The Creative Condition podcast

The transition from education to the harsh environment of the 21st century creative industry is not an easy one. Few of us know where we want to go or how to get there, even if we do.Hazel Mead, 3rd year illustration and fine art student at the University of Coventry details the experience, how she’s starting to build bridges into industry, hopes, fears and dreams. The lack of guidance upon entering the industry can be a culture shock and we discuss ways to help your self, make those crucial early connections and more.Get your experiences and thoughts over on Twitter @arrestallmimicshttp://hazelmead.wixsite.com/artisthttps://twitter.com/HazelMeadArthttps://www.instagram.com/hazel.mead/Graduate portfolio/support site: https://www.artsthread.com/

Paul Shipper’s stunning film and TV artwork began with movie posters on a bedroom wall and inspiring trips to the video library in Manchester. His contemporary twist on a classic era of movie posters has earned him a following comprised of both cinema fans and industry icons alike.He joins me to discuss the journey, from being wowed by the artwork from such timeless films as Star Wars and Indiana Jones as a boy to joining Simon Pegg for movie premieres! Paul and I also discuss why digital is not a dirty word, his wonderful Carrie Fisher tribute illustration for Empire and upcoming Star Wars work.Get us your feedback over @arrestallmimics on Twitter.http://paulshipperstudio.com/https://twitter.com/paulshipperhttps://www.instagram.com/paulshipper/https://www.facebook.com/paulshipperstudio

Welcome to Slayzytown, where ice cream eyes and inverted pop culture characters are the tip of the ice berg. I meet the south London street artist and illustrator to talk about the weird, wonderful world he creates.How does a modern artist try to make a living whilst staying true to the world they wish to create? Slayzy talks about galleries, prints, sharing the inside of his lively mind with fans of his work and influences from the world of Japanese animation among many others.Come with us on a tour of the town he runs, where anything is possible if you can just pour your mind into a cone and stick a flake in it. Enjoy your stay!Get your Slayzytown experiences to us at @arrestallmimics on Twitterhttps://www.instagram.com/slayzy/http://slayzytown.bigcartel.com/https://twitter.com/slayzytown

Smart Up Visuals are a visual storytelling agency. The trio of Kristina, Lina and Karina turn words into illustrated stories and join me to share their inspiring story. We discuss the origins of their graphic scribing, which is often carried out live at conferences, events and in animated videos.How do they manage the pressure of working in front of large audiences, with no margin for error and how have they managed to work with such clients as LinkedIn,Ted x and BBC?We also talk about tapping into your instinct and learning to trust where it might take you in the creative world.Get us your thoughts over on Twitter @arrestalmimics!

There are few styles as immediately recognisable as the digital portraits of Stanley Chow. The Manchester raised and based illustrator is globally recognised as a heavyweight in the illustration industry, his work being seen regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Nike, WWE and Wired among many other high profile places.Stanley shares the inside story of his success from the roots of his skills, humbly beginning drawing on chip paper at his parents' chip shop, using biro pens to tales of first being in trouble with The White Stripes, then working with them, a job that would play a big part in the launch of his career.How does he go about fighting the fact that his work is one of the most mimicked and parodied in the world? We talk about his work blowing up, how he keeps himself hungry and why he continues to create heartfelt personal projects.Get your feedback over on @arrestallmimics on Twitter now!http://www.stanleychowillustration.com/http://stanleychowfc.bigcartel.com/http://www.thestanleychowprintshop.com/https://twitter.com/stan_chowhttps://www.instagram.com/stan_chow/https://www.facebook.com/stanleychowillustration

Kerry Hyndman has just won the Blue Peter Book Award for 'best book with facts.'The London based illustrator has brought to life David Long's 'Survivors: Extraordinary tales from the wild and beyond' with her stunning full colour illustrations for Faber & Faber. I catch up with Kerry to talk about the experience of bringing to life such an original children's book with often graphic tales of human endurance.With a narrative so powerful and evocative that the imagination of young people will likely be consumed by larger than life stories, how did Kerry tackle such a creative brief with her predominantly digital style of image making? Kerry shares an encouraging tale of arriving in the world of illustration via a fine art degree, working with publishers Faber & Faber and discusses her map illustration work. Join us in quite possibly the first podcast to be recorded in the turret of a library building...Get your thoughts over to @arrestallmimics on Twitterhttp://www.kerryhyndman.co.uk/http://www.kerryhyndman.co.uk/#/survivors/ - Survivorshttps://twitter.com/kerryhyndmanhttp://www.centralillustration.com/illustrators/kerry-hyndmanhttp://kerryhyndman.bigcartel.com/

