Ryan MacGrath - Canadian Musician and Visual Artist

Christina chats with one of her best friends in his home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotion. Ryan MacGrath is the founder of Joy with Honey Artful Living - A decorating and design studio based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Ryan combines many artful worlds: as a studied visual artist, he creates graphic, enigmatic figurative and stylized landscape paintings.   At the same time, the Canadian is a celebrated Singer/Songwriter with comparisons to Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Nick Cave, Roy Orbison, and Rufus Wainwright.

The common thread weaving its way through MacGrath’s artistic work is an engaging melancholy. According to the artist, he has an affinity for exploring contrasts in his music: joy and sadness, light and darkness, and loneliness versus togetherness. Here it is again, that connection between two worlds: the bipolarity which also plays a major role in his painting.

Chapters

• 0:00 Greetings from Christina
• 0:30 Theme Song - Talk About It
• 0:56 Introduction by Christina
• 2:34 An affinity for detail
• 4:11 When we first met
• 7:42 Ryan's time in Europe
• 12:52 Exposure to Art in Europe
• 14:16 Artist Residency in Kufstein Austria
• 23:38 The voice of Stiegl beer
• 28:35 The mountains vs. the ocean
• 31:31 Turning point
• 38:00 Joy with Honey - Artful Living
• 45:09 Earliest memory creating something
• 47:37 What is happiness?
• 50:59 Creative Freedom
• 51:53 Relationship questions
• 56:50 Dry humping
• 1:06:51 Heartbeat Hotline 1(902)-669-4769
• 1:07:25 Podcast Credits
• 1:07:50 Support the Podcast on Patreon

Transcript

Ryan MacGrath

Christina: [00:00:02] Welcome to a Chat with Heart podcast. I'm your host, Christina Martin. I'm here to help guide heartfelt conversations with new and old friends I've met from just being alive or touring my music around North America and other parts of the world. I chat with people I feel a kinship with and that I genuinely believe we can learn from. Our personal stories have great power to heal, influence and inspire. All we have to do is show up for the conversation.

Podcast Theme Song 'Talk About It': [00:00:30] If we just talk about, we could shine a light, we can break a dark day. If we just talk about it, we can cut a way, we can make a brighter day.

Christina: [00:00:57] Hi, everybody. Love is in the details, but so is the devil. My guest today is one of my best friends. He is an eye for stunning details in his work as a musician and also a visual artist. And with his business Joy with Honey. He's kind, generous, brilliant. He's an entrepreneur. Oh, he's brave. He's very, very handsome. Did I mention he's Uber talented? And his name is Ryan MacGrath. Ryan lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but he's lived overseas for many years, and we chat about that. I really love this talk because Ryan shares his experience going through like a really desperate time in his life and how one of the most beautiful experiences of his life resulted from a risk he took during that desperate time. So it's a really inspiring story that I'm happy he shared with us all. Oh, and also one of my Heartbeat listeners, name starts with an S, ends with an E, emailed me some really great questions about dating and relationships, and I knew Ryan would be the perfect guest to chat about these questions with. So stick around to hear us talk about infatuation and 'going to pound town'. Thanks for listening. Sit back and enjoy my chat with heart with my buddy Ryan.

Christina: [00:02:34] Hi, Ryan.

Ryan: [00:02:35] Hi, Christina.

Christina: [00:02:36] Welcome to a Chat with Heart podcast.

Ryan: [00:02:38] Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

Christina: [00:02:40] Now, this is a little unique because we have traveled to you,to your beautiful apartment, condo palace. What do you call this place?

Ryan: [00:02:52] I refer to it as a palace. Yeah.

Christina: [00:02:54] It's it's just so beautiful. Like, let's describe, you, can you describe the room? Not me. Because I'll probably be like, there's an awesome chair. There's another awesome chair, there's a nice stool over there, but like, it's more than that, like the lighting and there's textures and can you can you talk about the inspiration for this room?

Ryan: [00:03:16] Sure. It's a bit, uh, Grandma chic, I think.

Christina: [00:03:20] Grandma Chic, I love it.

Ryan: [00:03:21] I love vintage. Um, you know, there's like a mixture of vintage, a lot of vintage, a lot of Ikea, a lot of secondhand shopping and antique stores stuff. A lot of plants. Um, a lot of terracotta pots. And the pink rug. Pink shag rug.

Christina: [00:03:44] What is wrong with my my vision? I'm seeing an off white rug.

Ryan: [00:03:48] It's dim in here.

Christina: [00:03:49] Okay. I'm seeing an off white rug. It's great. I love it. But I didn't pick up on that. But love is in the details. Oprah said that. And I think you're somebody who gets that.

Ryan: [00:04:00] I like detail. Yeah, I have an affinity for details.

Christina: [00:04:04] Do you think love is in the details?

Ryan: [00:04:07] Yeah. Yeah.

Christina: [00:04:09] All right,

Ryan: [00:04:10] Sure.

Christina: [00:04:11] That's it. That's all I've got for questions. Okay. Do you. Remember when we first met?

Ryan: [00:04:19] Yes.

Christina: [00:04:20] Please tell me about it. I don't know, were we drinking. Like what?

Ryan: [00:04:24] No, we. I was at one of your shows.

Christina: [00:04:28] Okay.

Ryan: [00:04:29] Um, at Fred.

Christina: [00:04:33] Okay.

Ryan: [00:04:33] On Agricola Street in Halifax. Okay. And a mutual friend or acquaintance introduced us. And. Yeah.

Christina: [00:04:45] Jay? Was it Jay? No.

Ryan: [00:04:47] No. Wynn Wilson.

Christina: [00:04:50] Oh, my goodness. Wynn Wilson? Yeah. Rest in peace Wynn. 

Ryan: [00:04:55] Yeah.

Christina: [00:04:55] He's dead. That's why I said that.

Ryan: [00:04:57] Yes. Well, yeah. No, he's taking a nap.

Christina: [00:05:04] What? Does anybody ever use RIP for anything other than when someone's dead?

Ryan: [00:05:10] No, that's why you didn't have to explain it, though.

Christina: [00:05:16] Well, you know, I just wanted to be. I just wanted to be sure, my little heartbeat listeners, you know, they're from all over the world, so I don't know if RIP is a universal.

Ryan: [00:05:25] Yeah, I don't know. Actually.

Christina: [00:05:28] I go above and beyond to make sure that everybody understands what I'm trying to communicate.

Ryan: [00:05:33] That's good.

Christina: [00:05:33] This is good. Okay. No. Okay. So. No.

Ryan: [00:05:36] Yeah. So we were there and he introduced us. I don't know how, I think he had bought a painting off me at some point. That's how I knew him.

