The Creative Boom Podcast

In this bonus episode, Katy Cowan and Rob Draper swap the big career questions for something a lot more daft – a quickfire ramble through nostalgia, confessions and very questionable claims to greatness. Rob shares his most controversial creative opinion (talking about it isn't doing it), the smallest thing that improves his work day, and the theme tune his creative style would have – an old radio...

Lettering artist, designer and University of Worcester fellow Rob Draper joins Katy Cowan to close out the season with a warm, philosophical conversation about starting over and the art of creating something from nothing. Rob opens up about the redundancy that upended his life at 40, the period when he cleared out a warehouse waiting for work that never came, and the decision that changed everythi...

In the second, faster, slightly more feral half of the recording this week, Katy Ennis-Hargreaves of BOLDISM stays in the chair for The Spark – the rapid-fire round where the questions get cheekier and the answers get more honest. Top of the agenda is her renowned and entirely unrepentant hatred of crocs, a feud so well known that former colleagues now send her "croc bait" on a weekly basis. From...

Katy Ennis-Hargreaves of design studio BOLDISM joins Katy Cowan for an honest conversation about what happens when you stop watering yourself down and start living as your full self. They dig into imposter syndrome as a driver rather than a hindrance, the years of being told you're "too awkward" or "too different", and the slow, organic transition toward going all in on who you really are. Katy sh...

It's time for the Spark – our weekly bonus episode where we step away from the work and get to know our guest a little better through a round of quick, fun questions. No prep, no warning, no idea what's coming. This week, host Katy Cowan puts Malika Favre on the spot, and the result is exactly the sort of relaxed, slightly daft chat you'd have with a mate over a glass of wine. They cover the small...

Artist and illustrator Malika Favre joins host Katy Cowan for a wide-ranging conversation about building a creative career on your own terms. They talk about why Malika left London after fifteen years for the slower, sunnier rhythm of Barcelona, and the strange guilt of trying to take it easy in a city that never lets you. Malika reflects on becoming an illustrator later in life at 28, why the yea...

Artist Jimmy Turrell returns for The Spark, where things get a little weirder and a lot more chaotic. This week, we talk about the creative power of curiosity, the music that still puts Jimmy into a flow state, and why some of the best ideas come from getting out into the world and actually living a bit. There's also chat about rave culture, Anthony Bourdain, creative rituals, burnout, weighted bl...

Jimmy Turrell joins host Katy Cowan for a sprawling, funny and unexpectedly moving conversation about creativity, working-class roots, growing up in the North East, and staying human in an increasingly artificial world. From childhood adventures that sound straight out of The Goonies to surviving bread factory shifts and discovering rave culture in the '90s, Jimmy reflects on the freedom and chaos...

Right, this is where things get a bit more… unhinged. In this bonus episode, Katy and  James Martin  ditch the big topics and just have a proper chat. It's looser, more playful, and exactly the kind of conversation you'd have if you were sat next to each other at the pub after the mics were meant to be off. They get into the small stuff that says a lot. The daily rituals that keep you sane. The tr...

What does "personal branding" actually mean anymore? And do we really need to be visible all the time to build a successful creative career? In this episode, Katy sits down with designer and founder  James Martin  (Made by James) for a candid, funny and surprisingly deep conversation about the reality behind the buzzwords. From the pressure to show up online to the myth of "being your authentic se...

After a pretty emotional main episode, we ease things up a bit with  Natty Harris  in this week's Spark. And yes, there's still depth, but there's also plenty of laughs. We get into the creative trends Natty's quietly over (sorry, sans serif lovers), the tiny things that can instantly improve your day, and why a really good pen might be one of life's greatest underrated joys. There's also a very r...

This week, Katy sits down with senior designer  Natty Harris  for a deeply honest and emotional conversation about grief, loss, and rebuilding your life when everything changes. At the heart of the episode is Natty's brother Thomas, who died suddenly at 24, and the profound impact he had on shaping who she is today. Together, they explore the many forms grief can take, from losing a loved one to n...

n this Spark episode, things get a bit looser and a bit more revealing. Katy puts  David Airey  on the spot with a mix of quick-fire questions, unexpected tangents, and the kind of prompts that lead to surprisingly honest answers. They get into David's most controversial creative opinion, why he's wary of social media and the way it shapes design, and the one thing he'd quietly challenge about how...

