Not Real Art

Today on the show we’re joined by the highly talented Karen Frost who is a television producer, fellow podcaster and spiritual advisor. Karen is a creative executive at JuVee Productions, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s production company that is focused on developing the content of marginalized and emerging writers. In this episode, you will hear all about the podcast Drunken Church Ladies, which she co-hosts with her wife and her personal struggles with breaking out of religious traditions to find her own spiritual path. Karen is passionate about redefining God and what it means to be spiritual, fully committed to creating a society that is wholly inclusive and one that can reconstruct ancient ways that no longer serve the greater good of all. She shares about the obstacles she has had to overcome as a queer person of color, the mental shift she had to make to finally get into the entertainment industry and what the spiritual center, Bodhi, meant to her in the process. Some of the other topics we cover include dry counties, filtering through scripts, the massive advancement of the LGBTQ community, the importance of faith and the conflicting voices around climate change. There is a ton of wisdom to get out of this episode, so be sure to join in on the conversation! For more information about artists, links and resources from this episode, please visit https://notrealart.com/karen-frost-advocating-for-love/

Key Points From This Episode:

• Thoughts on drinking wine while podcasting and Karen's show, Drunken Church Ladies.
• Settling into the podcasting process and Karen's unique segmented structure.
• Breaking out of religious traditions and the lack of spaces to explore spirituality.
• Karen’s mission to redefine God and to reconstruct religious narratives.
• How JuVee Productions helped Karen to find her own voice as a queer person of color.
• Working with Viola Davis and her role at JuVee Productions.
• Learning faith in LA's worst economic period!
• Being introduced to a new way of faith at Bodhi and the essence of what they believe.
• Realizing that she needed to get rid of internal biases to get into the entertainment industry.
• Creating stories that are like both mirrors and windows.
• More about Karen's producer role and how they help artists to develop and refine their ideas.
• Being sent hundreds of scripts and the criteria for them to warrant a second look.
• Recording all new ideas, her creative process and why Karen believes in rigorous outlining.
• Mormons, memberships and, moonshine in dry counties.
• Diversity and unexpected friendships as some of the best things about spiritual centers.
• Thanksgiving at Viola’s house and the incredible authenticity she demonstrated.
• Steering clear of works that perpetuate stereotypes and the kind of narratives to avoid.
• The massive progress there has been made in terms of LGBTQ rights.
• Views on the creation of an inclusive country and letting go of what no longer serves us.
• The importance of patience in the re-birth of the US and why we need antagonists.
• Climate change, capitalism and the impact that a single person can have.
• The diverse mentalities and philosophies in the US and the need for new paradigms.