Tina Guo-Morabito is an internationally known cellist, a photographer, a philosopher of metaphysics, and a really nice person. She expresses all of these loves and skills daily and with a level of commitment that suggests she really enjoys what she's doing and respects her creative/intellectual pursuits enough to do them well. And she doesn't just do them well, she kicks their asses.

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I play the cello and the electric cello.  Classical, Metal, and New Age are my favorite genres to dabble in. 

Have you always done this for a living or did you transition from something else? What triggered your decision to make a change?

Tamar Kali is fierce. She's also obervant, intelligent, worldly, artistic and maybe even a little bit of a romantic. A few years ago I caught her pyscho-acoustic set up in Harlem and it felt like going to church. At least my fictionalized dream of what church should be. Join her for a drink or see her live show and you realize that she is who she is. There's no front and there's no room for pretense. 

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I’m a performer, composer, vocalist and songwriter.

Is there another artist from whom you draw inspiration?

Many. Musically my inspiration ranges from Beethoven to Bad Brains with some Riot Grrl and Grace Jones in between.

Mastery is not an accident. When I first met Rose Freymuth-Frazier she was painting still lifes in her studio and in Central Park. She busted her ass practicing her craft and tool another big step - she sought out mentors. Between her talent, intelligence, discipline and selection of mentors it's not an accident she's as good as she is.

How would you describe what is it that you do? 

I am an oil painter. I basically spend all of my daylight hours pushing around pigment with animal hair tied to the end of a stick. When I’m done I call the resulting paintings “figurative realism”.

Have you always done this for a living or did you transition from something else? What triggered your decision to make a change? 

I almost never bump into Baba Israel in NYC but the past two times I've been in Amsterdam I've seen him on the street. The same street, outside a cafe called Baba's. He's like that. He gives and recieves creative energy equally and, as a consequence, things just seem to happen around him. He manifests opportunity and, as a poet, an artist, a teacher, an emcee and a beatboxer he's always involved in something interesting.

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I am an artist, producer, educator and an improviser. I was raised in NYC and found my creative voice in Hip Hop culture. I was raised in political and community based theatre and that is a big influence on my choices and focus. Specifically I am an emcee, writer, beatboxer, beatmaker, and theatre director. 

In addition to being a good friend Pete is an animator, multi-instrumentalist, and beatboxer. Over the years we've collaborated on a number of musical projects, such as our band Djinn, and I'm always amazed by his abilities as a technician and an artist with a distinct vision. He's ambitious, a perfectionist, and he lays down some phat beats. After all these years it's interesting to get some insight into his creative process.

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I’m a multimedia character animator and composer. I create hand drawn animation, stop motion, photo animation, clay, but always animating characters. I play a number of different instruments, but I think of myself more as a composer than a musician.