Daring Forever (Find your Extraordinary)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with Mike Perry (Tavern Agency) ~

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Mike Perry is the founder and chief creative officer of Tavern, a branding and packaging agency based in Brooklyn focused on food, beverage, hospitality, and sports. ~ With over 15 years cutting across NBC Sports, Hendricks Gin, Budweiser, TikTok, and beyond, Mike has developed a philosophy as richly layered as the brands he works on — one rooted in subculture, source material, and a relentless pursuit of what he calls "modern heritage."

In this episode, Radim and Mike explore what it truly means to build something timeless in an industry obsessed with trends. From his punk-poster origins to floating an inflatable pigeon down the Hudson River for New York City Football Club, Mike reveals how chaos, curiosity, and hospitality form the connective tissue of great brand work.

Key Takeaways:

• Subculture is the source of all icons. You need the chaos of punk rock, the feral physicality of real-world experience, to fuel brand work that actually resonates, and Pinterest boards will never replace it.
• Modern heritage is a philosophy built on tension. Holding heritage and modernity in productive conflict — never resolving it too neatly — is what creates brand work that lasts beyond the next trend cycle.
• The MAYA principle (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) applies to branding as much as architecture. Push far enough to surprise, but stay grounded enough to be understood.
• Designers are the true brand guardians. Brand managers rotate every two to three years; agencies stay for decades. That longevity is a responsibility, not just a relationship.
• If you're chasing trends, you're already late. By the time an activation is built around a trend, the trend is usually over, leaving brands looking worse than if they'd never tried.
• Brand worlds should become universes. The goal isn't a rebrand every two years. It's a platform so strong that every new person who touches it can only build outward, never backwards.
• Three equities and a truth. Not trends. Find what the brand genuinely owns, ground it in something real, and build from there.

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with Catharine Pitt ~ 

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Catharine Pitt, co-founder of Brighton-based animation duo Form Play, joins the podcast to talk about what happens when you burn out, start over, and finally build something worth protecting. ~

Catharine and her partner Mark spent years running a full-service design studio doing ad campaigns and seasonal retail work — ticking every box and feeling none of it. In their mid-forties, they walked away. What followed was two years of gradual reinvention: evenings spent relearning, slowly phasing out old clients, and rediscovering the joy of drawing. They emerged with a hyper-focused studio specialising in 2D frame animation, character design, and short-form storytelling — working with brands like Google, Patreon, and Comedy Central, while building their reputation with growth-stage startups who are still finding their voice.

The conversation covers their creative manifesto, how COVID gave them the space to develop their micro-story framework, and why they use AI only as a "stress-testing knowledge base" — never for the creative work itself. Most compellingly, Catharine explains how they license rather than sell their characters, borrowing principles from the music and illustration industries to build longer-term client relationships and a more sustainable creative business.

Key Takeaways

• The mid-forties crossroads is more common than you think – Catharine and Radim discover a shared experience: reaching the peak of what they'd worked for, and realising it wasn't who they wanted to be next
• Burning out is data – A previous studio that depleted rather than fuelled them became the compass for everything Form Play stands for: client work must energise, not exhaust
• Incremental change beats big leaps – Their transition took two years, running old and new in parallel, until the new was strong enough to stand alone
• Play is the methodology, not just the name – Form Play's approach to creation — sketch, iterate, test, publish, move on — is how they stay resilient, stay fresh, and avoid creative paralysis
• Micro stories have a formula – Start in the middle of the action; use humor, empathy, and surprise; condense time to exaggerate emotion. Their Instagram playground became their client framework
• AI as untrusted advisor – They use AI to challenge assumptions and explore unfamiliar territory in business, but keep it entirely out of their visual creative process
• Licensing changes everything – Influenced by the music and illustration industries, they separate creation fees from usage fees, giving clients flexibility and protecting the studio's long-term income
• The risk of not changing – Rory Sutherland's overlooked point resonates here: staying the same carries its own risk; creative people need to stop treating change as the dangerous option
• Distinction will be the premium – As AI floods the world with average output, work with imperfection, humanity, and emotional depth will become more valuable, not less

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with Kelly Anna ~ 

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Kelly Anna is a London-based artist, illustrator and designer known for her vibrant, movement-driven work for brands including Nike, Adidas and Rapha. 

In this episode, she traces the creative foundations behind her unmistakable style: a father who was both an artist and a Latin dance teacher, childhood sketchbooks filled with dancers at ballroom competitions, years of keeping break-dancing hidden from her art school peers, and a long, patient process of building a visual language entirely her own. 

Kelly talks candidly about the emotional rollercoaster of freelance life, the relationship between personal work and commercial confidence, and why colour has always been her first language.

