Creative or Dead

Sarah Ellison is a Byron Bay–based creative director whose winding, capital-C creative career has taken in fashion, interior styling, magazine editorial and a furniture brand that found success on both sides of the Pacific. In this episode, we trace the full arc – from a fashion label sold at Bondi Markets, to years assisting stylists and schlepping props across Sydney in a little Suzuki Swift, to...

Jack Lovel is a Melbourne-based architectural photographer who has spent the better part of a decade chasing light through modernist houses, and making some arresting images in Australian architecture photography. In this episode, we trace the full arc – from a first trip to Europe with a borrowed camera, to growing up in an Ivanoff-designed house in Perth, to somehow ending up in the Hamptons in...

“Innovation” is one of those words that gets overused so much it’s starting feel devoid of meaning. Richard Walzer isn’t interested in new for the sake of it. As Design Director of Breakthrough Innovation at PepsiCo (Europe), he works in the uncomfortable space most businesses avoid – the unknown unknowns. The problems no one has defined yet, let alone solved. In this episode, Richard pulls apart...

What if a home was composed like a work of art? In this ep of Creative or Dead, we speak with interior designer Susannah Holmberg, founder of Susannah Holmberg Studios ( www.susannahholmberg.com ) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Susannah approaches interior as immersive installations – spaces where art, architecture and materials intersect. We talk about her unconventional path into design, the idea that...

In this episode of Creative or Dead, we chat to Ty Symonds – a designer who thinks like an artist. Ty’s creative origin story starts in Far North Queensland, where rainforest and lace-like fungi created an unforgettable impression on his psyche. This early education in the art of observation has underpinned everything that followed: from designing textiles at Peter Alexander, to navigating big-box...

In this ep, we sit down with Golnar Roshan, co-founder of Amsterdam-based studio Rive Roshan, to talk art, design and what it really means to build a creative life on your own terms. Golnar traces her journey from Sydney to Europe, from visual communication student to working at Marcel Wanders, and into a sincerely collaborative practice that sits somewhere between art, design and technology. We t...

In this episode (hello season three!), we chat with Viktor and James, the founders of Nasha Gallery in Sydney (Eora) to learn about building a gallery without following the rules. The guys talk about their leap from artists to gallerists, what it actually takes to run a commercial gallery and why they back emerging Australian artists who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside global talent. Expe...

Head of Fashion Programming at Melbourne Fashion Festival Todd Anthony joins us for a zig-zagging chat about creativity with substance. Todd traces a wonderfully non-linear path from professional Latin ballroom dancer to studying fashion design, to teaching and mentoring, to his current dream job at Melbourne Fashion Festival. Along the way we unpack a process grounded in purpose, reflection and t...

Not enough people are making work with the intention of it still being around in 200 years. But Christopher Boots isn’t like anyone else. In this wide-ranging, thought-provoking conversation, we hear from lighting and object designer Christopher Boots , where he sprinkles us with a bit of his magic dust creativity. And spoiler: he proves that the best ideas are marinated and well-seasoned.  ...

What happens when sharp strategy meets boundless creativity? Ren Kimber. In this episode, we sit down with the entrepreneurial powerhouse and strategic half of menswear label Christian Kimber to talk about creative partnerships, crafting a brand world and the art of taking calculated risks. Ren shares her knack for blending business smarts with creative intuition – expect insights on brand storyte...

Nicole Durling has never followed the rules, which might be why she’s helped reshape some of Australia’s most exciting cultural and creative spaces. In this episode, we dive deep into the role of the maker in a world hungry for meaning, the tension between art and commerce, and why craft (with a little ‘c’) is having a very big moment. Nicole reflects on the tactile joy of materials, the heft of h...

Dr Emma Luke is a designer, jeweller, academic and accidental VJ. She’s the head of RMIT’s Master of Design Innovation and Technology, and her work skirts at the edge of wearables, speculative tech and fine art jewellery. In this episode, we talk about designing talismans for the future, the role of intention in craft, and what it means to make magic matter – literally. Emma's story spans industri...

What do rave fashion, a small Scottish village and limestone stone masonry have in common? Steven John Clark. In this episode, sculptor, furniture stonemason and founder of denHolm, Steven takes us on the winding path from sewing rave outfits on his gran’s machine to crafting heavyweight stone sculptures that can be found in galleries around the world. We talk early creative impulses, the madness...

Interior designer Beck Trenorden has spent two decades working at some of Melbourne’s most well-known design studios. But it wasn’t until she stepped out on her own – launching Versa, a studio grounded in adaptive reuse and sustainability – that she fully rewrote the rules of how she wanted to work. In this episode, Beck joins David and Aleesha to chat about building a values-led practice fro...

In this special bonus episode, Creative or Dead hosts Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine turn the mic on themselves. The friends and collaborators reflect on their own creative journeys – from childhood instincts to circuitous career paths – and how they’ve each found space for expression, experimentation and impact across disciplines. Aleesha opens up about her accidental pivot from interior...

In this special bonus episode, hosts Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine step out of the studio and onto the Creative Mornings stage with Jo Hook – coach, and life designer – to talk about crossroads, creative burnout, money myths, and why designing your own death might just be the most life-affirming thing you can do. Expect laughs, some surprising existential detours, and practical gems on ho...

In this thought-provoking episode of Creative or Dead , hosts David Constantine and Aleesha Callahan speak with Julie McLaren, an experienced curator known for her work with the Art Gallery of Ballarat and now (hot off the press!) as Senior Curator at HOTA on the Gold Coast.  Julie shares candid reflections on her journey, discussing the challenges of overcoming imposter syndrome, her deep-ro...

Tune in to this episode of Creative or Dead , where David Constantine and Aleesha Callahan sit down with artist and designer Jordan Fleming, who shares her journey from interior design and cabinet-making to a solo practice creating sculptural, creature-like furniture and lighting. A.K.A. The three-legged creatures you never knew you wanted! Known for her bold, surreal forms, Jordan opens up o...

On this episode of Creative or Dead , David and Aleesha meet with Tom Blachford, a commercial architecture and interiors photographer and fine artist known for his bold and atmospheric works.  Tom shares insights into his Midnight Modern series, which captures the surreal beauty of mid-century architecture at night in Palm Springs, as well as his recent ventures into AI-driven image creation....

Join hosts David Constantine and Aleesha Callahan as they jump right into a rich conversation with Australian artist Eleanor Louise Butt. Known for her abstract paintings, Eleanor shares her journey from experimenting with different mediums at university to ultimately embracing painting as her primary form of expression.  Eleanor looks at the world with curious wonder, and here she shares how...

In this episode of Creative or Dead , hosts David Constantine and Aleesha Callahan sit down with Lauren Li, a powerhouse interior designer, author and educator. Lauren is the definition of a creative slashie with over 20 years of experience as a designer, a couple of coffee table books under her belt (published through Thames and Hudson) and a new podcast Design Anatomy. Lauren shares her creative...