Art as escape and a therapeutic outlet. Kat Toronto is Miss Meatface. Garry Vanderhorne the wrestling promoter told us about her in EP1 of Are You Creative? Miss Meatface is a photographic alter-ego for Kat. She was an escape for Kat to express how she was feeling at a dark time in her life in 2015 - like an art therapy. Kat uses latex masks to remove her identity and create the anonymous character. Kinky and kitchy. 1950s typical domestic scenes, made playful and surreal with latex. Miss Meatface was born in America. Kat studied photography at art school. And went on to become a librarian. The mild-mannered librarian that became a latex superstar. Miss Meatface has a wonderfully muscular Meat Maid who serves her and cleans her house in PVC. A strong part of the aesthetic is patterns and contrast. Shooting with vintage cameras and Polaroid and getting the aesthetic. Starting out art brut, a personal project with no aim for public consumption. Then moving to Instagram. Then building a global audience. Moving to the UK and discovering the differences between US and UK art appreciation. Kat’s artistic life, making hats, being in bands, creating art. Lady Viola was Kat’s ‘Ragwater Revue’ band alter-ego - she’d escaped from the circus and wore an eye-patch. Kat’s house is full of vintage clothing, props, and cameras. Kat buys props from Brentwood’s amazing charity shops. A weakness for vintage curtains, and using them as backdrops. Making mini meat-sets for photoshoots. The anti-Barbie! Miss Meatface ugly holiday sweater announcement. Styling a fondue shoot. Aspic chat! Microwave chat! Sangita has been buying lamb chops. The Miss Meatface origin story. Learning prosthetics. How a brush with mortality fired up Kat’s creative output. Talking about art brut - what even is art brut? A new obsession with vintage ventriloquist dolls. Going out in character - like Barkley Bandon in Dalston. Creating art for your own mindfulness. Nick has been enjoying Rivals and explains Bonkbusters. We love Essex’s number one actor Danny Dyer!

And that's how you fold a napkin! 

Miss Meatface
Miss Meatface Shop
Miss Meatface on Instagram
Miss Meatface on TikTok

Are You Creative? recorded by Jaiden 'the ragga enforcer' at City Sound
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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PROFESSIONAL violinist! Making money doing the creative thing that you love. Life as a musician can be hard. It’s not a 9-5 job, and there is a lot of practicing! Streamlining practice, and finding the time to do it. Diminishing returns in practicing. Setting goals for quality practice. What is score reading? Being inspired by an older sibling learning music and attending her cello lessons. Big up Classic FM - no adverts though please! Being inspired by BBC Young Musician of the Year. Attending a Nicola Benedetti concert and getting creatively inspired as a six year old. And Jennifer Pike listening to little Elodie playing violin. Five degrees of Benedetti - a chance spotting on TV leads to getting the greatest violin mentor. Getting to play a Stradivarius. Finding the right violin for you. Rich benefactors loaning out amazing instruments - thanks for supporting the arts and recent graduates! Elodie blind tested instruments to not be influenced by age and provenance  and chose a modern violin. Performing a solo violin and choir piece with the BBC Singers. Difficult bits in gigs, and not being able to enjoy the performance until afterwards. Getting jobs as a freelance violinist. Word of mouth and recommendations are essential - especially with fixers. Fixers book musicians for sessions. Freelance vs salaried positions. Playing live with Ed Sheeran at Hammersmith Apollo and for Dave at Reading. Being on the Young Musician of the Year final 2018 - actually on Elodie’s 19th birthday! Exposing kids to high quality music early on in their lives. Nick goes on about Hackney Empire and watching My Neighbour Totoro live. Finding discounted tickets for classical music in London, especially for younger people. Elodie tells us about her upcoming show at Hot Box on Nov 15th 2024 with her amazing sister Miss Satin Beige. AND we’ve all had a creative week - Nick’s been canoeing over the world’s highest aqueduct with an ex-Blue Peter presenter, Sangita’s been hanging out with Big Narstie.

