The GoodWeird Podcast - a show about creative attention in an age of distraction

John talks to Anna Reynolds, developmental coach to artists and innovators, about attention, attunement, and perception as the tool for transformation.

They talk about walking away at the moment of breakthrough, why playfulness dims with success, and reaching towards what we long for without grabbing at it.

Anna reflects on embracing paradox, listening for the symbols we leak when words won't do, and the shift from seeking fulfilment to participating in something larger.

It's a conversation about different ways of knowing, the shape of our thinking spaces, and staying open in a culture that hijacks what we notice.

Related links:

https://www.annareynoldscoach.com/

John talks to Jon Mason, MD of Jollywise and creator of children's TV show Stan and Gran, about pressure, purpose, and refusing to do the work that makes you miserable.

A rambling conversation through varied topics such as mental breakdowns and kidney transplants, ADHD as a creative superpower and a curse, and what it actually takes to get a kids' TV show made over fourteen years of trying.

John talks to Lisa Anderson, curator and cultural producer,about imagination as resistance, care as curatorial practice, and trusting intuition over intellect alone.

They talk about stepping away from institutional weight, the paradox of naming to make things visible, and what it means to hold space for artists and histories that matter.

Lisa reflects on sensuality as knowing, joy as power, and the daily practice of choosing not to be resigned - grounding in faith, community, and the long view.

It's a conversation about art as social infrastructure, spiritual knowing as legitimate, and imagination as the tool for living together well.

https://www.instagram.com/lisaandersonaa/

https://www.instagram.com/blackbritishart/

https://www.lisaandersonartadvisory.com/

John talks to Merlin Nation, artist, designer & animator

about burnout, joy, and finding a way back to instinct.

They talk about DIY culture, creative exhaustion, and the moment when you realise you have to stop... and start again differently.

Merlin reflects on rediscovering play, choosing hope, and making work without waiting for the right conditions.

It’s a conversation about creative recovery, community, and doing things simply because they matter to you.

https://merlinnationart.com/

https://www.instagram.com/merlin.nation.art/

https://www.corita.org/tenrules

What does it mean to keep your imagination free in a system designed to colonise it?

The GoodWeird Podcast explores that question with under-radar creators - comic artists, musicians, writers, makers - who've refused to let their work be flattened.

Conversations about:

• Noticing what others miss
• Protecting creative practice from extraction
• Making work that stays alive
• Navigating systems that reward conformity

Slow. Roaming. Slop-free.

Because imagination is the quiet architect of every choice and widening its boundaries is how new worlds come into view.

Hosted by John Davison.

John talks to Martine McDonagh, novelist, teacher, and lifelong explorer of how we heal - and what it costs.

We talk about keeping a beginner's mind, finding humor in the dark, and how therapy can reshape not just the self but the stories we tell. Martine’s take on transformation is raw, funny, and deeply human - proof that the work often knows more than we do.

It’s a conversation about curiosity, courage, and the strange alchemy of turning pain into art.

Related links:

Martine Mcdonagh’s website

John talks to Mick Jackson, novelist, children’s author, and former musician whose debut was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

We talk about the strange magic that appears right after you’ve given up, the quiet power of simple ideas, and the rituals that make creativity possible. There’s wisdom here about voice, confidence, and the kind of patience that turns chaos into story.

It’s a conversation about faith in the process - and the small, deliberate acts that keep imagination alive.

John talks to Emilia McKenzie, a comic artist whose work drifts between the microscopic and the cosmic - dreams, biology, and the strange edges of autobiography.

They talk about weirdness as fuel, the quiet courage of making things that might make your friends cringe, and the beauty of transformation - in art, in life, in the act of creating itself.

It’s a conversation about trusting strangeness, embracing metamorphosis, and finding meaning outside the algorithm.

Related Links:

Emix Regulus comics

John talks to David Best, singer and lyricist of Fujiya & Miyagi - a band that’s spent two decades making brilliant, quietly defiant music without ever chasing the mainstream.

We talk about patience, resistance, and the strange joy of not wanting success. About collecting scraps of language like treasure, trusting ideas to find each other in their own time, and finding meaning in the small scale.

It’s a conversation about creative freedom, slow craft, and the beauty of doing things your own way.

Related Links:

Fujiya & Miyagi website

Collarbone promo video