On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Theresa Bond Zelazny about her love of what she calls guerrilla art. That's her term for the hobby she developed a few years ago, which involves creating small pieces of art and distributing them in random places for strangers to find. She's put dozens of artworks around Austin, Texas, and also spread a few on her travels, taking them as far away as Spain.

We'll hear about about her lifelong love of art, when and why she decided to get some formal training, what prompted her to start sharing her art with the world in this unusual way, and what it all means to her. Plus we'll hear about Ben Bond's Museum of Plunder and Relics, the small business her father ran which was some kind of mix between museum and barn-full-of-stuff.

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Justin Kizzart about his love of sumo wrestling. Justin discovered the sport about a decade ago while visiting Japan with his then-girlfriend (now wife), who hails from Osaka. Justin had trained in other martial arts in the past, but he unexpectedly fell hard for sumo and it became his primary passion.

Now, ten years later, he runs his own sumo club (Dark Circle Sumo in Austin) and coaches Team USA in international competitions -- and all this is while still working a day job.

We'll hear about how he fell in love with the sport, how it's connected him with his in-laws, what his hopes are for the future of sumo in America, and what it all means to him. This interview was recorded just before Justin and Team USA headed to Thailand for the 2025 World Sumo Championships, and if you stick around until the end, you'll get an update from Justin on how thing went. Don't google it. It's more fun to hear Justin tell you.

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with James Hughes about his nearly lifelong love of miniatures gaming. He discovered the hobby as a kid and has been an avid fan ever since. It's, in a way, three hobbies in one -- it's a collection, it's a creative outlet (because James hand paints all of his miniatures) and, of course, a game.

We'll hear about how he fell in love with miniatures, what the hobby and community means to him, which celebrities are rumored to be fellow gamers, how he deals with his Pile of Shame (also known as the Lead Mountain) and much more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with David Morley about his love of bike polo. For the unfamiliar, bike polo is a sport similar in many ways to traditional polo, with the key difference that players ride bikes instead of horses. David’s been playing for around fifteen years now, having started in San Marcos when both he and the sport were very young.

We'll about how he discovered the sport, what it means to him, how he and the sport have changed over the years, what he thinks the future might hold for bike polo, and much more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Kim Reist about a relatively new hobby for her. During the pandemic lockdown, she started experimenting with fingernail art; to her surprise, she found the possibilities endlessly fascinating, and it’s become a great source of creative expression and stress relief for her. Kim’s in what she calls a ‘sub-niche’ of the nail art world, meaning she doesn’t decorate her own natural fingernails but prefers reusable press-on nails. And speaking of press-on nails, quick disclaimer – my last name is Lee but I am not an heir to the Lee Press-On Nails empire. This isn’t some weird buzz marketing to get folks to buy more press-on nails.

We'll talk with Kim about what this creative outlet has meant for her, what it's like to carry her artwork around on the ends of her fingers every day, how she combines her love for nail art with her love for Star Trek, and much more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Cory Squires about his love of whittling and woodcarving.

We'll talk with Cory about his whittling origin story (his grandfather handed him a knife and a block of wood when he was bored as a child), his history with the practice, what he likes to carve (mostly funny animals and pop culture figures), which parts of the house he's allowed to whittle in, and what it all means to him.

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Anna Kehl about her love of quilting, a topic she didn't know much about before attending QuiltCon several years ago. She became not just an avid practitioner of the art form but also an active member of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild.

We'll hear Anna at work on a quilt at the Guild studio, we'll talk about her history with quilting and with art in general, we'll get the lowdown on the 'quilt police,' and much more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with artist Carol Aaron about her love of encaustic painting. That's an art form that doesn't use the sorts of paints you're probably more familiar with (like oils or acrylics) but instead a mixture of beeswax, resin, and pigment. It's been around for a couple thousand years, but it's not very well known these days outside the art world.

We'll hear Carol creating a piece in her beloved garage studio, and we'll talk with her about her artistic journey, why this medium was such a ideal fit for her creative style, when she finally felt comfortable calling herself an artist, and much more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org