Paducah native Justin Lewis is a familiar face around the growing Paducah arts scene. Whether as the organizer of the Moonlight Bike Ride or as a fan of local music, his enthusiasm for the region and its people is evident and a little contagious. He began his podcast, “Something from Nothing,” to give this passion an outlet. And his audience is growing. Following a call for pitches from WKMS, Justin started working on the idea of a podcast early in 2017. He is now in his second season.
Beginning his show, Justin knew what he already liked about podcasts as a listener. But he readily admits, “I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to start, but I knew a lot of creative people making art and I thought they might be open to sharing a little about their process.”
Justin’s role as the host of “Something from Nothing,” has evolved over the course of Season One. “I’m getting better as an interviewer,” he says. “My job is pretty easy. People want to talk about their art. In Season Two, I’m trying to focus on storytelling. In terms of how I approach this as the host, it amounts to a change of posture: leaning back versus leaning in.” To this end Justin has gradually adapted his style, talking to the audience directly. The effect makes for some pretty compelling on-demand radio.
“The people I’m profiling have a lot to offer our region, and even beyond.”
His goal is to seek out the ways in which the creativity he sees in our local music and culture can contribute to a wider conversation about the process itself. Listening to his show, you can’t help but get the feeling that he is on a similar journey to those he interviews; a journey of discovering that creating art is as much a way of living as it is a way of making something.
“Randall Griggs’ story was unique because he decided to make his living with art but was kind of forced into it because of an injury working on the river. Tommy Stewart put down photography for years and among other things lived in solitude for months before picking the camera back up.”
And with a list forty to fifty people he has plans to interview, Justin’s audience can look forward to seeing where this journey will lead. In upcoming episodes, John Romang, local art teacher, discusses his two primary forms of art—ink resin and monster lyric cartoons. He opens up about why diversifying into new media is important to him. In an interview with local musical duo, The Savage Radley, Stephen Montgomery runs down the different creative outlets he has writing, playing, recording, and producing music. Shaina Goodman, front woman for the group, discusses songwriting and her career prior to the formation of a band. In another episode focusing on local musicians, Chris Black talks about the balance of a day job and being a musician. Rounding out the list of upcoming interviews is Andy Wiggins, who shares his passion for the art of beer making.
“Something from Nothing” is now in its second season. Listen in at WKMS.org and on ITunes. Follow Justin at “Something from Nothing” on Facebook.