Christina: [00:05:44] Okay. He was obsessed with your art. I remember this. I worked for a company called Regional Residential Services, and he, I worked in his house because he had a client living with him. And I would go to work and I can many, many, many times he would bring up you and your painting and how talented you were. And I was like, Oh God, I'm really getting sick of hearing about this guy. Ryan MacGrath. Like, who fucking cares? And no. And then I met you. And then. Then what? Tell us. Tell me the story of us.

Ryan: [00:06:18] Like I.

Christina: [00:06:20] Let's not talk about you. Let's just talk about us. No, I just remember becoming fast. I do remember becoming fast friends with you. Yeah, like.

Ryan: [00:06:28] But we met at Fred and. I don't know. Did we? I guess we.

Christina: [00:06:36] Did.

Ryan: [00:06:36] Exchange numbers or.

Christina: [00:06:39] I don't know. At some point, very quickly, I realized that you were a singer songwriter.

Ryan: [00:06:46] Mmmm Hmm.

Christina: [00:06:47] And I thought you were incredible. I thought I loved your voice. I felt it was very unique and powerful.

Ryan: [00:06:56] I felt the same way about you. Because I think. I think I was at a show. Was it? Rose Cousins show, you opening for Rose at Fred?.

Christina: [00:07:03] Rose, and I prayed way too long. Yes, I played way too long. Yes.

Ryan: [00:07:07] And I think I was at the show. Okay. Because I knew Fred and and Joel and yes.

Christina: [00:07:13] Fred used to do my hair.

Ryan: [00:07:14] I knew Rose because she used to play at my open mic that I had.

Christina: [00:07:18] You had an open mic.

Ryan: [00:07:20] On Barrington Street, C'est Ci Bon Cafe for like two years. And Rose used to come and play at the open mic that I hosted. Yeah. And I think that's, I was at Rose's show and Wynn introduced you and I.

Christina: [00:07:38] Okay, there we got the story straight.

Ryan: [00:07:39] I think that's how it went.

Christina: [00:07:42] Okay. Thank God. No, I really just feel like you've always been in my life. But there were like, there were some blurry years for me. Um, but, um, yeah, this is, uh. This is like we're. We're like, legit friends. Like, we've not only kept in touch, but we got to the point where. We spent all our religious holidays together in Europe.

Ryan: [00:08:06] In non-religious ways.

Christina: [00:08:08] Do you miss that? And what like, what do you miss most about living in Europe? Because you were there for quite a few years. You've had. Jeez, you've had like visas living, you were Austrian for a while and then you were Swiss.

Ryan: [00:08:25] Well, I wasn't a citizen, but.

Christina: [00:08:27] I think you were.

Ryan: [00:08:28] I was a permanent resident. Yeah. Yeah, in both countries. Austria and Switzerland.

Christina: [00:08:32] You looked like a citizen.

Ryan: [00:08:35] Yeah. Wearing lighter hosen all the time.

Christina: [00:08:38] Did you ever own Lederhosen?

Ryan: [00:08:39] No.

Christina: [00:08:40] I bought, like, a little girly lederhosen. Pink or purple outfit? Listen, when I first toured in Europe, everything I saw I had to buy. I was like, I got to get that because it's so different. Mostly in Bavaria. And these things were not cool. Once I brought them home, I realized like, when would I ever wear?

Ryan: [00:09:01] I have, I have two like farmer, like Swiss farmer shirts. 

Christina: [00:09:06] Okay, let's get back to you. So what brought you over there and what brought you back here to Nova Scotia? Because you grew up here. You grew up in Goshen and other parts of Nova Scotia.

Ryan: [00:09:17] Yeah. And I would say a. To answer both those questions. A mixture of love and curiosity in both respects.

Christina: [00:09:28] Oh, really? Even coming back here?

Ryan: [00:09:30] Yeah, but for different people in different.

Christina: [00:09:35] Not four different ways. For different people.

Ryan: [00:09:38] For. 

Christina: [00:09:40] Just want to clarify.You know how we like to keep things very clear. Um, for my little heartbeat listeners. So let's. Yeah. What do you miss about Europe? Like, what did you love about it? What was, you said you had curiosity for it. And then, you know, once you got there and you started living there, were you like, how long was it before that curiosity was like kind of waned? And you're like, all right. I'm going back home.

Ryan: [00:10:10] Um. What do I miss about it the most? I would say that personal connections I made with people. I mean.

Christina: [00:10:22] Not the food.

Ryan: [00:10:23] Well, not in all cases. Like I didn't, I wasn't living in Paris. You know, like I was living in Austria, great food, but it's like, you know, schnitzel and potatoes, salad and, delicious. But, you know, I wasn't staying there for the food. And Switzerland, you know, cheese is great. Chocolate is good. Same thing. But I would say what I miss the most are the friendships that I made, the, I guess, professional connections that I made and that are difficult to maintain when you live so far away. Yeah. Um, and just the, the history. The sense of people knowing. Who they are and a society that seems to know what it is. And I think being here, I always kind of reflect on that. Um. Just in comparison, because I find here we're still trying to find some kind of. Identity, you know, especially in a city like Halifax that just seems to kind of jump onto. The next trend and the next thing and without really knowing itself. And but I think that takes time. And that's what I loved about old European cities, is that they seemed so, um, smooth in their operations. And of course, you know, not in every aspect, like there's still humans running them, you know, But um, just in terms of how people are generally more relaxed with how they live, more open with how other people live. Um. Where I was anyway in my experience, which is limited, but that's what I miss the most. That feeling of just being able to go and. Experience something fresh and new so easily and living in such proximity to other countries that have completely different cultures and. Architecture and art. Art and music.

Christina: [00:12:52] And on that, on the topic of art. And being an artist, a visual artist, a musician yourself. I mean, that just must have blown your mind to. To be to have access to so many, like within a train ride in one direction and another direction, multiple directions, a cheap flight to different country and in an hour to just the museums, the artwork, the history. I guess I'm just curious about how that impacted you have living there as an artist, as a visual artist as well.

Ryan: [00:13:28] Yeah, I mean, I, I studied art history at NSCAD, um, as part of my fine arts degree. And so I had seen, um, you know, on all the pages of my textbooks and, and of course, you know, TV and documentaries and, um, all this beautiful art and beautiful museums and, and yeah, when I moved there, I was, I had been to Europe before, but, um, moving there, I knew that I would get to experience more of this in person. And, um, yeah, it was amazing having access to. Me seems like that. And it's enriching for someone like me to to go and be able to kind of throw yourself into that history.

