The Wind Thieved Hat

Al Murphy is an illustrator. He’s also one of those rare human beings who’s as humble as he is talented. Our chat, which happens to be on the first anniversary of TWTH, is both funny and frank. Al talks honestly about the inevitable insecurities that come with forging a living as a solo creator; the difficulty of making edgy work in today’s cultural climate; the curse of Instagram and much more besides … so sit back, relax and enjoy the warm rich tones of the talented Mr Murphy.

When Kate and I first spoke about her practice as an artist in episode 9 I came away from the conversation feeling that maybe we should have talked more about mental health. But interviewing your wife is kind of a weird experience so I let myself off the hook. Recently, having been asked to write an article for Creative Review magazine about mental illness and creativity, I asked Kate if she’d talk to me about her own depression. We recorded that conversation. And though it was not originally intended to be publicly shared we both agreed that doing so could only be a good thing.

Alex is a creative technologist who works with Nike, Uber, the BBC, and the NHS to explore, imagine & prototype future-forward creative concepts for human-centered technology. Exactly what that means you’ll discover during our chat.

Alex is also a lecturer on artificial intelligence at the University of Arts London - and one of the Financial Times 'Top 100 black and minority ethnic leaders in technology'.

Our conversation begins with the wrongful arrest which led him down his current professional path. We talk about whether Alex’s job title of creative technologist really is an oxymoron or not. And we get stuck into the fascination subject of AI & creativity and whether computers will ever be able to have ideas like humans do.

Alex is the youngest person to join me on The Wind Thieved Hat and he’s a super interesting bloke. You can visit his site here.

Ivan Black’s kinetic sculpture is both magical and mesmerising, behaving in rhythmical yet beautifully unpredictable ways.

In one of my favourite creative conversations so far I speak with Ivan about his Bohemian upbringing, about the role of rave culture and repetitive beats in his work, and about the bursts of inspiration which have sustained him through the travails of living and working as an artist.

Ivan tells his story with honesty and humility.

To see more of his work visit Ivan’s website or Instagram page.

This conversation was recorded at Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, just before Kate played with her band This Is The Kit. Kate is charming, inspiring and hugely insightful on creativity. She talks about how her process never really begins or ends, she reveals how she writes her extraordinary lyrics, and she makes a plea for more smiles and more play.

This episode is something of a departure for The Wind Thieved Hat … it’s the first time I’ve been married to the guest. Kate Shooter happens to be my wife, but even if she weren’t I’d have her invited her on to TWTH to talk about her work. Her extraordinary paintings sit somewhere between figurative and abstract, playing with shape, colour, text and collage.

We talk about the brutality of the creative process and how important making work is to her sense of self. And we discuss what happens when you get stuck.

You can check out Kate’s work on her website.

Adam's Instagram bio reads ‘confusing background, focused foreground’. His focus lies in creating brilliantly colourful work which delights in its own artifice. As well as being an artist and designer, Adam is also a thinker and provocateur. He likes to upset the creative apple cart. Is less really more? And should form always follow function?

Our conversation roams widely. We cover that confusing background of his; we talk about chromophobia, the fear of colour; we discuss the tyranny of the search for meaning in art; and why dumplings are an emblem of transnational fluidity. Yes, really.

Welcome to the beautiful world of Adam Nathaniel Furman ...

Dominic Wilcox began his career as a designer and artist but his practice today is wide ranging and defies an easy description. I can say though that he’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met and the only person I’ve interviewed ever to have held the floor at the United Nations.

Our conversation covers where ideas come from and how to find them; we talk about how creativity helped Dominic deal with his shyness; we hear about the worldwide phenomenon that is Little Inventors; and we find out why Dominic is desperately serious about playfulness.

There are a couple of hitches in the recording – I sound a little fuzzy as my mic was malfunctioning and the last two minutes are a touch quiet, but Dominic is crystal clear throughout.

Sound quality aside, it’s a good one this.

Oh and don’t ever call his work daft …

Is it possible to combine running a fish and chip shop with being an internationally acclaimed photographer?

It is if you’re Kazem Hakimi. In this conversation recorded at his home in Oxford, the charming and disarmingly modest Kazem, who came to the UK from Iran over 30 years ago, explains how he photographs for love. For the love of the medium of photography itself, and for the love of people.

If you're someone who wants to begin their next personal creative project but is struggling to find the time, there's much to be learned from Kazem.

In this episode I join my mate Algy Batten. The softly spoken but hugely inspiring Algy, who was recently included in a list of the World’s 100 Makers and Mavericks, talks about his latest project The Art of Ping Pong, as well as the lessons he’s learned through a career in design – a career which began with him scratching logos off tennis rackets.

Our conversation covers perseverance, the danger of people pleasing, the challenges of running a creative business and why you should never be afraid to embrace change.