TLP Interview with Helena De Groot, Audio Producer and Sound Artist

In this intimate and deeply moving episode of The Lonely Palette, host Tamara Vichai interviews audio artist Helena de Grote about her groundbreaking eight-part series Creation Myth, which explores the complex, often contradictory decision of whether or not to have children. Through a masterful blend of personal memoir, innovative sound design, and emotional honesty, Helena unpacks the creative process behind her work—revealing how music and silence are used not just as accompaniment, but as narrative tools that shape meaning, foreshadow emotion, and create profound intimacy with the listener. She shares how her upbringing in a musical family shaped her sonic sensibility, and how she draws inspiration from literary and oral history traditions—particularly the work of Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich—to craft a story that is both hyper-specific and universally resonant. The conversation evolves into a meditation on doubt, loss, control, and the courage it takes to be vulnerable, ultimately revealing that the most human stories are not about answers, but about the messy, ongoing journey of being present with uncertainty. Helena’s journey—from self-doubt and fear of self-indulgence to a place of quiet certainty—offers a powerful reminder that empathy begins with honesty, and that the most meaningful art emerges from the willingness to let go of control and share the seams of one’s life.