Elodie's website
Elodie on Instagram

Gig details for 15th Nov 2024 at Hot Box, Chelmsford

Recorded at City Sound Chelmsford with Jaiden and Paul
Edited by Nick.
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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The Marilyn Monroe of Essex. The most chaotic episode ever. Goldy does EVEYRTHING creative! New rave. Nick’s Pot Trumps cards are now in the Chelmsford Museum recent additions cabinet. Is Chingford in Essex? Can you ever really refer to yourself as creative? Is Goldy the most glamorous person in Essex? Like a Parisian flamingo with mermaid legs - in the best way!  - OFFICIAL! Editor of an aesthetics magazine, and presenter of awards and shows. Creating TikToks and doing the socials to promote shows. Spotting AI cats on the internet. Being a wrestler, a crochet-er, and a pin-up model. Getting painted with King Kong. Being invited to judge a Brazilian Booty Lift Award. Spongebob Square Bum. Jetsetting with the aesthetics industry. Working in journalism. Being a podcast producer. Goldy has done so much different stuff! Thanks ADHD! Being the Queen of thrifting. Collecting ALL the clothes, especially pink coats. Sneaker pimps. Homogenisation of fashion. Having a face for radio. Pin-up origin story. Modern people making retro clothes. Becoming a retro influencer. Doing a photoshoot as Goldylocks being chased by a big gay bear. Accidentally becoming the face of inappropriate halloween costumes. Do the baddies always have the best logos? Changing culture and canceling old fashion. Feral possum energy. Crochet disasters. Making a Debbie Harry jumper. Lucy Sparrow’s amazing felt creations. Fuzzy felt. Learning wrestling - Goldy the Pin-Up that Pins You Down. This was the most chaotic episode ever - Moo Deng energy!

Instagram - @goldyloxxroxx
TikTok - @goldyloxxroxx

Are You Creative? recorded at City Sound
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Special audience questions edition from Essex Podcast Festival.

What’s the coolest stunt Andy has done? A high fall. How high? 100ft! 
What’s your favourite movie you’ve done a stunt in? Grimsby was the most fun film to shoot. 

What stunt did you do in Harry Potter? Andy was a student as a 30-year old man, and a Death Eater and had to go to Wand School to learn the actions. 

Have you ever done a stunt so crazy it made you reconsider your career choice? Andy broke his ankle as a White Walker in the Hardhome scene in Game of Thrones - and it made it into the show. 
Have you ever taken any souvenir off the set? Shoot loot! Andy has some Witcher swords. 

What’s the longevity of a stunt performer’s career? The job retires you! Older actors need doubles as well, so you can perform as an athletic older person. The career journey and bringing in the next generation.

What’s your number one golden rule for stunts? KEEP EVERYONE SAFE. Make it look cool. Safety comes first. 

What stunt are you most proud of? Making other actors look good. Not one in particular. Every day is so different, and the variety makes the job.

Do people ask you for spoilers on productions? YES! All the time. Andy will never tell anything to anyone (except maybe his wife!) #nospoilers

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Stunt performer and stunt coordinator. Has the best imdb page in the world - FACT! Including loads of 10/10 films, and also falling off a cliff in Emmerdale. Getting burned by a dragon on Game of Thrones - Dracarys!!! Learning to be set on fire by scuba diving. Andy’s stunt origin story. Gymnastics, high-diving, judo, theatre. Assessing risks on set to make it safe for you and actors. South Essex Gymnastics Club - is it Kingsmen recruitment for stunt performers? Coming up through the profession with David Holmes, Daniel Radcliffe’s double in Harry Potter and the star of the brilliant The Boy Who Lived documentary. Why it’s important to learn to act and perform as well as the stunt skills. Requirements to join the British Stunt Register: Six sports at a high level. Why is it good to be multi-disciplinary as a stunt performer? Winning the Taurus award for best fight in The Dark Knight. Christian Bale kicked Andy out of a window on a rope, like a string of stuntman sausages. Being Tom Hardy’s double in Inception in the upside down dream sequence. Being chased by Leonardo DiCaprio. World exclusive: What is Leo DiCaprio’s favourite restaurant in Morocco - McDonalds! Doubling for Robert Downey Junior in Sherlock Holmes. Wearing a mech suit in Edge of Tomorrow. Is Tom Cruise fast at running? What does a real stuntman think of The Fall Guy? Filming in Essex - Basilwood. Fighting Danny Dyer with a carpet roll. Shooting the fight in the muddy square in The Witcher EP1 - a six week shoot. How does Andy’s family feel about his potentially dangerous job? Stunts on long ‘oner’ one take shots and shooting the epic scene in Children of Men. Staying cool during a take. Andy’s stunt bucket list. Nick pitches Flaming Hooves 2: Horse in the City. Training to become a stuntman can take as long as a law degree. Doubling Mr.Bean running across roofs for a Snickers commercial. Andy has a signature way of dying on screen, and he demostrates it - THE PILGRIM DEATH - pretend shot by a young volunteer Warrior.
Thanks to Sara Tupper for introducing Nick Hearne as the best dressed man in Essex - He was wearing his new special shirt from Lazy Oaf!

