61. How to go freelance during a pandemic, with Kieron Lewis

Kicking off our third season with Kieron Lewis, a south London-born freelance graphic designer, public speaker and Adobe Live Host, with a degree in Graphic Arts. His clients so far include Penguin Books, Levi's, and Harper Collins.

Aside from his freelance work, he's also one of the co-founders of London creative studio Olga and Kay, which he runs with photographer Olga Kott. Along with their collaborative projects, they're on a mission to give talks at local universities and colleges to inspire younger people to pursue a creative career. Kieron admits he didn't see many people who looked like him when he was in education, so wanted to do something about it.

In the coming months, a book he designed, called Still Breathing: 100 Black Voices on Racism, will be exhibited at venues across London and the South East. And this week, Kieron will be one of the key speakers at Adobe Max.

He's achieved a lot since we first wrote about him back in 2017. I met him in London in September, during London Design Festival, to chat about his decision to go freelance during a pandemic, why he loves to give back to the next generation, and how he's feeling after quite a few eventful years. We discuss the power of side projects, pushing creative skills and how to build confidence. We also talk of life getting back to normal, of dinner parties and how the world is changing for the better.

Season Three of The Creative Boom Podcast is kindly sponsored by Capture One.