“30 Creative Tensions” with Daniel Blacktree

Two acquaintances navigate desire and consent while sharing a tent at a music festival in 2015.Produced by Will Rogers. Special thanks to Adrienne Michelle St. Aubin.A Note From Adrienne: “One of the (many) things that is interesting to me about [the piece], personally, is how a decade has passed and the ways we think about consent have evolved during that time. Something that was interesting to me then (and still now) is how it captures some of the tension and challenges around navigating that stuff *even* when everyone is pretty well-educated and conscientious about it—and how it shows that there are many different forms that intimacy and connection can take, when we are willing to be both vulnerable and honest with each other.”A Couple More Notes:The “workshop”: one piece of context is that Adrienne went to a workshop called “How to be a Feminist in the Bedroom”, facilitated by Dr. Alison Ash (aka Dr. Aly). Will knew Aly and had read notes from the workshop, so this became a point of commonality for Will & Adrienne. Some of the exercises were about saying things like “if you would be interested,” then asking for what you want, and developing a comfort around saying “no”.An earlier version of this piece was released as a series of shorter episodes on the Oregano Shirt Podcast (now The Oregano) in 2023. The episodes were later removed because, according to Will, “it felt like too vulnerable of a thing to share”. Emily still remembered the series years later, and encouraged Will to publish it again. And here we are (Will, Adrienne, and Emily) sharing this episode on Candy Ears.Featured Poem: "A Ritual to Read to Each Other” by William Stafford, from The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems.

~ Listen to “Pull on a Thread” before this conversation. ~David and Emily discuss the making of “Pull on a Thread”, creative process, whether David made it to a year without weed, and what happened next.Recorded Feb 7, 2026. Produced by Emily Shaw. The piece Emily refers to making is “30 Creative Tensions” with Daniel Blacktree.David Siegfried is a writer living in Berkeley, California. If David devoted as much time to writing as he does to managing his softball team, the East Bay Squirrels, he might be more widely published and have collected a few literary awards by now. That said, the East Bay Squirrels have won several city championships.

After decades of smoking weed daily, a stoner attempts a year-long break.Written and performed by David Siegfried. Recorded and produced by Emily Shaw.David Siegfried is a writer living in Berkeley, California. If David devoted as much time to writing as he does to managing his softball team, the East Bay Squirrels, he might be more widely published and have collected a few literary awards by now. That said, the East Bay Squirrels have won several city championships.Music from Blue Dot Sessions

When democracy is tested, can rights on paper hold?A note from Laura & Vivien: "We set out to create a timely piece that reflects the political moment we’re living in, and the red card — a small, wallet-size card that outlines constitutional rights intended to be read by immigrants during encounters with law enforcement — felt like a tangible object that speaks volumes about the current climate.Reporting this story took us across New York City:In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, we spoke with two printers who produce the card.At the Union Square Market in Manhattan, we searched for people who distribute or have used the card. In Jackson Heights, Queens, we asked people to read the constitutional rights in different languages. And at CUNY in Manhattan, we interviewed a professor about the power—and the limitations—of the card.Together, the voices in this piece raise two larger questions: Do rights on paper hold when democracy is being tested? And on a more personal level, what role can artists play in politically tense times?"Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Ives SchachtschabelThis piece was produced by Laura Rojas Aponte and Vivien Schütz for Audio Flux Circuit 06: Creative Tension. Each submission was required to:Run exactly three minutesTake inspiration from the theme: “CREATIVE TENSION”Include audible REPETITION (nodding to the rhythm of knitting)And… tell us, what COLOR is your fluxwork?(Their color was red.)Learn more about Audio Flux at audioflux.org.Vivien Schütz is an independent audio creative from Germany, living in Brooklyn. She produces audio documentaries and audio dramas and has a faible for non-narrated storytelling. A documentary especially close to her heart, that she created with Stefanie Heim, explores how female nocturnal flaneuses claim space at night. You can find her work on https://vivienschutz.com. Since launching her first show in 2014, Laura Rojas Aponte has led and shaped the growth of top-charting podcasts serving Latino audiences in the U.S. and internationally. She’s currently the Lead Producer of The Moment,  from Radio Ambulante Studios and iHeart's MyCultura Podcast Network. https://www.laurarojasaponte.com/ Vivien and Laura are both part of Audio Spice, a collective hosting free, sound-focused events for NYC creatives.

