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 dial flicking between fast and slow, classic and modern, all in the name of contrast. He reveals the skills he'd steal overnight, from projection mapping to portraiture, and the daily portrait challenge he's quietly set himself. Along the way, the pair tumble down a glorious rabbit hole of childhood memories: Number 73 and Saturday morning telly, the first wave of electro and hip-hop, breakdancing in Worcester, and an eleven-year-old Rob's all-consuming dream of working for Nike. Katy, meanwhile, makes the case for stolen marzipan, declares herself the world's greatest hip-hop dancer (white wine permitting), and tries – repeatedly, desperately – to find a single other human being who gets the "fuzzy nose" feeling. Warm, silly and gloriously off-piste, it's the perfect send-off for the season, and a reminder that the best creative conversations are the ones that refuse to stay serious.

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 everything: to try anything, turn down nothing, and trust that action creates action. From teaching art in a men's prison to drawing on Starbucks cups and learning sign writing from a canal-barge painter, he shares how saying yes to the unexpected slowly built a career – and how COVID later pushed him back towards being the artist he'd always wanted to be. Together they get honest about the "messy middle" of a creative life: redundancy, divorce, losing the house and starting again on a camp bed at his sister's, and what happens when the trappings of success you can no longer afford force you to rethink what success even means. Rob makes the case for baby steps over big leaps, for keeping a creative "toolbox" of skills you might not need yet, and for kicking enough balls at goal that, eventually, one goes in. With reflections on authenticity in the age of AI, why craft will always find an audience, and the quiet contentment of enjoying the path rather than chasing the destination, it's a generous, funny and reassuring listen for anyone facing uncertainty – and proof that going right back to square one might just be the best thing that ever happens to you.

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 there, she makes the case against the beige, clean-girl aesthetic taking over the high street, and argues that the world simply needs more colour. It's not all footwear-based warfare. Katy shares the small habit that actually rescues her work day, explains why "fake it till you make it" is the one piece of advice she'd ban from the industry forever, and pays tribute to Vivienne Westwood as her creative hero, the designer who insisted she wasn't a fashion designer at all but an activist. Along the way, there's a frank confession about the last thing Katie "stole", a question handed forward to next week's guest, Rob Draper, and a gloriously unprofessional detour into why being bold means having genuine substance rather than just climbing. Warm, daft and refreshingly raw in all the right places, it's a reminder that you can run a serious creative business and still have an enormous amount of fun doing it.

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 shares her journey from interior architecture graduate to independent designer with a leopard-print car, why she abandoned the rigid agency blueprint in favour of a more collaborative, human way of working, and how being part of the grassroots Wilson's Republic community keeps her grounded. Along the way, they tackle the bullshit-bingo language of the design world, the difference between genuine substance and hollow social climbing, why "fake it till you make it" deserves the bin, and the truth that no one can ever really copy you because there's only one of you. Warm, funny and refreshingly unprofessional in all the best ways, it's a chat about finding the courage to be bold, the people who shaped us, and remembering we only get one go on this rock.

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 things that instantly improve a working day, what Malika's creative style would sound like if it had a theme tune, and the dream dinner party she'd throw, given two guests, dead or alive. There's a trend she's quietly very over, a surprising skill she'd love to steal from another world entirely, and the one country's food she'd happily eat for the rest of her life. And then there's the question Malika was secretly hoping she'd be asked – which leads to a rather cheeky confession about her younger years. A short, warm, and very good-natured way to round off the week. Enjoy!

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 years she spent as an in-house designer at studios like Airside gave her the business head that helped her survive freelancing, and how she resisted being put in a box – even turning down lucrative erotic commissions after her Kama Sutra book made her name, so she could keep that side of her work personal. They get into the real state of the industry too: shrinking budgets, impossible briefs, and what AI means for illustrators starting out today. Malika makes the case that anything handmade and deeply personal will only become more valuable because no one can copy what comes from within. Along the way, there's talk of growing up without a TV in the suburbs of Paris, the strong women who shaped her, the oversharing of vulnerability online, and her side venture, I Can't Afford This But Maybe She Can, which gives a voice to independent makers. Honest, funny and full of hard-won wisdom, it's a chat about stamina, taste, and why there will always be space for people with talent.

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 blankets, album covers, childhood memories and an unexpectedly passionate tangent about eating snails. Somewhere underneath all the nonsense is a surprisingly thoughtful conversation about creativity, imagination and staying open to life. This one definitely feels like the bit of the night where everyone should’ve gone home hours ago, but nobody wants the conversation to end.

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 that shaped his imagination long before social media arrived. The celebrated graphic artist and illustrator also opens up about carving out a creative career without ever really fitting neatly into one box. He shares how his analogue, hands-on process accidentally future-proofed his work in the age of AI, why collaboration has become more important than ever, and how learning to embrace uncertainty can lead to your best work. Along the way, Katy and Jimmy dive into publishing, burnout, music, fashion, working-class identity, and the pressures creatives face as technology rapidly reshapes the industry. There's also plenty of laughter. Expect Geordie accents, stories from Newcastle and Liverpool in the '90s, conversations about creativity versus commerce, and a refreshingly honest discussion about what it really takes to build a lasting creative life. Beneath all the humour lies something bigger: a conversation about originality, resilience, curiosity, and protecting your creative spirit as the world keeps changing around you.

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 trends that quietly drive you mad. The advice you wish would disappear forever. And yes, it goes exactly where you'd expect… pasta shapes, rave memories, and a few moments where you wonder how you're both still alive. There's honesty in here, too. The kind that sneaks up on you when you stop trying to be clever and just talk. It's messy, funny, and full of those little insights that only come out when you're not overthinking it. And, of course, it ends with a question for the next guest that might reveal more about someone than anything else. Don't take it too seriously. That's kind of the point.

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 self", they unpack why so much of what we're told just doesn't quite sit right. James shares his perspective on branding as something far simpler and more grounded. Not performance, but reputation. Not chasing attention, but building trust over time. Together, they explore what actually matters if you want to grow a creative career that lasts. There's talk of confidence, comparison culture, and the uncomfortable truth that many of us still don't quite know who we are, let alone how to present ourselves online. Katy reflects on her own journey of stepping forward after years of staying behind the scenes, and why letting go of perfection can be the turning point. Along the way, James introduces his 'DEEDS' model, a practical way to think about building a reputation through action rather than noise. It's a refreshing reminder that you don't need to play the game the way everyone else is. It's honest. Messy. And it's a much-needed reset for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to be seen. So if you've ever questioned whether you're doing it "right" online, this one's for you.