Welcome to The Truth in His Heart. I am your host Rob Lee. Thank you for joining me for my conversations at the intersection of arts, culture, and community. Today, I've got a wonderful guest. I'm looking forward to speaking with Jason Steer.
Rob Lee:Welcome
Jason Steer:Thank you so much for having me. It's a true pleasure to be here. I've listened to your work.
Rob Lee:Thank you.
Jason Steer:Been very impressed with the kind of conversations that you've had in the past. Excited to see where you'll take me today.
Rob Lee:We're we're gonna go on a journey, I think. And I I feel a little bad. I'm not wearing my pretentious art guy glasses.
Jason Steer:Got it.
Rob Lee:I have the circular ones.
Jason Steer:I wear it with a scarf.
Rob Lee:I have my black shirt on. This is intentional. So be before we get into, like, the main crux of the conversation. Right? Get these questions and all of that.
Rob Lee:I want to, like, start off. Like you gave me the extensive background.
Jason Steer:Oh, yeah. You know what
Rob Lee:I mean? But I still will lobby it back to you. Yeah. Because I think a lot of times when we have the online thing, we have the artist statements, the bios. Yeah.
Jason Steer:Yeah. Yeah.
Rob Lee:Inevitably something is missing. You know what I mean? It's like I've interviewed folks and I'll say, journalist, this. I'll name 10 different things. Right?
Rob Lee:Right. Right. It's like, you forgot I'm also a boxer. I'm like, wow. Where did that come from?
Jason Steer:Right. It's not
Rob Lee:my bio. So if you will, could you, you know, tell us a bit about yourself, sort of that elevator intro speech.
Jason Steer:Okay.
Rob Lee:And, you know, a bit about your work.
Jason Steer:Okay. Alright. So what's not on there? So art has always been so born and bred in London. Right?
Jason Steer:London, England. Raised within a Caribbean family. Shout out to all the yardies that's listening to the to the podcast today. And coming from a Caribbean family, creativity is not necessarily a go to space. It's we're very practical people.
Jason Steer:We want to be it's engineering, mechanics, doctors, typical kind of like, what do you call it? Colonialist mentality. Like this is how this is what success looks like going forward, right? Sure. Being practical.
Jason Steer:So me saying I wanna be a creative, they were like, you want to draw? What will drawing do for you? Because that's something creative means. You're a drawer. What can you do being a drawer?
Jason Steer:And I was like, well, I'm not sure, but I love that experience. Right? I'm a person that grew up. I'm I'm of that generation where I was involved in or not involved in watched all the early anime. Like, Akira is one of the biggest things that changed my perspective.
Jason Steer:I'm a I'm a kid that watched Garfield, and I used to draw and illustrate Garfield in my notebook everywhere I went because I thought the illustrations were dope. Like that's who I was as a kid, right. And comic books, I was a proper little comic book head. You know what I mean? That's why x men gonna geek out.
Jason Steer:If you're in this world, geek out. X men, what, 97? Sex kiss. Because that was my era. I grew up from that.
Jason Steer:I grew up, I still have those, I have those comic books, right, of Storm fighting against Cyclops for the leadership of the ex. So this is my era as a high school kid. Right? That's my era. So growing up in that space, that was my escape.
Jason Steer:That was my escape. I was able to do that. I went to art college in London. I transferred to Surrey Institute For Art and Design, and studied industrial design, which basically to me is I studied to be a blacksmith. Right?
Jason Steer:And people always people always look at me, like, turn their heads aside, like, blacksmith. Like, that's a thing. And I'm a person of color, so it's like, really? Like you? And yeah, it was really really exciting to be in this is is it's in a shop.
Jason Steer:And you know, the sparks and the the intimidation of fire and the understanding the mechanisms that you know, manipulating of materials is powerful to me in the sense of, you know, I go big to, like, large gates to small jewelry pieces, but each of them required technique and dedication and understanding, and it was a really, really dope experience for me. And that kind of informed who I was, you know, as I moved in my young adulteness, but also in the same way I was able to I also grew up in a space where we had the Creative Alliance has a creativity centre. Yeah. Growing up I had something similar, it's we call it, it was called a play centre for us, where it was legitimately just a space to play and grow and explore and create and have fun with your friends. And that was a space that I eventually developed skill sets to kind of take over.
Jason Steer:I was running those kind of spaces back in London for a number of years. So that kind of career where creating space, creating programming, creating spaces where people could explore and find themselves was really, really kind of, like, part of what took me to where I'm at today. Right? And that's where I've kind of that's how my journey's continued going forward. So I'm rambling, so I'm gonna stop right there.
Rob Lee:See, see, see, see, see, the thing is, right, thank you, for one. I enjoy when people think that they're rambling because you're just making my job easier. You know, you're knocking out with questions that I have later, which is which is great. And and also it speaks to what's at the forefront for what's on a guest's mind when they're doing there. I I like to leave it like like, what's up there for you?
