Our industry is nothing without the people who make it. So, what do we do to make sure they're thriving? How are we helping them grow?

We discuss how to talk about and develop job satisfaction, the minimum standards of a mentally healthy workplace that you should expect from your employer and what we can all do to help look after each other.

If you enjoy this episode and would like to keep talking about it - jump over to our Facebook group or hit us up on Instagram @nvrnotcreative.

Thanks to Streamtime who without their support, none of this would be possible. Check out Streamtime.net to manage projects and your creative business, better.

Australian Design Radio and Never Not Creative hosts Matt Leach and Andy Wright found themselves in Brisbane together at The Design Conference. Therefore, it was a no-brainer to combine mics and interview the founders of Ustwo, Sinx and Mills about the ups and downs of running a business and what it's like to do all of that as best mates.

You can follow Ustwo and Mills at @ustwo or @millsustwo - thanks to the guys for such a great chat!

Thanks to @Streamtime for making a lot of what we do happen.

After a month of high quality events in the creative industry, Sarah and Andy unpack how important it is to get out to find inspiration, community and spend some time on your own self-development. Sarah attended Rare by Google, Semi-Permanent and The Design Conference (TDC), while Andy was also a co-host of TDC. We discuss the great job these events are doing, why it's important to take the time to attend and what we've learnt in the last month. This is also a great insight into the content and lessons from these events, so well worth listening if you're considering a ticket for next year!

Please review the show on itunes or wherever you're listening to this. We'll be back in a fortnight.

Links: https://www.rare-syd.com/

https://www.thedesignconference.com.au/

https://www.semipermanent.com/

https://nevernotcreative.org

This episode was sparked by a tweet. On the 2nd April, Andy tweeted, "Sometimes it feels like we really don't want to create a better industry. When you look at what we do to the people trying to start out or get ahead it's simply baffling..." It was followed by a series of examples and stories that people had shared through the Never Not Creative community. Quite a few of you chipped in with thoughts and opinions, and some of the active participants of the conversation agreed to get together and discuss some of the issues.

So, joining Andy and Sarah in this episode are Jim Antonopoulos from Tank, Ngaio Parr from Make Nice, and previous guest, Gabby Lord.

We discuss everything from the role of leadership to basic human instincts. It's a great conversation across New York, Melbourne and Sydney. That meant the audio can be a little annoying at times (sorry for that). Please stick with it though as the conversation is important!

Link to the original tweet: https://twitter.com/adwrighty/status/1112849344577777666

Have your own thoughts? Jump into the Never Not Creative Facebook group or reignite the Twitter thread!

Big questions in this episode. Is the lack of diversity in the creative industry holding us back? Can we be more creative as a result? What's it like to be a person of colour in our industry?

Jane and G work in a Sydney creative agency. Both people of colour from London, they're certainly a minority in the Australian creative industry. What has their experience been so far? How can we help more people get into our industry?

We discuss everything from quotas to education and family expectations. It's a great episode about an important (too often ignored) topic. Feel free to continue the conversation in our Facebook group of tweet / insta us at @nvrnotcreative.

Thanks to @Streamtime as always! and co-host @sarahpnguyen

Notes: Here's the website referenced towards the end of the episode: http://www.thecolourofpower.com/ 

Find G at @iamghettosmurf (Twitter) and thisis.g (insta) Find Jane at @flightsofashion (Twitter and insta)

Maggie Tang (ex Frost, Houston Group and current Head of Brand at Ableton), and Christian Hewitt ex R/GA, part of InVision's Design Leadership Forum and current Head of Design at Streamtime) join Andy and Sarah to discuss what it's like to make the decision to go in-house as a creative. Will you compromise your creativity? Do you get bored working on one brand? Are the hours and your mental health better? And, why are more and more people crossing the line?

If you like the discussion and think others would benefit please share with your networks on social media and tag @nvrnotcreative. Got feedback or more questions? Just hit us up on insta or twitter or send us an email at [email protected].

This episode Andy and Sarah discuss a recent Never Not Creative event –  The Future Of Internships. Should they or shouldn't they be paid? How do we make sure that internships aren't just accessible to those who can afford them? What stories exist around unpaid internships? What's the law? Why is our industry breaking it? What's the role of education in improving this situation?

Included on the panel at the event were: Beau Penton, host of The Design Kids, Sydney Bianca Jarvis, Graphic Designer Rhiannon Tuntevski, Industry Partnerships at UTS Lara Blumber, Career Coach at General Assembly.

Please review, share and rate us on your podcast platform. Also don't forget to vote for Streamtime at The Webbys. http://bit.ly/stwebby

We catch up with Katy Cowan, the founder of Creative Boom. The online magazine for the creative industry that supports and provides resources for anyone working (or thinking of) in the creative industry. Katy shares stories of freedom, growing a side project, and finding the balance of doing what you love AND helping others. Is growing business the goal, or should we focus on growing ourselves and managing our mental health? Oh, and is a mid-life crisis actually a thing? Check out Creative Boom and creativeboom.com.

In this episode we get frank about the experiences of women in the creative industry. Mirella Marie is the founder of Womentor. An international mentor network for female graphic designers. Mirella talks to us about the inspiration for Womentor and how it has evolved into a global program. We also find the link between design and crime as Mirella shares her passion for criminology and the part she plays in the RMIT innocence project.

If you're interested in applying for Womentor, head to womentor.com.au (no matter where you are in the world).

Thanks to Mirella and thanks to co-host Sarah Nguyen!

Ideas for future guests? Please drop us a line via nevernotcreative.org or in the Facebook group (just search never not creative). Or email on [email protected].

Please rate us on your podcast player and share through your favourite social networks. It really, really helps us grow the community and spread the word.

It's the second half of our review show. Sarah and Andy discuss internships with the highlights from our chats with Adam Thorn (journalist at Mumbrella) and Dean Jacobson (a creative from Melbourne). We get into parental leave, re-capping on our chat with Kate Pollard (Co-founder, Circle In) and finish off by re-opening the discussions with AGDA from the end of the year.

As always, please share your favourite bits on social media, tagging @nvrnotcreative. Come and discuss the themes in our Facebook group, and please share any ideas you have for future topics and guests.

We'll be back again in 2 weeks.