Creative Rebels

This week I sit down with Quyen Dinh aka The Parlor WorkshopThe TikTok algo served me up one of Quyen’s incredible creations and I knew I had to try and get some time with this wonderland creator!We spoke about Quyen’s wiggly path to get where she is today. Growing up in a strict Vietnamese family, Quyen’s dad told her that art was selfish and that she needed to get a proper job.It’s something I see with so many creatives, the pressure of not ‘letting down’ your family can be really intense. At the end of it all though, you must follow your curiosity and live your own life. I’ve met countless people who have buried their creativity to please others and they always have huge regrets.In this episode we discuss;* The philosophy of pain and growth* Overcoming fear to create* Sacrificing income for creative freedom* Whether you need to post frequently on social media to be successful* And much more!If you like this episode, take out an ad in your local paper and let everyone know. THX xQuyen’s insta / tiktok - @the_parlor_workshop To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

Creatives can learn so much from comedians.If a painting, a piece of writing or a sculpture goes wrong for us at least it doesn’t go wrong on stage in front of 100 people. All artists are bearing their soul to an audience in one way or another but I believe comedians are the bravest, to do it so publicly.It’s always a pleasure to bring you an episode with the brilliant Liz Miele.In this episode we discuss;* Pay what you want platforms for creatives.* Being demonetized on YouTube and shadowbanned on Insta* Staying true to your craft as a creative and ignoring trends* The ‘fans’ that don’t deserve your workIf you enjoy this episode, please share it. Keep creating <3 To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

I’m excited to let you into the room to hear a discussion I was lucky enough to be a part of recently.I’ve just completed an artist residence at the University of Warwick, called ‘Retreat to Create’ as well as creating a mural and giving a keynote to the students, I hosted the panel talk you’re about to hear! My guests were; Doreen Foster who is the director of the Warwick Arts Centre, Jonothan Neelands the professor of creative education at UoW and Denisha Anderson who is an artist, filmmaker, photographer and documentary producer. We spoke about a big topic - the state of creativity in 2025. To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

Choosing the creative path isn’t for everyone.In fact, if you do, you’re purposely choosing an incredibly challenging life.But when you realise that everything is made up and you can choose to do whatever you want in life, things get easier.My favourite quote from this week’s guest, Erin Nystrom, is ‘if you don’t know yourself the world will tell you who to be’.I let the world tell me who I should be for the longest time. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and say, ‘I’m an Artist’ ( or writer/sculptor/poet/dressmaker/etc)You’re about to listen to a podcast that will make standing up 1% easier, because it will always be hard but maybe that 1% is what you’ve been waiting for.I hope this episode resonates with you like it did with me.Erin’s substack: To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

I’ll try and get Soph back again, because this podcast is a masterclass!We spoke about everything arty in this episode but one of the stand outs to me was our discussion on Sophie’s now famous ‘Charity Shop’ series. Sophie goes to a charity shop, buys an item, paints on it, returns it to the shop and the item is then resold. It has catapulted the already well known artist into another stratosphere. Soph knew she wanted to create an episodic series and we dive into everything it takes to make it. I’m currently seeing that the creators that are smashing it at the moment are making content in public. I wrote about it HEREHopefully this sparks something for you and your art!The article I reference during this episode is by the excellent The Black Hoody and can be found HEREFind Sophie on all channels by searching SOPHIE TEA ART To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

I know a lot of brilliant creatives who make incredible work. They don’t get many jobs, however, because they’re unprofessional. Missing deadlines, not delivering what was promised, being inconsistent - these are not the traits of the professional creative.Christoph Niemann is a successful artist, author, animator and illustrator. He has over a million followers on social, he has produced dozens of covers for the New Yorker and the New York Times. There’s even a Netflix doc about him.I was so lucky to sit down and pick his brain and to dissect his success - much of it comes from his professionalism. This episode will help you decide to treat the your creativity with the professionalism it deserves. To show up consistently to create. To find your artistic voice and to develop a portfolio that sells you.Christoph’s Insta - https://www.instagram.com/abstractsunday/?hl=enWebsite - christophniemann.com To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

The right answer is never the fun answer. Over the years of this podcast we’ve always said - you must choose consistent, daily creative work over the allure of virality. Jami Attenberg is evidence that it works. She uses writing to explore other worlds and connect with a wider audience but it’s her consistency that has made the difference. In this episode you’ll learn how an accountability pact with a friend, turned into tweet which grew into "1000 Words of Summer". A project, which now has a global community of over 50,000 people, helping countless individuals finish projects and even secure book deals. Jamie emphasises that true success comes from relentless dedication and self-accountability, not waiting for external permission or allowing projects to "abandon ship". If you can commit to 1000 words a day, your life could change.I’m so excited to share this episode with the powerhouse Jami Attenberg, with you all!Let me know what you think :)Jami’s substack - Website - https://www.jamiattenberg.com/1000wordsInsta - https://www.instagram.com/jamiattenberg/ To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

Sure, on it’s surface this episode might sound like two Pokémon fans chatting about toys, but we got much deeper…I listen through each episode and take notes, before uploading and this episode garnered the most notes of any episode this season!So-Hee’s career is the definition of follow your curiosity. She has experimented, she’s gone from digital and cutting edge new tech to pshysical and traditional making.This episode deals with the very real issues of creating a sustainable career, the challenges of being a creative when you have a 9-5 and following your intuition - even when ‘market indicators’ are screaming that you’re wrong.So Hee Woo’s insta: https://www.instagram.com/soheewoo/?hl=enAnd her Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@smoheesmooFor more creative rebels content, and to support the podcast, visit https://creativerebels.substack.com/ To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

Brooke Cormier says that to make it as an artist you need ‘delusional confidence’. And I agree.In over 200 interviews on this show, speaking with the very best creatives in the entire world, self belief is a reoccuring trait.If you can find the bravery to declare yourself an artist and you keep showing up, even when it feels as though no body cares, things will start to happen.There are also some big lessons in this episode about why people actually buy art, the main roadblocks all creatives face and the importance of following our curiosity.As always, share this with a creative friend! And we’ll see you again next week when we talk to incredible creative and maker So-Hee Woo. To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com

Communication is the most important tool of the creative.It’s also often one of the most overlooked.I used to think the skill of my painting was the important part. I’ve realised it’s not.The important thing is to communicate what your art is about. That’s what grows your following and your career.Learning to communicate effectively is what will set you apart from everyone else in your field.This week’s guest is Adam Aleksic - the Etymology Nerd. He has built an audience of over 1.6 million followers on instagram.He’s been able to do this because he knows how to communicate.His approach is strategic and replicable. Even in the age of the algorithm.We often give mythical powers to the algorithms.Adam explains what they actually are and how they affect our entire lives- even down to the way we algo-speak.While the algorithms shape us we have a chance to use them to send our message into the world.Adam is proof that you can make the internet work for you and that it’s not as random as we think.Adam’s book - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468266/algospeak-by-aleksic-adam/9781529949148Adam's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/etymologynerd/ To hear more, visit creativerebels.substack.com