Rob Lee:Right. Like, go on. And, you know, so I wanna talk a bit about kind of kind of kind of moving towards parts of the career. I wanna talk about your experience at Apollo Theater.
Jason Steer:Mhmm. I
Rob Lee:can talk about that a bit. So, like, how did that come about? How did what what was that experience like? And, you know, what did it kinda teach you around sort of those intersections between community, arts, culture?
Jason Steer:Oh. You and your good questions. Okay. So the Apollo Theater came about, I was working for I was working in Connecticut. I was working for the city of Stanford within their, youth services space.
Jason Steer:And the opportunity for the Apollo came about because of the kind of work I was doing. Right? So I was doing workforce development internships but for corporations. Sure. Right?
Jason Steer:And I ended up working within the education space within the Apollo. Right? So for my for the audiences, obviously, the Apollo is a world renowned, one of 1 black theater. Right? It's the history.
Jason Steer:It's legendary in the sense of who's walked through the doors, and that small theater's impact on the world itself, right, and who presented there. I literally did a small presentation on this yesterday to a group of individuals from an organization called Tender Bridges, phenomenal organisation. So, moving on to your question, so I joined that organisation knowing that they had a clear north star. We are here to be a space for people of color to exhibit their work, incubate their work, present their work, and celebrate them. Right?
Jason Steer:And the lens I have coming through is like if I have if I have this beautiful, amazing tool, and I call it a tool because the access points that I was able to create is going to your point about community. Right? How do I engage with the community and get them to see the opportunities that exist within the theater space for a person of color, right? So it's theater. It's music.
Jason Steer:It's entertainment. But there are hundreds of jobs within that space. Right? Carpentry, audio, lighting, projection, video, front of house, logistics, administrative, there's ridiculous amounts of jobs in that space. So having an opportunity to engage and open a door for a young person or a young adult to experience what the Apollo is behind the curtains was amazing, right?
Jason Steer:In the sense of allowing allowing a teenager to walk in at the age of 16, produce a show, cause that's what they ended up doing, producing a legitimate show, and then recognising that their idea that was in their head maybe 6 months, 8 months ago, is actually in front of them. And I'm talking about them saying I want to present 3 singers, 2 dancers, a rapper, and I also want to have some gallery work happening. All right, cool. Let's make that happen. What decisions that you need to make?
Jason Steer:How are you going to make them? What information do you need? How are you gonna market it? How are you gonna engage with your audience? How are you gonna keep them excited?
Jason Steer:What is the tempo of your show? Right? All of these conversations had to happen. Right? But through that process, they really got to see and learn themselves.
Jason Steer:Right? They got to see and understand whether or not I feel comfortable in this space. I I'm they're taking the lead. Right? Yeah.
Jason Steer:I need to talk to a collection of adults. I need to talk to the marketing department about, you know, a social campaign. Or I need to talk to the marketing department, like, well, here's my vision for my show, and this is what we'd like it to look like. Can you help us out? Sure.
Jason Steer:And then, you know, working from there. And what does that mean? That means that it allowed not only that demographic, that community, that young audience, but it also gave the Apollo, who was seen as an as an old institution, some a new lens, right, and a new access point, right? I was able through that method of working with young people, I did VR panels. I did, screenwriting panels, I did cinematography panels, I did I tried to go into spaces literally did developing a dramaturge panel next in June.
Jason Steer:I tried not tried, I produced panels or introduced careers to young adults that really didn't know that they existed or that we as people of color were in and we were crazy successful. Right? Like I did an interview with Paul Tiswell, who was literally that year when I interviewed him, he he was nominated for his his first Oscar for costume design, right, for West Side Story. And but his his catalog was ridiculous. And I was just super, super dope, excited because for me, I'm a I'm a I'm a because of of my age and hearing about Apollo stories, you always heard about the time I someone said all the time I you know, I was talking to James Brown, or I talked to Aretha Franklin, or I was talking to I talked to Aretha Franklin or I was talking to some some legend, some god.
Jason Steer:Right?
Rob Lee:They were,
Jason Steer:like, just so flippant with them. Like, yeah, I was just But it always I was so not so much impressed by who they spoke to, but the lessons that that person shared.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Jason Steer:Right? So I always wanted to get into the spaces where I got to sit at the feet of a master and listen, right. Just listen. Like listening to Paul about his approach to his work and the research that he does and how he took on this subject or took on that subject. And, you know, I also got to speak to another, a younger designer.
Jason Steer:And I wanted to pair a younger designer who's just coming up in their career with someone with a mask that I pull and see what conversations were gonna happen. Right? And that's how I was able to kind of push these theories and these ideas out to the community, and engage the community in that way. Right? Get them excited about areas and spaces that I'm curious from.
