The Art of Keeping Going: Matt Gould on Lempicka, Fatherhood and Grief

From Stumbling Through Growth · 00:51:10

Show by Ciara Gogan - Personal Growth Through Real Conversations and Stories

The Art of Keeping Going: Matt Gould on Lempicka, Fatherhood and GriefSummary:Broadway composer Matt Gould joins me to talk about Lempicka, queer storytelling, grief, fatherhood and finding wonder in life’s messiness.This one is very special to me...There are works of art you enjoy, and then there are the ones that open something in you. For me, Lempicka was the second kind. Its words, music and performances moved me so deeply that my life is still unfolding differently because I saw it. I started this podcast, began singing, and found a voice I hadn’t been using. So having a conversation with Matt Gould, the Broadway composer and co-writer behind the show, felt personal in a way I’m still trying to put into words. I am beyond thrilled that I got to have this conversation with him. Matt calls making art “holy work”: a way of reaching for something true about being human, and helping us see ourselves with a little more kindness. He talks about the years that shaped him, including growing up gay when being gay wasn’t widely accepted and serving in the Peace Corps in Mauritania. Living somewhere so different from home changed his sense of what a life could be.We also talk about the difference between the calling of art and the business that helps bring it to a stage; fatherhood as both beautiful and hard; and the pressure to build a life that looks like success. Matt challenges whether the script we’ve been handed, marriage, kids, minivan, career milestones, is the only script worth following. Maybe we can let ourselves be where we are, rather than treating happiness or achievement as the finish line.And then there’s wonder. Even after heartbreak and disappointment, Matt is grateful he can still look at the world and be surprised by it: a child, a moment in a show, a song, a conversation. “This is joy,” he says. That may be my favorite kind of reminder: joy doesn’t have to be a grand arrival. Sometimes it’s noticing what’s already here.Connect with usFollow Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fakemattgould/Connect with Ciara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaragogan13/Follow Stumbling Through Growth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumblingthroughgrowth/Work with Ciara (Coaching) - https://calendly.com/ciara-upliftinclusion/uplift-30-minute-callCiara's Inclusion Coaching & Consulting - Uplift Inclusion: https://www.upliftinclusion.com/SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to support it.Follow & Subscribe: Hit follow so you never miss an episode.Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star rating to help others find us.Share: who do you know who needs to hear this conversation? Text this episode link to them.Thanks so much!In this episodeHow Lempicka became part of my own storyMatt’s perspective on queer art, identity and living beyond the expected scriptThe relationship between artistic calling and the business of BroadwayGrief, divorce, fatherhood and what helps us keep goingWhy success is followed by change—and why that isn’t the endFinding wonder, even after life has broken your heart open

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