Andy Pilgrim's website
Andy Pilgrim's unbeatable imdb page
British Stunt Register
South Essex Gymnastics Club

Special guest co-host Adelle Barker

Are You Creative? Live was recorded at Chelmsford Theatre
Part of Essex Podcast Festival
Hosted by Chelmsford For You
Staging by John Lewis
Beer by Radio City Beer Works

Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Craft brewer and founder for Radio City Beer Works and Radio City Social venue. Creating beer alchemy with just four ingredients to make loads of different flavours, colours, bitterness, gravities. Beer magic! Learning about wort and brewing process. Being self-critical for growth and improvement. Aromas, head retention, drinkability - all the factors to consider in brewing. Having a flavour vision in your head and working out how to achieve it. Hops and different fruit flavours in them. Knowing how to extract the different flavours from the hop oil at stages of brewing. Beer drinking as a hobby for craft beer drinking. Working with the correct yeast to get different flavours. Making beer from beard yeast. Is there a Chelmsford yeast? Graveyard yeast - for vampires? Achieving consistency in brewing. Climate change and hop growing in England. All about the Citra hop - it’s a popular flavour. Switching careers to do something that you love. The craft brewing revolution and spotting the trend in London, then bringing the vibe and flavours to Essex. Brewery culture in the US. Falling in love with the flavours of beer. Improving the beer experience. Starting brewing in Dan’s Dad’s shed with minimal equipment, a tea urn, and instructions from YouTube and home brew books. Moving beer to the airing cupboard for the right temperature. Using colleagues as guinea pigs developing the recipes. The eureka moment when the beer was good. The early adopters for Radio City Beer - Hopsters and Hot Box. Early adopters and supporters are vital for new businesses and creative ventures, both financially and for motivation. Scaling up the brewery. Control the controllables - yeast and hops can change because they are natural products. Writing down recipes and parameters - temperatures, timings, quantities, pH, gravity. Developing a consistent core range of beers for Radio City Beer Works. Cool To Be Kind beer to raise money for the homeless charity in Chelmsford. Making fruity beers. Untapped app and people reviewing beers, good reviews, bad reviews and weird reviews. Tasting Dan’s beers. Collaboration between different craft breweries - spreading the beer love. Collabogeddon with twelve breweries. Making beers with bands like Allfather’s ‘Take Their Eyes’. Branding beer and standing out in the craft beer market. Starting an independent community bar for craft beer, Radio City Social. The Chelmsford beer metre. Building a whole new community. Making sure that every band ghat plays the bar gets paid. Giving young bands a chance to play their first gig. Booking bands from Japan! Creating an inclusive and welcoming vibe at a bar. What’s an imperial stout and why does Dan want to brew one? Consistently challenging yourself to improve. Helping others to improve. Pride in your creative craft and output. Balancing being independent and professionalism. Beer can art, branding and marketing. Dan offers to brew a Gary Macaroni beer to honour the inventor of radio - Gary Macaroni - Pasta la vista BABY! 