Jason Steer:Right? I'm curious about this. So let me walk into that space and and bring people along with me. Right? I we did a thing.
Jason Steer:It's called Footprint. Right? And it was with a partnership with a sneaker designer. And, you know, people aren't seeing sneaker design as like, okay, sneaker design, the Apollo Theater. No, it's about being a creative, right?
Jason Steer:It's about being a creative and how sneaker design has impacted a lot of the community. And once again, speaking to a younger demographic, like sneakers has become a thing and still is a thing. So just speaking to them in their tongue as well as really trying to engage the community in, hopefully, in things that they will find interesting as well as exciting. There's a crap ton more I'll share, but I'll I'll hand it back to you.
Rob Lee:No. I I appreciate that. And, you know, this is not on mic, because we we talked about it beforehand. But, you know, you'd ask, like, why why reach out to you? What have you.
Rob Lee:I'm getting it. It's like I'm trusting my wife also. I've heard comics. I've heard sneakers. I've heard talking to the masters.
Rob Lee:And I was like, look, it's just right here. But it's it's important I think to one of the things you'd mentioned, or one of the things I gleaned from it, sort of that exposure piece. And when there's folks that look like like you and I being in a spot that I'll I'll put it this way. I've been a podcast for 15 years. Right?
Rob Lee:Yeah. You know, I've done some creative things. I wanna be a comic book artist. That was previous career. Yeah.
Rob Lee:And I've heard in this 15 years, you know, how I present, how I oh, you don't look like one of them. You don't like a podcast.
Jason Steer:No. I was like, what should you mean? Right.
Rob Lee:And then when folks see what I'm doing and understand what I'm doing, suddenly teaching gigs and other opportunities start presenting themselves because the skill in the background is there. But a lot of times where I might fall short and where I might become frustrated and I think this sentiment is across multiple sectors of folks that look like us. It's not having exposure. It's like you don't know you're misinformed or you're under informed as it relates to it because that opportunity hasn't been there to and you know, as I do this and want to kind of see it to whatever that next stage is, I have other people who frankly I think aren't qualified that will tell me, oh, you should lessen what your vision is. I'm like now I'm moving into a producer mindset and broadening it.
Rob Lee:Yep. And it's like it can be this. It can have that rapper. It can have that sneaker shirt. It can have all these different elements.
Rob Lee:It's all audience. That's gonna be weird, but still. No. I think no. I think you're on the
Jason Steer:right thing. Right? It's it's the conversation about podcasting has been a popular format of communication. If you wanna go back, radio. Right?
Jason Steer:Because radio was was it for us. Well, radio was it for me as a kid. Like, in in London, it was pirate pirate stations. Right? And so a lot of my information used to come from there.
Jason Steer:A lot of the characters, a lot of the conversations, a lot conversations, a lot of the dialogue was coming literally from radio and podcasting. Absolutely, it was a platform that blew up during, well, I think more during the pandemic or even before the pandemic. So yeah, where where do where does this form go? Where does this particular art form go? Where can we explore?
Jason Steer:And it's really about and you've seen it happen with podcasts turn into these live stage productions, right? You've had at the Apollo, I've seen a ton of them where they've got, and I'm, you know, is say 95 South, 95 West, I forgot. 95 South, yeah. 95 South. Right?
Jason Steer:They came to the Apollo, and once again it was a live present presentation. Right? Sold out tickets. It's nothing I'm not saying it's new, but the format is what it is. It's it's a lot I'm getting a live response from my audience.
Jason Steer:But rather than it just being 2 voices, now you're gonna hear me crack a jug and then you're gonna hear real laughter and real which creates a level of authenticity around it. So, you know, what is the authenticity that I'm trying to present to my audience through the work that I'm doing? Right? So it's it's dope when you'll and so keep on going. Like, just keep on pushing.
Jason Steer:You'll see you'll you'll you'll fruits of your label will be will be seen, and people will be
Rob Lee:like, oh. I I hope the fruits are maybe pineapple and jack. I don't know. It's gonna be a thing. I don't know.
Jason Steer:I hate you.
Rob Lee:I hate you. I hate you. So I I wanna I wanna talk a bit about, you know, sort of your your thought process when preparing new work. And this this question comes up because I'm very curious. That's the only one from you guys.
Rob Lee:I steal from all you creative guys, all you artists. I'm like, alright. How can I apply this to what I do? And when I when I think through sort of like a season, I'm like alright the most flexible option is I can do everything remote and then I kinda have sort of full control. And as I mentioned before we got started being on a boat, it was like that's the least amount of control I've ever had.
