The Creative Condition podcast

Owen Smith was delighted to see I'd discovered and had begun using Stoicism teachings to improve my mental health and creativity. He told me so, and we hopped on a call to talk about getting active in your own rescue and the exhilarating feeling of being the author of the career you want to live.
We cover:
Responding, not reacting
Recognising what you can impact
Being the author of your next chapters
The upsides of shitty situations life throws our way
https://abbyandowen.com/
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
Join the Paradiso Institute and a new wave of creative leaders at https://paradisoinstitute.org/
https://www.instagram.com/dirtyfreud/
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua

Humans have finite mental energy.
Creativity thrives when our battery is well-managed.
But we live in a world drowning in information and data.
Some thoughts on the mental battery.
Hear the full episode of Do Radio on the mental battery now at https://thedoradio.com
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
Join the Paradiso Institute and a new wave of creative leaders at https://paradisoinstitute.org/
https://www.instagram.com/dirtyfreud/
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua

The creative industry is deep in a damaging obsession with the external. We're terrified of the tools, spending our energy arguing in black and white about artificial intelligence, starting the design process trapped in programmes before we've considered what will serve the idea.
But really, we should be starting with the internal, and that's all grounded in self-awareness. Only then can we truly connect in the wider world.
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2c5NcXidirDDqL3sc3vW8S?si=bL3qx6zWQn6Mn03anHRPfQ
https://www.instagram.com/dirtyfreud/
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua

We all need to DO something.
I'm doing a new radio show. Here's what, why, and where you can listen.
https://thedoradio.com
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2c5NcXidirDDqL3sc3vW8S?si=bL3qx6zWQn6Mn03anHRPfQ
https://www.instagram.com/dirtyfreud/
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua

Dirty Freud takes time out of composing an opera to talk about the many directions his music career has taken him. We discuss the need to evolve, how variation or specialising fits different people in different ways, and the role of personality in proceeding in a way that's right for you.
Supported by https://illustrationx.com - the show's founding sponsor
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2c5NcXidirDDqL3sc3vW8S?si=bL3qx6zWQn6Mn03anHRPfQ
https://www.instagram.com/dirtyfreud/
To coach with Ben, https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
To support the Ukrainian creative community https://ui.org.ua
 

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

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.
 

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

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

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
 
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