It’s back! Although in truth it never really went away, we just had some technical issues with the podcast! Episode 4 is here and it’s an insightful conversation with the London-based artist, Archie Proudfoot.

I first came to know about Archie in 2024 when I saw a print he created, which I bought and that now hangs in my office. Then something bizarre happened. I’ve been writing my new book for a couple of years now and was pondering the title. I wondered if perhaps, simply, “if” might work, seeing as the book is ultimately about how we navigate change: life’s ‘what ifs’ and ‘if only's’. It was a casual thought, nothing more. I logged onto Instagram to upload my daily video and the first thing I saw was a post from Archie, looking back at the first artwork he created as a professional artist. It was a picture of a bright teal background onto which two letters had been hand painted: IF.

Archie and I are collaborating on the cover artwork for my new book, which I hope will feature his original artwork.

In this episode we cover a lot about how art encourages us to notice things (I’m always surprised by how I see things I’d not noticed before in art that is familiar to me, or how art can feel different depending on how you feel at the time); Archie’s background and how he came to be a full-time professional artist, taking the risky plunge into a notoriously precarious career; what being an artist has taught him about how to live, and whether or not I am an artist.

This is a great conversations about noticing, attention, and how we don’t see things that are right in front of us.

Archie has a really good Substack and write brilliantly, give him a follow Archie Proudfoot

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Written and produced by Jez Rose. Editing by Josh Gasparro.

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