Rob Lee:Right. And it's like, but you still got to do those things, to really sharpen those skills that you have. So as far as like the preparation and the creative thinking process, can you speak a bit about you know, sort of the preparation, incubation, illumination verification, all of those different stages within that process for you. Mhmm. And I have a second part to it, but, you know, I'll I'll give you that anyway you go.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Jason Steer:So because of who I've trained, who I've trained and how I've kind of what I've experienced and the the variety as you heard me speak about, like, the variety of spaces I've gone into, what I've the process that I've taken on has been basically, it's as simple as this. It's been ideation, incubation, and execution. Right? Ideation, I generating the ideas, having a fun time coming up with the ideas, seeing what sticks, seeing what doesn't stick, really playing with it. And then the incubation, sitting with it.
Jason Steer:Right? Sitting with it really means asking the questions. Right? So so we did a a career panel that was, was a deaf career panel. So, one, it was something that the Apollo hadn't done before.
Jason Steer:2, it was for a deaf audience exclusively. True. Right? Once again, not an approach that had been done before, especially within our space. It was so the idea, we're going to present a career panel within the arts for a deaf, exclusively deaf audience.
Jason Steer:Alright. That's an idea. The incubation is who is in this who is in that space. Right? Who who from the deaf community, who's doing what, where, and when?
Jason Steer:We had DJs. We had rappers. We had dancers. We had filmmakers. Right?
Jason Steer:And in that exploration and that incubation of walking through those spaces of each person and, like, spending time with them, understanding, educating them about our approach, that's where we really kinda got to substance. Yeah. Right? I. E.
Jason Steer:What mattered to them. Yeah. What mattered to to them and then what by them, what matters to them, they get to tell their story and share it with our audience. Right? And then even within the incubation space, it's it's how do we make sure that this is a space for both the deaf, the the hearing, and the in betweens.
Jason Steer:Sure. Right? So it's understanding the technology that goes with it, right? And understanding even myself, the learning, the innate biases that I may have around that community because I'm not in it, right? I'm not in it at all.
Jason Steer:So how do I engage? What is the appropriate way to engage? How do I think of it? And for me the incubation is leaning into that community and asking that community to educate me. Mhmm.
Jason Steer:So therefore when I'm presenting, I'm presenting it based on the knowledge you've shared with me. So then the execution now is really about really educating for me, it's the crew, understanding the crew. For that particular panel, it was making sure that we had we had voiceovers, right? We had voiceovers for for the hearing community. There was it was voiceovers.
Jason Steer:It was transcribing, making sure there was literally someone that was typing out what was being said. So if you you because I I didn't realize that there's some some there are some members of the deaf community who don't know how to sign. Right. But, you know, subtitles if you will, make sure they were available. Right?
Jason Steer:And that's the process. Being willing to ask the questions. Obviously enjoying the process of ideation thinking, but then doing the rigor. Having the the design to really be open to, like, well, I don't know. Okay.
Jason Steer:Who knows? Asking the questions, having the desire to be and for me, authenticity is important. Being authentic to that space that you're looking to enter into and seeing where that takes you, right? And then, because the execution is gonna, you know, execution is going to make it valid for you. Or you're gonna have to make some curatorial decisions based on execution.
Jason Steer:I don't have a big enough space. Are I gonna have to reduce my my timing? Or I don't have enough money for my budget. So a show that I thought could work for 2 hours, I might have to move it down to 90 minutes, right, because budgetary reasons, or I don't, you know, someone doesn't show up, or whatever the myriad of reasons when it comes to the execution part, that will give you that that space to kinda like cut the cut the fat, if you will, away from some of the from some of your pieces to really make you get to the the final the final presentation piece. So thank you.
Jason Steer:So the the other part of it, and I
Rob Lee:think you you've touched on it, but, like, I hate starting. It's it's a thing. It's just like, ah. And I find when I get into a a flow, like before I came here, you know, I like to be where I'm gonna be early, just inevitably production, I don't know. Mhmm.
Rob Lee:And I before coming here, I spent like an hour, 2 hours, like working on questions for next week. Yep. That part is kind of fun. That's kind of the play piece of it of like, I wonder what this person's gonna how this person's gonna ask that. And even doing some of the research, like, when you find out, like, oh, you're into that?
Rob Lee:Right. Oh, we could talk a lot of the time. Like, let someone mention New Orleans or Bermuda is what you were talking about. I'm really into that. But, you know, sort of that that lead up, you know, it's a little bit of a of a challenge.
Rob Lee:Like, right before when we're into the conversation, that's the part that feels good. Right. The research, then the sort of pre, like, and then the conversation's good, and then sort of afterwards putting it out there in the universe. Did it sound good? Did the guests enjoy themselves?
Rob Lee:Is the guest gonna share the the interview when it comes out? Those pieces, it's like this sort of up and down. Cool, cool, Right. Right. What's the your favorite part of sort of your process?