Takeaways

• Confidence in freelance life is cyclical — the work is learning to accept that ride, not fight it
• Returning to personal projects during slow periods is what restores creative confidence and generates new commercial work
• Building a clear style within a niche (sport, movement, female empowerment) makes it easier for the right brands to find you
• Saying no to misaligned work is a privilege you build toward — and it protects both your style and your energy
• Trying new mediums (oils, charcoal, collage) isn't a distraction — it feeds back into your main practice in unexpected ways
• Your biography is your aesthetic: Kelly's love of dance, movement and sport didn't disappear when she chose art — it became her entire visual language
• Human connection remains irreplaceable — even in an AI era, the value of making something with another person, with all its surprises and happy mistakes, endures

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with Ryan Luse ~ 

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Ryan Luse is a motion designer and art director who has spent 25 years mountain biking and 15 years creating at the intersection of graphic design, motion, and art direction. 

After being let go from a four-year position, Ryan chose stillness over security—a decision that led him through depression, meditation, coaching and ultimately a complete creative transformation. 

Now creating concert visuals, Ryan shares how pushing past comfort zones on the bike mirrors pushing creative boundaries, how intuition trumps logic, and why the most uncomfortable moments often lead to the most authentic work. This conversation explores truth-seeking, scarcity as clarity, and the courage to contribute to culture rather than just commerce.

Key Takeaways:

• The comfort zone principle – Whether mountain biking or creating, growth happens just past your comfort zone. If you're always comfortable, you're not learning much and might even get bored
• Stillness as strategy – When faced with crisis, Ryan chose not to distract himself with more work but to dedicate time to stillness, meditation, and figuring out his authentic path
• Intuition vs validation – Rational intelligence seeks external validation and checks boxes. Intuition lives in the present moment and often completely defies logic—but it's where the truth lives
• Meditation reveals truth – The goal isn't to reach a mindless state, but to observe thoughts without attaching reactions. Random revelations that pop up during meditation are often where the most authentic insights emerge
• Scarcity creates clarity – Going through a year-long period of financial scarcity kept Ryan in an alert state that, when balanced with self-care, provided remarkable clarity about his path
• Creative therapy matters – Working with coach Ben Tallen provided the creative-specific support that traditional therapy couldn't offer, helping Ryan discover he was both "rambunctious and personable"
• The leap of faith moment – When intuition overrides rational thinking and something in you knows you have to do it anyway, even if it feels dangerous and uncertain—that's growth
• Authenticity over template – Rather than picking a Squarespace template, Ryan is creating stylized handwriting and hand-done lettering for his website because it feels authentic, even if it's unconventional for a motion designer
• From corporate to culture – Transitioning from tech/corporate work to music industry visuals allowed Ryan to turn up his weirdness instead of taming it back, creating work that amplifies energy and contributes to culture
• Process as discovery – Whether creating a website or working on a project, the process itself helps you discover what something is and what you authentically want to say

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with Johanna Augustin ~ 

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Johanna Augustin is the CEO of Pond Design, one of Stockholm's leading packaging design studios, with over 20 years of experience shaping how we experience everyday products. But her journey to becoming a packaging design innovator began in the most unexpected place: Stockholm School of Economics.

This conversation examines what occurs when you dare to follow your creative soul rather than the conventional path. Johanna explains how she left microeconomics and stock markets at 21, found her calling at the crossroads of strategy and creativity, and established a practice that is helping major brands shape the future of sustainable packaging.

Johanna reveals how great design emerges at the intersection of data and passion, of business rigour and creative rebellion.

This is a masterclass in discovering your place in the world, trusting your instincts rather than spreadsheets, and recognising that small details—the tactile feel of a box, the surprise copy inside a lid—can genuinely brighten someone's day.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The creative soul knows: At 21, studying economics, Johanna asked herself "is this life?" and trusted that feeling enough to pivot toward creativity, even without knowing exactly where it would lead
• Passion beats data: When choosing between someone who says "this is best because I say so" versus someone with all the data, Johanna chooses passion and confidence every time—that's where true innovation lives
• The intersection is your superpower: Johanna found her space at the crossroads of strategy, growth, and creativity—not being a designer herself became her unique advantage in leading design teams
• Generation Alpha changes everything: Young people doing unboxing rituals, reading romantic copy on packaging, caring deeply about sustainability—they're not just consumers, they're co-creators of the future
• Sustainability requires proactivity: The worst scenario is reactive compliance with regulations that creates solutions everyone hates; brands need to dare to be proactive and push boundaries before they're forced to
• The loop must close: Creating sustainable packaging isn't just about production—it's about understanding the entire journey from source to bin and back again, with equal complexity on both ends
• Small details create joy: Packaging isn't shallow—it's about making someone's breakfast happier, adding surprise and delight to everyday moments, creating tactile experiences that matter
• AI amplifies creativity: Rather than being threatened by AI, embrace it as a tool for execution; like Adobe revolutionised design before, AI enables more creativity, more experimentation, more boundary-pushing
• Categories can bloom: When micro-breweries challenged traditional beer design language, the entire category blossomed; the same revolution is happening in beauty, spirits, and food—design innovation drives product innovation

Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  [email protected]

Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Book bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)
November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)