Mountain Collective Podcast

In this episode of the Mountain Collective Podcast, Mourad sits down with Isabelle from Locus Solus Studio to discuss the journey of building a distinctive creative identity in the worlds of 3D design, fashion, and visual storytelling.

The conversation explores how Isabelle developed her unique artistic style, the importance of drawing inspiration from culture, art, and everyday experiences, and why staying authentic often matters more than chasing trends. She shares insights into the evolution of her creative practice, the challenges of establishing a recognizable visual language, and the value of consistency over time.

Together, they discuss the relationship between creativity and commercial work, the role of experimentation in growth, and how creative professionals can stand out in an increasingly crowded industry. The episode offers valuable lessons for designers, artists, and entrepreneurs looking to build meaningful, long-term careers while remaining true to their vision.

• Develop a recognizable style through consistent practice.
• Don't rely solely on trends to guide creative decisions.
• Cultural references and personal experiences can strengthen creative work.
• Long-term success often comes from patience and consistency.
• Authenticity helps creatives build stronger connections with clients and audiences.
• Experimentation is essential for growth and innovation.

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https://www.instagram.com/locussolus.ams/

In this episode of the Mountain Collective Podcast, Mourad sits down with digital artist and creative visionary Fabian Oberhammer, better known as Dizzy Viper, for a conversation that every creative should hear.

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the creative landscape, artists are facing a question that may define the future of their work: What happens when technology can imitate creativity itself?

Fabian shares his journey from developing a daily artistic practice to building a distinctive visual style recognized around the world. Together, they explore the discipline behind creative mastery, the influence of pioneers like Beeple, and why consistency often matters more than inspiration.

The conversation then turns to the growing impact of AI on art and culture. From creative ownership and the ethics of training models on artists' work to the possibility of style replication and the future role of human creators, Fabian offers a thoughtful perspective on one of the most important debates of our time.

This is a conversation about originality, technology, discipline, and what may ultimately separate human creativity from machine intelligence.

Topics include:

• Building a daily creative habit
• Finding your unique artistic voice
• Lessons from Beeple and the digital art movement
• Overcoming creative resistance and burnout
• AI-generated art and ownership
• The ethics of training AI on artists' work
• The future of creativity in an AI-driven world
• Remaining authentic as technology evolves

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Instagram: @thedizzyviper

In this episode, Mourad sits down with designer Annabel Sirvent i Roser to discuss her creative journey, freelancing, life between Barcelona and Munich, and the evolving role of AI in design. They explore how environment influences creativity, the value of versatility, and why human creativity remains essential in an increasingly AI-driven world.

https://www.annabelsirvent.com/

In this episode of Mountain Collective Podcast, Mourad sits down with Amsterdam-based Creative Director Al-Baghdadi for a deep conversation about creativity, storytelling, and the mindset behind building a creative life.

From his early days in game development and animation to his work in film and visual storytelling, Al-Baghdadi shares how curiosity, constant learning, and the desire to create have shaped his journey. Together, they explore the relationship between technology and creativity, the importance of finding your own voice, and why the best creators focus on vision rather than tools.

This conversation dives into creative growth, artistic freedom, making mistakes, and the power of following what feels right instead of following rules. Whether you're a filmmaker, designer, artist, entrepreneur, or simply someone looking to create meaningful work, this episode offers valuable insights into what it means to live a creative life.

https://www.instagram.com/ferstruc/

In this episode of the Mountain Collective Podcast, we explore one of the biggest questions facing creatives today:

As AI makes it easier for anyone to generate images, videos, music, and ideas — what becomes the true creative advantage?

We dive into the tension between AI and human taste, discussing whether creativity is becoming automated or if taste, perspective, and emotional depth are becoming more valuable than ever.

From cultural relevance and originality to curation, storytelling, and the future of creative work, this conversation explores why the next era may not belong to the fastest creators — but to the people with the strongest vision.

When creation becomes infinite, taste becomes scarce.

Mourad sits down with Alice Fiorenza, Head of Production at REEF Studios — a multidisciplinary creative studio based in Sardinia, Italy. The two first connected at a creative festival in Barcelona, and that energy carries into the whole conversation.

They open with what it actually feels like to be at these industry gatherings — less about the talks, more about the rare chance to be in the same room with people who do the same work. Alice reflects on how REEF's island location keeps them somewhat isolated from the wider studio scene, but also how that distance has its own creative advantages.