Rob Lee:And what is the most, like, difficult for you? What's the part that you're like, ah, those are the those are the process for us?
Jason Steer:Okay. Another great question. So I'll say this, I think for me, I'm ideas. Like, I'm an ideas person. I'm big picture person.
Jason Steer:I am the we will, you know, we will do a podcast in a concert hall because I just want the acoustics to be the most dopest acoustics I can ever find. And I just think, like, it just, you know what I mean? Yeah. That's me. Right?
Jason Steer:How we get there, what goes into the the the content, enjoy it. The execution, the nitty gritty, that's when, you know, having to cut back on my idea or whatever it is, that is, not the funniest part for me. Because I would sit there, My my staff here at the creative alliance as well as back in the Apollo would see me cringe at at what I see on stage. Not because it's not great or amazing, but it's like, you know what I mean? Like it's like I think with any, even with you, anybody that's been in this space long enough, they know what a moment looks like.
Jason Steer:Like the perfect note, the perfect, you know, hit sound of the, bat hitting a ball, the perfect ball rolling off your hand when you're, you know what I mean? Yeah. Like, we know there's a sense of like, oh my God, this was even when you go out and you're hanging out with friends and it reflects like, oh shit, that was a really that was a dope night. Like the fight was dead. So I'm always looking for that when it comes to the execution of my work.
Jason Steer:Like did it flow? How did it feel? What did the audience take from it? I was like and I've gone there a couple of times, but that's where I'm that's my standard. I want this and it's I'm not saying this is impossible because I've experienced it, but I'm not gonna get it all the time and but I'm never satisfied.
Jason Steer:So that's why I think the execution part is always gonna be, like, kind of tricky for me because, or the toughest part. It's not tricky, it's just the toughest part because we've gone over the road. And it's as simple as like a cue was and then this is this is me being mad hickey, and hopefully someone out there can relate, where it's like, something was needed to be cued 10 seconds before the singer came on stage, and they didn't cue it right, and it came like, I know it. Like, it's it's it's so here's the this is this is how silly it gets for me. I went to go see the Wiz on Broadway.
Jason Steer:Yep. And I'm watching the show, watching the show. There's a scene on the Wiz. Oh, no no. That's not Wiz.
Jason Steer:Who's the one is it not the Wiz? It's, is it the Wiz? The green the green witch?
Rob Lee:Wicked.
Jason Steer:Wicked. Sorry. Wicked. I went to go see Wicked. Thank you.
Jason Steer:So there's a moment where they're meeting, The Wizard of Oz. There's this big head. It's just a head that's being rolled out coming downstage. But I can see the stage crew behind, pushing this thing. I'm like flipping tables in my mind, like, how could you?
Jason Steer:What, mom? I was like, I got so like, the show was good, but I was just pissed. Like, I am not meant to see and he was just they were just strolling like, do do do do do. I'm like, no. This is not how it's meant to be.
Jason Steer:You know, these places are magical. Like, I want once again, anything I look to put my hands to, you know, I want this to be magical because I want the audience that come away with an experience that they they can't get anywhere else.
Rob Lee:That's that's a good point. I'm I echo the same thing. I'll give you an example in a moment. I am gonna go out and make an assumption. You're an air sign.
Jason Steer:Oh. Am I an air sign? I'm a Gemini.
Rob Lee:Yes. Yes. I'm an Aquarius. So Okay. And my brother's a Gemini.
Rob Lee:So we talked about, like, you know, why why was that done that way? Like, look, there's a thing like, you know, obviously, Saba. Right? So, you know, the whole the stoppage time. Right?
Rob Lee:When I watch a movie with my partner, let's say it might be a 2 hour movie, it turns into a 3 hour one because I pause and I'm like You see that right there? She's like, how did you see that continuity error or that that hand that's not supposed to be there? I was like, look, if you got my attention, it's you shot me. You edited this. Right.
Jason Steer:You made you made choices right there, sir. You made choices. Get it together.
Rob Lee:So so and I think you touched on this, but if you wanna, you know, as far as this next question goes, and and I'm still tripping off of this. It's really, really funny. Talk a bit about sort of maybe the more towards Creative Alliance related work. Sort of the strategies that are are in the hopper, strategies that you're employing to ensure that resources are allocated to artists from sort
Jason Steer:of Mhmm.
Rob Lee:Marginalized communities. I got I've heard it in the trajectory or what have you but sort of like the Baltimore related
Jason Steer:stuff. So coming to so coming to Baltimore, and once again, this is the transparency on my side. It's like I've been in the show for just over 3 months now.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Jason Steer:Right? So understanding the landscape, 1. Understanding the culture within our organization, 2. 3, within that space, recognizing potential and opportunities. Right?