Christina: [00:14:16] And and you've had you had many, many I what I perceived to be cool opportunities you did an artist residency in am I saying this right Kufstein Kufstein Yeah. Can you talk a bit about that? Because I think that's something that's really exciting for a Canadian to be able to do. So how did that come about and what, what, what was the residency like? What was your job?

Ryan: [00:14:42] Uh, so essentially I was hired by the city of Kufstein, like their tourism department, to be an artist in residence and to create paintings and music that reflected my experience living there for. You know, essentially six months and then it culminated in a show. And I collaborated with other artists at the time who were kind of from the area or working in the area and did a couple of other gallery shows mixed in with that. Um, but I mean, that whole experience came out of. A very desperate moment in my life. Oh, this is cool.

Christina: [00:15:29] I remember talking to you around this time, and you. You manifested this really through because of this desperate moment in time. But, you know, I think also you being a creator, a multimedia creator, you have these special powers. So anyway, talk a little bit about how you manifested this in a desperate moment.

Ryan: [00:15:55] Yeah. So I had been in a relationship when I was living in Austria and that relationship ended not incredibly tumultuously, but enough so that I had to make a move. And I was in a position where my, um, permanent residency was ending. Yeah. And I had to figure out a way. How do I get this back? What do I do? Like, should I even stay here? Should I move back to Canada? You know, all those questions, like in those desperate moments. And at the same time that all this was happening, a gentleman named Michael Friedrich had been contacting me about playing concerts in Austria. He is a hotelier in the country and these hotels are called ARTE hotels.

Christina: [00:17:04] Oh, yes. We're playing there in the fall. Yeah. Hi, Michael. I'll share this with him.

Ryan: [00:17:09] Yeah, do it. Yeah. Um, so just the timing around all of this. And I was living with a friend at the moment. This was like a, you know, the period of a month or whatever. And. I thought I came up with this idea. What if I didn't just play concerts? But what if. There was an artist in residence program or something, you know, I was making this shit up in my head, like, how do I find a way to stay in the country? And feel comfortable and feel stable and but still be able to create the way I wanted to. And so I composed an email to Michael, who I had never met in person. I don't think when I wrote this email to him and I was very honest in the email, I said, Look, you've been asking me to play some shows.

Christina: [00:18:15] I've got a better deal for you, buddy.

Ryan: [00:18:17] Yeah, basically I'm moving in. Yeah.

Christina: [00:18:21] Brilliant. Yeah. Hope you're taking notes liittle Heartbeat listeners.

Ryan: [00:18:25] Yes. So I had said to him in the email, um, I am going through a breakup and my residency is ending. Uh, I basically need. You know, someone to kind of sign off on me to give me an opportunity like now, like it was it was a.. 

Christina: [00:18:52] This is your opportunity to give me an opportunity.

Ryan: [00:18:55] Exactly.

Christina: [00:18:56] I love it.

Ryan: [00:18:57] And yeah, I sent this email to him kind of like, I had everything kind of lined up like we could do an artist in residency in, at one of your hotels and I could live there and we could do this and I could do that.

Christina: [00:19:12] Amazing. I love this.

Ryan: [00:19:13] And he wrote back to me and said, You know what a cool idea. And, you know, I'm going to look into this. I have some people who I might contact, like, you know, stand by, basically. Yeah. And so I did. I kind of sat and waited for it was pretty quick, like a week. And I heard back and he's like, okay, I've been in touch with this person and this person and the city of Kufstein and the tourism board.

Christina: [00:19:46] Wow.

Ryan: [00:19:46] He really it was unbelievable. It was one of those moments because when I sent that email, I thought, this is crazy. Like here I am feeling low and desperate and.

Christina: [00:20:03] But asking for what you wanted.

Ryan: [00:20:04] Yeah, needed. But I actually remember feeling. Am I like overstepping my some boundaries. Like not only with him, I didn't really know him, but just culturally as well.

Christina: [00:20:21] Like, Yeah, yeah.

Ryan: [00:20:22] Is it weird for someone to be so um, brazen about what they want and like.

Christina: [00:20:29] Huh?

Ryan: [00:20:31] And I just felt because I was in that moment of breakup.

Christina: [00:20:36] High breakup, high, low, low, but.

Ryan: [00:20:39] Low, just anxious.

Christina: [00:20:41] And what have I got to lose? 

Ryan: [00:20:44] Tht is kind of how I felt when I wrote that. Yeah.

Christina: [00:20:46] What have I got to, what does anyone have to lose really by asking a question? The worst that he could have said was, no, or giving you another option, and you would have maybe gone home to Nova Scotia at that time, I guess.

Ryan: [00:21:02] Yeah. Or figured out a different solution like. But it just so happened and I think it has a lot to do with. Timing. Yeah. You know, and. But I sent him the email. He wrote back. And for the next couple of weeks we just had a dialogue going. And eventually he said, I have a contract for you. From the city of Kufstein. You can live in the hotel for six months. We have a suite ready for you.

Christina: [00:21:36] Okay this is does sound pretty awesome.

Ryan: [00:21:38] We have a studio in downtown Kufstein. It's a small city. But, you know, in an ancient city. So we have a studio space like, da da da da da.

Christina: [00:21:51] We have a really cool bar that looks like a cave. What's that bar we went to?

Ryan: [00:21:57] Is that the gin bar? 

Christina: [00:21:59] The Gin Bar. Right.

Ryan: [00:22:00] With the world's biggest selection of gin.

Christina: [00:22:02] It was pretty, pretty stunning. Yeah.

Ryan: [00:22:06] So that's how that happened.

Christina: [00:22:08] How did you feel that your residency benefited the community?

Ryan: [00:22:13] So basically we had an open studio policy because I was right downtown. Anyone could kind of come by.

Christina: [00:22:25] Did they?

Ryan: [00:22:25] Yeah. I mean, it wasn't throngs of people waiting at the door, but paparazzi? Uh, no, but I did meet people, and especially a lot of the local business owners. Yeah. And because they're associated directly with the tourism business and agency, you know, I'd be walking up the street and someone would know that I was, you know, had the studio there and was doing this. And so I made some kind of interesting connections and relationships with, like, local shop owners and gallery owners and, um. And then to involve the community more. You know, all of this was kind of working up towards a show that I had in a gallery in Kufstein that, you know, of course the public was invited to see. And I did live painting on their waterfront on the riverside. Um, and, you know, because it's a small place, everyone kind of knew, like, that's the Canadian guy who's up in the window painting the window.

Christina: [00:23:34] Like, yeah, that's cool.

Ryan: [00:23:35] You know, the studio had big shop windows like, so.

