The Creative Condition podcast

Brew Brain Dump 12: There's a Fly's Brain in the Insect Matrix. How Creativity Can Preserve Sanity When Fiction Becomes Truth

A few years ago, I wrote a silly, speculative science fiction story about a teenager getting stuck in Snake 2. Now we live in a world where it's dated because someone in Silicon Valley has put a fruit fly's brain on a chip and it's doing fly things in the insect matrix.
Let's sit with that and consider what it means for our mental health and creativity.
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua
Guardian article in this episode:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/mar/16/petri-dish-brain-cells-playing-doom-cortical-labs
My short story: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shortstories/snake2-b7mew

Ep 290: Local scenes, connections, and the personality of a place with All Flows founders Richard Wiggins and Simon Wright

As the world gets noisier and our heads fill up quicker by the day, there's a growing appetite for quieter, intimate, real-life connections. 
All Flows and Pooleyville co-founders Richard Wiggins and Simon Wright have cultivated a wonderful creative industry scene in Milton Keynes, and they join me to discuss the power of local collaboration and the personality of a place ahead of All Flows 2026, which is on 13th-15th May. Find out more here!
https://pooleyville.uk/
Visit the founding sponsor's stunning global roster of illustrators and animators.
Support the Ukrainian creative community.
Coach one-to-one with Ben Tallon and access more creativity resources.
 

Ep 289: Do Yo Get Excited? Why Excitement is So Essential for Creative Career Health and Wellbeing

Do you get excited? As we grow into adult life, the glee of childhood changes. But do you stay attuned with what excitement is for you now, or get trapped in routines and habits? 
 
This is one of creativity's biggest blind spots.
 
Covered in this show:
Excitement's role in creativity
The sense of wonder and magic
The dangers of habituation, routines, and being a passenger in our story
 
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor, Illustration X
 
Support the Ukrainian Institute here
 
Coach directly with Ben

Brew Brain Dump 11: Unexpected AI workaround benefits

I work hard to avoid using AI on environmental grounds. This has brought about some deeper thinking about analog methods and how I can thrive in my creative practice as a luddite. 
The latest ramble over a brew.
Covered in this show:
AI resource use
Working around AI 
Deeper connections by having to find alternative solutions to the done thing
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor https://illustrationx.com
Support the Ukrainian Institute here: https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon now
See Ben's art here

Ep 288: The Importance of a Point of View in a Portfolio. Lessons from my first creative industry body of work!

Flawed, clumsy, and crass are a few of the words that came to mind as I dug out as much as I could find of my first illustration portfolio in 2008. But I also saw the fire, the humour, and the strong personality I'd packed into it.
We live in the information age, where everyone has the tools, so we have to tell our unique story in a visual brand. Technical competency is no longer enough.
Join me as I work through all 19 images and reflect on what makes for a strong point-of-view in a brand and portfolio.
Head here to do so! https://www.thecreativecondition.com/articles/my-first-portfolio
Covered in this show:
Creative industry positioning
Personality in a portfolio and brand
Storytelling, humour, and intent
The balance of abilities and the desired state
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor, Illustration X
Support the Ukrainian Institute here
Coach directly with Ben
 
Show less

Brew Brain Dump 10: Creating to Ease Existential Dread?!

Who else wakes up with a sense of existential dread? Maybe it's just my midlife crisis, but it's also nothing new. How can we channel thoughts bigger than us, that wrestle with the nature of existence into something interesting and cathartic?
Covered in this show:
Mortality and creativity
Existential dread and anxiety
Storytelling, purpose and meaning
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor https://illustrationx.com
Support the Ukrainian Institute here: https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon now
See Ben's art here

Ep 287: The pace of life emergency! Slowing down, creativity, and meaning with The Fax Club Experiment

The Fax Club Experiment was an idea by the Founder of The Do Lectures, David Hieatt. Once a week for 52 weeks, anonymous members would receive a question via fax. A question that insists on deep introspection, time with inner parts of ourselves that tend to be forgotten in the fever pitch of modern life in the information age. Four of the 32 who saw the project through, Adam, Claire, Judy, and Grace, join me to discuss the project, the book, and slowing down, thinking, and listening for greater life fulfilment and creativity.
Covered in this show:
Technology and hectic, stressful lives
Anxiety, creativity, hearing, and being heard
Deeper thinking, meaning, and intentionality in our lives
The joys of anonymous, positive discourse
Get the book: https://thefaxclubexperiment.com/
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor https://illustrationx.com
Support the Ukrainian Institute here: https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon now
See Ben's art here

Brew Brain Dump 9: Slowing down for better mental health and creativity

Reflections about the opportunity for better creativity and joy in our lives if we learn how to slow down and communicate properly.
Covered in this show:
Technology's sweet spot
Anxiety and mental illness in the information age
Creativity and communication
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor https://illustrationx.com
Support the Ukrainian Institute here: https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon now
See Ben's art here

Ep 286: Are You Gollum? The Ring of Power, Smartphones, and Our Creativity

We reach for the destructive object in our pockets without conscious awareness.
We know the damage it does to our minds and our souls, but we're too far gone.
It keeps us from our peace and our creativity.
Are you Gollum?
Supported as ever by the founding show sponsor, Illustration X. https://illustrationx.com
Support The Ukrainian Institute, fighting for the Ukrainian creative community during a horrific time of war. https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach

Ep 285: Is Talent a Lie? Kevin Murphy's story suggests it might just be!

Kevin Murphy taught himself to be an artist. By breaking down the craft into systemic steps, he earned himself a career as an illustrator and artist working with The Rolling Stones, Barnes & Noble, National Geographic, and LucasArts before he started Evolve Artist.
We discuss why the program proves time and time again that talent is a lie, and the story behind it.
Learn more about Evolve Artist here
As ever supported by the show's founding sponsor https://illustrationx.com
Support the Ukrainian Institute here: https://ui.org.ua
Coach with The Creative Condition Founder Ben Tallon now
See Ben's art here