Jason Steer:So with those with those kind of general strategies, I'm looking to see and I'm gonna look at our so the creative alliance does a number of things. We we present performers from around the world consistently. We also have an artist in residency program that that serves. Right now, we have 8 artists in residence, presenting or developing work, and they actually live in the building. Going to looking at resources, it's understanding, 1, who we are as an organisation, and what relationships we can build and and develop to provide access, or build upon the access that they may have or may not have.
Jason Steer:And I'm really speaking about the arts in residence right? So, and then looking at the relationships I've built in different spaces. So it's it's not only fiscally, you know, looking at funding and seeing what interests the funder. Right? And it it may not be the artist's work themselves, but is it the structure in which we build this program.
Jason Steer:Right? So it's not necessarily workforce development, but if you can present to a funder that within a 3 year period, artist a will have, 1, they will actually be able to present their own work within a in a gallery. We'll provide them resources to do so. Sure. We will educate them on what does the, economy look like for an artist, what does it look like to speak to or have access to other prominent artists or other gallery spaces.
Jason Steer:It is about how to expose them to other business outlets. Right? Whether it's, you know, have you thought about working with an interior design firm to get your work in other people's homes? Is it about working with a department store or a place that, you know, where you where design and your pieces can be exhibited in a way that's that's different, right? It's looking at those strategies and and making sure that they have access to those individuals, either directly through 1 to 1 relationships or through through my position or the creative licenses relationship.
Jason Steer:It's also about thinking about what are the community's needs, right? And it's not necessarily, that doesn't have to come from a place of lack of. It's a desire for. Sure. Right.
Jason Steer:We run a programme called Cielo, which works with a Hispanic population and it really provides a space where they themselves can find community, they can find creativity, and they get to explore their history, their heritage from their lens. Right? So is it about making sure that they have the space and the capacity to do so? And then what does the teaching look like around that? And then what where else can they where else can they play?
Jason Steer:Right? Where else can they have the fun to do what they do? You know, in the sense of making sure they they feel safe, right? Feel safe and secure about what they're doing. So those are some of the the the the strategies, smaller strategies that that I look at.
Jason Steer:But then the some of the bigger stuff is about us making sure as Highlandtown, looking at all the other art districts and seeing where there is opportunity for us to work together collaboratively.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Jason Steer:Right? And and it's not about it's it's it doesn't necessarily have to be a one project. It could be right now, you know, it's always I think it's 1st Fridays or the off Fridays that are happening in everybody's district, which is dope, and I think it's it's a great idea. But are there we we get an opportunity to kinda choose and decide on what this this can look like going forward. And me being where I'm from and where I'm at now, I'm excited about seeing where else I can play.
Jason Steer:Going to your point about how do I start? I'm a big idea person. So for me it's alright, 4 districts. What can we do together? What is our uniqueness?
Jason Steer:And where within that uniqueness can we find some synergy? Sure. And then being responsible around that, right. Like, I've got this big idea but how are we gonna do it? Money.
Jason Steer:Who's got money? I don't have money. Okay, what can we really really do? Yep. Right?
Jason Steer:That's being responsible. But us committing to each other that this is what we intend to do and how we can support our community. Right? And community in the larger sense, not just Highland Town, not just the, Station North or, you know, all the other areas. It's it's like community is in all of our spaces as a collective creative community.
Jason Steer:So those are some of the strategies that I'm I'm thinking about and looking at. You know, I know you have your intern here, but that's an indication for me, like, the possibilities of developing workforce development. Right? What does workforce development look like within the, technical theater space, within the curatorial space? Sure.
Jason Steer:These are, once again, these are all avenues where you can develop a career and have some fun. Really exploring and seeing what other people are doing. You know, I'm lucky enough to be in this space where the level of creativity is at a 10 and 11 and I just I've just got to kinda like take it in and let it feed me. And that's I wanna expand that. Like, I mean, Baltimore's about that.
Jason Steer:Definitely Baltimore's about that life where it's like the creativity is everywhere and everybody enjoys it. How do we make sure that it's it's recognized. Right? It's recognized as not just this not a gimmicky thing, but this playful thing, like, no, it's freaking serious. Like, people spend years upon years developing the skill sets required to kinda like present work and, you know, whether whether it's performative or or visual.
Jason Steer:So yeah. So in that, because I
Rob Lee:because I think you're you're you're you're poking at it. Was that the draw for for coming to Baltimore, for coming to the Creative Alliance as far as, like, it's right here. It's it's the community. It's right. And and and I I say that because one, I I have the China.
Rob Lee:I'm an idea guy as well. And in doing this being able to sort of help document a lot of the stuff that's happening, archive a lot of the stuff that's happening from the people sharing their stories. Mhmm. And I'm just trying to provide a framework.
Jason Steer:Mhmm.
