Creative Chit Chat - Dundee

This week I’m joined by the Head of Cinema at the DCA, Alice Black. She gives us a behind the scenes peek of how an independent cinema operates and the difficulties of catering to such a wide and varied audience. Cinema has always been the biggest focus and passion in Alice’s life. From an early age the cinema was an adventure, being a 2hour drive each way. After a bit of a mix up with the tickets Alice’s Mum ended up taking her to see Roman Polanski’s Tess, which had a profound impact on her life even if she might’ve been a little young at the time. Alice is a firm believer that “Film is a great leveller”. MA Glasgow After a degree in Canada an MA in Glasgow and an MA in New York Alice Worked for the MoMA and the French embassy in NY before moving to Dublin. Having such a range of roles servicing different needs and audiences put her in a great position to curate her own screening schedule for a venue, something she’d not done before the DCA. We chat about the difficulties involved in programming a cul

Darryl comes from a background in social care and community engagement through many different jobs and projects that we chat about on the project but he’s currently working on researching and developing a local currency for Dundee. ‘I would never call myself a creative’ Pretty much the first thing Darryl says. Not the best start, given the name of the podcast but ‘creative’ and 'design' have never been in the vocabulary in the work that he has done. Although we talk about how many of the roles he’s been in have utilised design principles, methodologies and approaches. Darryl talks about his introduction to Service Design and how something really clicked and made him realise that those things he was doing all along were part of a bigger picture. Similarly, co-design has had a big impact on the work that he does. From our chat, it’s clear that Darryl likes to throw himself into challenges and bring people together to create change. In 2017 he 2017 stood in the local elections as an independent candidat

Kirsty runs a Passivhaus Architecture practice from Wasps studios in Dundee but we don’t really talk about any of that. Instead, she takes me through her epic journey to the ends of the earth that she was able to make when lots of factors aligned to create the perfect opportunity. Something of a different episode this week for the first remote recording of Creative Chit Chat ever. Please bear with me on the sound quality. I will be trying to improve it as I go working with some new software. In a lot of ways, I feel that this is the perfect episode for what’s happening right now. A way to escape and let Kirsty take you on an adventure over land, mountains and sea. Going beyond the North to just short of the North Pole in a sailing boat, to skiing past hundreds of thousands of penguins in South Georgia and experiencing the wildlife of Antarctica. I don’t really want to say much more than that. Just listen and enjoy. Kirsty’s website: https://kirstymaguire.com/ Kirsty’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Passiv

Programme director of Digital Interaction Design at DJCAD, Paul has gone full circle from being a student on the course to now leading it. We cover that whole journey including some brilliant music based side projects along the way. “mostly I’ve just pursued what I’ve been interested in rather than what’s been a good career move” We begin by talking about Pauls relationship with technology and how he created a website for his village when people were getting really excited about the internet. I think there are a few threads running through his career and technology is one of them along with community and developing the careers and aspirations of younger generations. After a PhD and some time working open the dot rural project in Aberdeen, Paul spent several years at Young Scot in Edinburgh. His work involved giving young people a voice in a room of people with influence, to make them heard and to make a difference. During his time studying in Dundee Paul started a music event in a pub basement on the Pe

Kirsty is the founder and CEO of the Circle, a “More Than Profit” organisation focused on working with social entrepreneurs, community activists, charity leaders, commercial business leaders, trustees and non-executive directors. Kirsty starts her journey on her return to Dundee after being in academia for many years she found herself unemployed. After signing on, a careers advisor asked if she had considered starting her own business. From there she started ACK (Along Came Kirsty) a business offering consultancy services and ended up working primarily with organisations and charities in the third sector. After some ups and downs Kirsty identified the need to set up a space that would allow the types of businesses she was working with to grow. Taking away a lot of the hassles and worries around the basics of keeping a roof over their heads and the lights on. It took 2 years of negotiation with a commercial landlord to convince them it was a viable use for their building. 3 years later and the building is

Ica hosts and runs the Creative Me Podcast in Aberdeen and I invited him down to Dundee to do a podcast exchange. Turns out we have very similar stories and approaches when it comes to podcasting. Originally from South East London, Ica moved up to Aberdeen with his girlfriend about 15 years ago to study social work. He’s seen the creative scene change and grow while recording the stories of creatives in the city. We both started our podcasts around the same time and have put out about the same number of episodes. When chatting it was funny how we have mirrored so many of the same patterns. We both burned ourselves out in the early stages and came to the realisation that there is no expectation to be putting out an episode every week. Granted, in the beginning it’s good practice to get things out there and develop the skills. But 1 episode every week is a massive amount of work to keep on top of and generally more content that listeners can keep up with. Especially if you’re trying to do it all year round.

