What if art is not about creating something new — but about learning how to see what has always been there? What if attention is not passive observation, but an active, disciplined act of perception? And what if what we overlook — the marginal, the infrastructural, the seemingly insignificant — is precisely where meaning quietly accumulates? In this expansive and contemplative conversation, I sit down with Steven Seidenberg — an interdisciplinary artist whose work moves across visual and semantic languages to explore how attention, perception, and meaning are constructed.

00:00:00 – 00:10:45 : Steven explains that his creative life is not built around a single medium, but multiple “echoing” practices. Rather than separating disciplines, he sees them as reflections of the same underlying sensibility.

00:10:45 – 00:15:55 : Steven’s work consistently turns toward spaces that are overlooked, infrastructural, peripheral, and politically or economically neglected. But he makes an important distinction: not all empty spaces are abandoned — many are simply disregarded. This reframes the lens from aesthetic curiosity to structural awareness, and from visual emptiness to historical and political residue.At the same time, these spaces must hold compositional potential.

00:15:55 – 00:27:10: One of the most defining principles of Steven’s work is his commitment to series-based practice. He does not take isolated photographs. Because repetition allows transformation: the ordinary becomes uncanny, the overlooked becomes visible, and the insignificant becomes emotionally charged.

00:27:10 – 00:34:20: Steven sees audience reception as structurally limited rather than contingent: not everyone will understand or respond to the work, and this is not a failure but part of how art exists. He resists adjusting work to market expectations or simplifying it for accessibility, prioritising internal integrity. Yet he does not reject audience altogether — art always exists in relation to reception, but instead of serving a predefined public, it gradually shapes its own audience over time.

00:34:20 – 00:39:13 : Steven reflects on his project photographing plastic flowers in cemeteries. These objects exist in tension: artificial material placed in sacred space; objects meant to endure, yet slowly degrading; symbols of care, yet subject to neglect. What draws him is not the object itself, but the contradiction it holds — permanence versus decay, artificial versus organic, memory versus erosion.

00:39:13 – 00:46:18 : His writing sits at the intersection of philosophy, literature, and critique of the Western intellectual tradition. Rather than treating it as fixed authority, he uses writing to stretch and test its limits — sometimes through conceptual intensity, sometimes through irony or parody, where humour and philosophical depth coexist. His work also holds multiple registers at once — intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, and rhythmic.

00:46:18 – 00:51:40 : Steven sees artistic voice as something formed through engagement rather than isolated invention. It develops through sustained exposure to other works, including imitation and even failed imitation.

00:51:40 – 01:07:17 : Steven frames contemporary life as a condition of fragmented attention, which produces constant presence without true perception. Moments of unknowing are not absence, but conditions for clarity and relational depth, both in art and in life. He closes with a grounding principle from Gramsci:
Pessimism of the intellect, Optimism of the will

Steven’s website: https://www.stevenseidenberg.com/

Instagram: steven.seidenberg

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

What if chronic symptoms are not the body turning against you, but the body trying to communicate with you? What if true healing is not about suppression or control, but about returning to an authentic way of living — one where we are willing to fully feel our feelings? And what if, through that process, we begin to reclaim agency over our own health?

In this deeply illuminating and expansive conversation, I sit down with Dr. Kelly McCann — MD, MPH, TM — a physician practicing Functional, Integrative & Environmental Medicine — to demystify chronic and complex illness and immune dysregulation, and explore the hidden architecture of multi-system imbalance.

Dr. McCann approaches these conditions through an integrative, functional, and environmental lens, weaving together clinical medicine, systems thinking, and environmental health. At the core of her work is a commitment to root-cause understanding —not merely treating symptoms, but tracing the deeper patterns that shape health and disease. Central to her philosophy is a reframing of the body: not as a broken machine to be fixed, but as a highly intelligent communication system shaped by internal biology, the external environment, and emotional experience.

00:00:00 – 00:09:46 Intro & Dr. Kelly’s Path into Functional Medicine

00:09:46 – 00:13:32 The Architecture of Chronic Illness: When the Body Begins to Signal: Chronic illness is understood not as isolated diagnoses, but as multi-system dysregulation across immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, driven by cumulative load. Dr.Kelly uses the metaphor of a “sink”: when inputs (toxins, infections, stress, mould exposure) exceed the body’s capacity to clear them, overflow occurs — and symptoms emerge.