Rob Lee:And, that's that's sort of the focus there. And I find a lot of times folks that, like you and I, our our stories aren't considered as of the same value
Jason Steer:Mhmm.
Rob Lee:As others or even I I would even do this. Sometimes it's just the Baltimore thing. Oh, there's no artist there. Right. And then we're having someone like you with your background coming here and, you know, having these these these ideas and, like, the planning and the, you know, the execution that's forthcoming and happening with, you know, as you mentioned, the artist in residence.
Rob Lee:So what was the the driver for coming to Baltimore? Coming to Creative Alliance?
Jason Steer:The the drive was, I mean, this it wasn't it's it's potential. Right? The potential of it's funny. My my my son loves loves Hamilton, the musical. Right?
Jason Steer:I love it too. It's fantastic. But there's a it's it's a space. It's he defrades that there's a song where I wanna be in a room where it happens is is prominent to mine. And that came up for me in in looking to choose Come Down to Baltimore, where I know Baltimore is where the it's going to be the place where either I, we, it, is going to be the place where it happens.
Jason Steer:And what does that look like in the sense of an excitement? A a place where work is bubbling, right? I said it when I was interviewed when I just started, it's like I described it as a gumbo, but really it's like this full of flavor space. Right? And it's just it's just simmering and simmering and simmering, and it's about developing, seeing what comes from that process, right?
Jason Steer:Like I feel like some works have been executed and you're gonna see different levels, but it's just constantly bubbling and there's something, there's an energy here that I wanna be involved in and wanna play a part with. Where I get to either support, I get to execute, I get to play in, where exciting unique things can happen here. And it's so practical. Like, you know, it's New York's different in the sense of who you have access to. Baltimore's a bit different.
Jason Steer:Like, I get I get to have access to people and places that allow me to be able to execute ideas. And like legitimately, here's an idea, this is what could happen. Right? So for me it's looking at that's what was exciting. And plus, the creative alliance is very similar to the Apollo in the sense that it's a space where its prominent feature is about allowing creativity to grow and blossom.
Jason Steer:Yes, from the Nepal side it was definitely for the BIPOC population, but this is similar in the sense of we wanna create a space that creativity is the forefront, creativity and community is the forefront, and we lead from that that perspective. And having a a north star in the way that Creative Alliance has makes it exciting, makes it easy for me to, like, get up and know the work that I'm gonna do because I know the direction they're going in and why they're going in that that that direction, right. The founders and and all the amazing people that have come before me. And I've gotten and the strange thing about it, I've gotten to meet a lot of the individuals that were like, I was here in the beginning, I was, you know, a part of the board for almost 10, 15 years, and the love and passion that they show for this organization is something that I I really hold intimately. And I'm like, no.
Jason Steer:I need to show up. Like, I know this. I've met the person that put this organization on their back. So you know what? If I've met that person and I've decided to step into this leadership role, I need to, you know, show up in the same way.
Jason Steer:Right? So that's what what brought me down to to Baltimore and and the Creative Alliance.
Rob Lee:And see, that's that's almost and I'm I'm glad that's where we kinda are gonna wrap at as far as the real questions because that was almost a mic drop right there. I like that. So in these these final moments, I wanna rock with you a few rapid fire questions. Okay. Don't have them, so don't try to cheat, you know.
Jason Steer:Okay. I'm looking. I'm looking, but I can't see them. Alright. Cool.
Rob Lee:Alright. So as I tell everyone, don't overthink these.
Jason Steer:Go on.
Rob Lee:And, the first one goes, so I try to look for I I go to one place that has like English food. Right?
Jason Steer:Okay.
Rob Lee:And me and my partner talked about it. I was like, no. Like this food here is very good. It's great food. She's like, what is English food again?
Rob Lee:What what's the suggestion? Like, get, you know, give us a dish, man.
Jason Steer:No. I so the truth is this. Right? England so the reality is this, England doesn't have its own food. It doesn't.
Jason Steer:It has a it obviously, it's got it's got it's I'm laughing because what comes to mind is so British, so whoever's listening to this eventually, alright, so here we go. So, baked beans and toast, or baked beans and toast, bang as a mash, toe in the hole, a, mince pie, a a Cornish a Cornish pie, sausage roll, like, there are some dishes that are just unique to to England and and that just will not translate over here. If I recall correctly, this was decades ago. Like, the most popular dish in England was, or I don't know if it still is, is is Indian food, like tandoori chicken and, I mean, that kind of that kind of Indian food is really, really popular. But what would what alright.
Jason Steer:So for me, what would be a classic, and it's not even a it's not even a it's not even a like a meal or dinner, it's a breakfast. Right? This is a typical English for me, and I'm I'm cause I'm just a commoner, I'm not sophisticated like that. This is just the the local yokels, right? You would get 2 pieces of toast, 2 eggs, sausages, right, baked beans, not the American baked beans, Heinz baked beans.