In the second part of the mental health and creativity special, I'm talking to a range of people in the arts about what their creativity provides on a more human level. We're dropping the client lists, the awards and the shiny Instagram profiles and exploring the mind and soul, how it can be enriched by the act of creating something from nothing.I'm joined by Illustrator Malika Favre, musician, DJ, producer Dirty Freud, painter Ray Richardson, poet Mark Mace Smith, artist Angela Morris-Winmill and two-piece hard rock band The Hyena Kill.Please share your thoughts on the show at @arrestallmimics and tell us about your thoughts on the matter, or experiences. It's a big one for open discussion, we need to get this conversation loud and roaring.http://malikafavre.com/http://www.rayrichardson.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/citizenmacepoethttp://www.angelamorriswinmill.com/https://www.facebook.com/DirtyFreud/http://thehyenakill.com

On a very broad scale, we all suffer the down sides of being, in the words of illustrator Ste Johnson, the only animal on the planet with the power to introspect and think this way, don't we? Whether it is depression and unhappiness, or simply occasional insecurity and anxiety, as human beings, life can sometimes give us a rough ride. But what role can creativity play in preventing, alleviating, coping with or channeling negative emotions?A few years ago I came across CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, a brilliant charity who use the arts in their work to prevent suicide, the single biggest killer of young men in the UK.In part one of this two-part special, I'll be chatting to Paul Shiels from CALM about some of the issues associated with masculinity and male stigmas that have transcended generations. Three times as many men take their own lives than women and I wanted to explore my own belief that creativity can be a crucial asset in fighting this problem.I'm also joined by illustrators Danny Allison, Ste Johnson and London based comedian Ian Stone who each have intriguing insights, experiences and thoughts about creativity.In part two next week, I'll be talking to six creative professionals, Illustrator Malika Favre, musician, DJ, producer Dirty Freud, painter Ray Richardson, poet Mark Mace Smith, artist Angela Morris-Winmill and two-piece hard rock band The Hyena Kill about creativity and human side of their work.Get your feedback over to @arrestallmimics on Twitter - we really want to hear from you on this one.http://thecalmzone.nethttp://dannyallison.co.ukhttp://www.danielallison.co.uk/ - Danny's photographyhttp://steillustrates.co.ukhttp://www.ianstonecomedian.co.uk/

Would it be fair to say that every creative professional, beginner, student or casual ink head has at some stage struggled to settle on a style? Do we even have to? Why is that so frustrating? Willkay Oddking is a broadly skilled artist, designer and illustrator working with the likes of Adidas, G-Star Raw, Converse, BBC and under his own Oddkingdom brand.Will joins me at my studio to talk about his versatility and why he's content operating as something of a creative chameleon right now, until a style grabs him and screams 'settle on me!!!.' We talk about London as a creative city, the balance between his work as a graphic designer, illustrator and live artist and where he'd like to head. This is one show for those who have not yet found confidence in the direction they are heading and offers a nice alternative to working in the creative industries with a signature visual identity.Get your feedback over on @arrestallmimics on Twitter!https://www.oddkingdom.com/https://twitter.com/willkay_oddkinghttps://www.instagram.com/willkay_oddking/

I'm kindly invited to illustrator What Katie Drew's studio where as you'd hope, sits a desk smothered in incidental ink splats, chance smudges, marks and some smirk raising doodles. With a truly humorously naive, organic style, I talk to Katie about the evolution of it and a journey via the world of advertising. We discuss how time out and a look into other disciplines can help in the long run, why a talented network can be crucial and Katie's strong presentation of her work.Moving image is becoming more and more ingrained in our daily lives, the way we digest our information and I talk to Katie about her stunning animated RSA short film collaboration with George The Poet. She also tells me why 5am is a slice of horror in her world right now and how motherhood can impact a freelance creative journey.This is a fascinating insight into one of the most deceptively simple, yet powerful styles in the game and the lady behind it. Get your thoughts over on Twitter @arrestallmimics now!http://whatkatiedrew.com/intro/ - websitehttp://shop.whatkatiedrew.com/ - shophttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfEF_P73RE0 - A Climate Of Change, collaboration with RSA and George the Poethttps://www.instagram.com/whatkatiedrew/https://twitter.com/whatkatiedrew?lang=en-gb - Twitter