The Creative Condition podcast

By Ben TallonArts Design

The Creative Condition podcast episodes

August 13, 2025The Creativity Diary Entry 18: Three nice things after a bad night’s sleep, A tiny assault on my peace, and telling an authentic story
Covered in this instalment of 'The Creativity Diary':
Three nice things after a bad night's sleep
A tiny assault on my peace
Telling an authentic story
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
16 min
August 06, 2025Ep 270: ANXIETY! Psychologist Wendy Dignan on taking control of our thoughts for creativity’s sake
The world is heavy. It always was. But today, we're slammed by a constant wall of white noise, and the vast majority of what we're told is negative.
Anxiety is heightened perhaps more than ever before as a by-product of our hyper-connected digital way of life.
Too many people spend their days exhausted and locked in a state of fear. It's damaging our ability to create, to feel hopeful, optimistic, and curious.
Every one of us lives with anxiety. It is an evolutionary alarm system to help keep us safe. We are also able to manage our thoughts to stay in control of our anxiety.
UK leading psychologist Wendy Dignan, founder of Fearless Female joins me as we openly discuss our own experiences with anxiety, what it is, why many people are struggling to cope with theirs, and how we can better do that.
We discuss:
Why anxiety belongs to all of us, and how it behaves
Why people suffer from it more than others
The physiology of anxiety
Wendy and Ben's own struggles
Anxiety misconceptions
Techniques to turn anxiety into something meaningful, and how to quieten thoughts
As ever, The Creative Condition podcast is supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com
Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
1 hr 16 min
July 30, 2025 The Creativity Diary Entry 17: ABOLISH THE PARASITE CLASS
A responsive instalment of The Creativity Diary as I drive under a motorway bridge and struggle to get past the graffiti message painted on it.
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
14 min
July 23, 2025Ep 269: PJ Richardson, Laundry co-founder on playing in the chaos of agency creativity
PJ Richardson discovered graffiti. It brought him fulfilment when chaos was present in his early life.
The chaos hasn't gone away; it has only changed shape and form. We discuss his journey from painting walls to leading a Los Angeles-based motion and design studio, what today's chaos looks like, and how he finds the space to create great art within it in the commercial world.
We discuss:
Trauma and resilience
Abandon mindset when all else seems lost
The need to create 'sandboxes' and 'playgrounds' to avoid stifling creativity with procedure and protocol.
Laundry's conception and evolution.
https://www.laundry.studio/
As ever, The Creative Condition podcast is supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com
Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
1 hr 26 min
July 16, 2025The Creativity Diary Entry 16: Porn mag reflection, parenting lessons about elements, the perfect nap
Covered in this instalment of 'The Creativity Diary':
The perfect nap
Porn magazine reflections and the importance of accepting our roots and creativity context
Parenting lessons and humans encountering their element
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
15 min
July 09, 2025Ep 268: BURNOUT! Emily Heird breaks down what it is, what it’s not, and what steps you can take to get better
As awareness of both the shiny clock towers and the most hidden caves of mental health grows, it's become increasingly common to self- or misdiagnose.
'Burnout' can be tossed around too lightly. I've done it myself. I came to understand what I felt was overwhelm.
I'm joined by Cognitive Performance Strategist and burnout coach Emily Herird to discuss a condition intertwined with the crazed pace of our 21st century lives. She explains what burnout is, what it's not, and what steps we can take to avoid it, or get better.
We discuss:
What burnout feels like
What it's not
Why people. burn out
How people can recover, or begin creating space for rest and nourishing activities
The role of modern life and the ubiquity of technology
Common mistakes people make leading to burnout
https://vantageviewcoaching.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-heird/
As ever, The Creative Condition podcast is supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com
Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
1 hr 9 min
July 07, 2025 Brew Brain Dump 8: Is the word ’creativity’ a part of the problem?
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage).
Today, join me as I interrogate the word creativity to see if it's doing my ambitions to see it better understood more harm than good.
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
10 min
July 02, 2025The Creativity Diary Entry 15: Outraged by silly outrage, the things you do so naturally we overlook them, people stuck on the side of the road,
Covered in this instalment of 'The Creativity Diary':
Outraged by outrage
The people on the roadside
A simple comment reminds me of something key about creativity
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session now at https://thecreativecondition.com
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
13 min
June 25, 2025Ep 267: Jamhot co-founder Graeme McGowan on the creative industry landscape in the latest revolution
Was there ever a good time to start a business?
Jamhot and I both entered the creative industry during the financial crash of 2008. Do we now look back and make a distorted comparison to the insanity of today? Or do we recognise that there was never a good time to throw ourselves into this creative life?
We discuss:
Storytelling and surviving
Receiving reckless emails
Being open to change
Lunch clubs and the need for in-person community for optimal creativity
Not forming ideas from assumptions
Balancing rest and productivity
https://thisisjamhot.com/
As ever, The Creative Condition podcast is supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com
Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources, including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
1 hr 20 min
June 19, 2025 Brew Brain Dump 7: The missing piece of a dream job!
A moment with The Creative Condition founder Ben Tallon as he shares creativity-led thoughts, insights, lessons, feelings, and observations for the duration of one brew (hot beverage).
Today, join me as I share my Eureka! moment as I recognised a big lacking part of my dream job puzzle, and ask you to assess yours.
As ever supported by Illustration X https://illustrationx.com

Work with me through the 'PIT STOP' one-stop creativity foundational coaching session or my 'The Creative Condition' workshop now at https://thecreativecondition.com/coach
Access creativity resources including books, a reading list, and 300+ podcasts at https://thecreativecondition.com
Help the Ukrainian Institute's brave creative community during a horrific time of war at https://ui.org.ua
15 min

About The Creative Condition podcast

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to 'The Creative Condition' podcast: a show to help you thrive in creative industry careers, tell your greatest story, and lead a fulfilling life on your terms. Creativity coach, illustrator, and author Ben Tallon and his many guests help you navigate an increasingly automated world with human creativity.