The Creative Boom Podcast
Creative Boom
The Creative Boom Podcast is a weekly interview show for designers, illustrators, animators, and creative professionals. Host Katy Cowan talks to artists, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers about the realities of building a creative career – confidence, burnout, money, failure, reinvention, and imposter syndrome – in honest, warm conversations that don't dress anything up.
Part of Creative Boom, the independent magazine for the creative community established in 2009.
Part of Creative Boom, the independent magazine for the creative community established in 2009.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 19, 2020 • 1h
The wild story behind Shangri-La at Glastonbury, with Kaye Dunnings
Kaye Dunnings is the creative director of Shangri-La at Glastonbury Festival, which was set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this June until it was postponed. Pre-lockdown, we met in Bristol to chat about how the festival has evolved over the last decade, its wilder days, and how she came to be Shangri-La's creative director. Kaye also shares her thoughts on climate change, alternative living, and why she hopes the future is looking brighter.
Apr 12, 2020 • 49min
Opening up as a male designer to tackle mental health, with Jordan Yates
Jordan Yates is a Manchester-based designer, illustrator and animator who's recently gone freelance. As well as navigating the world of self-employment, he's also one of the co-founders of Design Recovery, a free event that gives people a "safe place" to talk openly about mental health. In this episode, we find out the story behind such a positive venture, his own experiences as a male designer, and how he's found freelancing so far.
Apr 5, 2020 • 50min
Moving to Australia for a new role at Design Studio, with Katie Cadwell
Katie Cadwell is a Welsh-born, Falmouth-raised designer, who worked for Supple Studio in Bath until recently. She's just left the UK to join Design Studio as its senior designer in Sydney, Australia. We discuss her new life overseas, being a woman in design and why it's so important to support the next generation of creatives.
Mar 30, 2020 • 55min
How a quiet childhood in China inspired a dazzling career, with Zipeng Zhu
Zipeng Zhu is a designer, illustrator and animator living in Brooklyn. Chinese-born, he's been in the States since moving to New York in 2009 to study at the School of Visual Arts. After graduation, he worked at Pentagram and Sagmeister & Walsh before starting his own studio, Dazzle. We talk about his career so far, and why a quiet childhood in China inspired him to "dazzle". And if you can hear anyone in the background, that's his boyfriend, Angel Crawford.
Mar 23, 2020 • 52min
How to keep a calm head in illustration, with Abbey Lossing
Illustrator and animator Abbey Lossing is known for her delightful portraits of people, working for clients such as Google, Facebook, and The Washington Post. In this episode we chat about life as a freelancer in New York, her love of rock climbing, and why she's trying to be more mindful in her work.
Mar 16, 2020 • 1h 2min
Surviving as a funny introvert in New York City, with Jon Burgerman
New York-based British artist Jon Burgerman reveals his love of googly eyes and his sense of humour, plus we hear tips on making it as an independent artist today. We also chat about being a creative introvert in the Big Apple and why he prefers his own company, unlike his stuffed friend 'Burgsy' who always seems to steal the show.
Mar 9, 2020 • 57min
Overcoming loss and why family comes first, with Liam Hopkins & Claire McDivitt
British artist and designer Liam Hopkins is the man behind Lazerian, a creative studio in Manchester with clients including Bloomberg, Virgin and Habitat. Claire McDivitt runs Lost Heritage, one of the North West of England's leading printing firms. Partners in both business and life, they've had a challenging couple of years lately. We sat down to chat about doing what you love, overcoming loss, and why family always comes first. Some laughs as well as tears here.
Mar 2, 2020 • 1h 10min
Warp, Wipeout and thirty years of The Designers Republic, with Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson is one of the co-founders of The Designers Republic, the iconic studio known for its electronic music logos, album artwork and "anti-establishment aesthetics". In 2019, Ian published the A to Z of The Designers Republic, a book that explores TDR's output and its influence on a whole generation of graphic designers. Here, we unveil some of the fascinating (and often funny) stories behind Warp, Wipeout and thirty years of The Designers Republic.
Feb 24, 2020 • 51min
Starting a global eco movement through illustration, with Emma Reynolds
Emma Reynolds is a freelance children's book illustrator and author based in Manchester. She's also behind the global #KidLit4Climate campaign which brings together thousands of children's illustrators and authors from over 50 countries to stand in solidarity with the youth climate strikes. In this episode, we chat about freelancing, mental health, and climate change. And we touch on the joys of city living when you've grown up in a quiet village.
Feb 17, 2020 • 58min
Big regrets, being different and discovering life begins at 50, with Rankin
Rankin is the British photographer, publisher and film director renowned for his portraits of Bowie and Bjork, and for being co-founder of Dazed & Confused. We chatted to the fearless man behind the lens about his fascinating career and were surprised to hear him open up about his childhood, his father, his regrets and mistakes. This is an honest delve into the heart and mind of one of the biggest names in photography.