Christina: [00:23:38] At one point as well. I don't remember exactly when this happened, but you, you did become the voice of a beer brand. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Because that's that was just sort of like one of those things that I don't know if you grow up thinking, you know, one day I just dream of being like singing the theme song for an Austrian or German beer. I don't even know what, but what the hell.

Ryan: [00:24:06] Like that was when I was in in Austria, Innsbruck.

Christina: [00:24:09] Before the artist residency. Yeah.

Ryan: [00:24:12] Yeah. And I was working in a studio with a band or I was recording some demos in a studio outside of Innsbruck, and the studio got this, you know, call from an advertising agency like, you know, we're searching for the next voice of Stiegl beer.

Christina: [00:24:38] Stiegl beer.

Ryan: [00:24:39] Which is, you know, the red and white can with the stairs. Stegal stairs. Um, and they said, okay, we're going to, you know, pick a few different artists and send you some demos and. And so I was I think one of, I don't know, six or I don't know how many people were were doing this, but, um, yeah, just randomly in the studio. One night we recorded the song. The demo.

Christina: [00:25:10] In English?

Ryan: [00:25:11] Yeah. Yeah. So I don't even know if.

Christina: [00:25:13] I've ever heard this song. Now I want to. You have to play it for me later.

Ryan: [00:25:17] It was a hit, a number one hit in Austria in I think the 90s or like oh mid 80s. Okay. And they were revamping it for this new commercial.

Christina: [00:25:31] Okay.

Ryan: [00:25:32] Yeah. And uh, all about the song is called Slow down. Slow down. Yeah.

Christina: [00:25:38] Drink your Stiegl nice and slow.

Ryan: [00:25:40] Exactly. And the commercials like this hot guy driving a tractor and I don't know don't his car breaks down, he jumps on a tractor with these farmer women and.

Christina: [00:25:52] Oh, are they in lederhosen?

Ryan: [00:25:55] Uh, no. No, I don't think so. I think they're.

Christina: [00:25:58] So did anything wild other than just doing the vocal for that, which is wild, but like, was there any other wild opportunity that came from that?

Ryan: [00:26:08] Yeah. So it so it aired like we recorded after they chose me to do it. Yeah. We, you know, rerecorded it with the, um, advertising agency people at the studio, which was intimidating when you have like, Yeah, you know, the client is there like watching you like.

Christina: [00:26:30] Did they critique, were they like.

Ryan: [00:26:32] Yeah. Oh yeah. There were, there were moments of like, maybe it needs to sound a little bit like.

Christina: [00:26:38] Shania.

Ryan: [00:26:39] A little bit like Shania, a little.

Christina: [00:26:41] More Shania, little Michael yeah.

Ryan: [00:26:47] But it was cool.

Christina: [00:26:49] Yeah.

Ryan: [00:26:49] And so it aired with the commercial and it was in, I think it ran in Austria, in Switzerland and Germany for like three years or something. They used this commercial on TV.

Christina: [00:27:01] Do you see back end royalties from that?

Ryan: [00:27:03] No, I get paid a flat fee. Yeah.

Christina: [00:27:08] Cool. Cool.

Ryan: [00:27:09] Which I regret now.

Christina: [00:27:12] I shouldhave been your lawyer. No kidding. I probably would have screwed you over. Yeah.

Ryan: [00:27:18] But. And then that led to the owner of Stiegl, based in Salzburg, in Austria. They were having a big event. Um, like an outdoor open air concert. And they wanted, they had a symphony orchestra there, like a full symphony.

Christina: [00:27:39] No biggie.

Ryan: [00:27:40] To play some stuff. And one of the, they wanted this new version of the song played with a symphony orchestra as part of this event at the Stiegl's headquarters outside.

Dale: [00:27:55] (Sneeze) Scuse me.

Christina: [00:27:56] Gesundheit.

Dale: [00:27:57] (Sneeze)

Christina: [00:27:59] Douple Gesundheit. Katrouple Gesundheit. Kaschnitzel Sunday.

Ryan: [00:28:10] Kaschnitzel. (laughter) Stiegl Schnitzel.

Christina: [00:28:11] Stiegl, schnitzel, gesundheit.

Christina: [00:28:17] So was that amazing?

Ryan: [00:28:19] Yeah. So they asked me to come and perform the vocals for this orchestra song.

Christina: [00:28:26] Fantastic. That is pretty cool. Outside.

Ryan: [00:28:29] Outside. Big. Like, you know.

Christina: [00:28:31] My God.

Ryan: [00:28:32] Amphitheater with the orchestra.

Christina: [00:28:35] Yeah, that's like. I mean, it's. I mean, when I think of that area where you were living, just having toured through there for many years, it just it just sort of feels like even when you're describing all this, it just feels like a fairy tale, like, you know, and that the Alps, the mountains, the the valleys, the everything is so vibrant, like even oftentimes in the winter as well. There's always something vibrant to look at unless you're further north in Europe. But go ahead.

Ryan: [00:29:10] Yeah, but I think that's something that you see if you're on holiday or on tour. When you get a snippet of something and yeah, of course, like everything is beautiful, the landscape is beautiful, but it is here too. But I think the difference is, is that, you know, I had a friend, um, who I met through an English speaking group in Innsbruck. Yeah. Very early on, like within the first few months. And we were just chatting about her experience. I think she had been there for a couple of years. And, um, she said, I think she was asking, Do you like the mountains or whatever? And I said, I mean, yeah, they're stunning. They're beautiful. And. She said something to the effect of people. Um, stay here until they. Don't see the mountains anymore. There's something to the effect of like, Yeah, the beauty is there and it's stunning until it's.

Christina: [00:30:13] until it's like..

Ryan: [00:30:15] Until life takes over and then the mountains just become.

Christina: [00:30:19] Big humps of dirt. Cancerous mounds. Um.

Ryan: [00:30:28] No, but. And that was, I mean, kind of true for me. Like, uh, where I, you know, I could always see the beauty of them, but, um. When life after a few years and you're thinking about other things and you're trying to build your career and your job and your friendships and relationships and the landscape becomes much less bibrant or vivid.

Christina: [00:30:56] Much of a reason to even be there. Stay. It's not a priority right now.

Ryan: [00:31:01] Yeah, I mean, you start. You start missing the ocean, you know, or you start feeling like the mountains are a bit claustrophobic or, you know.

Christina: [00:31:15] You start missing the hard economic times from Atlantic Canada.

Ryan: [00:31:19] Yeah. You know.

Christina: [00:31:22] The struggle. The struggling health care system.

Ryan: [00:31:26] Yeah.

Christina: [00:31:27] Your family. 

Ryan: [00:31:28] Didn't miss that. Miss the family Yes. Yeah.

