Episode 25: How to Be A Multimedia Multihyphenate with An Emphasis in Biological Anthropology with Thomas Corbin

Thomas Corbin discovered his creative calling through necessity and rebellion.

After being publicly humiliated in art school for not following assignment rules despite creating beautiful work, he fled to biological anthropology, studying Neanderthal extinction and learning that our ancient cousins were sophisticated artists who made jewelry and buried their dead with flowers. But art kept calling him back. Now he operates as a creative "shuffler," constantly moving between music production, visual collages, and multiple band collaborations (General Labor, Cloudland Canyons, Melinda, and Infinity Stairs) because his brain solves problems when switching between mediums. His philosophy emerged from pain: reject the human need to classify and box things in. Instead, he embraces surrealism and channels his subconscious, creating work that feels like it writes itself. Recovery taught him to take on life without buffers, transforming social anxiety into fuel for authentic expression and community building.

We talk about his childhood love of Play-Doh, how multitasking with tea-making and phone-typing actually helps him function, creating a Boston Massacre stop motion film in 7th grade that his teacher kept on his website, why he thinks everyone is born an artist until they make a deliberate choice to stop, his bands performing experimental scores for Stan Brakhage films, channeling Lynch's philosophy of creativity, how losing creative genius friends motivates him to carry on their artistic legacy, his ultimate dream of making a full-length stop motion film with "that freaky little dog" work ethic, and believing the universe meets you halfway when you put yourself out there.

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Episode 24: How to Paint a Divorce with Nate Renner