Jen is an Illustrator and ceramicist who has spent her time between Dundee, Glasgow and Toronto during her career so far. Her work often notes quiet moments, human connection and the natural world. Pencil and paper are generally the tools of choice, but she occasionally plays with clay, too. After graduating from DJCAD Jen started making products that she could sell online to build an audience and generate some income. She needed a part-time job at this point to support her creative practice and said that it was important to admit ’In my 1st tax return I had a big fat zero in there’. After changing her supporting job to working in marketing it led her down to Glasgow. It was there that she decided to go to some beginners ceramics classes. Out of a curiosity for the craft and that she had never really quite got away from the 2D nature of her illustration work. We chat about how these beginners classes are really enjoyable but also a great gateway into learning new skills and developing creative practice. T

Do you like sneakers? Then this episode is for you. From importing random Japanese zines to working in Hanon in Aberdeen and having over 250 pairs sitting in his garage. Me and Neil chat a lot about trainers in this episode. Even though his journey isn’t really about footwear. He came to Dundee to set up Borders books store. Which he helped build into the most successful branch in the UK but despite this, the company went into administration. Neil had to go through that process and watch the community he had built disappear. He seems to have a knack of getting his foot in the door by offering to lend a hand. This saw him working on some of the early-stage public consultations for V&A Dundee, then on to several Business Improvement District projects. In the episode, he also reveals that Kengo Kuma’s design was not actually the public’s first choice! The Bluebell design was the preferred choice but it was deemed too similar to Belfast’s Titanic Museum. After his work with the V&A Dundee, the Archie foundatio

A graphic designer who runs Pixels Ink, helping brands find their identity and voice. He’s also built up a following through online design advice and tutorials on his youtube channel. Col started out doing an interior design course, then moved on to animation and ended up working in a series of smaller studios doing various different roles. He started to get itchy feet when the studio he was at began to grow and he lost the direct relationships with the clients. After finding himself in a pretty toxic environment he knew he had to get out and start his own business. Despite not having any real experience running a business and not having and clients! This was a massive leap and 1 thing that comes up time and again in the episode is confidence. It’s definitely something Col has struggled with and something I think we can all relate to. It was this statement that really stuck with me though: “I don’t think enough people invest in themselves… From my experience, when I’ve invested money in myself, it’s given

5 weeks into a year-long role as director of Creative Dundee I chat to Lori about her journey, what interested her in the role and what she wants to achieve. Starting out, Lori’s journey has a bit of uncertainty that then led to working in the financial sector. After rising through the company she ended up being made redundant along with the rest of her department. This lead her to take stock and make a complete career change with the Nation Lottery Heritage Fund. She spent 9 years there supporting and getting involved in many amazing projects and gaining what would prove to be invaluable experience for the future. Lori said people have described the transition in her career as “gamekeeper turned poacher” as she went to work for organisations for whom the securing of funding is vitally important. The biggest of these was ‘Collective’ a project regenerating the Old City Observatory and surrounding area at the top of Calton Hill in Edinburgh. It was a 9-month role that turned into a 5 year position as she saw

An opportunity for a year-long graduate internship on the isle of Coll to write and create music was massively significant in Andy’s life. It kick-started a remote music creation process with his brother and initiated a love for field recordings. Now 2 albums down, Kinbrae are looking to release an LP and then a further album but Andy is looking to other avenues to make music a full-time pursuit. He talks about how he has worked in creating music for film and TV which seems to be a much more commercially viable option. Towards the end of our chat, I couldn’t resist chatting to him about classic football kits. It’s something we talked about one night over a beer and area where creativity is definitely lacking. Kinbrae Website: http://kinbrae.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kinbraemusic Chernobyl Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981 Classic Football Shirts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classicfootballshirts/

Katja has been working in the cultural sector producing events for many years. From music festivals in the Czech Republic to DJCAD degree show. Having only been in Dundee for a relatively short period of time she’s already worked with most of the cultural organisations in the city. As most of her work is event-based it leads to relatively short term contracts. We chat about jumping from contract to contract and having the confidence that something else will always come up. Her latest contract is with Creative Dundee as Programmes Producer. After just a few months in the role, I ask about her ambitions over the next 6-9 months, what she feels Creative Dundee’s role is in the city and where she fits within that. Katja says ‘Dundee is small in the best of ways’ many people have talked about the advantages of the scale of Dundee but no-one has summed it up quite as succinctly and beautifully as this. Creative Dundee - https://creativedundee.com/ Katja Twitter - https://twitter.com/katjakusakova Katja Instagra

Director of Leisure & Culture Dundee, Stewart has spent many years engaging communities, enabling others and really helping develop the cultural offer in Dundee. As he moves towards retirement we talk about what he has achieved in the role and what he feels is important for the city going forward.  After growing up in Fife, Stewart started in community education in Glasgow. He didn’t exactly when but mentioned it was before the M8 opened. In 1990 he moved to Tayside where he worked in several different roles engaging communities before eventually becoming head of the organisation that merged many bodies and became Leisure & Culture Dundee. From our chat, it’s clear that what really drives Stewart is facilitation. He loves helping others make things happen. In my opinion, this is the right attitude for someone in his role and indeed the role of any big cultural or creative organisation. Stewart talks about working with many people over the years and that he has been lucky to surround himself with those who h