Christina: [00:31:31] Yeah. So what was it finally that pulled you back here? We're coming around the mountain here to this really other cool thing in your life now that you've created. But first, I want to people to know what is it that brought you? Because, you know, I think a lot of people are like, oh, the dream might be to live somewhere romantic like Switzerland or, you know, um. You came back.

Ryan: [00:31:58] Yeah. And it is a dream to like. And it still is. Close to my heart, to, my experiences there.

Christina: [00:32:07] You miss it?

Ryan: [00:32:08] I miss it. Yeah. Yeah, I do. Um. But why did I come home? So I missed home. I wasn't connecting with. People or myself the way I wanted to be in Switzerland. And it was, you know, at first it was nice. It's an incredibly beautiful country and beautiful cities and public transit is amazing, you know? Um, but I was missing my family, like, the last couple of years. Um, and missing friends. And it just got to a point. And I think in my relationship as well, where the urge for me to stay there became weaker than my urge to to go home. Yeah. And. It also came from, you know, trying a few different things, like feeling like, okay, how do I make my life feel better here now, trying those things and those things not working. And, you know, in the last six months, especially the last year, it was just, um, yeah, I felt like I was.

Christina: [00:33:37] You were trying and trying and...

Ryan: [00:33:39] Banging my head against the wall, just like, you know, you kind of try every avenue, like, okay, maybe this will make me feel happy and settled. Yeah, maybe that will. And, um, you know, my relationship at the time was, was great. Like, um. I was lucky in many respects, but I wasn't personally happy with what I was doing. And yeah, it just. Got to a point where a very good friend, one of my besties, came to visit and I realized. When he came and said, You are not yourself here. And it hit me like a ton of bricks when I was I just thought, yeah, like he sees it. Someone who knows me very well. 

Christina: [00:34:33] It's Joe.

Ryan: [00:34:34] It's Joe Landry.

Christina: [00:34:36] Joe Landry. I knew it. Yeah.

Ryan: [00:34:39] Yeah. Um. Yeah, but that was the turning point for me. Yeah, I thought, okay, I miss everyone. Things aren't working out the way I want them to. And that's when I said to Stefan, okay, it's time to for me to go.

Christina: [00:34:51] Switch it up. Yeah. Interesting that you brought up that Joe's visit and what he said to you stuck and made you, helped you make that decision for yourself. You did that for me. And I don't know if you remember when you did that, but we were I was in a relationship that I, you know, wasn't wasn't good for me, wasn't good for the other person, probably. I turned I think turned into somebody I didn't recognize really anymore. I knew every ounce of me knew that I needed to get out. But I was I felt stuck. And I think in hindsight, I mean, all of my friends now would say, oh my God, we didn't like you when you were with that person and we didn't like that person. And now they would say that. But at the time nobody said anything. But after a show we were both at afterwards you came up to me. We were chatting and the person I was with was there, but sort of in a different room in this venue. And you said, Christina Martin, what are you doing with so and so? And I just said, I don't know. I know you're right, I said. And it was like I was just waiting for somebody to, you know, tell me about I think my friends didn't say anything because they thought I wouldn't listen. But I and this is why I think when people hesitate to say something when they care about like I think, why not just say it? Like, I mean, just say it and then what have you got to lose? It doesn't have to be the end of a friendship. You could have said that it was a valid question. What are you doing with this person? Or. Yeah, it was good that you said that and it was good that Joe said that.

Ryan: [00:36:50] And yeah.

Christina: [00:36:51] Thank you is what I'm getting at.

Ryan: [00:36:53] Well, you're welcome. I yeah, I didn't really. You've mentioned that before, but I wasn't quite aware of the. The impact that it made?

Christina: [00:37:04] Oh yeah. It was definitely a turning point for me where I was like, I need to start getting ready to leave. And, you know. And yeah. And taking it seriously and.

Ryan: [00:37:15] Yeah, yeah. Which is a scary moment too. 

Christina: [00:37:19] It was very scary. Yes. Yeah. Particularly when I mean, I don't know if you can relate at that point, but I didn't have, I didn't feel I had anywhere to go. I did have actually have places to go. I found out eventually, but I was also not somebody who I have a hard time or had at the time asking for help. Like I always wanted to be self sufficient, independent and I had become. You know, fairly financially reliant on this. I think person and our lifestyle together. So yeah, it was scary.

Christina: [00:38:00] But sometimes you got to hit rock bottom and do the tough move and put your pride aside and and just slowly build that life that you were meant to live, even if you can't see it right away, Which I mean, from my perspective, I really want to hear how you feel now about your life because I feel like you made that decision, you know, which was hard. You came back here, you had a dream. And I don't know exactly what point this dream started, but now at present. Well, from what I perceive to be a short period of time, you have launched a successful business called Honey. I'm sorry. Called. Hey, honey. I don't even know the name.  Honey. Artful living.

Ryan: [00:38:51] Joy with Honey, Artful Living.

Christina: [00:38:53] Fuck! Custom artwork, home decorating, fun interior solutions. This has been something you've always kind of had an interest in.

Ryan: [00:39:01] Yes. 

Christina: [00:39:03] Okay, well, because.

Ryan: [00:39:04] Yeah, like one of my when, I was a kid, when I was like three years old, my mother would give me a can of furniture, polish.

Christina: [00:39:16] Dangerous.

Ryan: [00:39:17] And a rag.

Christina: [00:39:19] And say, get to work mother fucker.

Ryan: [00:39:19] One of my favorite things was polishing furniture for hours. I remember vividly polishing, like the banister up the stairway and all the, you know, in the wood on the furniture and like,

Christina: [00:39:34] Are you busy on Friday?

Ryan: [00:39:38] No.

Christina: [00:39:39] Because I've got a can of furniture polish with your name on it.

Ryan: [00:39:43] Yeah.

Christina: [00:39:44] Oh, my God. No. But I've never. That is so interesting.

Ryan: [00:39:46] Yeah. So it was, you know, between that and drawing on paper bags with crayons and spinning around on this shag carpet to Michael Jackson.

Christina: [00:39:57] Nice.

Ryan: [00:39:58] Those were my three activities.

Christina: [00:40:01] Wow. In, this was in Goshen.

Ryan: [00:40:04] In. Yeah. Country Harbor and Goshen. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. And Antigonish. Yeah.

Christina: [00:40:10] In my mind's eye. I'm seeing all this right now. 

Ryan: [00:40:15] Yeah. And so when I started this new business, it wasn't a new idea for me. I guess I had never really thought about making a business of it. 

