Masterpiece
by Jessica Yolanda Kaye
Masterpiece is a podcast about learning to live creatively. A space to slow down, reconnect with the artist inside, and create a life that feels beautiful to you. I’m Jessica Yolanda Kaye, and I’m an artist. Every Friday I share personal reflections and conversations with artists and creative thinkers who are learning to listen to their voice, trust it, and create a life that feels deeply their own.
Episodes
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Mornings to Myself
Most mornings, I wake up at five and write three pages. In this episode, I reflect on how a practice I once resisted became one of the most important parts of my day. Thoughts? Email me at [email protected] You can order a One Word Journal here. And sign up to my newsletter here. Always love...
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The Cost of Being a “Good Girl” with Becca Down
We’re taught from an early age to be good, agreeable, and easy to be around. But what happens when being "good" means disconnecting from yourself? Becca and I explore why women are taught to suppress anger, what we lose when we do, and how reconnecting with our anger can help us reclaim our…
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The Places That Wake Us Up
I went to Japan looking for inspiration. What I came home with was a reminder of how much place shapes creativity, and a renewed desire to make. In this episode, I reflect on travel, art, mastery, and learning to do less with more love. --- Email me at [email protected] --- Order a One Word...
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Making Art That Feels True To You with Daryl Blank Hossack
After 2.5 years of not painting, I’m back to making art. It’s early days, but I feel a shift. I want to make something different. But as I move towards making the art I actually want to make, I find myself facing resistance. What if it’s bad? What if people don’t understand it? What if I can’t…
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Reconnecting with Your Voice, Your Values, and Joy with Matteo Grand
When life gets hectic, it’s easy to get swept up in the noise and lose touch with yourself. For most of my life, I lived on autopilot. Matteo did too. But everything changed when we started picking a word each year. In this episode, we talk about what ten years of this practice has taught us —…
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I Haven't Painted in 2.5 Years
I haven’t painted in 2.5 years. I told myself all sorts of stories about why — not the right time, place, space. But underneath it all, I think I was blocked by something deeper. This week, I reflect on creative block, the fear of not knowing, and how I’m finding my way back to painting.…
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Can I Go After What I Want? with Cass Seidler
Psychologist Cass Seidler joins me to unpack two listener questions. Together, we explore why it can feel so hard to give yourself permission to go after what you want, how perfectionism, people-pleasing and uncertainty can keep us stuck, and why the things that make us feel most alive are still...
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The Courage to Create in Public
This week, my friend Romy Galombik turns the microphone around as we reflect on 20 episodes of Masterpiece. We explore what creating the podcast has taught me about getting into the arena, overcoming the need to be liked, and why creating something meaningful is the right kind of hard. --- Email…
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"I Want to Create, But I Can’t"
This week I reflect on why so many of us want to create but feel like we can't, the cost of constant busyness, and the little flames inside we can't keep ignoring. What is something you want to do that feels scary to say out loud? Email me at [email protected] --- Order a One Word Journal ---...
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You Need Your Cheerleaders
Creating a life and art that feels true to you is like climbing a mountain. It can feel long, lonely and uncertain. But after six months of releasing Masterpiece, I'm realising that none of us are meant to do this alone. This is an episode about the cheerleaders who help us find the courage to…
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The Edge of Expression with Grace O'Neill
A conversation with writer Grace O'Neill on Tracey Emin, Lena Dunham, and the tension between self-expression and approval. Thoughts? Email me at [email protected] --- Grace's word for the year is ASSERT. Mine is PERMISSION. Find your word for the year here. --- Grace O'Neill: instagram substack...
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Make Your Mark with Daryl Blank Hossack
A conversation with my art teacher and friend, Daryl, on quietening the inner critic, reconnecting with the artist inside, and expressing yourself freely. Thoughts? Email me at [email protected] --- Contact Daryl: @blankcanvasartscool Email me: [email protected] DM me: @jessicayolandakaye Sign…
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The Tender Experience of Being Authentic
When I moved back to Sydney, I started confronting the things I’d spent years running from. My mind. My body. My feelings. And it was much harder than I expected. Much more time consuming, exhausting, isolating. I thought it was getting in the way of my life and my painting. But lately, I’ve...
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Day One with Romy Galombik
A conversation on leaving the safety of a job, starting something of your own, and why you need your cheerleaders. Thoughts? Email me at [email protected] --- BIG LITTLE THINGS 'The Best Money Advice You Will Ever Receive: 4 Rules From the Top Financial Minds in the World' on the Mel Robbins...
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Become Someone You Believe In with Dr Zac Seidler
So many of us are sitting in the stands of our own lives — wanting to act, but held back by what people might think. In this conversation with Zac, we explore what it looks like to step into the arena. Zac is a clinical psychologist and one of Australia’s leading voices in men’s mental health.…
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The Arena
What’s something you want to do this year that feels scary to say out loud? What arena do you want to get into? For me, it’s painting. And yet, I find myself sitting in the stands, afraid to take that first step. --- You can DM me on IG here Email me on [email protected] Sign up to my newsletter...
