Creative Chit Chat - Dundee

Ruby is the creative director behind Dreamland: happy, nostalgic fun clothing. Known for big bold prints inspired by TV shows and popular culture, in particular her upside down collection inspired by Stranger Things. Ruby takes me through how she started out the label and why travel and people watching are central to her creative process. There’s definitely a thread of nostalgia that quite clearly runs through her work but it’s also routed in her experiences and collaborations. The episode ebbs and flows from the positive to the realities of running a small creative business. It’s been a tough time recently for so many businesses and Ruby sums it up beautifully when she says "I'm very much trying to keep this small boat afloat in a very choppy ocean" We also go on to talk about the importance of saying ‘no’. It’s really difficult when you start out but it can lead to burn out. Picking and choosing the right opportunities that are healthy for you and your business is difficult but can make an enormous dif

Cat and Andy repurpose old skateboards into beautiful new products. They take me through their labour intensive process from old broken board to shiny new product. The episode is a fascinating insight into how they've learned and developed their woodworking skills from scratch and built the business up at the same time diversifying the product range. I would recommend heading over to their instagram to see it for yourself as they capture it really well visually on there, far better than I would describe in a podcast description. https://www.instagram.com/nocomply.design/ https://www.nocomplydesign.com/

Graphic designer, Duncan Barton takes me through his design process, position on current trends and how he's developed a career around the things he loves. "At university they taught you to be 'the best designer in the world' not a jobbing designer" Probably my favourite quote from the episode. You're just not taught all the day to day nitty gritty of being a designer working with real clients, dealing with feedback and churning out more of the functional aspects of what design really is. Duncan also uses a lovely analogy in the 'gradient of design' from the boring and mundane repetitive tasks to highly concept driven design. I'd never considered it as such an apt metaphor before. Duncan mentions David Carson's TED talk from 2013 Design and Discovery https://www.ted.com/talks/david_carson_design_and_discovery He talks about how we shouldn't confuse legibility with communication. Something we explore in the episode along with readability and tying that to some of the latest trends. We round off by

With over 20 years experience in the fashion textiles industry Chris has a really varied and interesting career path. His journey starts from a really dark and troublesome place: at school during Section 28. Chris hasn't done many interviews and I feel privileged he was trusting enough to come on the podcast and share his journey. When I set up the podcast I wanted to share as many amazing creative stories as possible. The good times and the bad. Although it's definitely more difficult to talk about those dark and difficult times it can be so valuable to others so realise they are not alone and they can learn from the experiences of others. Chris' creative journey was sparked by an art teacher allowing him to write an essay on punk culture. This was the catalyst to exploring and understanding a whole new world. From his first drink in a gay bar to interning at Vogue, working in PR for multinational brands and then setting out as a freelancer. Chris has this amazing energy where he wants to make things hap

A lead consultant at the Service Design Academy, Katie says that she fell into Service Design after doing a masters in leadership and innovation. We have a really interesting discussion around whether Katie sees herself as a designer and the complexity around design terminology. This also leads onto a topic I'd like to explore further run the future of how we make design skills a core competency in the same way maths or English is. By giving people these fundamental building blocks to change their perception of the world and the ability to influence it could be transformational. Katie also said: "If we can start to be more human, step back and ask more questions, rather than making assumptions, in any walk of life then it's going to be a better place (the world) going forward." Empathy is so important and it's often difficult to comprehend what others are experiencing day to day, it's so important as a human being let alone a designer to be able to take that step back and consider more deeply the circums

After a successful kickstarter campaign Alastair decided to start Lowtek Games a studio focused on creating games and tools to help dyslexic players enjoy video games more. It was at primary school that Alastair got an early diagnosis of dyslexia creating real difficulty with reading. As text to speech technology became more readily available and with the rise of online video tutorials it allowed him to take a more hands on practical approach to creativity. Advances in game technology led to more complex graphics and often more complex storylines and on-screen text. This led Alastair to stay in the realm of retro games. It ended up having a real impact on his creative process and career becoming an advocate for dyslexia friendly games. After going to Abertay University Alastair got his first industry job at Ninja Kiwi and quickly became 'the optimisation guy' specialising in low poly 3D models. After running a successful Kickstarter campaign he decided to start up Lowtek Games and build out his game F

Design researcher Stephanie Crowe and Design Generalist Kevin Sinclair met and decided their love in discussing the failings of design in the world around them was enough to start Muckle Studios. They take me through a journey of how they built a partnership based upon the crossovers in their skillsets and also what they could learn from each other. They are a balance of optimist vs realist and detail vs big picture. This episode is a lovely snapshot of how they've grown as a studio through frustrating times as well as successes. There's lots to be taken from this episode if you're thinking about going freelance or starting out on your own. It's not easy to find someone you work will with and their process of working together is one to be admired. If you did enjoy this then you can always listen back to Kevin's own episode from 5 years ago. https://www.mucklestudios.com/ https://www.twitter.com/mucklestudios https://www.linkedin.com/company/muckle-studios-ltd/