00:14:38 – 00:30:08 The Architecture of Dysregulation: Immune Intelligence, Nervous System Load & Cumulative Breakdown: Mast cells act as sentinels, but in mast cell activation syndrome they misperceive non-threatening inputs, driving chronic inflammation. The immune and nervous systems remain in constant dialogue. Prolonged fight-or-flight keeps the body in a sustained danger state, reinforcing hypersensitivity. Clinically — MCAS, POTS, and autonomic instability — reflect gradual system-wide dysregulation. The task is mapping drivers over time: exposures, infections, gut imbalance, and nervous system load. As she notes, “the body’s intent is always to keep us alive.”

00:30:52 – 00:36:44 Body as Signal System: Meaning Beyond Symptoms : Chronic illness is not only biological overload, but also a breakdown in how we relate to the body’s signals. Rather than seeing symptoms as failure, Dr. Kelly reframes them as communication from the body under strain.The shift: from “my body is against me” to “my body is speaking to me.”

00:36:44 – 00:45:10 Emotional Suppression & Immune Expression: Chronic illness often reflects long-term emotional suppression and disconnection from authentic feeling. The immune system mirrors self-relationship, not just defence.

00:45:10 – 01:05:44 Inflammation, Emotional Processing & Return to Wholeness: Inflammation is adaptive short-term but harmful when chronic, often driven by unresolved emotional and physiological patterns. Healing requires emotional completion, not suppression. Through the “Unforgetting Project,” individuals are supported to feel, be witnessed, and reconnect with authenticity. The body is an intelligent system guiding return to safety, integration, and authenticity.

Website: https://drkellymccann.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkellymccann/

Linktree: linktr.ee/drkellymccann

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, I reflect on the question: How do you want to live your life? Inspired by the Japanese animated film 君たちはどう生きるか, I share a personal exploration of life design—shaped by epigenetics, identity, attention, and deliberate systems that support a meaningful life. Through years of self-reflection and building my podcast Life Designer, I arrived at a clear blueprint: a life of longevity and vitality, infused with intellectuality, beauty, and humanity. Ultimately, this episode explores what it means to become an agile architect of life: building systems aligned with vision, values, and identity while adapting, iterating, and evolving as life changes.

Timestamps

0:00 – 19:05 | Chapter 1: My Blueprint of Being a Life Designer

Genetic or Epigenetic—My Verdict is, and Always Will Be Epigenetic
I reflect on the debate between genetics and epigenetics. Growing up in a rigid academic system, early struggles with mathematics shaped my sense of natural limits. Instead of seeing genetics as destiny, epigenetics offers a more empowering view: acknowledging innate wiring while intentionally focusing on areas that align with strengths and curiosity.

How I Want to Live my Life – Unequivocal Clarity
Through reflection, I arrived at a clear vision inspired by 君たちはどう生きるか. I imagine a life immersed in reading, writing, piano, exercise, and creative work, close to nature, focused on longevity, vitality, intellectual depth, and aesthetic experience.

Why Intellectuality, Beauty, and Connection
Intellectuality fuels thinking, writing, and podcasting. Beauty shapes perception through architecture and design. Connection ties these pursuits together, fostering meaningful conversations and reinforcing both ideas and human resonance.

Aligning My System with Vision, Values, and Identity
I built a life-design formula of habits, attention training, brain rewiring, and environment—guided by vision, values, and identity. Daily practices like exercise, reading, writing, and creative work serve my ultimate goals, while values are reflected in how I allocate time, energy, and resources.

Identity At the Core
Identity emerges through self-deconstruction and deliberate reconstruction. Defined by chosen qualities—gravitas, composure, self-agency—it anchors every system and decision in my life.

19:05 – 43:58 | Chapter 2: A New Experiment Inaugurated — Becoming an Agile Architect of Life

During the Christmas and New Year break, I ran a personal experiment: freed from a nine-to-five schedule, how would my ideal life look?

