The Creative Condition podcast

Ep 188: Confronting Colonisation. Artist Adelaide Damoah’s story of exploring personal history

What happens when the creative discipline we've trained for cannot express what we need to say? London-based artist Adelaide Damoah takes us on a journey from racist bullying in a London primary school, through ill health and a dramatic career switch from pharmaceutical to art, all the way to Ghana where she fell in love with the exploration of her heritage through performance art and narrative.Why is it important to feel, and find out what is right for our creativity at any given time, when it is all too easy to stick with what we've always done, staying in our comfort zone?Adelaide's story is a superb showcase of the great things that can happen when we stay true to our heart and listen to the soul.The Creative Condition is supported by Illustration X. Head to https://illustrationx.com to see their incredible global range of illustrators and animators.Photograph by Carla Van De Puttellar https://www.instagram.com/carlavandeputtelaar/?hl=enhttps://adelaidedamoahart.com/https://instagram.com/adelaidedamoahhttps://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.comhttps://bentallon.com

Ep 187: OFFF Festival founder Héctor Ayuso on facing fears, creative festivals & 22 years of OFFF

OFFF Festival founder Héctor Ayuso joins me ahead of the 22nd year of the giant Barcelona creative industry festival he created.Héctor talks candidly about childhood trauma, years of therapy, and a life spent facing fear to grow.We cover the role of socialising in the creative process, getting inspired, and what it felt like to return to the festival after the COVID-19 pandemic.OFFF runs from 22nd - 25th March and tickets are still available. Head to https://www.offf.barcelona/ now to find out more.The show is supported by Illustration X. You can see their global range of illustrators and animators at https://illustrationx.com now.

Ep 186: Tips for getting press and maximising exposure with Design Week editor Tom Banks

Many of us spend long hours, working passionately to make work we believe in. So why is getting the work seen not prioritised in the same way?Design Week editor gives us an insight into his new course, 'Designers and Creatives: How to Talk to the Press', and shares some golden tips for maximising exposure for our creative work.Enrol on the course now: https://www.talkingtopress.com/The show is supported by https://illustrationx.comhttps://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.comhttps://designweek.co.uk

Ep 185: The Creative at the Crossroads. Peleg Top on reconnecting with our purest creativity

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many people tapped into some part of themselves they'd stopped listening to. As our lives got faster and more intensely paced than ever before, in the work hard, must achieve, and progress culture, we forgot to listen to our younger selves.Why did we want to create in the first place? What was it that made us feel the magic and wonder of being alive in those purer years of play and exploration? Why did we choose to go to art or design school? And when did we last stop to check we were still on the right course, and not just making money, or chasing someone else's definition of success?Peleg Top is a coach and mentor for accomplished creatives at a crossroads. We discuss his own story, and how his own emptiness as a designer left him in what he calls a 'spiritual crisis' before beginning to reconnect to his purpose. Digging into the observations and lessons he has learned, and now shares, we lay out some of the most common traps and remedies for others at their own personal creative crossroads.The show is kindly supported by Illustration X. See their global range of illustrators and animators, and learn about their work supporting the creative industry at https://illustrationx.com now.Get your in to feedback @bentallon, @bentallonpod or hello@bentallon.comLearn more about Peleg's mentorship work at: https://www.pelegtop.com/Find him on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pelegtop/https://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.com

Design Week x Ben Tallon article 4: How essential is socialisation in the creative process?

The 4th in the series of articles written for Design Week, brought to you in audio format by The Creative Condition, supported by Illustration X.People are still, understandably struggling to return to the pre-COVID levels of social activity. How important are positive relationships to the creative process? Here are some thoughts.Read in full, along with other pieces at https://designweek.co.ukhttps://bentallonwriter.comhttps://bentallon.comhttps://illustrationx.com

Ep 184: Creativity v Monsters: ’Child Of’ founder Sam D’Cruze on addiction & artistic expression

Artist and fashion designer Sam D'Cruze is the founder of 'Child Of,' a project supporting the children of addicts through creativity, conversation and artistic expression.Sam candidly discusses the experience of managing her father's alcohol dependency, and the role it played in her creative and personal development. We get into the topic of using artistic expression to work through and cope with the insurmountable monsters in our lives.The show is supported by Illustration X. Check out their global range of illustration and animation portfolios now at https://illustrationx.comhttps://www.samdcruze.com/child-of#:~:text=child%20of%20launched%20at%20the,through%20art%2C%20mentorship%20and%20workshops.https://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.com

Ep 183: James Brown, the iconic Loaded Magazine founder’s DIY creativity masterclass for tough times

James Brown's Loaded Magazine was at the heart of the UK's cultural explosion in the mid-1990s. Despite the misperception that it was no more than soft porn, the magazine was built on fun, chaos, creativity and the desire to capture the voice of young men at a time when nobody was representing them.James learned his trade by making his fanzine 'Attack On Bzag' and was NME's features editor by the time he was 22. His story is among the greatest examples of using initiative, passion and play to overcome economic and cultural hurdles and make something unique, that had soul. He opens up about the ideas, attitude and methods behind it, and provides golden advice for those looking to thrive on their terms in troubled times.He would go on to edit GQ and Hotdog before creating Leeds, Leeds, Leeds Magazine through passion for his boyhood club, Leeds United and new time on his hand thanks to sobriety.James' excellent new memoir, 'Animal House' is incredibly motivating, and is out now: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/animal-house-9781787477902/9781787477940?gclid=Cj0KCQiAiJSeBhCCARIsAHnAzT-KAlLo3Pc0hiFXUEHH123ME-kkO-nXaRrVyqgRFEXmQsLlsYNBzrwaAoWjEALw_wcBhttps://twitter.com/jamesjamesbrownSHOW SPONSOR! Https://illustrationx.comhttps://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.comhttps://twitter.com/TheMekons (Jon Langford, Attack on Bzag cover artist)Happy Mondays: https://twitter.com/Happy_Mondays?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthorhttps://www.instagram.com/alanmcgee93/?hl=en (Alan McGee)

Ep 182: Neurodiversity, ADHD and the importance of social activity. Studio BND’s Ben Mottershead

One-half of Studio BND (But Never Dull) Ben Mottershead joins me to discuss allowing neurodivergent people to flourish in the right creative environment.Ben has ADHD and gives a great insight into the need for balance in a design environment so the weaknesses can be managed or carried by better-equipped people, and the strengths can be housed in a way that benefits all.We also get into the vital role of in-person socialising and positive relationships away from the screen among many other things.Out tomorrow! Supported by IllustrationX https://illustrationx.comhttps://studiobnd.com/https://bentallon.comhttps://bentallonwriter.com

Ep 181: What’s Your Fight? A ramble about choosing battles to protect mental health

It's rough out there. We can't do it all on our own. Nor should we try.A ramble about protecting mental health by identifying our cause.Supported by Illustration X. https://illustrationx.comhttps://bentallonwriter.comhttps://bentallon.com

Design Week x Ben Tallon article 3: Should designers fear Artificial Intelligence?

The 2nd in the new series of articles written for Design Week, brought to you in audio format by The Creative Condition, supported by Illustration X.The debates rage about AI art and design. Will we fall to the singularity, or can we assimilate this great tool into our profession? Only creativity and human empathy will decide.Read in full at designweek.co.ukbentallonwriter.combentallon.comillustrationx.com