Michaela Anne + Aaron Shafer-Haiss on intuition vs assumption, creative ownership, and vulnerability as a faucet.
From The Other 22 Hours by Michaela Anne, Aaron Shafer-Haiss
May 20, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 150
About this episode
Michaela Anne and Aaron Shafer-Haiss reflect on their creative partnership and the evolution of their artistic identities in a self-interview format.
To celebrate our 150th episode, we try a bit of an experiment: interviewing ourselves, for the first time. After nearly two decades of partnership, we examine the evolution of the creative self. Michaela Anne, whose fifth record These Are The Days marks the first record that she retains total ownership of in over a decade, discusses the "massive shift of self" required to walk away from industry gatekeepers. Aaron Shafer-Haiss, whose compositions have scored major network dramas like Station 19 and The Good Doctor, reflects on the "utilitarian creativity" of a producer. It is a conversation about resilience, the "growth seesaw" of a creative marriage, and the realization that the dream is already happening.
People in this episode
Hosts: Michaela Anne, Aaron Shafer-Haiss
Topics covered
- intuition vs assumption
- creative ownership
- vulnerability
- creative partnership
- resilience
- self-evolution
Keywords
- creative self
- ownership
- industry gatekeepers
- utilitarian creativity
- creative marriage
- growth seesaw
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Station 19, The Good Doctor
Books & works: These Are The Days
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