The Creative Condition podcast

Ep 221: Optimism. Five tips to feel better and create optimally

Too many people are downbeat. The heaviness of 24-hour news cycles are locking people's creativity and spirit away in dank, lightless basements.Here are five tips to turn the tide, and find a baseline of excitement and optimism from which to contribute to solutions for the problems that make us feel like the world has gone to sh1t.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: ui.org.ua/The Creative Condition book is available to pre-order now at: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-releaseFor the ebook version: https://shorturl.at/bkBDEhttps://bentallon.com

Ep 220: A guide to publishing a book independently

Today is the release day for 'The Creative Condition' - my 2nd non-fiction book.This time out I chose to publish independently. Here's how, why, what to consider if you want to do this too.Supported by founding sponsor: https://illustrationx.com and the Ukrainian Institute https://ui.org.uaThe Creative Condition is out now at: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-release

Ep 219: Who is on your zombie apocalypse team? Professor Athena Aktipis on joy in vulnerability, zombie teams & surviving wild times

Arizona State University professor in psychology Athena Atkipis joins me as her new book 'A Field Guide to the Apocalypse' hits the bookshelves.Athena's smart and fun zombie apocalypse approach to encouraging and supporting us in facing our fears during wild times carves out her beautiful niche in the field of psychology.We discuss why we've always felt like we're on the brink as a species, and, whether the worst happens, or a pipe simply bursts and floods your house, preparing for greater resilience in wild times can be fun, exciting, and a great route to happiness and optimal creativity.It's also publication day for 'The Creative Condition' book tomorrow, April 11th!As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: ui.org.ua/https://www.athenaaktipis.org/Athena's book: https://shorturl.at/tIOQXThe Creative Condition book is available to pre-order now at: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-releasehttps://bentallon.com

Ep 218: The thread - why into the unknown is the only way to success

The ability to embrace the unknown is the root cause of the historic fear of creativity and maximising expressions of self.Here is a story, a standout example of why the unknown is the only way to reach personal success.The thread.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: ui.org.ua/https://www.offf.barcelona/https://www.phaidon.com/store/design/now-is-better-9781838666965/https://www.instagram.com/olha_protasova_illustration/The Creative Condition book is available to pre-order now at: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-releasehttps://bentallon.com

Ep 217: The patterns that rule us. Taking control with Tye Glover, founder of Think Different Nation

At a formative age, Tye Glover was told he'd better look at careers that required physical activity because his brain wasn't up to much. This couldn't have been more wrong. Through his 'neural creative programming' model, Tye helps others join their dots. He explains why patterns are everything, and how we can take control and eliminate the negative loops in our lives to find our optimal way.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: ui.org.ua/https://thinkdifferentnation.comThe Creative Condition book is available to pre-order now at: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-releasehttps://bentallon.com

Ep 216: Are graduate and junior job demands damaging creativity? With LOVE Creative’s Eve Warren

Manchester creative agency LOVE Creative Senior Creative Eve Warren joins me in conversation to discuss the damaging trend of excessive job demands for entry-level and junior roles in the arts.We discuss the responsibilities of both industry and education to ensure creativity is not damaged when trying to remain viable in times of economic struggle, and our own experiences and ideas.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: ui.org.ua/https://www.lovecreative.com/The original thread by Eve:https://twitter.com/EveWarren1/status/1755510907671618026https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eve-warren-96474985_is-the-gap-between-university-and-junior-activity-7161308148144726016-W4lH?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktopbentallon.comThe Creative Condition book pre-order: www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-cr…-11th-release

Ep 215: Community’s role in the creative process with Birmingham Design Festival’s Dan and Luke

Community. We saw it rise again during COVID, despite the fact we were all indoors. Yet on the other side of the pandemic, many of us have struggled to return to our former social glories. Positive social relationships are critical to our wellbeing, so I caught up with Daniel Alcorn and Luke Tonge, founders of the fantastic Birmingham Design Festival to talk about why in-person community events and the relationships they tend to spark are so critical in the creative process.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: https://illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: https://ui.org.ua/https://birminghamdesignfestival.org.uk/https://birminghamdesign.shop/https://bentallon.comThe Creative Condition book pre-order: https://www.bentallonwriter.com/shop/p/the-creative-condition-understanding-and-embracing-human-creativity-signed-paperback-pre-order-april-11th-release

Ep 214: The comedian, psychedelics, mental health, and creativity with Negin Farsad

The science increasingly points to a very positive link between (responsibly and professionally administered) psilocybin - or 'magic mushrooms' - and mental health. After reading American-Iranian comedian, writer, and actor Negin Farsad's experience on a Jamaican psychedelic retreat, written for AFAR, I talked to both Negin, and CEO/Head-facilitator of Mycomeditations, Justin Townsend about psychedelics, mental health, and creativity.This is a warm, deep, intriguing insight into the world of fungi and the human experience, which touches upon Jungian depth psychology, the default mode network, and the things that hold us back from our optimal creativity.As ever the show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: https://illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. You can help a wonderful organisation by supporting the Ukrainian creative community as they struggle to keep making during the horrific war: https://ui.org.ua/http://neginfarsad.com/https://www.instagram.com/neginfarsad/https://www.mycomeditations.com/

Ep 213: Gush Mundae, Bulletproof agency founder on violence, adversity, hustling and heart

Gush Mundae moved to a racially divided UK from Delhi, India and experienced more than his fair share of discrimination and abuse. Through hip hop and street art culture, he found belonging, and would later use £2k of his savings to start Bulletproof, a creative agency that is 25 years old, and now spans 8 countries.We get into Gush's response to the challenges he and his family faced in those early years, the power of art, the values he continues to run Bulletproof on today, and his desire to contribute to positive changes in education.The show is supported by founding sponsor Illustration X: https://illustrationx.comHosted by Ben Tallon: https://bentallon.comhttps://www.wearebulletproof.com/about/Support the Ukrainian creative community: https://ui.org.ua/en/mission-2/

Creative stories #4: The Hockney Soldier. How art and design books tell our story

'The Hockney Soldier' is a short story pondering how art and design books are symbolic in bringing us closer to the horrors of war, that can feel removed from our reality. But also, the way creativity bonds us.Supported by Illustration X: https://illustrationx.comand the Ukrainian Institute. Connect with and champion Ukrainian art and culture now at: https://ui.org.ua/Written, presented, and produced by Ben Tallon https://bentallon.com and https://bentallonwriter.comMusic by Dirty Freud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2c5NcXidirDDqL3sc3vW8S