Puppets, Portraits, and Public Health: Kate Smith and David Rosten on Art as Healing

What does it mean for art to truly matter?In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most important questions facing artists today: how can creative work make a real impact in a world overflowing with noise, complexity, and crisis, both personal and collective?Joining us are two extraordinary guests whose careers sit at the intersection of art and healing.Kate Smith is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist with over a decade of experience as a professional actor and opera singer. She's the creator of One Woman Hamlet, a solo show featuring a full cast of puppets exploring themes of mental health, and now runs Mythos Lens, a fantasy portrait photography experience that helps clients discover and embody their deeper selves through character and story.David Roston, better known as Esmeralda the Puppet, an iconic figure in the Los Angeles puppet scene, is also a guitarist and vocalist with the band Shahari.What makes this conversation especially fascinating: both guests bring a public health lens to their creative work. David holds a master's in public health, and Kate is a trauma-informed yoga teacher and somatic healer.This is a conversation about getting attention and deserving it, about healing yourself, healing your audience, and why art still matters.🎧 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of creativity, culture, and healing.Kate Smith @mythoslens David Roston @esmereldathepuppet @shaherimusic @djcaesarsalad