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Friction is Feedback with Madeleine Gottlieb
Last year Madeleine Gottlieb spent 53 days in the South Australian desert directing a television series, working 18-hour days in intense conditions — an experience she describes as physically, emotionally and mentally taxing, and completely life-changing. In this conversation we talk about the…
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What Do You Want?
It’s the year of the horse and it feels like there’s a shift. More momentum, movement, creative energy. More people wanting to make a change. To get in the arena. But where do you begin? James Clear says when you want to make a change but feel stuck, you don’t lack motivation — you lack clarity.…
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There’s a Lot of Effort in Effortless
When you have an idea in your mind, it can feel perfect. The moment you begin, you realise how hard it is to make anything real (let alone good). For the past few months, I’ve been living inside that gap while creating the sound of this podcast. This episode is a reflection on why creating…
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Permission to Do Less
When I feel overwhelmed, like there aren’t enough hours in the day, every part of me wants to do more. Wake up earlier. Cram it all in. Get on top of things. Lately, I’m learning the opposite might be true. This episode is about doing less. Letting go of pressure. And giving yourself permission…
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The Pain of Perfectionism with Cass Seidler
I always thought perfectionism was a bit of a humble brag — a flaw that was actually a strength. Something that helped you get ahead. Then I read an article in The New Yorker, and everything changed. I realised perfectionism isn’t something to gloat about at all. It’s a debilitating way of being,...
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One Word Can Change Your Life with Matteo Grand
This week, Matteo and I sat down to reflect on 2025 through the lens of our words — mastery and foundations. We spoke about the friction of moving home, starting therapy, the biggest lessons we took from it, and why my podcast cover shoot became a philosophical lesson for life. We also share our...
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The Mother, the Artist, and the Craftsman with Grace O'Neill
Grace O’Neill is a writer, editor, podcaster, and this year, she became a mother. After years of searching, pivoting, and finally finding the confidence to say I am an artist, Grace had her son, Eli, and time became very real. In this conversation, we talk about the fear of motherhood, how it...
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Eliza Gosse Is Not a Tortured Artist
Eliza Gosse is not your typical artist. Mathematical, precise and quietly disciplined, she has built an incredible career as a painter — ten solo exhibitions in seven years — and she’s only 30 (and just getting started). In this conversation, we talk about what it really means to commit to a...
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The Mess Is the Magic with Haley Vickers
I met the Canadian-born TV and film producer, Haley Vickers, at a birthday dinner in 2023. We were both pivoting in our careers, both breaking up with London, and by the time dinner came out, I’m pretty sure we’d both cried. Haley has that rare ability to make you laugh, cry, think, and see…
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The Freedom to Fail with Diana Reid
Diana Reid wrote her debut novel at 24 during lockdown, having deferred a corporate law job by a year. That book became a bestseller. In the five years since, she’s published two more, with another and a screenplay adaptation on the way. But what's so remarkable about Diana isn't her…
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I’m Afraid to Be Myself
Today, my podcast, Masterpiece, is out. I’ve been talking about this podcast for years — dreaming about it, playing with it, circling around it, and avoiding it. It’s wild how you can want something so much and still be so scared of it. How something can feel so true and so dangerous at the same...
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Live Life Like You Paint with Talia Blank
Talia Blank is a painter, poet, filmmaker, and incredibly deep thinker. For Talia, making art is like breathing. It isn’t something she thinks about. It pours out of her. And yet, when she had her first solo exhibition in New York, something she had dreamed of, it broke her heart. In our...
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Big French Energy with Matteo Grand
It’s halfway through the year. A lot has happened, but it feels like just the beginning. This week, Matteo and I sat down to record a chat, reflecting on Juneuary from our new, empty home in Sydney. After 15 months in living limbo, it feels wildly significant. Like a big exhale. We began the…
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A Dark Room and My Imagination with Jonno Seidler
I’ve wanted to chat to Jonno Seidler since 2022. I was standing in a queue at Palermo Airport, waiting for a flight back to London, when a friend sent me an excerpt from his memoir, It’s a Shame About Ray. I was immediately captivated by his writing, his honesty, and his bravery. I grew up around...
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Hair is Everything with Madeleine Gottlieb
This week I spoke with Madeleine Gottlieb — an award-winning director, producer, screenwriter, and one of my oldest friends. I met Mads when I was five. She was the smartest person I’d ever met, with the bluest eyes and the most commanding presence. We were a couple of drama kids. And listening...
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Going Analogue with Matteo Grand
When Matteo and I spent two months in Puglia at the end of last year, living in a sleepy seaside town, we had a weekend ritual: a long walk by the sea, swimming and reading at Lo Scalo, spaghetti vongole and a spritz, a gelato along the promenade, and a movie on the couch. Off our phones, away…
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I want to be brave like Bob Dylan
There’s a scene in A Complete Unknown I can’t stop thinking about. Bob Dylan steps on stage at the Newport Folk Festival in ’65. Thousands and thousands of people chant his name. They came to hear the songs they know. To see the Dylan they know. But Dylan has moved on. He picks up his electric...