Guitar hero Ben Seretan gives his two cents on how to play the instrument. A note from Alex: My friend Ben is an amazing musician and also a terrific writer. He's written a newsletter (currently called My Big Break) for the past decade or so that's appointment reading for me on most Thursdays. Anyway, he wrote this beautiful, sometimes goofy, wisdom-laden piece giving advice on how to play the guitar a while ago. I could immediately hear the audio treatment of this piece while reading it for the first time. So I recorded Ben reading his writing.... but then life got in the way and I never ended up making the piece. Until now! This Audio Flux Circuit prompt reminded me that I had this idea sitting around that would be a good fit. I edited Ben's read to get within the 3-minute time limit. Then I took out a few guitars, some pedals, and a little digital drum machine and plugged these directly into Pro Tools. And then I just followed Ben's directions! I hope people enjoy this little piece.This piece was produced by Alex Lewis for Audio Flux Circuit 06: Creative Tension. Each submission was required to:Run exactly three minutesTake inspiration from the theme: “CREATIVE TENSION”Include audible REPETITION (nodding to the rhythm of knitting)And… tell us, what COLOR is your fluxwork?(His color was silver.)Learn more about Audio Flux at audioflux.org.Alex Lewis is an independent radio & podcast producer living in Philadelphia, PA. He's the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Rowhome Productions, a Philadelphia-based audio production agency that specializes in making podcasts, radio documentaries, audio tours, and other narrative audio projects. Before Rowhome, Alex spent more than a decade producing award-winning audio documentaries and podcasts for NPR, BBC Radio 4, and many other public media outlets, media companies and local organizations. His work has been recognized with Edward R. Murrow Awards and a Peabody Nomination. He's a graduate of the Transom Story Workshop and Northwestern University, where he studied music theory.Website: https://alexjrlewis.com/

Two women decide to take their breasts into their own hands and tell similar opposing stories.This piece was produced by Lusen Mendel for Audio Flux Circuit 06: Creative Tension. Each submission was required to:Run exactly three minutesTake inspiration from the theme: “CREATIVE TENSION”Include audible REPETITION (nodding to the rhythm of knitting)And… tell us, what COLOR is your fluxwork?(Their color was “neon black”.)Learn more about Audio Flux at audioflux.org.Check out Lusen’s bio and portfolio: https://authory.com/lusenQ&A:Q: I assume that her interview was recorded first, and the overlapping phrases were intentional rather than coincidental?A: Yes. The other person is a good friend of mine, though she wishes to remain anonymous, and we'd previously observed the similar-but-different aspect of a boobal removal / breast enhancement. So I interviewed her and then wrote my part.Q: Why did you choose the color “neon black”?A: A bright absence.

Music: “Ghost Dance (Lumatone, 11-limit)” from Alien Dreamscapes in Just Intonation by Stacy FahrionStacy Fahrion is a composer, pianist, Lumatonian, and educator based in Colorado. Her music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and all streaming services.Watch Stacy perform “Ghost Dance (Lumatone, 11-limit)” on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-oPI3vjwmMYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhimsicallyMacabreMusicBandcamp: https://whimsicallymacabre.bandcamp.com/IG: @whimsicallymacabremusicWebsite: https://www.whimsicallymacabre.com/Image: Screenshot from Ghost Dance in 11 limit just intonation by Stacy FahrionThis story was produced by Emily Shaw.

“Wherein I pack my indecision.”Lori Mortimer is an independent audio maker in Massachusetts. She created the podcast Mementos, in which guests share the emotional backstories to cherished objects they keep. She’s taught audio storytelling and sound design classes for the Association for Independents in Radio (AIR) and Maine Media. A member of Hub & Spoke Audio Collective, Lori’s focus these days is on sound design and creating short audio pieces that challenge and stretch her creatively. And she’s always on the lookout for opportunities to collaborate with other audio makers on their passion projects. This piece was a finalist in the Audio Flux "3D" call for submissions. The requirements were:- Run exactly three minutes- Take inspiration from one of four 3D images curated from Eric Drysdale’s collection (https://www.audioflux.org/circuit-05)- Include the sound of laughter- Immerse listeners in a place, through sound (stereo, spatial, binaural recordings encouraged!)

First time collaborators struggle with (the idea of) creative tension.This piece was produced with Daniel Blacktree for Audio Flux Circuit 06: Creative Tension. Each submission was required to:Run exactly three minutesTake inspiration from the theme: “CREATIVE TENSION”Include audible REPETITION (nodding to the rhythm of knitting)And… tell us, what COLOR is your fluxwork?(Our color was “clear”.)Learn more about Audio Flux at audioflux.org.Daniel Blacktree is a San Francisco-based video and podcast creator. His work can be found on blacktreefilms.com. (IG: @danblacktree)

A note from Scot: “My entry for the Summer 2025 Silver Sound Sonic Dash competition. It's a 48 hour audio competition where you are given a prompt at the beginning of the time and by the end you must submit a piece of audio no longer than 2 minutes made entirely from scratch during those two days. This time the prompt was 'TMI.' I wanted to talk about some of the negative self-talk that my brain, and I think many brains, can whisper at times. All sounds are either my voice or an instrument I am playing, and it was a really challenging but enjoyable process. I was selected to be in the top ten finalists for this competition.” Scot Maupin lives in Oakland, California. As a longtime fan of radio and now podcasts, Scot started making his own called The Perfect Show during the pandemic to give him positive things to focus on. He shares a studio with two cats named Pixie and Corn Dog.