Intention Woven Into the DNA of My System — Guiding How I Structure My Day and Curate My Cultural Diet
Intention shapes daily architecture. Morning peak hours go to deep intellectual engagement, often with long-form podcasts during walks. My “cultural diet” ensures the ideas and media I consume align with my intellectual and creative goals, avoiding algorithm-driven distraction.

Cultivating Exquisite Attention — Shaping Focus and Sustaining Flow Through Reading and Piano
Reading and piano serve as dual attention training: reading stretches comprehension, piano demands sustained focus. Together, they cultivate “exquisite attention,” strengthening concentration while counteracting modern dopamine-driven distraction.

Infrastructure and Agility — Designing Habits That Adapt, Endure, and Elevate
Environmental infrastructure supports habits. Experimenting with an infrared gym during a routine disruption highlighted the need for agile systems—adapting environments, tools, and structures to maintain consistency while evolving.

43:58 – 47:43 | Chapter 3: Living as a Life Designer—Integration, Agility, and Embodied Action.

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, Terrence Curry reflects on a lifetime of making, teaching, and designing, exploring how hands-on craftsmanship, authentic living, and human connection shape both life and work. He shares insights on the pursuit of beauty, illustrating that true beauty is forged through heartfelt desire, disciplined effort, and persistent dedication.

0:00–9.07 | Growing Up a Maker
Terrence reflects on childhood craftsmanship and lessons from his grandfather, sparking curiosity and a lifelong instinct to create. The challenge for him was not discovering talent but understanding how one’s unique gifts could be meaningfully applied in the world.

9.07–18:50 | Finding One’s Place in the World
Terrence discusses translating personal aptitudes into purposeful contributions, bridging passion with vocation. Happiness, he suggests, comes from living authentically, fully aware of one’s strengths and engaging with the world on those terms. Terrence reflects: "When we know who we are and are being who we are, engaging with the world as we are… there’s a kind of symbiosis, a right relationship with ourselves and others, which can lead to happiness in a very profound sense."

18:50–29:18 | Inhabiting the World & Creative Instinct
True inhabitation comes from deep connection with surroundings. He states that the notion of being in the world is that you embrace your connectedness with all that's around you, that you're not a tourist in the world, but truly inhabiting the place. This deep engagement with his surroundings also informs his creative process. Emotional intuition guides his creativity.

29:18–36:10 | Beauty and Connoisseurship
Terrence emphasizes that form follows feeling: design is meaningful when it induces a particular emotional experience. Recognizing beauty requires connoisseurship—the ability to perceive, evaluate, and cultivate aesthetic judgment beyond technical skill. He notes that AI may excel at structured tasks but cannot grasp the open-ended, iterative, and deeply human process of design.

36:10–48:10 | Voice, Emotional Impact & Community Design
As an educator, he wants his students find their own voice and create work that they will take a pride. He observes: "The world is a better place because we need each other. We need each other’s voices." We further tapped into Terrence’s design work that focuses on community projects rooted in service.

48:10–53:35 | No Universal Aesthetic
Beauty exists on multiple levels: personal (subjective emotional response), cultural (shared norms and values), and broadly human (experiences that resonate across people). Terrence underscores the importance of cultivating the ability to recognize and appreciate diverse aesthetics, understanding why they resonate, and learning from different cultural expressions.

53:35–1:18.30 | Making Beauty: Desire, Discipline & Craftsmanship
Creating beauty is an intentional and rigorous pursuit. Terrence explains that it requires intelligence, discipline, persistence, and desire—it is a fight against the forces that resist beauty. Craftsmanship emerges from repeated engagement, iteration, and dialogue with materials, whether wood, stone, or paper. He highlights the intimacy between maker and material, showing how physical interaction deepens perception and appreciation. Terrence concludes: "You really have to want to do something good, and then be willing to—not just have the desire, but also to have the discipline to do it." Through this, beauty becomes an enduring expressio

Learn more :Website: https://sjsw.org/

Follow him on 小红书 /Rednote ID: 9418448402

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, Olga Naiman shares her journey from growing up as a refugee to becoming an interior therapist and creator of Spatial Alchemy — her signature design methodology, psychological framework, and eponymous book. Raised by parents who were both psychiatrists, Olga developed early sensitivity to the human mind, yet her homes lacked emotional connection and aesthetic grounding.Though encouraged to pursue psychiatry, she followed her intuition toward design, eventually moving to New York to work as an editor and stylist.

