This week I’m joined by Tom Metcalfe — interdisciplinary designer, researcher and educator.

Tom’s journey into design wasn’t linear — from rally driving to getting into product design at DJCAD through clearing at 21. Since then he's had a yo-yo relationship with Dundee. From Dundee to London (via New Designers and Random International), then Bristol for 10 years and now back. Along the way, he’s developed a design practice rooted in place, interaction and thoughtful design.

We get into what it means to be a designer, the split between ways of seeing and ways of making and how design education really needs a shake up.

🔗 tom.scot

📷 @sky_over_fife

Jolene Guthrie, founder of the knitwear fashion brand Jo-AMI (pronounced Jo Amy) joins me this week, talking about how you make knitwear cool, comfy and considered.

From internships and positions with the likes of Hayley Scanlan and Tom Pigeon to working with major fashion houses in London, Jolene has built a career rooted in hands-on experience and a deep love for knitwear. Why knitwear? She’s drawn to its magic—how and you can create a 3D piece from nothing but yarn. It also runs in the family with her great Aunt and Uncle owning Donbros Knitwear in Alloa in the 1960’s.

Jo-AMI began in the spare room of her mum and dad’s house in Dundee, using a 1960s Dubied knitting machine. That ‘studio’ has since grown, moving from WASPs to a shopfront in Douglas Court, and evolving into a brand that’s known for its considered, colourful, and unisex designs. Alongside running Jo-AMI, Jolene also works part-time at The Knit Shop, a micro-manufacturing factory in Dundee.

In this episode, we talk about the realities of building a creative business slowly and sustainably, how outsourcing her content to Greene Creatives has boosted sales and freed her up to focus on the making, and what it takes to scale without losing your core values.

https://jo-ami.com/

In this episode, I chat with graphic designer Alastair Walker. After spending 13 years building his career in Manchester, rising through the ranks to creative director, Alastair took a step back to reassess. A four-month break in Vienna gave him the space to reflect and a desire for change eventually led him north to Dundee.

We explore the relationship between software skills and creative thinking, the importance of building long-term trust with clients and whether designers should be managing projects or focusing on the work itself. Alastair shares how joining Creative Dundee’s Amps programme helped him build early connections and why he believes Dundee has the potential to nurture and celebrate small-scale creativity.

We also get into the shifts between freelancing and full-time roles, and the bigger picture of what design means in and for Dundee. It’s a thoughtful and honest look at a creative career that’s evolved through curiosity, intention, and a desire to make meaningful work.

https://www.alastairwalker.me/

https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/series/the_follow_up

TLDR - I'm starting a newsletter to reach more listeners and avoid the social algorithms.

https://substack.com/@cccdundee

A quick update on where things are at with the podcast and what’s coming next. This season’s felt a little out of rhythm — not because of the guests (they’ve been brilliant) — but more because of what’s been going on behind the scenes.

In this episode, I chat about why things have felt a bit off, how changes in social media have made it harder to share episodes, and why I’ve decided to start a newsletter on Substack. It’s a way to cut through the noise and make sure you don’t miss new episodes — plus I’ll be sharing a bit more insight and digging into some of the back catalogue too.

SIgn up now: https://substack.com/@cccdundee

As Eilish grew up, creativity was part of everyday life — and she’s carried that spirit into everything she does.

In this episode, we dig into her journey from studying Interior and Environmental Design to shaping creative communities and spaces across Dundee. She shares what it was like balancing a job in a sports shop while trying to break into a design world that felt miles apart and how she found her path by staying grounded, curious and always asking the big questions.

Eilish isn’t one for small talk. She’s rather find out your dreams and when you last cried rather than talking about the weather. Her design approach is hands-on, people-focused and rooted in empowering everyday people to shape the spaces around them.

We talk about the Dandelion Project, her first big turning point and how that led to her role as Creative Spaces Producer at Creative Dundee. From there, we dive into Hapworks, a prototype co-working space that’s sparking a conversation about the future of creative spaces in the city.

It’s a brilliant insight into how design can support community, how local action can ripple out to wider change and why now is an exciting time to be involved in shaping your neighbourhood.

Eilish’s instagram - https://www.instagram.com/eilish_victoria/?hl=en-gb

Creative Dundee - https://creativedundee.com/

Hapworks - https://hapworks.co

Part 2 of my conversation with Fraser Smith founder of EH9 Espresso and designer and Maker Camillo Feuchter goes much deeper into the construction of the Annfield Road cafe and the considerations of how the space functions.

We then move on to some classic podcast questions around success and failure. Then the bigger picture of Dundee as a whole and how it is becoming known for it's speciality coffee culture.

EH9 - https://www.eh9espresso.com/

Camillo Atlas - https://www.camillo-atlas.co.uk

This is part one of a beautifully flowing conversation between two friends—both with an incredible eye for detail.

Fraser Smith, the founder of EH9 Espresso, and Camillo Feuchter, a designer and maker, first crossed paths through the EH9’s Perth Road cafe. Over time their relationship flourished into a collaborative partnership in the design and creation of EH9’s second home on Annfield Road.

Fraser’s journey started young—buying and reselling cans of juice on the school bus. That entrepreneurial spark never faded, and during lockdown, he turned it into something bigger: his own coffee brand. For Camillo, growing up in Germany and studying Interior and Environmental Design in Dundee shaped his approach to making. His skills in craft and material experimentation—like transforming discarded bottle tops into beautifully designed stools—brought a fresh perspective to EH9’s new space.

In this episode, we dive into their backstories, their growing friendship, and the vision behind the new cafe. Plus, we explore the power of authenticity, the magic of word-of-mouth marketing (involving a lot of flat whites), and what it takes to build a community around a business.

Part two continues the journey and dives more deeply into the process of transforming the space and is out on Friday 4th of April.

EH9 - https://www.eh9espresso.com/

Camillo Atlas - https://www.camillo-atlas.co.uk

I'm excited to reveal that there will be 6 brand new episodes of Creative Chat coming out from next week with Fraser Smith creator of EH9 and multi-disciplinary designer and maker Camillo Feuchter taking me through their creative process of bringing the Anfield Road EH9 to reality. Then I'm chatting to Eilish Victoria, Creative Spaces Producer at Creative Dundee, Graphic Designer Al Walker, Knitwear Designer Joleen Guthrie founder of Jo-AMI and designer of objects and connected artefacts Tom Metcalfe. Lots of wonderful conversations around the ups and downs of creative careers. It's a pleasure to be back and sharing so many wonderful chats.

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 difference to your creative career.

We also touch on the issue of space in Dundee and how it has affected Ruby directly. If you’re experiencing something similar or are just curious then please check out the Hapworks project (hapworks.co)

If you haven’t done already go and check out Dreamland’s latest collections:

https://www.dreamlandclothing.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/dreamlandclothing/

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/