From there the conversation gets into the meat of studio production: how REEF approaches projects from raw concept to final delivery, what it's like managing client relationships when creatives and clients speak such different languages, and how new tools (especially AI) are slowly bridging that gap — for better and for worse. Alice is candid about the tension: exciting tools arriving daily, clients showing up with half-baked AI expectations, and studios needing to stay ahead without losing their craft identity.

A detour into Christopher Nolan's film philosophy leads to a broader reflection on slowness as a creative discipline — why analog processes, darkroom printing, and deliberate ways of working still matter even as everything accelerates. The episode closes on a warm note about connection — social media's strange ability to make you feel close to people who are actually on the other side of the Mediterranean.

Honest, drifty, and real — exactly the kind of conversation that happens when two creatives meet in Barcelona and actually mean it when they say "let's talk properly sometime."

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https://www.instagram.com/reefstudios/

https://www.reef-studios.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Funs Jacobs — Next-Gen Brand Architect and author of The Creative Renaissance — to explore what it means to build brands in the age of AI.

Funs argues that the iconic brands of the future will be built by creatives, run by agents, and fueled by culture. We unpack what that actually means: from why human taste is the last true unfair advantage in a world of AI, to how AI agents are finally freeing creatives from the operational work they never wanted to do in the first place.

We also dig into:

• Why blindly asking ChatGPT to make your creative decisions is already making you a slave to the machine
• The shift from "operators running brands" back to "creatives at the helm" — and why AI makes this possible now
• What Meta's Andromeda means for advertising, and why media buying as we know it is over
• The tension between online authenticity and the algorithm's hunger for extremes
• Why the answer to almost everything right now is simply: be more human

Funs draws on lessons from Apple, Gucci, Supreme, Rick Rubin, and Walt Disney to make the case that this moment — chaotic as it is — is genuinely the best time in history to be a creative.

Read the full essay at https://funsjacobs.substack.com/p/the-creative-renaissance

In this episode, I sit down with Jose Peon — a Cuban-born, New York-based fashion designer and 3D artist who built his career from scratch with nothing but a laptop and relentless hustle. Jose shares how he discovered fashion through Virgil Abloh while studying fine arts in Cuba, taught himself Cinema 4D, Marvelous Designer, and CLO, and then moved to New York where he literally went floor by floor through a Garment District building until someone gave him a shot.

We get into the full journey: from making purely digital clothes without realizing the patterns could be cut in real life, to working 12-hour days at a luxury manufacturer (Thom Browne, Marc Jacobs), to getting into Parsons and building his own aesthetic-driven creative practice. Jose also opens up about the mindset behind his work — why collaboration and letting go of ego is essential, how he approaches shooting his shot even with a 1% chance, the role AI is playing in his process today, and what it means to truly connect with your audience rather than just make pretty images.

A raw, inspiring conversation about building from nothing, bridging the digital and physical worlds, and staying obsessed enough to keep going even when someone's chasing you out of the building.

https://www.instagram.com/josepeoon

In this episode, we dive into what it really means to hit a creative low—and how to find your way back.

From losing momentum and questioning your work to rebuilding discipline and confidence, this conversation unpacks the reality of creative dips and why they’re a necessary part of growth. Instead of waiting for motivation to return, we explore how small actions, consistent routines, and a shift in perspective can help you regain clarity and move forward.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unmotivated, or disconnected from your creativity, this episode is a reminder that the dip is temporary—and the comeback starts with simply showing up again.

https://www.instagram.com/andreajelic.design

https://www.awwwards.com/jury-member/Andrea-Jelic

Trying harder feels like the answer—but what if it’s the problem?

In this episode of Mountain Collective, we explore the idea of gentle discipline and why forcing outcomes often creates resistance instead of progress. From creative work to business and personal growth, pushing too hard can lead to overthinking, burnout, and a loss of momentum.

This episode breaks down the balance between discipline and gentleness, using the “bonsai principle” as a metaphor for sustainable growth: guide, don’t force.

We dive into:

• Why over-attachment to results kills creativity
• The difference between intensity and consistency
• How to work without internal resistance
• What “effortless action” actually means in practice

If you’ve been feeling stuck, unmotivated, or disconnected from your work—this episode will help you reset your approach and reconnect with the process.

Less force. More flow.