We sit down for our annual year-end conversation, reflecting on 2025 and mapping out intentions for 2026. The discussion moves between practical revenue planning and deeper questions about identity, authenticity, and what it means to build a creative life without losing yourself in the process.

We explore the tension between chasing grandiose visions of success and learning to be present with who we actually are—people who source vintage records, make photographs, create videos, and build websites. The conversation touches on the difference between "playing the part" of a successful creator versus doing work that genuinely reflects our interests and values. We discuss building infrastructure: getting websites live, returning to photography, potentially publishing short stories, and establishing outlets for work that's been internal for too long. Both of us grapple with the pull of consumption and distraction versus the slower work of being present, disciplined, and engaged with the actual world.

The episode ends on the idea of returning to being generalists rather than specialists—people with broad interests and connections across different areas of life, people who haven't traded their souls for narrow visions of achievement. -Ai

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode.

Links To Everything:

Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT

Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT

Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT

Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT

Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG

Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

We stumble into uncomfortable territory when Matt shares a YouTube channel that initially captivated him—a series of video essays about art and commerce, aesthetically compelling and philosophically engaged. But when Alex identifies the footage as a filmmaker's documentary work, used without direct credit, we're forced to examine our own assumptions about appropriation, influence, and artistic honesty. What begins as a simple observation becomes a deeper interrogation: Is this reconstitution or appropriation? Branding or art? And why does it bother us so much when someone's work doesn't match the authenticity it preaches?

We contrast this with examples of master filmmakers who dialogue with the past—borrowing a philosopher's cadence, recreating classic shots—in ways that feel transformative rather than extractive. The conversation spirals through our own creative missteps (using music as a crutch in early screenwriting), the finite game of protecting acquired cultural capital versus the infinite game of genuine artistic exchange, and the uncomfortable recognition that we all walk the line between inspiration and imitation. We try to avoid drawing hard rules while acknowledging that when your essay is about rejecting commerce, maybe your method shouldn't look like effective branding. We also examine the uncomfortable but inevitable gap between taste and skill. -Ai

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode.

Links To Everything:

Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT

Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT

Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT

Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT

Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG

Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG

We explore the vintage clothing and collectibles scene in Omaha, examining the intersection of genuine appreciation, social signaling, and dopamine-driven consumerism. The conversation ranges from Matt's solo trip to a vintage event at A Priori (complete with Polaroid gift-giving) to broader questions about why we acquire things—whether it's a 1940s bomber jacket, rare vinyl records, or another book for the shelf. We discuss the spectrum between celebrating quality craftsmanship and using purchases to fill psychological needs, touching on everything from $500 Nebraska garage band 45s to the declining quality of modern retail clothing.

The episode takes a practical turn when Alex proposes a personal experiment: a multi-month period of not buying anything beyond necessities. We examine the motivations behind this challenge—not primarily financial savings, but rather an exploration of impulse control, creative constraint, and resistance to consumer culture. We also revisit the idea of annual reflection sessions, moving away from metric-based goal-setting toward describing what we want our lives to look and feel like, and how to balance the fulfillment that comes from new pursuits with the discipline that characterized earlier periods of better health and lower consumption. -Ai

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a rating and/or a review. We read and appreciate all of them. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode.

Links To Everything:

Video Version of The Podcast: https://geni.us/StudioSessionsYT

Matt’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/MatthewOBrienYT

Matt’s 2nd Channel: https://geni.us/PhotoVideosYT

Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://geni.us/AlexCarterYT

Matt’s Instagram: https://geni.us/MatthewIG

Alex’s Instagram: https://geni.us/AlexIG