The Creative Life Show

Darren Henley doesn't much care for how things were done 'before' - he wants to know what people want now. He was journalist-turned-manager of a controversial, immensely popular classical music radio station, and now spends at least half his time touring England visiting arts, culture, libraries, in big cities and tiny rural communities.

As chief executive of the Arts Council of England, Darren Henley oversees hundreds of millions of pounds going into culture each year. He's also a vocal campaigner for the power of creativity to shape our world from education to loneliness. Somehow he also finds time to write: with over 30 books to his name, his latest has just been published (and we talk about how he manages to fit it all in).

I met Darren in his office, a room full of books and sunlight, but no desk. That stands instead in a corner of the open-plan office outside - even here he's all about connecting with people.

We could have talked for hours about the importance of creativity in our world, but I wanted to find out a few things. In particular, how do you write over 30 books when you've already got a more-than-full-time job?

We also talk about the power of books for impact and credibility. If you've been thinking you've got a book in you, then here's some good motivation as to why it's a great thing to do.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Darren Henley doesn't much care for how things were done 'before' - he wants to know what people want now. He was journalist-turned-manager of a controversial, immensely popular classical music radio station, and now spends at least half his time touring England visiting arts, culture, libraries, in big cities and tiny rural communities.

As chief executive of the Arts Council of England, Darren Henley oversees hundreds of millions of pounds going into culture each year. He's also a vocal campaigner for the power of creativity to shape our world from education to loneliness. Somehow he also finds time to write: with over 30 books to his name, his latest has just been published (and we talk about how he manages to fit it all in).

I met Darren in his office, a room full of books and sunlight, but no desk. That stands instead in a corner of the open-plan office outside - even here he's all about connecting with people.

We could have talked for hours about the importance of creativity in our world, but I wanted to find out a few things. In particular, how do you write over 30 books when you've already got a more-than-full-time job?

We also talk about the power of books for impact and credibility. If you've been thinking you've got a book in you, then here's some good motivation as to why it's a great thing to do.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

One day in her 20s, Carrie Brummer picked up her paint brush in her sister's basement, with the knowledge it might be the last time. Facing an operation that could take her sight, and possibly her life, she immersed herself into creating two self-portraits. 'I just felt free', she recalls.

It was when they were selected for a national tour that she began to reflect on what had been holding her back until that point: perfectionism, a sense of 'should', or, as she says, 'a really loud inner critic'. She talks about how it led to everything changing: she started to travel, to explore, to do the things she wanted to rather than being the 'good girl' she'd always been.

Carrie went on to create the online art school and community Artist Strong, where she teaches and supports thousands of artists. Unlike so many online communities, Artist Strong is extraordinary in how supportive it is, and how free of self-promotion. Carrie's driving principle remains to help artists discover their own voice, rather than showing them what they should be doing.

I've been a lurker in the Artist Strong community for some time now, and I'm always in awe of how Carrie combines sensitive and encouraging feedback with building a tremendously strong community. I found her, even more than I'd expected, thoughtful, caring and deeply self-aware.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

One day in her 20s, Carrie Brummer picked up her paint brush in her sister's basement, with the knowledge it might be the last time. Facing an operation that could take her sight, and possibly her life, she immersed herself into creating two self-portraits. 'I just felt free', she recalls.

It was when they were selected for a national tour that she began to reflect on what had been holding her back until that point: perfectionism, a sense of 'should', or, as she says, 'a really loud inner critic'. She talks about how it led to everything changing: she started to travel, to explore, to do the things she wanted to rather than being the 'good girl' she'd always been.

Carrie went on to create the online art school and community Artist Strong, where she teaches and supports thousands of artists. Unlike so many online communities, Artist Strong is extraordinary in how supportive it is, and how free of self-promotion. Carrie's driving principle remains to help artists discover their own voice, rather than showing them what they should be doing.

I've been a lurker in the Artist Strong community for some time now, and I'm always in awe of how Carrie combines sensitive and encouraging feedback with building a tremendously strong community. I found her, even more than I'd expected, thoughtful, caring and deeply self-aware.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Do you get to the end of the day feeling that you used your time and energy in the best possible way? Although we’re making decisions every moment of every day, most of the time we’re not conscious of what goes on behind our ‘rational’ thinking.

Michael Nicholas thinks, writes and speaks about how we make decisions. But it goes far deeper than that. We look at how our deepest beliefs about ourselves and the world are holding us back – all the time.

The way we think about ourselves has a huge impact on how we experience stress. Short-term stress, he says, is good and even healthy. Those deadlines, then, are serving their purpose.

But the problem for us comes when we’re living in a continual state of fear. We may not be worrying about being eaten, but we do worry about all sorts of other things: have I got that structure right? What will my agent think of that title? Should I be pitching for that job, or will it be just another rejection? It’s easy to descend into overwhelm, and hard to climb out again.

Living with those kinds of stresses are having a huge impact on our life, our work and our creativity. Michael has a wonderfully human, sympathetic approach to how we can change the way we respond to the world, so that we can achieve more of what we want, with less stress.

Michael has a a story that’s probably also familiar to many of us. We’re about to do some work – writing, painting, presenting – and we realise that it’s been done brilliantly before. So brilliantly, in fact, that we can’t see where we can do anything better (what do you do when the main book in your field led to a Nobel Prize?). That’s the dilemma he faced when he was commissioned to write his second book, which became The Little Black Book of Decision Making. He found a solution that’s allowed him to show and develop his reputation, with an angle that I found compelling and relevant.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Do you get to the end of the day feeling that you used your time and energy in the best possible way? Although we’re making decisions every moment of every day, most of the time we’re not conscious of what goes on behind our ‘rational’ thinking.