A freelance photographer who has worked across many areas but mainly with cultural and arts organisations like NEoN Digital Arts Festival, the Cooper Gallery and many fashion brands. The first big project I worked on with Kathryn was this year’s Dundee Design Festival. We brought her in as the official festival photographer and to run a space called the ‘Photoshop’. In the podcast she says she is ‘intrigued by humans and human nature’ and during DDF19 she really captured the essence of the visitors and residents in the spaces. We talk about her ever changing photography persona ‘flash’ that she uses to disarm people. I reckon we all have at least 1 work persona and one personal one. Just thinking about how you answer the phone or conduct yourself in meetings rather than the day to day can be completely different. Kathryn also mentions that she’s not really that into technology. She knows how to get the best out of the setup she has and isn’t about buying the fanciest camera or lenses. It’s about using th

A graphic designer currently working for Avian in Dundee, Jamie shares his journey to where he is now with lots of ups, downs and educational institutions. Jamie first did undergrad degree in product design but felt it was too focused on the engineering and the prospects afterwards were limited. He realised from the design process he had developed that what he really enjoyed was putting together the presentation boards. From there it still took a while to full embrace graphic design. He had a bad experience in a toxic environment in an apparel company in Glasgow which led to a detrimental affect on his mental health. He reached a turning point and knew it was time to get out and focus on what he enjoyed by going to Glasgow Clyde College to do an HND. Then on to DJCAD where he graduated last year. His journey is varied and takes a lot of twists and turns but it shows the key is finding something you’re passionate about. Even if it takes several years to get there you need to have a vision of where you wa

Kirsty Thomas runs creative studio Tom Pigeon from the East Neuk of Fife. We go through her journey from fashion design to teaching to the creation of Tom Pigeon and her latest project The Make Bank. After a bit of a false start with Sports Science Kirsty went on to a degree in Design Studies which didn’t exactly prepare her with the skills needed for industry but did give her broad scope which has lead to a really broad and varied career. After a stint with clothing company Joe Bloggs, she experienced what she describes as an ‘itch’. This becomes a theme throughout her career and has led to a sort of cyclical change every few years. I think it’s a really healthy part of human nature to stop ourselves from getting caught in a rut. The most dangerous thing you can do is not recognise the need for change. It is so important to take stock of everything once in a while and allow yourself some perspective on your situation and the direction you’re headed in. Since it’s creation in 2014 Tom Pigeon has become int

21 – 28 May the Dundee Design Festival will be at the Keiller Centre in Dundee. In this bonus episode me and Lyall Bruce talk about the process behind producing the festival. The podcast has been on a bit of a hiatus and DDF19 is the reason why. So, I thought it only fair to do an episode on our process behind the scenes in structuring and creating the festival. For full festival details dundeedesignfestival.com We’ll also be releasing new content in the lead up to the festival, you can follow here https://twitter.com/designdundee/ https://www.instagram.com/designdundee/

Joanne runs Tea Green Events where she brings together some of the best makers from across Scotland in amazing spaces for people to buy their wares. Joanne’s journey took a few twists and turns along the way before building up Tea Green. Starting out with a ‘false start’ doing a business degree she realised that what she really wanted to do was go to art school. After getting a portfolio together and being accepted into 2nd year at DJCAD Joanne studied jewellery. In another unexpected turn she found herself doing a masters in fine art where she really started to explore how to create engaging and exciting experiences. It seems as though a lot of what she explored at this time eventually fed into what Tea Green has become, including several kilos of glitter. After being part of Vanilla Ink for over 2 years and developing as more of a commercial jeweller. It was Joanne’s fiancé that really influenced her next career change. He offered her £200 with the goal of creating a project where she would double the m

Frances is the ex-director of the Queens Young Leaders programme and describes herself as a ‘positive troublemaker’ which I think is very much the case. We start on her journey where she sort of blagged her way through university, playing the system to get through. Her ability to do this did make her lose interest in art and I think ultimately university. Frances talks very openly about her own struggles with mental health and discovering that her depression manifests itself as not being able to read. This led to her not finishing her PhD but ultimately, a deeper understanding of herself. To be honest I’d not heard of Queens Young Leaders until I found out Frances got the position. It was a brilliant programme helping amazing people across the commonwealth who are running projects or business that are socially focused. Really interesting to hear how Frances will be building on this network of 500+ people across the world in her new role at the Queen’s Commonwealth trust. Asking guests where their expe

Gareth runs Flick For Kicks, making hand made Subbuteo tables and has been involved in playing and promoting the game for over 30 years. He takes us right back to when he first started in his mates’ living room to being Scottish Youth Champion then starting his own club and finally running his own business. It probably took me about 2 years to convince Gareth to come on the podcast. As he mentions himself in the episode, he is a bit of an over-thinker but he’s also been through a lot of ups and downs through his career. We navigate the highs and the lows and Gareth talks about how the community has been so important to him. Whether it was starting the Abernethy Table Football Club, playing for his own Subbuteo team or moving into co-working space Fleet Collective. To me, it seems clear that he thrives when surrounded by like-minded people in a creative environment. That’s why Fleet Collective worked so well, it acted as a support network for all of us. Gareth is a good friend and I’m really pleased that I