Katy sits down with legendary graphic designer and author  David Airey  to talk about two decades in the industry, but this isn't just a conversation about logos, books, and client work. It quickly becomes something deeper. A reflection on time, family, creativity, and what actually matters when you strip everything else away. They explore what it means to build a long, sustainable creative career...

Photographer  Liz Seabrook  is back for The Spark. Slightly subdued, a little chaotic, but still brilliantly honest. What starts as a playful chat about matcha and East London fashion quickly becomes more reflective. There's talk of cycling rage, parachute pants, and the strange freedom of dressing however you want. But underneath it all is a deeper thread about identity, confidence and finding yo...

What happens when everything starts to look the same? In this episode, Katy sits down with photographer  Liz Seabrook  to talk about image-making in a world that feels increasingly artificial. From AI-generated campaigns to face-tuned portraits, they explore what's being lost as perfection becomes the default. They begin with AI, because it's impossible not to. But the conversation quickly moves i...

essie McGuire returns for The Spark, where things get a little looser and a lot more revealing. She shares what she's tired of seeing in the creative world right now, including the obsession with speed and the pressure to react instantly to everything. It's a thoughtful take on why creativity needs time and space to breathe. There's a brilliant moment on imposter syndrome, too. Jessie challenges t...

What if design isn't neutral at all? In this episode, Katy sits down with Jessie McGuire, partner at New York design studio  Thought Matter , to explore the real power of creativity and why it comes with responsibility. Jessie shares her 10-year story at Thought Matter, working closely with founder Tom Jaffe to shape a studio built on experimentation, curiosity and big ideas. From those early days...

n this week's Spark,  Adam J. Kurtz  gets refreshingly honest about creativity, identity, and letting go of perfection. From why "good enough" is often more than enough, to the surprising power of putting on a pair of socks, Adam shares the small shifts that can make a big difference to your day. He reflects on trusting your instincts, embracing imperfection, and why chasing "cool" might be the ve...

In this week's episode, Katy sits down with artist, author and beautifully honest human  Adam J. Kurtz  to talk about what happens when you reach the thing you thought you wanted… and realise it's not the whole story. Dialling in from Hawaii, Adam shares how leaving New York forced him to untangle his identity from his work, his city, and the version of success he'd been chasing for years. What fo...

In this week's bonus episode of The Spark, we get to know  Aporva Baxi  a little better. From photographing shadows and beams of light to whispering ideas into his phone in the supermarket, Aporva shares the small habits that shape his creative life. We chat about music that fuels his thinking (hello Aphex Twin), the films that have stayed with him (Kubrick, of course), and why noticing the everyd...

Today's guest is Aporva Baxi, co-founder of  DixonBaxi , one of the world's most respected branding agencies. Our host and founding editor Katy Cowan recently spent some time at their London studio, having a proper nosey at how they work. And what stayed with us wasn't just the output, it was the thinking behind it. The curiosity, energy, and that constant push to evolve. So in this episode, we ge...

In this week's Spark, we swap strategy for spontaneity, as Nicki Sprinz, CEO of  ustwo , returns for our quick-fire bonus round, where things get a little more personal. We talk dream dinner parties featuring Tilda Swinton and Ann Patchett, why "just follow your passion" might be the worst advice in the creative industry, and what she's currently curious about in a world obsessed with short-form e...

Most wellness apps fail you. Not because you lack willpower, but because they were never designed around how humans actually change. Season 11 of The Creative Boom Podcast opens with Katy Cowan and Nicki Sprinz, CEO of  ustwo  – the studio behind Monument Valley – digging into the digital coaching revolution. What it looks like in practice, why it works when it does, and what it means to build tec...

This bonus episode brings Chris Wilson of  Stckmn  back for a lighter, looser conversation to round off the season. After a deep, emotional main interview, Katy and Chris shift gears into something playful, candid, and full of spark. Chris answers quick-fire questions about his quirks, his guilty pleasures, the creative advice he ignores, and what really happens behind the scenes when he's out of...