A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, join me as I interrogate the word creativity to see if it's doing my ambitions to see it better understood more harm than good. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' w...
Jul 07, 2025•10 min
Covered in this instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': Outraged by outrage The people on the roadside A simple comment reminds me of something key about creativity As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institute's br...
Jul 02, 2025•13 min
Was there ever a good time to start a business? Jamhot and I both entered the creative industry during the financial crash of 2008. Do we now look back and make a distorted comparison to the insanity of today? Or do we recognise that there was never a good time to throw ourselves into this creative life? We discuss: Storytelling and surviving Receiving reckless emails Being open to change Lunch clubs and the need for in-person community for optimal creativity Not forming ideas from assumptions B...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 267
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, join me as I share my Eureka! moment as I recognised a big lacking part of my dream job puzzle, and ask you to assess yours. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' work...
Jun 19, 2025•15 min
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': AI and the need for mental healthcare A moment of connection under the station stairs Lessons from a doctor The joys of getting lost As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com He...
Jun 18, 2025•20 min
Reclaim the Throne is The Creative Condition’s campaign to recognise the need for a downtime revolution. The resistance to the big tech coup of our minds starts with our arses. From there, we will reclaim the bus stop, the park bench, the underground train, the taxi, waiting rooms, receptions, and the good old walk from A to B. These clutches of two, five, and ten-minute windows add up to a valuable, regular chunk of time to spend on something better than the algorithm sludge we’ve been pumping ...
Jun 11, 2025•19 min•Ep. 266
In 2025 the perception of creativity is still rooted in artistic talent. There are assumptions that our passions are already in us, waiting to be activated, and people continue to quit at the first hurdle when it comes to creating. I'm joined by Zorana Pringle, the Yale University Centre for Emotional Intelligence Senior Research Scientist and author of The Creativity Choice in which she challenges these damaging misunderstandings. We discuss creativity as a choice, something available to us all...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 265
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, join me as I explore shared themes between the Yellowstone cowboys and illustrators and challenge the productivity trap. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop...
Jun 02, 2025•14 min
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': Learnings from a lollipop lady A burst basketball and productivity guilt as a learned behaviour My beautiful cheap watch and proud identity An unexpected meeting with the local council As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and ...
May 28, 2025•18 min
Personal. Work. Personal work. What does any of it mean, and is there a rule about how personal work needs to be, or whether work and personal are best separate? Of course not! In creativity, there are no rules. I had the delight of chairing a conversation about all this between lettering artist and author Jessica Hische, and artist Timothy Goodman live at the inaugural Paradiso festival in Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico, and you can hear it now. A huge thank you to the co-founders of Paradiso Héctor A...
May 21, 2025•38 min•Ep. 264
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, join me as I reflect on something Timothy Goodman said to me in Mexico about emotion in our art and the trappings of disciplines. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition'...
May 19, 2025•11 min
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': Existential night panics Reverting to beginner's fear The joy of straight shooters Reappraising my relationship with social media and people As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativeconditio...
May 14, 2025•14 min
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, join me as I listen into the soothing environment that is my neighbour's garden, and consider the importance of catharsis and our environments for creativity. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session o...
May 12, 2025•12 min
Within minutes of meeting artist Tala Schlossberg ahead of our discussion panel with photographer Owen Harvey at the inaugural Paradiso in Mérida, Mexico, we were into the deep stuff. Tala is a visual artist known primarily for her fantastic animation work, but a pure artist in every sense. We covered human connection during the discussion panel, but there was so much more to be said. So, we caught up a few weeks later and got into the ongoing battle to stay mentally balanced, as a sensitive per...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 263
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, thoughts on what's changed after two tough freelancing years and a slightly better start to this year. Talking creative self-efficacy, unpredictability, joy in the unknown, and the need to be out having conversations around passions, attuned with our environment. As ever supported by Illustration X https://...
May 01, 2025•13 min
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': Designing a career Little houses in Mérida, Mexico My love of teaching creativity Sharing a life through art As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institu...
Apr 30, 2025•24 min
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, creative self-efficacy and enrichment for sustainable creativity. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach Access c...