Christina: [00:40:28] Well it's also like a lot. There's a lot that goes into running, starting running, launching a business, and then maintaining a successful business. So, you know, you had this idea and then you had to spend a lot of time figuring out how you're going to, what are all the steps like. Trial and error more trying.

Ryan: [00:40:50] Yeah, and a lot of error.

Christina: [00:40:52] People don't see those errors or, you know, often know about them. Um, what you're presenting is, uh, is quite exciting and successful. And yeah, I. I'm really proud of you.

Ryan: [00:41:08] That's. Thank you. That's also the, you know, that's all perception and social media and..

Christina: [00:41:16] Well maybe you want to post some of your fails. Uh.

Ryan: [00:41:20] I mean, I just don't have any yet. You know.

Christina: [00:41:24] We talked about a few.

Ryan: [00:41:25] But no, that's. It's actually something that I'm trying to because I'm new. I have to, you know, I have to build this up. Like, I can't be just, like, coming out and, oh, I fucked this up, you know, like, hire me. Yes. But I would love to get to a point where I, I am confident enough and I know that the business is confident enough and that I could be more open about like, well, that project didn't work. And this is why. And you know, like.

Christina: [00:41:57] Yeah, I'm envisioning like turning on the taps and then everything explodes, you know, and.

Ryan: [00:42:02] It happens.

Christina: [00:42:04] I'm envisioning, what else am I envisioning, a person walking into their new room and falling through the floor, the wood floor into their basement?

Ryan: [00:42:13] Yeah, well, I wouldn't I wouldn't let that happen, but.

Christina: [00:42:17] Well you never know. There's still time. It's. Well, how long has it been, though, since you started the business? And really, how are you feeling about it today?

Ryan: [00:42:30] Yeah, I mean, I feel good about it. I've had a lot of cool projects. I have upcoming projects that I'm excited about. It's something I really love doing and I get a lot of satisfaction out of. And it's a. A service that is outside of myself, which being a musician and a songwriter and a visual artist. A lot of it has to do with a lot of solitude and self-reflection and which, you know, I've I've done and I still love and value. But this was kind of one of the first things. First one of my kind of creative outlets that was about directly. Communicating with my client, with my audience, quote unquote. Whereas before, I was always kind of, you know, creating personal work that I would ultimately try to perform and record and, you know, translate for an audience, essentially. Um, but with this, I get to work with people on a project. So it's the collaborative part of, of being a musician is with your, you know, in the studio with your band and with the sound people and the agents and then ultimately the audience when they hear or see you perform. And um, but with this, it's, um. It's nice to have that process. Be with your audience. Yeah. You know, from the get go because I'm not I'm not sitting just doing random designs of random homes like maybe an architect is or a furniture designer might be designing furniture. But what I've been doing, decorating primarily and a bit of design consultation, is working with someone to help facilitate their dream, dream their living space there. And I love that direct approach and result and but it still feels really new, not in terms of a passion or an interest, but the business is very new and it's.

Christina: [00:45:03] Maybe it'll always feel new. I mean.

Ryan: [00:45:06] Yeah, I mean, there are parts of it that I don't want to feel new.

Christina: [00:45:09] I understand. I understand. Well, those things maybe will get, you know, easier or more routine, but. But I like to come at everything with a beginner's mind, a song, a show. Like every time it. It feels kind of fresher that way. I was going to ask you, you talked about your earlier memory with your mom giving handing you the furniture polish. And one of the questions I was going to ask was, what was a first memory of you actually creating something and like having that connection that, hey, I can I can do this, I think I'm good at this.

Ryan: [00:45:51] Is that something that happens?

Christina: [00:45:54] I think it did for me, but only for a moment. Then I forgot about it for like many, many years.

Ryan: [00:46:00] But in terms of visual art, I knew something was up in terms of, you know, talent or what I could show or whatever. When I was 11, I was in grade five.

Christina: [00:46:13] Okay, that's yeah, that's young.

Ryan: [00:46:15] And there was an art competition. In my school in Antigonish, where I was born. Um. And, you know, everyone had to just create a piece of art and it would be shown in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia as part of a student exhibition. And. Yeah, I created this piece. We kind of had like a whole afternoon or a whole day to work on this, like it was a thing like. And I remember being very encouraged as I was working on this and, and I created a Yeah, what? I still see that piece. I think that's, that's fucked up that. Where is it an 11 year old. I think my parents have it. Okay. I haven't seen it. It's a little disturbing, but it's disturbing. Well, it's dark. It's essentially a tree, but it's kind of like on fire. And there's two suns and it's black and white. And but anyway, at that time, and I won this contest, and that's when I kind of thought, okay, like maybe I'm doing something a bit I'm going to be cool here. Like, yeah.

Christina: [00:47:29] Because you won.

Ryan: [00:47:30] I won. Yeah.

Christina: [00:47:32] Happiness. For you. What? What is it to be happy?

Ryan: [00:47:37] I don't know, honestly.

Christina: [00:47:38] That's perfectly fine answer.

Ryan: [00:47:41] Yeah, it's something I've had plenty of conversations about. Um. I don't. I honestly don't believe in. Happiness. And I don't I don't know if that's because I've maybe I haven't truly been happy, but I feel like happiness is. Some kind of it's like a heaven. It's a construct of I know what it's like to feel joy and to feel satisfied and to be excited and to anticipate something and to feel love and to be loved. And but I feel like people this live laugh, love, happiness. I don't really get it. And I don't when people say, are you happy? Are many things. Yeah. You know, and in a day I can wake up feeling like shit. And in the afternoon I feel super happy. By the time I had my evening coffee, I might feel like shit again. And at 7 p.m. I might feel happy.

Christina: [00:48:51] And maybe you should stop having coffee. I think that's the source of your Fucking roller coaster, man.

Ryan: [00:48:57] Yeah, actually, now that I think about it. Damn coffee.

Christina: [00:49:02] That's what I did. And I could tell ya, as soon as I asked the question, I thought, you know, what happiness is for me is just being like a kind of feeling peaceful, calm, like a sense of peaceful and calm and, I guess presence really. Um, and in that, I it, if that's what, maybe that's what happiness is for me, I guess. But, um, but maybe, but I can completely. I think that's a really cool answer because I've. I think we do. Like, Yeah, just to be one thing. Like, I mean it. I ride that roller coaster.

Ryan: [00:49:43] I've never been good at at being one thing.

Christina: [00:49:45] It's better if you're not miserable all the time, though. Like, you know what I mean?

Ryan: [00:49:49] Like, Yeah, yeah. Do I want to be, you know, experience joy and light, you know.

Christina: [00:49:55] Healthy. Like, I think there are healthier moods to be in, maybe. At least part of the time. Yeah.

