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Masterpiece

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.

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20 episodes
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Avg 39 min
English

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September 10 · 37 min
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 make a living from it? In this episode, I talk to my art teacher and mentor, Daryl, about what’s underneath that resistance, what it means to make art that feels true to you, and how to learn to play. Thoughts? Email me at jyk@masterpiece.fm You can find Daryl here. Sign up to my newsletter here. Order a One Word Journal here. xxx
August 27 · 28 min
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 — how one word can help you reconnect with your voice, your values, and how you want to live. Order a One Word Journal here (free international shipping this week) Share your One Word here Email me at jyk@masterpiece.fm Sign up to my newsletter xxx
August 13 · 11 min
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. --- Email me at jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Order a One Word Journal --- Instagram @jessicayolandakaye --- Newsletter https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/
July 30 · 57 min
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 worth making space for. Do you have a question you'd like us to explore? Email me at jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Order a One Word Journal --- Instagram @jessicayolandakaye --- Newsletter https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/ --- Pod reference: Brad Stulberg x Rich Roll
July 16 · 51 min
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 me at jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Order a One Word Journal --- Instagram @jessicayolandakaye --- Newsletter https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/
July 2 · 10 min
"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 jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Order a One Word Journal --- Instagram @jessicayolandakaye --- Newsletter https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/
June 18 · 15 min
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 keep going. And a thank you to everyone who has reached out, shared their story, and reminded me that there are people on the other side of this microphone! --- Email me at jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Order a One Word Journal --- Instagram @jessicayolandakaye --- Newsletter https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/
June 4 · 56 min
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 jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Grace's word for the year is ASSERT. Mine is PERMISSION. Find your word for the year here. --- Grace O'Neill: instagram substack Jessica Yolanda Kaye: jyk@masterpiece.fm instagram newsletter Big Little Things: My Heart is This: Tracey Emin on Painting by Martin Gayford Famesick by Lena Dunham The Interview Podcast with Lena Denham The Louis Theroux Podcast with Tracey Emin The Art of Accomplishment: How to Stop Seeking Approval --- Order a One Word Journal here. Thank you for listening :) JYK --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
May 21 · 46 min
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 jyk@masterpiece.fm --- Contact Daryl: @blankcanvasartscool Email me: jyk@masterpiece.fm DM me: @jessicayolandakaye Sign up to my newsletter Order a One Word Journal Thank you for listening :) JYK --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
May 7 · 16 min
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 realised it was never separate from the art. It was leading me back to it. Thoughts? Email jyk@masterpiece.fm --- You can DM me on IG here Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm Sign up to my newsletter here Order a One Word Journal here I love hearing from you 🤍 JYK --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
April 23 · 59 min
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 jyk@masterpiece.fm --- 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 Podcast (Spotify | Apple) '10 Years of Acquired (with Michael Lewis)' on Acquired (Spotify | Apple) --- Follow Romo's florals @grumpypetal. Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm + DM me on @jessicayolandakaye + sign up to my newsletter. Find your One Word for the year here. Thank you for listening :) JYK --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
April 9 · 1 hr 29 min
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. He’s also someone who has learned to back himself — to speak, act, and move with conviction. We explore why finding your gap matters, how self-belief is built through action, what it means to reconnect with parts of yourself that were shut down, and why vulnerability looks different for men and women. -- Learn more about Zac here. Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm. DM me on IG here. Sign up to my newsletter here. Order your One Word Journal here. Thank you for listening :) JYK 🤍
March 26 · 13 min
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 jyk@masterpiece.fm Sign up to my newsletter here Order a One Word Journal here I love hearing from you 🤍 JYK --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
March 12 · 1 hr 15 min
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 role friction plays in creative expression, what happens when the plan falls apart (like the day a brown snake appeared on set), and why understanding the feeling underneath what you’re trying to create might be the most important part of the process. We also explore what balance means to us, why curiosity might be the sexiest quality in a human, and when being yourself stops feeling like rebellion and starts to feel like being. -- Sign up to my newsletter here for 'things I learnt' from Mads. Learn more about Mads here. Order your One Word Journal here. Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm. DM me on IG here. Thank you for listening :) JYK 🤍
February 26 · 11 min
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. I started this year burnt out, foggy, exhausted. So I made space. I went away for a week by myself, switched off my phone, disconnected from the outside world, and sat with one simple, confronting question: What do you want? --- You can DM me on IG here Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm Sign up to my newsletter here Order a One Word Journal here I love hearing from you! JYK 🤍 --- Retreat: Sundara Pod reference: James Clear x Aspire --- The Masterpiece soundtrack is composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton.
February 12 · 7 min
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 anything with love and integrity is so uncomfortable, the space between taste and ability, and why the pursuit is the point. We finish with the Masterpiece soundtrack, composed by Josie Mann, with strings by James Tarbotton. --- You can email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm DM me on IG here Sign up to my newsletter here And order a One Word Journal here I always love hearing from you :) JYK 🤍
January 29 · 10 min
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 to meet yourself where you are. --- You can order a One Word Journal here Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm DM me on IG here And sign up to my newsletter here Thank you for listening :) JYK 🤍
January 15 · 1 hr 8 min
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, with deep roots, that can quietly stop you from living, creating, and connecting. In this conversation, I sit down with Cass Seidler, psychologist and recovering perfectionist. Together, we unpack what perfectionism really is, how it shows up, the toll it takes on your life, relationships, and energy — and what the road to recovery can look like. -- You can order your One Word Journal here Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm DM me on IG here And sign up to my newsletter here! (for things I learnt from these pods and more) Thank you for listening :) JYK 🤍
January 1 · 55 min
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 words for 2026 and how we arrived at them. You can order your One Word Journal here Share your One Word here Email us at hello@myword.is Get in touch via IG on @myword.is and @jessicayolandakaye DM me on IG here And sign up to my newsletter here! Thank you for listening :)
Dec 18, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
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 surprised and stretched her, and what it’s been like writing her first novel amidst it all. We talk about perfectionism and craft, devotion and discipline, and what happens to the artist when life gets fuller. --- ONE WORD JOURNAL Pre-order here. --- GRACE O'NEILL Instagram + Substack Read Grace's piece: Dispatches from Motherhood --- NEWSLETTER For 'Things I learnt from Grace' and more sign up to my free newsletter here. --- JESSICA YOLANDA KAYE Instagram + website. Email jyk@masterpiece.com for anything else :)

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