In this God quest (not-so-mini) bonus episode of The Secret Life of TK Dutes, TK pulls up to artist Élan Cadiz’s Harlem studio for a loose, unfiltered conversation about art, family, and what it means to embody an object.

What starts as curiosity- sparked by episode 2 with Nicole Crowder, has TK following the thread to deeper reflection on comfort, lineage, and the expectation of being used as a tool.

Élan breaks down her project An American Family Album, where family members are rendered as chairs- revealing how we see ourselves and what we carry. TK shares why following the “God quest,” even without a plan, has become essential to her healing from burnout.

Pull up a chair it's time for art therapy.

Follow Élan Cadiz: https://www.instagram.com/elancadiz
Learn more about An American Family Album: https://www.elancadiz.com/an-american-family-album
Read the Vogue feature: https://www.vogue.com/article/artist-turning-family-into-chairs

📚 Élan's Library 📚

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto
Author: Tricia Hersey
Link: https://thenapministry.com/rest-is-resistance

Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
Author: Dorothy Roberts
Link: https://thenewpress.com/books/killing-black-body

The Prophet
Author: Kahlil Gibran
Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317488/the-prophet-by-kahlil-gibran/

How I Became a Ghost
Author: Tim Tingle
Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/228584/how-i-became-a-ghost-by-tim-tingle/

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
Author: Audre Lorde
Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/193060/sister-outsider-by-audre-lorde/

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Special thanks to Amy of Velma Jean Flowers for calling the Secret Life Lifeline and for lifting up Sara Ahmed’s Living a Feminist Life this episode. Your reflection helped shape this conversation.

📞 You can call or text The Secret Life Line like Amy did at (929) 551-4363, or leave a voice note at philosfuturemedia@gmail.com.

⭐ If you want to help us become an award-winning podcast, rate + review the show wherever you listen and consider becoming a Patreon member at
👉🏾 https://www.patreon.com/SecretLifeofTK
Your support helps us enter award categories so they can put some respect on our names.

This bonus episode was produced by Tre’ Jones
Hosted and Executive Produced by Keisha TK Dutes of Philo's Future Media
Post-production audio by Manny Faces.

Next time we meet, we take a moment for grief in Episode 3 — coming soon.

Burnout doesn’t always announce itself.
Sometimes it just asks you to sit down.

In this episode of The Secret Life of TK Dutes, a late-night scroll turns into a flight to Minneapolis, an upholstery class, and a quiet reckoning with rest and healing. TK meets furniture designer/curator/editor Nicole Crowder, and what starts as a conversation about chairs becomes one about creative burnout, self-trust, and leaving hustle culture without making a scene about it.

They talk about making things with your hands, about why comfort feels political, about how Black women creatives have always known how to make home out of whatever’s available. About chairs as witnesses. About the right to rest. No big reveal - just the slow realization that burnout recovery might look less like escape and more like listening.

After the episode, TK sits with producer Tre’ Jones to briefly unpack what this episode shifted inside of them. The full post-episode reflection lives on Patreon.

This episode doesn’t rush.
It pulls up a chair and waits.

Welcome back to The Secret Life of TK Dutes.
Episode 2: An Invitation to Sit.

Special thanks: Nicole Crowder, Tre' Jones (Producer), Manny Faces (Engineer), Faybeo’n Mickens (Marketing), Pat Mesiti-Miller (Theme Music), Gabrielle Smith (Art)

👉🏾 Follow Nicole Crowder on IG @nicolecrowderupholstery | nicolecrowderupholstery.com

👉🏾 Follow TK on IG: @tastykeish | @philosfuturemedia
👉🏾 Go behind the scenes on Patreon: patreon.com/c/SecretLifeofTK

In this mini-episode of The Secret Life of TK Dutes, TK shares a story time about how creativity and community helped her find her way back to herself.

Burned out, depressed, and desperate to get off the laptop, TK started making functional art just to keep her hands busy.
What began as an exercise in avoidance turned into an unexpected metaphor for her own life and marked a turning point.

The episode also features listener call-ins about healing, reflection, and rebuilding.

📞 Call The Secret Life Line: (929) 551-4363
🎙️ Or send a voice note to philosfuturemedia[at]gmail[dot]com

Produced by Keisha “TK” Dutes
Post-production audio by C.

More minisodes and behind-the-scenes moments to come.

**Coming Soon: Episode 2: An Invitation to Sit**