Welcome to The Spark, your creative pick-me-up from The Creative Boom Podcast. Every Thursday, we bring you a shorter, snappier episode to give you that midweek boost of inspiration. We’ll share creative news, practical tips, book recommendations, and even some emails from our listeners. Whether you’re looking for a quick shot of creativity or need some insights to carry you into the weekend, The Spark has got you covered.

In this episode, we looked back on Monday’s interview with Brian Cannon and the incredible listener feedback we received about the golden days of designing for Oasis in the '90s. Plus, we teased our next guest, Seema Sharma, and the fascinating conversation we’ll have about creativity and AI—exploring what it means for the industry, and whether AI is a friend or foe.

In Creative News, we discussed Mozilla's new retro-inspired brand identity designed by JKR, and Meta's latest AI innovations, including celebrity-voiced chatbots and AR glasses. Closer to home, Factory International's creative skills training in Manchester is making waves in local venues. And we revealed the UK creative industries' impressive £124.6 billion contribution to the economy.

In The Spotlight, we shone on Shaping Tomorrow, a groundbreaking new podcast series produced by Hear Art that amplifies the voices of deaf creatives in the industry.

Our Book of the Week, The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, is a memoir that goes beyond acting to explore resilience, women's rights, and personal triumphs.

For Tip of the Week, we had a mental health reminder from Liam Hopkins of Lazerian Studio on nurturing your mind and embracing rest as a creative tool.

Finally, in Letters to the Editor, we shared thoughtful listener emails about balancing work, managing perfectionism, and why it’s refreshing to have platforms that don’t always focus on the bigger industry names.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, or any from our show, send your thoughts to [email protected], and we'll do our best to read them out during next week's The Spark.