I had an absolute blast chatting with Ali Spagnola, a true creative maverick. She spills the beans on how she keeps those creative juices flowing—hint: it involves actively hunting for ideas rather than waiting for a strike of inspiration. Ali lets us in on her selection process, diving into how she picks and chooses projects that not only resonate with her but also defy artistic norms.

Ali dishes on some of her mind-blowing projects, including the Chia Pet car and a freakin' driveable fidget toy! She walks us through the thrilling journey of turning a simple idea into a tangible masterpiece.

What really hit home for me was Ali's take on balancing intentional creativity with spontaneous artistic exploration. We explore embracing experimentation, learning from flops, and staying true to your unique vision. 

So, if you're an aspiring creative looking for a hefty dose of inspiration and a fresh perspective on pushing boundaries, you gotta check out this episode. Ali Spagnola and I dive headfirst into what it means to fearlessly march to the beat of your artistic drum.

Ali on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alispagnola

Her fitness channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FitnessOutrageous 

Marissa Hill is the producer and host of Shade TV, a YouTube channel devoted to fashion, sneakers and hype culture. She herself is a sneakerhead and fashion model who is continually seen at movie premieres, pop culture events and festivals. In this episode we talked about her role in hype culture, what kind of sneakers to wear, and a little about volleyball. 

Shade TV on YouTube

Mary Tsai is an Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning designer for Adobe, specializing in its audio and video tools such as Premier and After Effects. 

In this episode we discuss what AI is, what it means, and how it will affect culture, especially involving artists, makers and other creatives. Will artists become obsolete? 

Visit Mary on Instagram

Support the podcast!

Laurie Shannon is the creator and host of The Icing Artist, a YouTube channel that has garnered nearly 5 million subscribers and whose videos have been seen over 1.2 billion times over the past ten years. In this episode we talked about the art of cake decorating and I learned some of the tricks and tools of the trade. Laurie recently launched a new online course designed to teach you everything to create stunning cakes of your own, step by step.

Visit The Icing Artist on YouTube

Check out Laurie's online cake decorating course.

Cam Anderson of Blacktail Studio joined me this week to talk about his newfound fascination with making tables out of denim. Is he a trendsetter? Well, we also discussed how the first person to do something is rarely the best.

Watch Blacktail Studio: https://www.youtube.com/@BlacktailStudio

Support this podcast! https://www.patreon.com/creativeculturepod 

This week I spoke to Jared Polin of FroKnowsPhoto about Photoshop's new generative AI and other apps such as MidJourney AI.  They are dramatically changing everything about art and photography. Do we really need humans to take photographs? Are graphic designers becoming irrelevant? 

We also talked about the trend for shooting film and how a lot of people are simply wasting their time by not understanding this medium. 

Jared on YouTube

Support Creative Culture on Patreon

Joining me today is Prano Bailey-Bond, the filmmaker who wrote and directed Censor, a movie that takes place during the U.K. "Video Nasties" era and tells the story of Enid, a film censor who screens all these videos to implement cuts of scenes deemed too dangerous to be viewed. The movie asks if watching violent movies causes people to act violent, then what prevents censors from also becoming violent.

I wanted to have Prano on the podcast to talk about censorship and give us some insight into our not-so-distant past and how that might have shaped today's standards and regulations. Are we doomed to repeat ourselves?

You can stream Censor on Prime or buy the Blu-Ray 

Follow Prano on Instagram. 

Support Creative Culture on Patreon.

Help support this podcast! https://www.patreon.com/creativeculturepod 

Nick Lewis is a designer with the goal of simplifying interior design. He’s not afraid to voice his opinions on design trends that might be here to stay and others that need to go. Nick represents such a rational voice in what can be very subjective, even divisive topics. Why is interior design important in our lives and why does it matters?

Interior design is the intersection of practical construction knowledge with creativity and artistic style. In this episode we discuss finding your design style and what the different interior styles are. We also talk about what the role of an interior designer is and when you should consider hiring one. What is their area of expertise and how are they different from an interior decorator?

Nick Lewis on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nick_Lewis 

Boring to Beautiful course: https://nicklewis.samcart.com/products/boring-to-beautiful 

Scott Dixon joined me this week to discuss his YouTube channel, Everyday Home Repairs, which has detailed tutorials on how to fix just about anything in and around your house. Ever wonder how to add an electrical outlet in a wall without access to an attic or crawlspace…and not rip apart the wall? Do you have a crack in your concrete driveway that needs fixing or a faucet that won't stop dripping? Need to fix a stuck garbage disposal or learn how to install a new one? And for god's sake, know where your water shut-off valve is!

His channel tackles everything from plumbing and electrical work, to carpentry and remodeling, all with an eye on the DIYer.

Everyday Home Repairs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EverydayHomeRepairs

Zack Nelson is the creator of JerryRigEverything, a YouTube channel mostly about technology. With over 1.6 billion channel views, you’ve probably seen one of his many videos taking apart phones, testing their durability, or showing you how to repair them.  Or maybe you’ve seen his videos on electric vehicles: he built his own electric Hummer. 

Zack is also interested in accessibility issues and created an off-road electric wheelchair called the Not-a-Wheelchair and is developing a new, affordable manual wheelchair. 

Watch Zack on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JerryRigEverything