What happens when recovery doesn’t just save your life—but reshapes your hands, your work, and your legacy?
In this powerful episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with Jimmy Garcia, founder of Mean Mug Pistons, a Texas-based creative venture where reclaimed engine pistons are transformed into hand-carved sculptures known as Mean Mugs. What starts as a conversation about art quickly becomes a deeper exploration of sobriety, blue-collar creativity, fatherhood, and the long road back to self-trust.
Jimmy’s work is raw, industrial, and unapologetically honest—much like his story. After years of addiction, he found recovery and has now celebrated 15 years of sobriety since August 22, 2009. Instead of leaving his past behind, Jimmy integrated it into his creative process, using discarded materials and hard-earned wisdom to create pieces that speak to resilience, grit, and transformation.
In this episode, Rich and Jimmy explore what it means to rebuild from the inside out—how recovery changes not just your habits, but your relationship to work, identity, and purpose. Jimmy opens up about the realities of long-term sobriety, the responsibility of fatherhood, and the discipline required to keep choosing growth even when no one is watching.
They also discuss Jimmy’s journey as an e-book author and mentor, including his book Tenacity: A Blue-Collar Man’s Road to Healing, where he shares lessons learned through addiction, recovery, and reclaiming self-worth. This conversation speaks directly to artists, makers, and creatives who come from nontraditional paths—those who didn’t come up through galleries or academia, but through lived experience.
With a massive and dedicated following across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, Jimmy has built a global audience by staying grounded in authenticity. His sculptures ship worldwide, but his message stays personal: healing isn’t clean, creativity isn’t linear, and recovery is an ongoing act of courage.

This episode is for:
• Artists navigating recovery or sobriety
• Creatives from blue-collar or nontraditional backgrounds
• Anyone turning pain into purpose
• Makers redefining what art “gets to be”
• Those learning how to build a meaningful life one honest day at a time

Connect with Jimmy:
Youtube: @meanmugpistons6014
Facebook: @meanmugpistons
Instagram: @meanmugpistons
Tik Tok: @meanmugpistons

#JimmyGarciaInterview, #ArtistRecoveryPodcast, #RecoveryAndCreativity, #LongTermSobriety, #AddictionRecoveryJourney, #BlueCollarArtist, #ReclaimedMaterialsArt, #SculpturalStorytelling, #HealingThroughArt, #CreativeResilience, #FatherhoodAndRecovery, #TurningPainIntoPurpose, #SoberArtistJourney, #IndustrialArt, #MeanMugPistons, #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #richwrightart #metalworker #mechanic #mechaniclife

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Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright

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What happens when a creative spirit grows up surrounded by competition, comparison, and expectations—yet refuses to follow the status quo? In this deeply reflective episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with accomplished author, educator, and resilience advocate Sharon Neiss Arbess for an honest conversation about creativity, perseverance, and the long road to trusting your own voice. Sharon shares her journey growing up in Montreal within a high-pressure, achievement-driven environment—where excelling academically and athletically was the norm, and creativity often lived on the margins. From feeling like she never quite “measured up,” to discovering that not fitting in became her greatest strength, Sharon reveals how early experiences with competition, rejection, and self-doubt quietly shaped her resilience as a writer.

Together, Rich and Sharon explore:

• Why rejection becomes easier when you grow up learning how to get back up

• How creativity often develops outside traditional education systems

• The courage it takes to release your first book after years of self-doubt

• Why comparison is the thief of joy—especially for artists and writers

• The hidden resilience behind “failed” projects and long creative timelines

Sharon opens up about her books—including Me and My So-Called Friends, Get Up, and The Most Amazing Department Store—and how her storytelling centers emotional honesty, youth resilience, and navigating life’s uncomfortable moments with compassion. She also shares how her teacher’s manual Brave the Waves was developed to help middle-school students, parents, and educators build emotional awareness, resilience, and open dialogue around difficult topics. This episode is a powerful reminder that:

~Creativity doesn’t follow a straight line.

~Success doesn’t arrive on a perfect schedule.

~And resilience is built through showing up—again and again—even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

If you’re an artist, writer, educator, or creative who has ever questioned your path, struggled with comparison, or wondered if your voice truly matters—this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

Connect with Sharon: https://sharonneissarbess.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonneissarbess

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-neiss-arbess-99315921

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SharonNeissArbessWriter

#SharonNeissArbess #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #CreativeResilience #WritingThroughRejection #AuthorMentalHealth #CreativityAndComparison #WomenAuthorsPodcast #YouthResilience #EmotionalWellbeing #CreativeVoice #PersistenceInArt #CreativeCourage #ArtistMindset #ResilienceThroughFailure #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #artist #creativeidentity #richwrightart

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Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright

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In this deeply human episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with Steve Boehm, aka Steve Sxaks—a multi-hyphenate creator whose journey spans punk rock stages, underground hip-hop culture, military service, homelessness, education, and authorship. This is not a highlight reel conversation. It’s a grounded, honest exploration of how identity is forged through adversity, failure, and relentless self-inquiry.
From growing up drawn to attention and performance, to being shaped by punk ethics and DIY culture, Steve opens up about what it means to learn everything the hard way. No shortcuts. No safety net. Just lived experience as the teacher.
As a former touring punk musician turned respected audio engineer, Steve is the co-founder of Marston House Recording, one of Philadelphia’s most influential studios. He is also the creator of Marston House Ciphers, a platform dedicated to preserving authentic underground hip-hop voices. But behind those accomplishments lies a quieter truth—periods of instability, couch surfing, shelters, and rebuilding from the ground up while becoming a husband, father, and mentor.
This episode dives into:
• Growing up between chaos and creativity
• Punk rock as philosophy, not fashion
• Learning through failure—and why Steve lets his students fail on purpose
• Integrity in music, education, and collaboration
• Teaching young artists how to earn trust, not just credits
• Navigating homelessness, grief, and responsibility
• Why creativity often chooses us before we’re ready

Steve also reflects on his role as an educator and nonprofit leader, sharing how his own unteachable tendencies shaped the way he mentors emerging creatives today. His approach is simple but radical: experience it, own it, fix it, and never repeat it.
Beyond music, Steve is also a published author. His debut novel, Invasion of the Punkcrackers Who Drink Blood, blends rebellion, horror, and coming-of-age themes—mirroring the same raw energy that defines his life and work.
This conversation isn’t about success in the traditional sense. It’s about integrity, resilience, and what it takes to stay creative when life keeps testing you.

Connect with Steve Sxaks:
https://letsgoguy.com
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/steve_sxaks
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@stevesxaks⁩

#SteveSxaksInterview, #ArtistRecoveryPodcast, #PunkRockPhilosophy, #UndergroundHipHopCulture, #MarstonHouseRecording, #MusicIndustryIntegrity, #CreativeResilience, #RebuildingThroughArt, #HomelessnessAndCreativity, #PunkRockMindset, #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #richwrightunlimited #podmatchguest #AudioEngineerJourney, #TeachingThroughFailure, #veteran #militarylife #militarymentalhealth #MusicEducationMentorship, #DIYMusicCulture, #ArtistIdentityRecovery, #CreativeSurvivalStories, #VeteranArtist, #IndependentMusicPodcast, #AuthenticStorytelling ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩

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Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright

Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com
Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com

Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com

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