Jason Steer:Let me just clarify for the folks at home. You cook tomatoes. Right? You get your tomatoes. Alright?
Jason Steer:And if you're what do you mean? If you can get some, what do you call it over here? Steak sauce. Okay. There's a steak sauce.
Jason Steer:You put the steak sauce over the baked beans, chef's kiss, mate. Tell you. It's not healthy in the at all. It's not healthy whatsoever, but it's delicious. It is delicious.
Jason Steer:Or there's a Kipland's apple pie with and you pour over the Kipling's pie, ambrosia custard. Yes. This is ambrosia custard that's done. It's in a in a can. It's just delicious.
Jason Steer:It's fantastic.
Rob Lee:Rob and Jason's Food Podcast, you can see. Yes. Join me next week. Breaking down the English classics. This this is a obvious question.
Rob Lee:Coffee or tea?
Jason Steer:Oh. It's always gonna be a tea, coffee. I've I've moved over to coffee because this country's coffee, but I'm I'm a tea person most most of the time. At home I'd have a have a nice nice biscuit, not a cookie. Alright, you look at cookies, so I'd have a lovely nice cookie with a lovely cup of tea.
Jason Steer:Like this is when you know this is when you know, if you could this is how you know if you could if you've caked a really for an English person, this is how you know if you've really cooked a really great cake. If I you cut that cake, and I've looked at a cake, and I take that cake, and my response is, oh, I need a cup of tea with this, that means you've cooked a really great cake.
Rob Lee:That's that's good. And you you for a second there, you made me think of this, Hannibal Buress joke about flying. He was just like, man he's like, I had a terrible month where, you know, they kept calling cookies biscuits. He's like, I'm not he's like, I'm not calling them scones. He's like, I don't know what they're called.
Jason Steer:Yeah. No. No. No. Cooking, mate.
Jason Steer:Or biscuits. We call them biscuits.
Rob Lee:This this will be the last one. This will be the last one. What are you currently watching? Are you watching are you mentioning anything? Watching anything?
Rob Lee:You mentioned X men 97 obviously? Alright.
Jason Steer:So what have I been watching? So, okay, so yeah, X men. So anime is my space, right? So X men 97, oh shoot. I'd have to think now.
Jason Steer:Why have I lost gone blank on them? New My Hero just dropped. New My Hero's just come out, so I've seen the first episode. That's been a great arc. Shoot.
Jason Steer:There's been a ton of them. I just went through they literally had on Netflix, they just had, TP Bon which is like time patrol Bon, his name is. That's been fun to watch. Literally watched I finished watching I finally watched Dune 2. Very very happy.
Jason Steer:Can't wait for, you know I mean the 3rd trilogy, the last part. Super sci fi fans, I love that. There's playoffs, basketball playoffs have been serious. Like, this has been one of the best playoff series I've seen in a long time. There's a collection of young bucks that I just like, oh.
Jason Steer:Yeah. Like the emotions are there, the physicality is there, the passion is there, like, you know what I mean? Like, there's there's there's been some gains. So that's been my spread so far. It's wonderful.
Jason Steer:Alright. That's kinda it. I I
Rob Lee:I wanna do 2 things. I wanna 1, thank you so much for being a part of this podcast.
Jason Steer:My pleasure.
Rob Lee:And and 2, I wanna invite and encourage you to share with the listeners where they can follow you, check out Creative Alliance, all of that good stuff. Shameless plugs really. Okay. Floor is yours.
Jason Steer:Oh, thank you so much. Well, we've got a couple of things coming up. We've got, we've got, Suhong, which is a a jazz fusion, Korean jazz fusion, event happening this happening this Friday. So I don't know if it's gonna work for you guys. But anyway, so yeah, follow us on Instagram.
Jason Steer:I think you'll find out most of our materials on on creative alliance on Instagram. And then it's we've literally just finished so many different things. We do we've got a couple of art galleries, we've got an art gallery presentation up right now. We just literally finished having a fashion fashion design, as well as a Crankyfest. We just had a Crankyfest.
Jason Steer:If you haven't done Crankies, please check it out online. It's been amazing. The creativity and storytelling happens through that process. It's crazy, crazy dope. I'm gonna pause there because I can't I should have had my list ready.
Jason Steer:Thank you. But I don't, so I apologize. But outside that, please come see us in Highland Town. We're one of the most unique, spaces in in Baltimore. There will not be a weekend that we will disappoint.
Jason Steer:Everything here is is fresh and dope. So hopefully we'll see you soon.
Rob Lee:There you have it folks. I wanna again thank Jason Steer, Creative Alliance for coming on to the podcast. And I'm Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture, community in and around your neck of the woods. You've just gotta look for it.
