Arrest All Mimics: The Original Thinking And Creative Innovation Podcast

Sheffield based graphic designer and illustrator Lisa Maltby has set a great example of how we can turn negative experiences into great creative source material. Collating a number of breathtaking put downs from both her professional and personal life, Lisa has transformed them into a hilarious series of typographic artworks.Whilst some defy belief and others are more naive than malicious, Lisa's project won her a great deal of plaudits, creative industry press and new awareness of her work. It's a fantastic example of how we can channel our unique journeys and experiences into our output, forging our own identity and attracting the right kind of attention!Get us your own examples of negative experiences transformed into positive creative work at @arrestallmimics on Twitter!http://lisamaltby.com - Official Lisa Maltby sitehttp://www.lisamaltby.com/blog/creative-put-downs-turned-into-typographic-art - Typographic put downs projecthttps://twitter.com/Lisa_Maltby - Lisa Maltby on Twitterhttp://instagram.com/lisa

Ever thought about setting up your own creative workspace/studio? It's one sexy idea, but there are questions that need answering along the way, for most of us.Rabble Studios launched earlier in 2016. At a time when property developers are gobbling up creative spaces for fun, I meet with founder and designer Dan Spain. Rabble houses 24 creative professionals and also functions as a creative events, talks, hub and function space in Cardiff and I wanted to find out just how Dan went about not only finding a place to work to stave off the cabin fever, but took it one step further to self-finance and open a much bigger co-working set up.What challenges has he faced and how has he linked up with other independent businesses in the area? It's a brilliant and impressive piece of enterprising and a valuable insight into what we need to do to turn the tide against the property virus. In order to safeguard a creative business presence in our towns and cities, much work is to be done by all of us, but this blueprint sho

It's a very tenuous Christmas special episode and the last of 2016 as Lauren Goodland, aka Dorkfeatures is on great form. The Newport based designer discusses her alternate range of greetings cards, Christmas and non-festive. The range has been very successful early in their existence and we talk about why there is a market for personal, off-beat humour and why her cards have hit the mark thanks to a dash of pop-culture sensibility.We also touch upon how it feels to be in the immediate graduation fall out months, how Lauren is currently balancing a full-time design role with her greetings cards work, Bebo skins, the origin of the title Dorkfeatures and her effective use of social media.Get us your feedback to @arrestallmimics on Twitter and subscribe on iTunes now! See you in 2017.http://dorkfeatures.co.uk - Lauren Goodland officialhttps://twitter.com/Dorkfeatures - Lauren on Twitterhttps://www.instagram.com/Dorkfeatures/ - Lauren on Instagramhttps://www.thortful.com/creator/dorkfeatures - Lauren's cards on T

There are few bigger names in the ruthless worlds of contemporary art and illustration than Malika Favre. Paris raised, London based, Malika joins me for the 50th episode of Arrest All Mimics to discuss her inspiring journey so far.Malika's distinct style, utilising beautiful colour palettes and digital techniques to their fullest, has been seen in The New Yorker, Penguin Books, Vogue, The BAFTAs among many other high profile clients. But as ever, Arrest All Mimics is built on insights and storytelling, pulling back the curtain to show that every person has a unique journey and set of life experiences that can be drawn upon to form an individual and striking creative identity.Obsession, sexuality, openness and fantasy are just a few of the topics covered with a lady who continues to build a well-earned reputation as one of the best in the business!Get your feedback, suggestions and thoughts over to @arrestallmimics on Twitter as we gear up for another 50 episodes of creative innovation and original thinking.h

