Description

Creating a comprehensive 89-card tarot deck and a 720-page guidebook based on the first century of Mormon history requires a “big tent” approach to the past—and a lot of starting over. Join the creator of the Sego & Salt Tarot for an unvarnished tour through the chaotic, magical, and exhausting process of bringing this multidisciplinary project to fruition.

This session dives deep into the “messy middle” of creation:

• The Rewrites & Reality Checks: Facing historical discoveries that forced massive artistic pivots, corrections, and structural accommodations.
• Intuition vs. Intellect: Navigating the creative friction when conscious understanding and artistic instincts were at war, and exploring the insights behind the final compositions.
• The Mental Landscape: Confronting imposter syndrome, the weight of feeling trapped, and the reality of managing ADHD—both as a barrier to progress and as a superpower for deep, hyper-focused research.

JOSHUA DAVID BAIRD is an American painter and multidisciplinary creator whose work is deeply rooted in the Colorado Plateau. Raised in Utah, his lifelong relationship with the region’s dramatic topography serves as the singular anchor for his diverse creative pursuits.

Baird explores the landscape through different lenses depending on the medium. Working primarily in oil, his paintings serve as an atmospheric exploration of visual perception, behavior of light, and space. Through a process of subtraction, he distills the complexities of nature into what he calls “lazy boy recliners for the eyes and mind.”

Conversely, his multimedia projects through Sinawava Studios capture the human, historical, and dynamic storytelling elements of the West. Extending his vision into film, design, photography, audio production, and musical composition, he is the creator of the Sego & Salt Tarot and has shot, scored & directed award-winning short films.

Baird holds degrees from Southern Oregon University and has studied fine art at BYU and Utah State. His acclaimed, award-winning work is held in public and private collections, including the Springville Museum of Art. He currently lives and works in Kanab, Utah.