Yet Olga yearned for a deeper connection with design. She ultimately amalgamated psychology with design, creating Spatial Alchemy — a body of work and book that transforms home design into a pathway for life transformation. At its core lies a powerful invitation: design your home for the life you’re calling in.

The Four Layers of Design:
Olga explains that design operates on four layers — two visible: Beauty and Function, and two invisible:

• Psychological layer: spaces shape our psyche. Even small items like dishes or cups help “weave a web” supporting the life you wish to embody.
• Manifestational layer: as your psychological layer aligns, your external life mirrors internal change. This is the essence of Spatial Alchemy — bringing your future self into the present and embodying the energy you aspire to step into.

Olga highlights the difference between intention (visualizing) and active participation (living as if it has already manifested).

Working with Energy in the Home:
Olga expands the conversation into energy as a universal principle recognized across cultures . Objects carry energetic qualities, influencing how we feel and how others perceive us. She stresses, “Where attention goes, energy grows.”

Dissolving vs. Decluttering:
Decluttering asks, “Do I use this?” Dissolving asks, “Does this reflect who I am becoming?” Many people unknowingly hold onto objects tied to outdated identities. Dissolving can be painful. Olga encourages us to ask: What do I value more — the object, or the life I want to create?

Where to Begin with Spatial Alchemy:

See your home as a stranger: Walk through your space with fresh eyes, or ask a trusted friend to notice patterns that reflect an older version of you.

Begin dissolving: Identify ten objects misaligned with your future self and consciously release them. True transformation starts with removal before addition.

Upgrade daily touchpoints: Introduce meaningful items to reinforce the emotional states and identity you wish to cultivate. Frequent daily use amplifies their subtle psychological influence

Olga emphasizes starting small and accumulating change gradually. Your home is a living relationship — a space that supports emotional safety, identity growth, and the unfolding of the life you are becoming.

Timestamps:

• 0:00–16:00 Intro & Olga’s Journey, Early Influences & the Birth of Spatial Alchemy
• 11:16–21:45 The Four Layers of Design
• 21:45–29:20 Working with Energy in the Home
• 29:20–36:37 Dissolving vs. Decluttering
• 36:37–41:44 Where to Begin with Spatial Alchemy

Learn More:

• Website: www.thespatialalchemy.com
• Book: Spatial Alchemy: Design Your Home to Transform Your Life
• Instagram: @olganaiman
  
  

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

I had the incredible privilege of speaking with Dr. Mandy Patterson — a naturopathic doctor, functional medicine practitioner, and fertility & hormone expert — about the art and science of living with vitality and longevity. This episode unfolds as a profound exchange between evidence and intuition, intellect and faith, science and spirit.

00:00 – 06:30 | The Journey Begins
Dr. Mandy shares her extraordinary journey from medical training to integrative medicine. At 22, she faced a life-threatening pregnancy that changed everything — awakening her belief that health is encompassing body, mind, and spirit.

06:30 – 15:30 | The Unseen Weight of Suppression
We reflect on how modern culture glorifies endurance and emotional suppression — the ‘power-through’ mentality that, as Dr. Mandy notes, often disconnects us from the body’s innate wisdom.

15:30 – 27:00 | Healing Beyond the Physical
Dr. Mandy explains that Western medicine treats the body in silos, while true healing sees the body as one dynamic system. In her practice, the goal is not symptom relief but transformation. She traces how pharmaceutical dominance sidelined holistic medicine and highlights the importance of informed consent.

27:00 – 35:00 | The Gut as the Second Brain
Dr. Mandy calls the gut “its own planet” — a living ecosystem shaping mood, immunity, and longevity. She explains how factors like birth method, early feeding, and maternal nutrition shape a baby’s microbiome, laying the foundation for lifelong health. Her advice is simple yet profound: eat the rainbow, diversify plants, and nurture the gut like a garden.