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Designing a Life That Feels Like You with Nimisha Gupta
After seven years at luxury fashion house Zegna, Nimisha Gupta walked away from the safety of a big role to rediscover herself—and her joy. In this week’s episode of Between the Lines, we talk about making bold career leaps, finding your way back to creativity, and building a life that feels like...
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Anxiety and the Artist's Date
My earliest memories are anxious ones. Clinging to my mum’s legs as a child. Hiding under a laundry basket when people popped in. Waking up at 5 AM, putting on my school uniform, and sitting there for three hours—because I was terrified of being late. For most of my life, anxiety was my default...
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The Rickoning with Grace O’Neill
Not long ago, I sat down with Grace O’Neill in her Kitchen in London, and we recorded a chat. Grace is a writer. The former editor of Elle Australia. The co-host of After Work Drinks. And one of the most important people in my life. We met during lockdown—Grace and Zach in Apartment B, Matteo and…
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Does it charm you?
Matteo and I sat down to talk about redesigning our life in Sydney—finding new rituals, navigating productivity shame, starting therapy, and having the courage to be ourselves. We share the Big Little Things we’re learning and why, in the end, it all comes down to one question: Does it charm you?...
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Catching ideas with David Lynch
For as long as I can remember, I’ve woken up early. I used to resist it. But lately, I’ve realised it’s a secret part of the day—a time to catch ideas. In this week’s pod, I talk about protecting your creative flow, the art of deep work, and the biggest thing I learnt from David Lynch’s 2.5-hour...
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Stop planning, start the podcast
A few weeks ago, I took my brother for breakfast and traded coffee and eggs for advice. I told him everything—my podcast vision, the name, the look and feel. I talked for 40 minutes. And then I asked him for a strategy. Then he looked at me and said: "You love the planning. The mood boarding, the...
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Some places you live in, other places live in you
I love January, but I found this one hard. Not because of No Plans Jan—that gets easier every year. But because it’s been a period of transition. Matteo and I are back in Sydney. We’re staying in Sydney. And that still feels difficult to say out loud, even though it feels true. This month, I’ve...
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My word for 2025 is
On January 1st, Matteo and I each took out our One Word Journals and started writing. Guided by the book, we reflected on 2024, reconnected with what’s important, and set an intention for the year ahead. In this chat, we talk about our words for 2025, why Matteo changed his word, and why I stuck…
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A crazy, chaotic, beautiful year with Matteo Grand
This week, Matteo and I sat down to reflect on 2024. It was a year that began with an eviction from our Notting Hill flat and ended by the seaside in Puglia, Italy. In between, there was a whirlwind of change — a “move” to Milan, a retreat to the forests of Sweden, and an unexpected chapter…
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Trusting the artist within
At the beginning of last year, I was in a creative rut. I knew I wanted to evolve my art but had no idea where to begin. I was terrified I’d never create anything worthwhile again and felt paralysed by indecision. In this episode, I share how ‘play’ (my One Word for 2023) taught me to trust…
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Why do you do it?
For years, I was living on autopilot, completely unaware of how disconnected I had become. One simple question changed everything and fundamentally changed the course of my career and life. It led me to quit my job, rediscover painting, and set me on a path toward meaning rather than validation....
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Affirmations for every day
The concept of journalling was always confusing to me; it felt elusive, awkward, and just another thing to do. So I resisted it for years. But the noise in my head kept getting louder. Matteo kept nudging me to try ‘positive affirmations’, and then my sister sent me a podcast that gave me the…
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The art of focus
How do we stay focused when our attention is pulled in a thousand directions? This week, I’m sharing my frustrations with my phone, exploring the hidden cost of distraction on our energy and creativity, and discussing the simple practices that are helping me make space for the things that matter...
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Breaking through self-sabotage
If you’re on the go, listen on Spotify 🕊 This week, I stepped out of my comfort zone and sat down to record this video. I’m currently in Umbria, working on a podcast, which is pushing me to face my fears and navigate the unknown. It’s been both exciting and scary. In this video, I share what it...
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Everything is different
Over the last few months I wiped my Instagram, launched my new collection, and transformed my art studio into an exhibition space with almost 200 metres of drapery. In this 20-minute conversation, we touch on stepping into the unknown, finding the courage to lean into what excites you, and why...
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This year I'm going to be bad at podcasting
This week, I sat down with Matteo (aka Dory) to discuss why starting something new is so incredibly hard (and how to get started anyway). You can listen to our first recording above! Recently, I had lunch with a friend who started a brand-new job in a completely new industry. "How’s it going?" I...
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My word for 2024 is 'ease'
A few days ago, Camille Liu Nock visited me at home in Sydney, and we spoke about our words for the new year. My word for 2024 is ‘ease,’ and in this two-minute video, I share why! What’s your word for 2024? JYK x This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or…
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About this show
Masterpiece is a podcast about learning to live creatively. A space to slow down, reconnect with the artist inside, and create a life that feels beautiful to you.
I’m Jessica Yolanda Kaye, and I’m an artist. Every Friday I share personal reflections and conversations with artists and creative thinkers who are learning to listen to their voice, trust it, and create a life that feels deeply their own.
Hosted by
Jessica Yolanda Kaye