Guest: Michael Cepress, Artist
Based: Seattle, WA
Online: @michaelcepress • www.michaelcepress.com • Youtube • Apple Music • Spotify • Bandcamp
What they’re drinking: Equal Exchange Co-op Love Buzz Dark Roast
What they drink out and about: Caffe Nico from Espresso Vivace (Seattle, WA)
“But the deal with being an artist is, you don’t…You can choose whether or not you pursue it, but you…if you are an artist, you are an artist. It isn’t an active choice you’ve made. It’s just how you are in the world. It’s a way of being in the world.”
• Michael Cepress
Michael and I are friends. I believe that to be true in the way that friendships transcend time and space, if not in the act of hanging out regularly or sharing holiday cards.* Thirty years ago, proximity and some luck sprinkled over the Little League draft brought us together. Our 10-12-year-old orbits mirrored each other for a time.
What brought us back into the same realms as adults? I’m not sure, other than when someone leaves a positive impression on your life, they never really leave you. Michael has always been an example I’ve looked to when I’ve struggled to express myself with the world around me. Seeing his unbridled enthusiasm for music as a kid stuck in my subconscious all these years. Spending an hour chatting brought it all flooding back.
He’s continued to inspire as our shared path to (I presumed) the Major Leagues diverged.* He began an eclectic career in the arts as a musician, textile artist, designer, and craftsperson. The list goes on.
Our orbits no longer mirror each other, but they do find occasion to overlap now and again. I’ll see a social media post about a new song or show and am reminded of the young man with whom I once slid around the kitchen in my socks while listening to Blue Suede Shoes on 94.7 FM. In those moments, I’m inspired to once again seek out joy and fun—oft at a moment when I need it most.
*I’ve been looking for that Little League team photo. I’ve got Mom on it. I’m sure it will turn up!
““I’m in constant play between what I think is beautiful and exciting clothes, and beautiful and exciting music.””
• Michael Cepress
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST
Dang, Rosie Flores!
Human beings arrive as being good.
Every town has an Annie’s Diner. It may not be called that, but it is there. It is where kids go after the big game or the prom or to break up or perhaps to make up over a cup of coffee that serves as a vessel to make them feel sophisticated, adult, and as if they’ve got it all figured out. We all seem to realize as adults that not only did we not have it all figured out, but maybe we never will!
Michael always knew he was an artist. It wasn’t a big self-discovery, and he couldn’t deny his path. Luckily, he was encouraged in his art and creativity.
Michael identified with the music and culture of the 60’s and 70’s California. It was an explosive time of art, music, theatre, fashion, writing, etc. He’s here to be a connection to that time and energy. Carrying the torch of that era’s celebration of authenticity and desire for freedom.
The current cost of living acts as a damper on the creative output of a generation. At the same time, the internet exposes us to more and more artists from around the world. It feels like more, but is it? Artists are messengers. Support artists.
Michael mentioned his sexuality being at least a partial motivator for his exploration of the world outside of where we grew up. Growing up in a small-ish Midwest American town in the '80s-'90s, there wasn't as much open LGBTQ representation to role model a path as there is now. Unfortunately, at this very moment in history, stifling representation seems to once again be in vogue. Using our voice and our votes to prevent regression is important.
For more on Michael’s work in fashion check out this piece in the Seattle Times. It is an older feature (as evidenced by the pompadour, but it does a great job walking you through his vision for what the emotion of clothing can be.
The vulnerability of our clothing and our appearance as it, potentially, exposes our feelings is something I’m grappling with currently. The coffee people podcast is going to transition into a video podcast for 2025!
Shout out to Roastar, Inc for the support on that front. I’m excited about the growth, but I’m nervous too. What if my face doesn’t match my voice for our podcast listeners?
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BONUS POD! Coffee With: Michael Cepress, Artist