Big up to Hopsters in Leigh on Sea. Hot Box. Aerograft Brewery. Allfather. Werewolf Beer. In The Abyss. 

Radio City Beer Works
Radio City Social

Recorded at City Sound Chelmsford by Nick
Edited by Nick
Artwork by Al

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Adam is MUSIC BOY! Musician, music teacher, studio owner, producer, rockstar! Being in pop-punk tribute bands, and coming up with puns for names - Blinked-182, Dookie and Half-Real Lavine. Supportive parents, and living out their rock fantasies. Starting young and finding music. Is 8 too young to learn guitar? NO! Seeing Adam playing drums at Teddy Rocks with pyrotechnic flames on stage - ultimate rockstar. Starting to learn drums at 10 and getting Grade-8 by 13 - Yep, he’s a prodigy! Grades maketh not the drummer. The student became the teacher - doing a postgrad PGCE and learning to teach. Teaching a 44 year old to play drums when you’re 16. Is playing in a tribute band more satisfying than playing original songs. Tribute festivals. Why are Noasis better live than Oasis. Being on tour and buying your equipment its own seat on planes. The ideal Gregg’s snack stop strategies for touring. Where are the best service stations? Needing a wee on stage and liquid consumption strategy. Three wee central before stage time. You don’t want to be dehydrated on stage! What does a drummer do if they need a wee on stage? Why should you move to Derbyshire if you love live music. Being in bands where the members live all over the country. More big ups for Tom from Teddy Rocks! Finding a new singer for a Green Day tribute band. Setting up Card Trick Music studio with rehearsal and recording spaces, and music lessons in Chelmsford. Now with videography capabilities and a green screen performance studio. Are music live streams a vibe kill? Building the next generation of bands in Essex. Big up Hot Box, Chelmsford Theatre, Radio City Social, The Fleece for having live bands. What’s the best way to start to learn an instrument? Calling music shops about starter instruments - it’s scary but necessary. Music shops are AWESOME and professional. RIP Sound Attak. Big up Peach Guitars in Colchester. Do they sell Hello Kitty ukuleles? Adam commits to starting ‘Kitty Vacant’ a Sex Pistols Hello Kitty punk band with Nick. Learning the recorder - The only instrument that still sounds bad if you are playing it well. Taking music more seriously in school now compared to the olden days of the 80s and 90s. Versatility is key to making a career with music. Should Adam be the universal ambassador for music - he’s amazing and his energy is infectious! Nick and Sangita talk about ‘Sounds Good’ festival in Chelmsford - brilliant work by everyone involved.

Card Trick Music
Card Trick Music Instagram

Are You Creative? will be recorded live at Essex Podcast Festival at Chelmsford Theatre on 28th Sept 2024 co-hosted by Adelle Barker (Sangita is on hols) with special creative guest Andy Pilgrim - stunt coordinator for movies and TV.

Recorded at City Sound Chelmsford by Jaiden
Edited by Nick
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

James's journey from photography into high-end film processing and printing. Owner of BlueSky Printing and London Film Lab. Working for Björk! BJÖRK the Icelandic music legend! Printing on special papers and hand finishing artwork. Being a paper expert and choosing the right paper for a print. Setting up colour managed environments (yeah we’re going deep into printing!) Does Bjork want paper made from swan feathers? James’s other premises London Film Lab off Brick Lane - a special analog film processing facility. Taking away snobbery and making high level film processing available to everyone. Colour grading photos. Making Nick’s kid’s face less red. Essex Photography Prize. Colour adjusting and correcting 8000 photos a day at Snappy Snaps. Buying a first camera from Cash Convertors for £1. Taking photos of cats. Studying photography at Arts University Bournemouth. Why people don’t use darkrooms anymore. Dev and scan. Making people look younger in photos. All about Essex Photography Prize. Is Central Park Chelmsford art directed by god? Can a phone photo stand up against a photo from a camera? The best camera you have is the one on you at the time. Esses Photography Prize entries are open until the end of September 2024. The amazing judges for the prize. Putting on the exhibition. Nick shows James a photo he might enter this year - of some deck chairs! The judging process and printing all of the pictures. Touring the exhibition. Who is Marc De’Ath? Does BlueSky print glittery frames? No! Famous customers printing prints on Brick Lane.