Song 'I Don't Want to Say Goodbye to You': [00:50:06] Yeah, yeah.

Ryan: [00:50:07] No, and I get that. And yeah, um, what I don't want is for that to sound manic. That's, that's not a fun experience, I don't think. But happiness, if we, if we have to.

Christina: [00:50:27] We don't have to do anything.

Ryan: [00:50:28] But we have to.

Christina: [00:50:29] It's okay. 

Ryan: [00:50:31] No. When I think about the times I've. I've felt the most myself.

Christina: [00:50:37] Oh, yes.

Ryan: [00:50:38] Were when I was. On a like a good flow of creating. And I felt free in that creation. You know, as as an artist. So that is my self-expression. And that is when I guess that's what brings me that peace.

Christina: [00:50:57] Creative freedom.

Ryan: [00:50:59] Creative freedom. Um. You know, when I've had moments like the artist in residence in Kufstein, for example. Yeah. An opportunity like that. Allowed me to take six months of my life and just create without having to worry about where I was going to live, who I was going to live with if I was getting paid. If people were going to like what I was doing. Because the whole point of it was the process of it. Was me to be there, to be present and active. And I think that and I really do hold that as one of the greatest highlights of my life so far.

Christina: [00:51:53] One of my heartbeat listeners who will remain anonymous. Name starts with an S, ends with an E wrote in the quest of finding a loving life partner is an elusive and challenging one. So this heartbeat listener of mine, they had really great questions and I thought that you and I, Ryan, could both chat through these questions. What do you think?

Ryan: [00:52:17] Yeah. Let's do it.

Christina: [00:52:19] Okay, first question. What was the most valuable or life changing lesson you can share about what you learned from a dating situation or a failed relationship? I would. You know, one, if anyone out there is going through a failed or failing relationship. I was going through one at one point and had such anxiety and that lost a lot of my confidence. And I got into this back and forth reacting and saying horrible things to each other. And I was going to therapy at the time and the therapist was like, You need to stop. Like, you need to just stop responding, reacting. It's not going well. And another friend of mine, um, said, just as hard as it is, just hit everything over the head with compassion, You know, like every response you make come at it with love kind of thing. So those two things helped me break that cycle of getting drawn back into this negative. The spiral back and forth and. Move on with my life.

Ryan: [00:53:33] Yeah. I think for me, in terms of failed relationships. Time can heal a lot of your wounds.

Christina: [00:53:47] I've heard that. Yeah. Yeah, it's true, though. They. Yeah, they definitely become. 

Ryan: [00:53:51] Yeah, I mean, in terms of reacting and.

Christina: [00:53:54] And you might even find that you honestly don't have any feeling like if you are able to kind of let it go or just your life changes, something shifts, you might even forgive, like legit. Forgive. 

Ryan: [00:54:08] Yeah and I think, you know, when you're going through that, your emotions can be so raw. That you're, you're just you. You're all over the place. Like you had mentioned that you just kept kind of bouncing back and forth.

Christina: [00:54:23] Chemicals were bouncing.

Ryan: [00:54:24] Right.

Christina: [00:54:24] Like I felt out of control. 

Ryan: [00:54:27] Yeah. And I think, um. Trying to find a bit of patience in those moments. I remember a breakup when I was very young in my 20s like one of my first real breakups. Um, and I was like, I had to go for a walk. I was just like, feeling totally uneasy. And I was like, I'm just going to walk. I'm going to make a thermos of tea and walk, you know, the the streets of South End Halifax. And and I was just walking. And at one point the thought just came to my brain like. What if. What if this is all. Supposed to be like it is right now. What if I am feeling this right now because I'm supposed to be? Not because he doesn't love me or I fucked up or I did something or he did something or just like I had this little moment of clarity where I was like, okay, maybe. Maybe this is all just supposed to be the way it is.

Christina: [00:55:33] Yeah, I'm not going to plug my my new album and the songs on it. But I do want to say I just wrote a song that's on my new album that basically says just that. It's called Meant to Get Us through. But the whole thing is about going through the process of a talking through, a break up, the letter you would write to somebody and say everything you, but saying this is just you were you know, what happened to us was it was just meant to get us through to the next thing.

Ryan: [00:56:02] Yeah. Yeah.

Christina: [00:56:03] And that's okay. Yeah, it hurt, but.

Ryan: [00:56:07] And I think there's a bit of comfort in that. Like if you can, it's hard to, to feel stoic or still in those moments. But that I do remember. And I still think about that moment, you know, if I'm having an anxious time or whatever, I still think, okay, but maybe it's this is just the way it is right now.

Christina: [00:56:35] Next.

Ryan: [00:56:36] Okay.

Christina: [00:56:38] Wet, wet, wet or dry? Um, that's not a question, but. Okay. Wet or dry?

Ryan: [00:56:49] Oh, wet.

Christina: [00:56:50] Yeah, me too. Always wet. What was up with dry humping? And, like, why did why was that ever?

Ryan: [00:56:57] Wet humping?

Christina: [00:56:58] Yeah. Why didn't we wet hump in High school?

Dale: [00:57:01] Less chafing.

Christina: [00:57:03] Okay. What red flags do you wish you hadn't overlooked at the start of a dating relationship? Uh. Uh, you know, the way somebody talks about. Anyone, like, talks about their exes. Um. Like I, Dales never spoken ill about anybody that he's ever been with.

Ryan: [00:57:34] That you know of.

Christina: [00:57:35] To me anyway, so. Or like his mother, or like he. He's just. Yeah. So and you know I've had partners that. And even like, you know, like growing up. That was something that my dad always did. He would talk very badly about all the women in his life and blame them. And so that was a red flag with one relationship. I wish I had gone. You know, I don't. Again, no regrets, but. Just noticing, paying attention to how the person you're with talks about other people.

Ryan: [00:58:18] Or about you. I mean, that's something that I just recently. I've kind of, you know, had been in tune with like. You know how your partner talks to you and those red flags and and they're easily forgettable or dismissible in relationships. But there are several things that I when I look back at my relationships, like when I think, oh, well, that's that's a big reason that didn't work out because that sums a lot of things up and.

Christina: [00:58:57] Okay, next question. Is infatuation essential, good or bad? Irrelevant or a red herring.

Ryan: [00:59:05] In a relationship like for a healthy relationship or. 

Christina: [00:59:10] Yes, that's the question. I guess it depends. Like, I mean, I was not infatuated with my my husband now today. In the beginning at all. We were friends who had a working relationship. It evolved into a friendship that evolved into a hot and heavy relationship that dwindled into it. Um, and I. But there were periods where, like, there were periods, you know, um. We're like, you know that like when we started to be in an intimate relationship where I really think this is where like brain chemistry comes in and like chemicals start moving around and you're like, okay, I'm totally obsessed with this person. And it's, you know, that kind of wears off. But I mean, I still want to I still want him to be in the room with me almost all the time.

