On episode 35, I have a very special #CreativeConversation with one of my nearest and dearest OG pals, Lee Rutledge.

Lee is actually the creator of this podcast's theme music, but he's more commonly known as an up-and-coming artist/producer who actually goes by two different monikers: Kakuyon and thomTide which are both derived from his two middle names, Kakuyon and Thomas.

Raised in New Jersey and currently based in San Diego, Lee became serious about creating music in high school due to inspiration from other creatives he met as a member of the track team. One of these creatives, Shotta Spence, is now a close friend, frequent collaborator, and also a former P&P guest.

Initially solely focused on producing, Lee decided to start writing lyrics to his own beats and it resulted in the release of his debut album, "Now Go And Flourish" which was later followed up by his collaborative E.P., "Castling: Sky".

While planning his next project, he realized that his vision wouldn't tie in well with the Kakuyon style/branding, so he decided to create a whole new alter ego as thomTide. This led to the release of his episodic album/playlist/series, "Seasons" where he released 1 song every 2 weeks for a year straight!

In this episode, we discuss:

· how music was always in his bones (5:44)

· the making of "thomTide" (23:41)

· wanting to quit as a creative (31:20)

· the effect of Computer Science on his creative process (41:53)

· why being comfortable is a struggle (51:54)

LISTEN TO KAKUYON

LISTEN TO THOMTIDE

SONGS REFERENCED IN INTRO: