SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. – Creativity, connections, and curiosity are the hallmarks of a weekly video podcast called “Eager To Know,” that Saxtons River artist Ricky McEachern is debuting on public access television in Bellows Falls and Keene, N.H., on Wednesday, March 15, at 9 p.m. and Thursday, March 16, at 4 p.m., as well as through podcasting platforms.
“I’m an extremely curious person and I love to connect with creative people,” said McEachern, who has produced 104 podcast episodes featuring interviews with creative people, among them a famous novelist, an astrologer, a tattoo artist, a mind reader, a photographer, a muralist, and a garden designer. Episode 105 will be the first one produced at FACT TV in Bellows Falls.
Each 29-minute podcast will connect with someone in the arts or another arena that is doing something interesting.
“People are curious about the world and want to see inside the minds of people who are doing things they don’t do,” he said. “I want people to be inspired and see themselves in a new way.”
McEachern himself has gone through changes that helped him see himself in new ways.
Originally from the Boston area, McEachern’s curiosity about the world was spiked by fifth grade science, which lead to a career in plastic engineering. His science brain battled with his art brain until, in 2010, and with the help of meditation and yoga, he embraced the latter.
After exploring art in Chicago, he moved to Saxtons River last year, bought a house, and set up a studio. He was familiar with the area from being part of a group that came to Jamaica regularly to ski.
McEachern has found no lack of interesting people to interview, including Bellows Falls-based artist Charlie Hunter and a couple who have set up Willow Vermont, an art, meditation, and yoga retreat in South Newfane.
“I was drawn to Vermont because it’s so beautiful,” he said, “but also because the people are so open and present.”
He is hoping others will share his curiosity and find inspiration in the lives of those he interviews.
The podcast will air Mondays after midnight on podcast platforms and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m. on Falls Area Community Television (www.FACT8.com), serving the Bellows Falls and Keene areas. It will also be available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. More details can be found at McEachern’s website www.rickyartist.com.