Blue Sky Printing
London Film Lab
Essex Photography Prize
Essex Photography Prize Instagram

Are You Creative? will be recorded live at Essex Podcast Festival at Chelmsford Theatre on 28th Sept 2024 co-hosted by Adelle Barker (Sangita is on hols) with special creative guest Andy Pilgrim - stunt coordinator for movies and TV.

Recorded at City Sound Chelmsford by Nick (sorry about the sound quality)
Edited by Nick
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

Sade’s journey from school teacher to author. Being a top 50 children’s book in the US - A Fun ABC (US edition: A Visit to Grandad). Leaving London for Nigeria. How Sade’s experiences growing up in both London and Nigeria built the foundation for her first book. Working as a Reading Consultant in Nigeria. Donated books and lack of representation of Nigerian children’s lives and experiences. Funding for books, but lack of appropriate reading material. Creating an example text to demonstrate creating stories, rhythms and rhymes. Any teacher can make up stories. Accidentally finding a publisher. Finding a creative need and a creative solution. Colonialism through literature and the effects. The importance of seeing yourself represented in literature. Writing local and having a global impact. Why does Sade’s book have different titles in the US and the UK? Write what is real for you. Boo to AI! Taking creative cues from life experiences. Dealing with imposter syndrome. Setting up a writers’ group. Full circle creative inspiration where Sade’s books are inspiring new writers in Nigeria. Meeting fellow authors on Zoom and then inviting children to join to hear them - The Children and Authors Literary Fanfare and Events (CALFE). Taking CALFE offline to hold it live at Chelmsford Museum as part of Essex Book Festival. Shout out to Marc De’Ath. Bringing Black authors to Essex. Look out for Sade and CALFE in Colchester, Chelmsford and Manchester. The importance of seeing representation in books for children, and the ownership of these books in their homes. Coming straight from choir practice makes you want to sing.

Next CALFE is at Chelmsford Museum on 26th Oct 2024 - Free Event

Find Sade’s books on Cassava Republic publishers

www.facebook.com/authorsade.fadipe.940

https://x.com/SadeFadipe

Essex Book Festival

Are You Creative? will be recorded live at Essex Podcast Festival at Chelmsford Theatre on 28th Sept 2024 co-hosted by Adelle Barker (Sangita is on hols) with special creative guest Andy Pilgrim - stunt coordinator for movies and TV.

Recorded at City Sound Chelmsford by Nick (sorry about the sound quality)
Edited by Nick
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff.

Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

Photos for the first manned Moon mission. Photo finishes for horses. The first televised Queen's speech. Jack's done a lot! Making photographic film to send to the Moon. Being lead scientist of Ilford special projects. High speed cheese. Yellow light. Radiation. Seeing if it was safe for humans to land on the Moon. High speed film image quality trade off. Silver halide science! Testing film with all the bad radiation. Getting film back from the Moon without disturbing the results. Why isn’t the Moon photo on Jack’s wall? Was Jack’s photo the most important photo of that year? Did John F Kennedy look at the photo? Sending a tandoori lamb chop into the stratosphere - shut up Nick, it’s not as impressive as Jack’s photo! Making the film for Queen Elizabeth II’s first ever television broadcast. What went wrong with the first take of that film - and who had an awkward conversation with Liz? How did Jack get into chemistry? Moving to Essex and buying an expensive house for £2250 - WOW! Creating the first photo finish negative process for horse racing. Horse selfies! A quick turnaround process to see who won a race - the bookies nervously waiting. Why is Jack so humble? It was just a job for him! Photographic processes for finding blocked arteries. Using a green radioactive dye. Were any superheroes made from this process? Maybe Hulk! Is Jack part of the Incredible Hulk origin story? Artery blockage techniques are still used today using a digital version. How does Jack feel about being on a podcast? Not bothered obvs - he’s too cool.

Recorded at Jack's house by Nick
Edited by Nick
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support