Hear how a trip to Vienna where all the museums were unexpected closed due to the pandemic led to Elizabeth Ann Day and Luke Cassidy Greer creating an art dispensing vending machine in the Keiller Centre in Dundee. It's been a long time since I've had two guests on the podcast and this week it's a real deep dive into the Volk Gallery project. One year on from installing and launching their art vending machine Elizabeth and Luke talk me through the fascinating origin story of the project and the progress they've made in a year. It's a great project that really makes art more accessible through an experience that has lovely level of nostalgia and mystique. Future plans include looking towards further funding to commission more artists and create more sites around Scotland. https://volkgallery.com/ https://www.instagram.com/galleryvolk/

This week we start back in the 80s where Rick takes me through his own creative career as well as the history of the skate scene in Dundee. He went from college to a full time job as a graphic designer and then on to study Time Based Art at DJCAD. After staying around as a research assistant Rick taught himself how to cope websites and the rest is history really. He started up his own business and after several years running a company with a business partner it became time to go it alone as a freelancer once again. Skating is such a prominent part of Rick's life that it's only just that we dedicate half the episode to it. He takes me through the early days of building ramps in disused warehouses and the misconceptions that come with skate culture. Through the 90s and some terrible pre-fabbed metal skateparks to the early 2000s where we see the rise of concrete skateparks and in Dundee the creation of Dudhope skatepark. It's a lovely meandering journey through two prominent elements of Rick's life. http

Stephanie Graham founder of Natla Jewellery and Dundee Community Craft joins me this week. Her goal is to make Dundee the recovery capital of Europe supporting recovery through teaching design skills. She takes her mobile jewellery workshops out into the community to deliver them. The workshops take people through a design process over several weeks but they also create a safe space where people can feel peaceful, feel good about themselves and have a positive experience that helps influence a positive future. The workshops Stephanie is delivering with Dundee Community Craft have been influenced by her own experiences of trauma, healing and recovery and is already seeing positive outcomes and results despite only being one year into running the business. The time she spent at the Circle Academy has clearly had a big impact and has helped Stephanie shape the business side of things splitting her own jewellery practice Natla Jewellery Studio and Dundee Community Crafts. Long term Stephanie is aiming to tr

Hippies communes to funeral directors to Jennifer Lopez and Dior, Jennie grew up in Dundee, was drawn to Glasgow and inevitably London building her eclectic PR career before returning to Dundee. Starting out in Pitkerro House, a sort of hippie commune on the outskirts of Dundee, this instilled the values of community and people working together on common goals from the very outset of her life. This has clearly had a big impact in the way that Jennie has progressed her career seeking a sense of belonging and community around her. She then moved down to Glasgow to work at Pied de Terre and enjoyed being part of the scene and then moved into a PR role but eventually the allure of London was just too great. Jennie's first job in the big smoke was literally dragging sacks of mail outs to the post office. It did become a little more exciting like saying no to all requests for Jennifer Lopez but talking about her time down in London Jennie said "I never felt like the glamorous one. I felt like Alan Partridge's

We take a deep dive into some of the nuances of graphic design with Badbish Design this week, featuring how to vent your creative frustrations, the need for building relationships when giving and receiving feedback and why she would happily draw a hippo for £5,000. Badbish's career started out with a frustrating time at art school but after picking up some graphics work for the bars she was working in, things started to change. A graphic design position within a university lead to learning how to deal with people and a masters course in communication sparked inspiration and conflict. It was from here that Badbish as a persona (and an instagram account) was born, taking the name from a furry friend and creating a really valuable creative outlet. The social media posts led to real reassurance and a sense of community through people's responses. After time the venting of her frustrations transitioned into income generation by selling totes, t-shirts and prints with her most popular piece 'Fuck the Tories'. B

I'm joined by Jillian Elizabeth owner of the Little Green Larder a zero waste, plastic free shop aiming to make shopping for sustainable products easy and convenient. The Little Green Larder offers a wide variety of foods and products with their best seller being their vegan pick n mix. Jillian saw zero waste shops opening up across the world and sick of waiting on someone setting one up in Dundee, she decided to do it herself. So she found a location and built a community around the Little Green Larder. During lockdown the shop was inundated with customers and orders but as the world opened back up business saw a decline. Leading to Jillian creating a post to say 'Come and say hello to us so we don't have to say goodbye to you'. An extremely difficult post to share but a necessary dose of honesty to save the store. Things since the post have taken a much more positive turn with lots of customers returning but this highlights the difficult time small businesses are currently going through. I ask Jillian to

