The Creative Boom Podcast

Lisa Congdon is an artist of many talents. Based in Portland, Oregon, she does everything from fine art to illustration, but is best known for her colourful graphic drawings and hand lettering. With an amazing career so far, Lisa has so much advice to share on building a successful creative business. Here, she talks about getting started, surviving the ups and downs, and reveals helpful marketing tips.

Loz Ives is a Manchester-based graphic designer, typographer and illustrator, and one of the co-founders of Fieldwork – a digital and branding agency which began eight years ago and has gone through many changes. In this episode, we talk about the ups and downs of growing a design studio and why staying "small" isn't such a bad option.

Kaye Dunnings is the creative director of Shangri-La at Glastonbury Festival, which was set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this June until it was postponed. Pre-lockdown, we met in Bristol to chat about how the festival has evolved over the last decade, its wilder days, and how she came to be Shangri-La's creative director. Kaye also shares her thoughts on climate change, alternative living, and why she hopes the future is looking brighter.

Jordan Yates is a Manchester-based designer, illustrator and animator who's recently gone freelance. As well as navigating the world of self-employment, he's also one of the co-founders of Design Recovery, a free event that gives people a "safe place" to talk openly about mental health. In this episode, we find out the story behind such a positive venture, his own experiences as a male designer, and how he's found freelancing so far.

Katie Cadwell is a Welsh-born, Falmouth-raised designer, who worked for Supple Studio in Bath until recently. She's just left the UK to join Design Studio as its senior designer in Sydney, Australia. We discuss her new life overseas, being a woman in design and why it's so important to support the next generation of creatives.

Zipeng Zhu is a designer, illustrator and animator living in Brooklyn. Chinese-born, he's been in the States since moving to New York in 2009 to study at the School of Visual Arts. After graduation, he worked at Pentagram and Sagmeister & Walsh before starting his own studio, Dazzle. We talk about his career so far, and why a quiet childhood in China inspired him to "dazzle". And if you can hear anyone in the background, that's his boyfriend, Angel Crawford.

Illustrator and animator Abbey Lossing is known for her delightful portraits of people, working for clients such as Google, Facebook, and The Washington Post. In this episode we chat about life as a freelancer in New York, her love of rock climbing, and why she's trying to be more mindful in her work.

New York-based British artist Jon Burgerman reveals his love of googly eyes and his sense of humour, plus we hear tips on making it as an independent artist today. We also chat about being a creative introvert in the Big Apple and why he prefers his own company, unlike his stuffed friend 'Burgsy' who always seems to steal the show.

British artist and designer Liam Hopkins is the man behind Lazerian, a creative studio in Manchester with clients including Bloomberg, Virgin and Habitat. Claire McDivitt runs Lost Heritage, one of the North West of England's leading printing firms. Partners in both business and life, they've had a challenging couple of years lately. We sat down to chat about doing what you love, overcoming loss, and why family always comes first. Some laughs as well as tears here.

Ian Anderson is one of the co-founders of The Designers Republic, the iconic studio known for its electronic music logos, album artwork and "anti-establishment aesthetics". In 2019, Ian published the A to Z of The Designers Republic, a book that explores TDR's output and its influence on a whole generation of graphic designers. Here, we unveil some of the fascinating (and often funny) stories behind Warp, Wipeout and thirty years of The Designers Republic.

Emma Reynolds is a freelance children's book illustrator and author based in Manchester. She's also behind the global #KidLit4Climate campaign which brings together thousands of children's illustrators and authors from over 50 countries to stand in solidarity with the youth climate strikes. In this episode, we chat about freelancing, mental health, and climate change. And we touch on the joys of city living when you've grown up in a quiet village.

Rankin is the British photographer, publisher and film director renowned for his portraits of Bowie and Bjork, and for being co-founder of Dazed & Confused. We chatted to the fearless man behind the lens about his fascinating career and were surprised to hear him open up about his childhood, his father, his regrets and mistakes. This is an honest delve into the heart and mind of one of the biggest names in photography.

Jaheed Hussain and Yasmin Banks are Salford University graduates in graphic design and have recently entered the working world as freelancers. On the side, Jay also runs the Fuse Directory, a non-profit platform celebrating ethnic minority creatives in the city. Curious to hear more about their journey so far, we talk about being a creative 20-something today, overcoming modern challenges, being aware of mental health, and why they feel positive about their future.

Jane Bowyer is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Manchester, and the person behind Women in Print, a side project that opened many doors for Jane and encouraged her to go freelance. In our conversation, we talk about her experience of running a business, share tips on freelancing in general, and chat about favourite biscuits, circus tricks, and her "Jack Nicholson eyebrows".

British illustrators Barney Ibbotson and Stanley Chow both grew up in Manchester, and went to the same school where they became life-long friends. They’ve followed similar paths, both pursuing a career in art and design. In this episode, we chat about how they've become successful artists and share laughs on university days before the Internet, Drum n' Bass mixtapes, and keeping egos in check.

Sheffield-based freelance designer, illustrator and lettering artist Lisa Maltby is a force for good in supporting the creative community. In 2019, she created a pricing survey for illustrators and shared the helpful results online. If you're struggling to set your day rate, decide how you charge, or have any questions about freelancing, then this episode is essential listening.

Graphic artist, print-maker and design Anthony Burrill is probably best known for his typographic prints and posters, including the now-famous 'Work Hard and Be Nice to People' – something that has become a mantra for the design community. Here, we chat about where his positive attitude comes from, his love of acid house, and why he still suffers from imposter syndrome.

British designer Malcolm Garrett talks about designing album covers for bands like Buzzcocks, Duran Duran, and Peter Gabriel in the 1980s. He also shares his thoughts on technology and why his agency was the first to embrace digital in 1990. There's even some insight into what it was like to be an art student in the 1970s – we'll give you a clue, it involves a tin of black paint and jeans!