E150 - Matt Barnes of The Leisure Club | Third Places, Navigating the World as an Artist, Entrepreneur Hardships & More!

E150 - Matt Barnes of The Leisure Club | Third Places, Navigating the World as an Artist, Entrepreneur Hardships & More!

From What You Don't Hear by Ross Theisen

December 29, 2025 · 2h 4m

About this episode

Matt Barnes discusses his journey as an artist and entrepreneur, the concept of third places, and the challenges of running a creative business.

Matt Barnes is the Founder and Owner of The Leisure Club (@leisureclub.co) here in Columbus, Ohio. From knowing he always had a passion for the arts, community and entertainment, the journey Matt takes on us in this episode ventures from; an original interest in performance and theater, to obtaining a business degree as a safety plan, living in 27 different places before he was 30, an experiential art project turning into a full on creative agency, to eventually learning it was a struggle to work for others and deciding to go out on his own. In all of that, the concept of "The Leisure Club" third space was taking shape. From a small rented studio space to hangout with friends, to a physical venue space where others can bring their own commuities together. We cover it all! This is indeed a great conversation with Matt as we also talk about navigating the world at large as an artist, the woes of freelance and client culture, learning the power of saying "no" and setting boundaries as a creative, the ups and downs of running a business, and why third places matter! Lots of great stuff in this one folks! ----THIS EPISODE IS PARTNERED WITH: PromoWest Productions - @promowestlive For…

People in this episode

Guest: Matt Barnes

Topics covered

  • Third Places
  • Navigating the World as an Artist
  • Entrepreneur Hardships
  • Freelance Culture
  • Setting Boundaries

Keywords

  • The Leisure Club
  • Columbus Ohio
  • Creative Agency
  • Community
  • Arts

Sponsors

PromoWest Productions

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Leisure Club

Places: OH, Columbus, Ohio, the Franklinton Arts District

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