Apr 28, 2025•11 min
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage). Today, deepfake Steveb Bartlett and the beginning of the end of the internet, Tala Rae Schlossberg , local wilding, council emails, and getting back to tribal enrichment. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching sess...
Apr 25, 2025•16 min
Our cultures and societies are changing at a rate we were not designed to adapt to or comprehend. Our minds can rage from wild optimism to pessimism and nihilism 100s of times a day. What does this mean for creativity, art, and design? I'm joined by the VP of Innovation and Strategy at Marks, Jennifer Murtell, fresh off the fantastic work with female healthcare brand MUSA , with an entirely female team. She recently wrote a piece on the topic for The Drum on 'Why we need women designing for wome...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 262
Simon Dixon, co-founder of DixonBaxi posted about the importance of designing your own career to avoid someone shaping it in an ill-fitting way. It blew my mind, succinctly capturing so many universal creativity truths and bringing about a personal revelation that through my coaching, this is exactly what I'm helping my clients to do. But what does it mean, and why is it so vital to career and life fulfillment? As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through th...
Apr 16, 2025•26 min•Ep. 261
I don't know much about video games, but the medium intrigues me, so I'm joined by Oddbug Studio's art director and environment artist Martin Reimann fresh off the hugely successful launch of Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter. I throw a lot of naive questions Martin's way about the role of a video game art director, the origins of both Oddbug and Tails of Iron, and we get into many aspects of creativity, passion, and the trials and tribulations of managing the mind in the creative process. As ...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 260
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': AI rage A loss of mental balance Tala Schlossberg's wonderful comment on beauty in the dark The need for jeopardy remembered As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com Access creativity resources including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Uk...
Apr 02, 2025•29 min
In our 1000mph lives, it's so hard to listen and be heard, but deep listening is a critical part of the creative process. Being heard makes for unity, healthy relationships, and human value. I'm joined by the author of the brilliant Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing , Rageshri Dhairyawan. Rageshri felt unheard while suffering extreme endometriosis pain, which planted the seed of the idea that became the book. She wanted to use her position and experience as a doctor, researcher, and con...
Mar 26, 2025•50 min•Ep. 259
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': The joy of being lost The inaugural Paradiso Festival The Burrills at breakfast A found book impact As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 off 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational audit now at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua...
Mar 19, 2025•16 min
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': Managing our 'insurmountables' The joy of childish humour and Looney Tunes villains 'The heels': common creativity villains World book day – magic or consumerist tosh? As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 off 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational audit now at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.or...
Mar 12, 2025•22 min
Amie McNee is the founder of 'Inspired Collective', where she supports people in becoming their inner artist. Her new book We Need Your Art! Stop Messing Around and Make Something is out on Penguin Books, and she joins The Creative Condition to share her story. Amie is a huge advocate for artistic expression as a missing pillar of understanding in the human condition, and her work to challenge this tragic oversight is awesome. We trade viewpoints and stories and marvel over what's possible in a ...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 258
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': A time-slip in Preston Losing Ken Garland and my time with him Covering up news headline panels on vulnerable days The wonder and imagination in boring church services A growing obsession with storytelling As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 off 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational audit now at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a...
Feb 26, 2025•27 min
A bonus shot following the full interview with LOVE founder Dave Palmer in which he offers balanced thoughts on the opportunity and the threat posed by artificial intelligence. Hear our full conversation on episode 257. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 off 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational audit now at https://thecreativecondition.com Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua...
Feb 20, 2025•8 min
LOVE is a 80+ strong agency that specialises in delivering diverse, but complementary design-led solutions for global brands across brand strategy and design, identity design, packaging design, spaces, comms, immersive and activations. Its founder, Dave Palmer shares not just the story of LOVE's evolution since its 2001 roots, but a lifetime of leading with creativity, the humanity, the chaos, and the euphoria of it all. As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 ...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 257
Covered in this week's instalment of 'The Creativity Diary': The unpredictability of a career that leads to drawing on Olympic bras in China The persisting intimidation attached to the word 'creativity' at all levels Space litter and a Galactic imagination A love of antagonists, graphic activism, and Pogus Caesar's photography A mucky treasure hunt and the value of the weekend self As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com Get your 1/3 off 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity found...
Feb 12, 2025•23 min
