120: Phil Smith: Space Industry Analyst and Artist

EPISODE 120

May 14

Can an artist’s work help to forecast the future? Can art in different forms (infographics, etc.) help decision makers within the industry? Is the ISS beautiful?

With more than 20+ years of work in space exploration industry, Phil Smith brings a strong sense of experience and foundation to his work as an analyst and artist. Phil joins Beth on the podcast to explain how his unique role can bring understanding and inspiration to space companies and clients who are looking to peer into the future with a little help from a visionary expert.

Phil Smith has an incredible job- listen as Phil shares incredible examples like the time when NASA asks Phil and his team to “produce a map of the universe in a way that had never been seen before…a socio-economic map that reflects how NASA impacts our view of the universe and potential use of its future within our solar system.”

“Space on the one hand is relatively simple to understand but the way we use it in art and the relationship is very complex, like it is when you ask, ‘What is your relationship with the Earth?’” -Phil Smith on Casual Space Podcast

About Phil, in his own words:

I have a tendency to see nature through an artistic lens, despite not believing some higher power created the wonders around us. Like most people, I have the capacity to assign meaning to things and to see beauty in the great and small. I also suffer from the relentless desire to create order where there is none. I’m fascinated by the workings of the universe and use traditional and digital media to represent what I feel are its most magnificent aspects. Though I think of myself as an artist, I make my living as a space industry analyst. This liberates me financially to pursue my art yet also informs my creative work.

I’ve worked in the space industry for over 20 years (now at BryceTech), building on a technical foundation of graduate-level education and military experience. I also leverage my artistic skills wherever and whenever possible. My background includes space industry analysis and market forecasting, astroculture, astrofuturism, aerospace history, nuclear weapons technology, industrial hygiene, clinical laboratory studies, and policy analysis. In addition to conducting research, analyzing the results, and drafting written materials, I translate this work into high-quality documents, briefings, wall charts, and infographics using various publishing tools, bringing a mix of analytical skills and artistic talent to provide customers with a diversity of approaches in problem solving, from conceptualization to final delivery. I’ve also been a tour guide for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum since 2003. I’ve been interviewed or quoted by SpaceNews, Satellite Today, Via Satellite, The Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Associated Press, United Press International, Houston Chronicle, Agence France-Presse, The Moscow Times, Sputnik, CNN International, CNBC, Nightly Business Report, Newsy, and The Diane Rehm Show.