timelapse of the studio being built here. Finally, learn more about Lisa's newest book Art, Craft, Color, coming out in February 2026, here. To learn more about Lisa and her work, check out her website and follow her on Instagram.

Artists in Offices is produced and edited by Rebecca Bird Grigsby. Music is provided by Jesse Kelsey. Additional information and episodes can be found at artistsinoffices.com.

In this episode, I'm excited to welcome Sarah Kobrinsky to the podcast! Sarah is the former Poet Laureate of Emeryville, California, and the author of Nighttime on the Other Side of Everything. Her poems and stories have appeared in places like Magma Poetry, Red Light Lit, Monkeybicycle, 100 Word Story, and many more. Born in Canada, raised in North Dakota, seasoned in England, and tempered in California, she now lives in the Bay Area, where she and her husband run a handmade ceramic dinnerware company called Jered's Pottery. She also hosts literary workshops and readings there, and beyond her creative and professional life, she's a folk dancer, a martial artist, an aspiring polyglot, and the mom of a teenage son.

During our interview, Sarah reads two of her poems: Elf-Portrait and Phantom Letdown. She paraphrases Joan Didion (and gets very close to the actual quote: "I don't know what I think until I write it down."). Finally, you can get a sense of how she engages her audiences during poetry readings here. To learn more about Sarah and her work, follow her on Instagram.

Artists in Offices is produced and edited by Rebecca Bird Grigsby. Music is provided by Jesse Kelsey. Additional information and episodes can be found at artistsinoffices.com.

On this episode, I'm excited to speak with Susana Sanchez-Young! Susana is a visual journalist with more than 20 years of experience in newspaper design and graphic and photo illustration. Her award-winning work has covered everything from presidential inaugurations to Spanx for men to nudist camps in South Florida—and pretty much everything in between. She's been recognized by the Society of News Design and multiple state press associations across the country. Susana is also the creative force behind The Designing Chica, a brand she launched after realizing during her pregnancy that there wasn't enough artwork reflecting her own Guatemalan-Nicaraguan-American culture. She has since channeled that inspiration into vibrant, culturally rooted designs often created late at night, after work and the many family obligations she has as the mother of two.

To learn more about Susana and her work, check out her website and follow her on Instagram.

Artists in Offices is produced and edited by Rebecca Bird Grigsby. Music is provided by Jesse Kelsey. Additional episodes and information can be found at artistsinoffices.com.