Dale: [01:00:20] I'm here.

Ryan: [01:00:22] I'm literally over here people. 

Christina: [01:00:25] I don't know. I don't know if it. I mean, do you need to be infatuated with someone to love them, care for them? I don't think that's.

Ryan: [01:00:35] I don't think.So. 

Christina: [01:00:38] I'm not comfortable with being infatuated. I have been infatuated at times in my life. I don't like it. It feels uncomfortable for me and a distraction. It takes me outside of what my purpose it has in the past, my purpose, my feeling grounded. So I don't. I don't like.

Ryan: [01:00:58] It. Yeah, I agree.

Christina: [01:00:59] Fuck it.

Ryan: [01:01:00] Fuck it.

Christina: [01:01:01] Fuck that shit. Is, this is a follow up question to that, and the last question. And thank you so much to my anonymous little heartbeat listener, name starts with an S, ends with an E, for these wonderful questions about relationships and dating. Is initial physical attraction essential to love? Relationship success. Um. Again, I think it's a whatever successful relationship means to somebody. Um. I think that's going to be different for so many different people. And there are some people who are like like asexual, like don't physical attraction is just not a thing. Some important to them, companionship is more important.

Ryan: [01:01:55] So and I think it depends on age too. Yeah. Like when is this relationship happening? And, where are your hormones? Where are your priorities?

Christina: [01:02:07] Like, I can I can remember a time in my life where, like my sex drive, in a relationship, like I lost that desire to be intimate. And I thought, I misunderstood. I thought that that was a sign, I would think that was a sign at the time, like when I was young, that, well, this is over, you know, But that's... Instead of realizing that's actually a very natural part of like sex drive, physical attraction and all the. Yeah. That that for some people that goes away, comes back, like it takes work sometimes to, not for everybody, again, it's just everybody's so different what do you think.

Ryan: [01:02:51] Yeah um for me yeah.

Christina: [01:02:57] Hot and heavy.

Ryan: [01:02:58] Well yeah. I mean I. Yeah, I like a, I like a hot guy, a pretty boy. But. But there is a spectrum there. Like.

Christina: [01:03:10] Like what if you're with this hot person and like you, you're like, oh, well, I'm still physically attracted to you. And like, but your body's not, would you leave a relationship if you weren't physically turned on by someone, but intellectually or like you're like, Well, I'm still this person is beautiful to me. I just.

Ryan: [01:03:32] No, of course not.

Christina: [01:03:33] You would. No, no, I'm just kidding.

Ryan: [01:03:38] No, I don't know. I think. I think it is important to be. For me? I don't know. I think it is important to be physically attracted to my lover, too. Yeah, And physically attracted doesn't necessarily mean that I want to bang every day.

Christina: [01:03:58] But it's called making love.

Ryan: [01:04:00] Sorry, but I think there is a..

Christina: [01:04:05] Pound. Yeah. Pound, pound.

Ryan: [01:04:08] Let's go to pound town.

Christina: [01:04:09] Pound town.

Ryan: [01:04:11] Um.

Christina: [01:04:11] You're listening to Pound Town with Christina Martin and Ryan McGrath. Pound Town.

Ryan: [01:04:17] And what are your followers called now?

Christina: [01:04:19] Pounders. So what you're saying is that you may not want to take your partner to pound town every minute.

Ryan: [01:04:45] But, you know.No, no, I. I think. I think that, uh, physical appearance.

Christina: [01:04:51] Attractiveness.

Ryan: [01:04:52] Attractiveness is important in relationships. If. If that's what you want.

Christina: [01:05:00] Well, it's sort of like.

Ryan: [01:05:01] It's not. It's not. It's certainly should not be the only part of relationship. Yeah. If it is that, I think that relationship will be very..

Christina: [01:05:10] Sexual. Pretty hot. Pretty poundy.

Ryan: [01:05:12] But for how long, you know. And.

Christina: [01:05:15] Yeah.

Ryan: [01:05:15] Or Yeah, but maybe longevity isn't your, isn't your goal. Yeah. And that's fine too too. So I don't know, date the uglies, date the pretties.

Christina: [01:05:29] Do whatever you want, but just don't give up. If that's something that you're curious about, I'd say go after it. And if it's not, there's a lot of people who self partner and don't. It's not a priority. That is okay too. I don't think we grow up hearing that too often. It's like, but maybe more so now that, hey, it's okay.

Dale: [01:05:49] Take yourself to pound town.

Christina: [01:05:52] You heard it from Dale Murray. And that's our session for the day.

Ryan: [01:05:58] Take yourself to pound town.

Christina: [01:06:00] Ryan, I love you.

Ryan: [01:06:02] Christina. I love you, too.

Christina: [01:06:04] And thank you so much for sharing and caring. And I wish you all the happiness in the world.

Ryan: [01:06:11] Oh, didn't we just talk about happiness?

Christina: [01:06:13] I know all the creative freedom.

Ryan: [01:06:17] Thank you. Creative freedom and expression.

Christina: [01:06:20] That's right.

Ryan: [01:06:21] Intrigue and. 

Christina: [01:06:22] Pound town, everyone's going to pound town.

Song 'I Don't Want to Say Goodbye to You': [01:06:39] I don't want to say goodbye to you. I don't want to say goodbye to you.

Heartbeat Hotline: [01:06:54] Welcome to the Heartbeat Hotline. 1-902-6690-4769. I'm the host of a Chat with Heart podcast, Christina Martin, and I'm so excited you called. Leave me your question, suggestion for the podcast or a comment about this episode. Please be aware your message may be used on the podcast and social media. Tell me your name, where you're calling from, and it's also fine if you want to remain anonymous. Thanks for listening. Have a great fucking day.

Christina: [01:07:27] Thanks for listening to a Chat with Heart podcast, produced and written by me, Christina Martin and co-produced and engineered by Dale Murray. Check out Dale's website dalemurray.ca. The podcast theme song 'Talk about It' and 'I Don't Want to Say Goodbye to You' were written by me and recorded by Dale Murray. You can find my music on Bandcamp and all the places you stream music. Visit my Patreon page to become a monthly or yearly supporter of this podcast and my music endeavors. If you're new to Patreon, it's a membership platform that helps creators get paid. Sign up at patreon.com/ChristinaMartin. I would love it if you had time to share, rate, leave a review and subscribe to a Ahat with Heart on all the places you listen to podcasts. Wishing you, my little heartbeats, a great day.