Michael Nicholas thinks, writes and speaks about how we make decisions. But it goes far deeper than that. We look at how our deepest beliefs about ourselves and the world are holding us back – all the time.

The way we think about ourselves has a huge impact on how we experience stress. Short-term stress, he says, is good and even healthy. Those deadlines, then, are serving their purpose.

But the problem for us comes when we’re living in a continual state of fear. We may not be worrying about being eaten, but we do worry about all sorts of other things: have I got that structure right? What will my agent think of that title? Should I be pitching for that job, or will it be just another rejection? It’s easy to descend into overwhelm, and hard to climb out again.

Living with those kinds of stresses are having a huge impact on our life, our work and our creativity. Michael has a wonderfully human, sympathetic approach to how we can change the way we respond to the world, so that we can achieve more of what we want, with less stress.

Michael has a a story that’s probably also familiar to many of us. We’re about to do some work – writing, painting, presenting – and we realise that it’s been done brilliantly before. So brilliantly, in fact, that we can’t see where we can do anything better (what do you do when the main book in your field led to a Nobel Prize?). That’s the dilemma he faced when he was commissioned to write his second book, which became The Little Black Book of Decision Making. He found a solution that’s allowed him to show and develop his reputation, with an angle that I found compelling and relevant.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

You've launched your creative business, you've grown it to six-figures and more... then you find that someone else has stolen it. That happened to dancer, choregographer and voiceover artist Jonathan Tilley. But it started him on a journey that's led to an entirely different creative journey mentoring other creatives in how to get themselves known.

Jonathan is a classic highly creative person: his mind races non-stop, full of creative ideas, joining the dots, seeing possibilities. He does that for himself - he talks about how his businesses have evolved, and keep changing and developing. And he also does it for his clients, helping them find the stories behind their own personality and style.

Jonathan also has a brilliantly incisive and insightful mind. I love his way of combining the head and heart in business; ‘I do business from the heart, but the head comes along after’ he says.

We explore:

* How he manages that balance between head and heart, and the role of instinct in what he does

* The role of curiosity and never-ending learning

* Lady Gaga

* When to invest in something

* Jonathan’s ‘uncomfortable bracelet’, and how it prompts him to stretch himself

* Where social media is going for creatives. Jonathan has great advice on the platform he thinks is going to overtake Facebook, and how he approaches any new social project

Find all links and more at 39-finding-your-creative-brand-jonathan-tilley

Click to view: show page on Awesound

You've launched your creative business, you've grown it to six-figures and more... then you find that someone else has stolen it. That happened to dancer, choregographer and voiceover artist Jonathan Tilley. But it started him on a journey that's led to an entirely different creative journey mentoring other creatives in how to get themselves known.

Jonathan is a classic highly creative person: his mind races non-stop, full of creative ideas, joining the dots, seeing possibilities. He does that for himself - he talks about how his businesses have evolved, and keep changing and developing. And he also does it for his clients, helping them find the stories behind their own personality and style.

Jonathan also has a brilliantly incisive and insightful mind. I love his way of combining the head and heart in business; ‘I do business from the heart, but the head comes along after’ he says.

We explore:

* How he manages that balance between head and heart, and the role of instinct in what he does

* The role of curiosity and never-ending learning

* Lady Gaga

* When to invest in something

* Jonathan’s ‘uncomfortable bracelet’, and how it prompts him to stretch himself

* Where social media is going for creatives. Jonathan has great advice on the platform he thinks is going to overtake Facebook, and how he approaches any new social project

Find all links and more at 39-finding-your-creative-brand-jonathan-tilley

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Amrit Singh was a jobbing designer when a friend introduced him to the live-streaming app Periscope. In just 2 years he's attracted over 3 million viewers watching his live art and inspiration sessions. It's led to his own thriving art business, an international career as a speaker, two books and big-name clients queuing up to book him.

Amrit shares the story behind his apparently meteoric success, including the self-doubts that made him hide his face and his own art on camera for over a year.

Amrit Singh tells me about the huge leap of faith in himself it took to start going public. Rather than diving deep in, he slowly developed what he was doing as he gained confidence.

We talk about:

* The racism and prejudice Amrit experienced online, and how he turned that into a positive

* How he used Periscope to build a loyal, enthusiastic following that allowed him to launch his art brand

* Why he didn't share the art that was most important to him for over a year

* How he keeps the joy in his creative work, even when he's doing it live for an audience

* How being a positive voice in the world is at the core of all his work

This is a fantastic, inspiring listen if you've ever felt that you should be more visible, but you're too young/old, you're the wrong colour/gender/face shape, you hair/face/head-wear isn't appropriate, or whatever else is getting in the way of your real potential.

Click to view: show page on Awesound

Amrit Singh was a jobbing designer when a friend introduced him to the live-streaming app Periscope. In just 2 years he's attracted over 3 million viewers watching his live art and inspiration sessions. It's led to his own thriving art business, an international career as a speaker, two books and big-name clients queuing up to book him.

Amrit shares the story behind his apparently meteoric success, including the self-doubts that made him hide his face and his own art on camera for over a year.

Amrit Singh tells me about the huge leap of faith in himself it took to start going public. Rather than diving deep in, he slowly developed what he was doing as he gained confidence.

We talk about:

* The racism and prejudice Amrit experienced online, and how he turned that into a positive

* How he used Periscope to build a loyal, enthusiastic following that allowed him to launch his art brand

* Why he didn't share the art that was most important to him for over a year

* How he keeps the joy in his creative work, even when he's doing it live for an audience

* How being a positive voice in the world is at the core of all his work

This is a fantastic, inspiring listen if you've ever felt that you should be more visible, but you're too young/old, you're the wrong colour/gender/face shape, you hair/face/head-wear isn't appropriate, or whatever else is getting in the way of your real potential.

Click to view: show page on Awesound