35:00 – 50:00 | Genes, Food, and the Power to Recode Ourselves
Dr. Mandy unpacks epigenetics and nutrigenomics — how food and lifestyle can switch genes on or off. Through her own MTHFR variant, she reminds us that: “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”

50:00 – 1:07:00 | Bioidentical Hormones & the Art of Self-Agency in Health Dr. Mandy constantly pushes the edge as a scientist, believing that science is fluid and true growth requires humility. She reminds us, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me” — we must take full ownership of our health. Our dialogue expands into emotional and spiritual well-being, recognizing loneliness as an epidemic and intuition as an untapped medicine.

1:07:00 – 1:25:00 | Fertility as the Fifth Vital Sign Dr. Mandy perceived fertility as the fifth vital sign—a reflection of a woman’s total health. She walks through her root-cause approach that examines early environment, nutrition, genetics, toxins, and energy flow. She stressed preparation before conception shapes not only pregnancy outcomes but also a child’s lifelong health. The conversation expands to advanced maternal age, egg freezing, and holistic optimization—where true fertility begins with a strong foundation, not quick fixes.

01:25 – 01:50 | Anti-Aging, Motherhood, Gratitude & Surrender Dr. Mandy shares her anti-aging practices—peptides, X39 patch, vibration plate, etc., A mum of six, she reflects on how motherhood shaped her healing philosophy. We close with faith, gratitude, and surrender—where letting go becomes the deepest healing.

You can learn more about Mandy’s work at:

Website: https://mandypatterson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmandypatterson/?hl=en--

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmandypatterson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gutsyfertility

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, we explore the heart of personal branding, visibility, and authenticity with Expert Authority Coach and bestselling author Christine Blosdale. Christine has guided hundreds of entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, and non-profits in claiming their expert authority and showing up with confidence, clarity, and genuine human connection. Christine shares her signature “pillar of three”—health, wealth, and love—as the foundation of meaningful, purpose-driven work. Together, we dive into:

00:00 – 07:16 | Foundations: Authenticity, Intuition & the Making of a Coach: We open with Christine’s world of personal branding and authentic visibility. She shares how her early dream of becoming a teacher, her career pivots, and 25+ years in broadcasting and digital media led her to coaching. Christine explains how intuition became one of her tools—using “goosebumps moments” as signals of alignment, clarity, and possibility for her clients.

07:16 – 14:55 | Childhood Influences, Awareness & Understanding Your Audiences: Christine reflects on the childhood moments that shaped her confidence, awareness, and communication style. We explore how being seen and validated early in life formed her ability to deeply “read” people and brands. She explains why authenticity matters, how to read your audience accurately, and how to communicate your message in a way that is human, relatable, and instantly clear.

14:55 – 23:57 | Expert Authority, Multipotentiality & Imposter Syndrome: Christine defines what “expert authority” truly means—and why there’s no finish line, title, or credential that finally declares you “ready.” She explores how to craft a title that expresses your essence rather than your job description. We discuss why being multi-passionate is a strength, not a liability, and how to unify diverse interests under one brand identity. This segment also uncovers the root causes of imposter syndrome—how childhood conditioning creates self-doubt and how shifting from “What will people think of me?” to “Who am I here to serve?” dissolves that fear.

23:57 – 38:14 | Mastery, Confidence vs Ego & Building Offers People Actually Want : Christine reframes mastery as a lifelong journey and shares how genuine confidence can coexist with uncertainty and growth. She distinguishes grounded confidence from ego-driven performance and explains why many business owners struggle: they push out what they enjoy instead of what their audience truly needs. We break down how to remove ambiguity from your offerings and build products and services that genuinely serve your clients.

38:14 – 50:22 | AI, Creativity & the Power of Energetic Presence : Christine shares how to use AI and ChatGPT wisely—as enhancers of your voice rather than replacements for it. This section also explores “energetic presence” in business—how desperation repels, how gratitude attracts, and how grounding yourself shapes how people experience your brand.

Connect with Christine Blosdale:
• Website: https://www.christineblosdale.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christineblosdale

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristineBlosdale

• Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-expert-authority-coach-podcast/id1073309606

• Book: The Social Media & Branding Survival Guide

lifedesignerwithjingyuchen