Jeweller and owner of Double Door Studios joins me for a wonderful meandering chat through her journey. There's a little sidetrack into busking and then onto building a jewellery practice in kilt pins, wedding rings and collections. A quick jaunt around making brooches more accessible through skirting boards and broken musical instruments. Before focusing on finding a space, setting up the finances and taking ownership of her very own space Double Door Studios. Islay has a wonderful positive and driven attitude that comes through in the episode even when making huge decisions and taking risks. In sharing staff, going down the space ownership route and building a team of likeminded jewellers she has created a long term sustainable space for design. Something that we desperately need more of in Dundee. https://www.islayspalding.co.uk/ https://doubledoorstudios.co.uk/

Fashion designer Kerrie Aldo joins me this week. Probably best known for her signature wax cotton jackets created using material from local manufacturer Halley Stevenson. We talk about slow vs fast fashion and how you get across the value of small scale sustainable production. Kerrie talks me through her journey starting out by being influenced by the indie music scene to finding her own style and how her audience has grown over time. A real pivotal point in her career came when she made a bit of an unexpected move down to Leeds but the business continued to grow and she worked on the Dundee Raincoat project with V&A Dundee during lockdown. As I hope will happen with lots more creatives in the coming years, Kerrie decided it was time for a move back to Dundee. Not the easiest of transitions and almost like starting all over again. But she now has a thriving brand, so much so she experienced a total burn out after a busy Christmas period. So is now look at how to scale and expand things while maintaining int

This week it's all about street art with C.Gul. Inspired by Dundee's ballsy bird community he has been creating seagull inspired street art for 9 years now. Clearly he doesn't take himself too seriously and his work is about putting smiles on people's faces. We touch on the differences between street art and graffiti and go into the rules and politics that surround the two closely linked but distinct discipline. C.Gul has definitely learned the hard way a few times but seems to have now found a place where he's happy with his work. We also touch on one of my favourite subjects: mini golf. C.Gul created his own course during lockdown. Created in his allotment from materials saved from landfill and purchased from charity shops. It is also closely linked to the work he does with Scrapantics selling all sorts in their scrap store to lighting up kids imaginations with loose parts play. https://www.instagram.com/c.gull/?hl=en www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CGullShop https://scrapantics.co.uk/

It's textile designer Kate Harvey's turn to be the guest on this week's podcast. We go from corner shops to Australia and eventually back to Dundee where she started her own clothing brand. Kate produces hand made one-off appliqué garments in a style that I would describe as beautifully organised chaos. We discuss how she has developed her style and process over time as well as building her audience and brand. One of the key motivators and drivers of her career has been the big projects she's been involved with. Kate produced a towel in collaboration with Local Heroes for their Daytrippers project with V&A Dundee. We also talk about her involvement in this year's Dundee Design Festival and how a collaboration with @badbish created the most successful space in the whole festival. instagram.com/katescarletdesigner/ vam.ac.uk/dundee/event/313/daytrippers katescarletharvey.com/

This week I'm joined by Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee. She has had a fascinating career working in many high profile roles across Scotland's creative and cultural sector. We talk through her career, why she deliberately seeks out positions of responsibility, that she may not quite be equipped to deal with and why this is a real positive. From an upbringing in Newport and becoming immersed in pop culture, then a move to study in Glasgow: a city of possibilities with anarchy, artist run spaces and self-organised clubbing. We discuss the role creativity has in her career "Quite often my creative outlets have come with the people I've associated myself with. If I've got any creative skills it's that I can gather and synthesise different bits around me." Collaboration is a real constant in Leonie's career when developing teams, working with communities and delivering projects. From being Programme Director at the Lighthouse at a young age to working on cultural elements of the Olympics and Commonwealth Ga

I had a very open and honest conversation with David about his career so far as an artist, photographer, videographer and educator. We go into a particularly dark time after he took on a corporate banking job due to 'expectations' which lead so severe anxiety and depression. As David says in the episode it nearly killed him but "When your back's against a sheer drop, where else do you go? You grab the only thing that's there and freelancing was there. So I went for it." He made a hugely positive step by going freelance but the anxiety and depression is still an ongoing issue that David has learned to deal with over time. We talk about his transition for living and working in Edinburgh and moving up to Dundee. He has a great analogy of how in a big city you can be much more specialised but in smaller cities like Dundee you're far better off being more of a generalist and expanding your skillset. We also touch on David's approach to his work, how that affects his overall style and his relationsh

A celebration of the past 98 episodes with so many wonderful guests. I talk about some of the things I’ve learned and answer the questions of past guests and listeners. This episode is a big thank you to everyone who has made the first 98 episodes of the podcast possible. I’ve had so many brilliant guests openly and honestly sharing their stories. One the four years I have been running the podcast all those stories have become an amazing bank of content that celebrates creativity in Dundee. In this episode I answer questions from past guests and listeners. It goes from the weird to the wonderful. From my favourite pokemon to feminism and the fickle nature of confidence.