The image that still tends to spring to mind when you think of what a portfolio is, most probably is a leather-bound one, with a handle. Whilst these still see the inside of the offices of many art-directors, editors and commissioners, what should a portfolio be today? Industrial designer Nick Chubb recently gave a talk with Artsthread at the V&A discussing marketing yourself on zero budget and Nick raised some great points about self-promotion and portfolios. Coming from backgrounds of illustration and product design, we discuss the modern portfolio, your brand and how you have to be your brand to succeed in the modern era.How many images? How big? Do I go print or digital? There are many questions that run through the mind of someone tasked with finding work for themselves, be it in employment or as a freelancer and we break it all down on episode 49 of Arrest All Mimics.As ever, get your thoughts and comments over on Twitter at @arrestallmimics and I'll look out for your feedback, experiences and sugge

Kerry Lemon is a hugely inspiring example of just how much can be achieved, on your own terms with the correct balance of self-belief, drive, hard work, smart decision making and vision. With an unconventional route into the business, Kerry forges her own path, making smart moves to realise her ideas and project plans.We discuss how a former planned teaching career just did not feel right and after returning to drawing, Kerry used the urgency she felt to start picking up work before a constant evolution process began and shows no signs of abating. Kerry Lemon is charming, inspiring and driven, making it easy to see why she's building such a reputation in the arts!Now working on a mural in Japan whilst designing a block of flats in UK, this lady can teach us a lot about the power we have over our own creative destiny.http://www.kerrylemon.co.uk/ - Kerry Lemon officialhttps://twitter.com/kerryannelemon - Kerry Lemon Twitterhttps://www.instagram.com/kerryannelemon/?hl=en - Kerry Lemon Instagram

La Boca are a London based image-making studio working with a wide range of clients including Penguin Books, Adele, Island Records and Vintage Books. They recently created a set of stunning cover designs for a series of reissued science fiction classic books, a bucket list project for Scot and Richard, both long-term fans of the genre. We discuss what it was like to land such a brief for a client like Penguin, how the work came about and the methods they used to build La Boca into one of the coolest creative agencies in the game.These guys provide a fantastic showcase of why it's important to lead from the front with the work you would like to do and why it often leads to the clients you would most like to work for. We also cover a few unconventional methods of creating illustration and touch upon why cats in multi-coloured triangles are not cool.

One of the UK's most revered graphic designers and creative minds of all time is arguably best known for his 'First Things First' manifesto, published in 1964. Signed by many graphic designers and artists, the purpose of the manifesto was to highlight the out-of-control consumerist society and urge creative professionals to use their talents and free time to work towards more meaningful causes that would build a better society. Books, education, anti-war efforts and charity over advertising of commercial products. Sadly, in 2016, Ken's efforts are more relevant than ever before as an undercurrent of hate and divisive politics gather momentum, whilst the environment, community and wellbeing are neglected.Having studied Graphic Activism for my dissertation, leading with the FTFM, I met Ken as part of a later charity campaign, inspired by his work and created to highlight the emotional benefits of creativity on behalf of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and talked about his career, the manifesto, what it

We've seen sonic speed developments in technology over the last decade. How do the possibilities impact upon design and its role in the world moving forward? Last year's 'This Time Tomorrow' exhibition at the World Economic Forum was based on the theme 'The fourth industrial revolution' and curated by V&A museum's Mariana Pestana. Mariana joins me to talk about the work featured, including the much discussed Radical Love by artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg, a 3d print of imprisoned Chelsea Manning, a transgender U.S. Army soldier convicted of espionage after leaking documents to Wikileaks.This Time Tomorrow's six scenarios will present a leap into a potential future and foster debate about their consequences as well as posing pressing questions about the future we choose to create.Mariana Pestana is a fascinating lady with big ideas, working closely with the V&A following her work with The Decorators, a multidisciplinary design practice working with local authorities and public institutions to design, pro

The Association Of Illustrators join me to discuss where we find the industry in 2016. With a dual role of the trade union for the illustration industry and champions of it too, the AOI are as important as ever before. We enter the digital age and with its arrival comes a whole new host of questions about intellectual property rights, big business bullying and where we are headed.I head down to the Somerset House home of the AOI to catch new managing director, Ren Renwick and membership coordinator Lou Bones to discuss the new possibilities open to illustrators with accessible technology, how the industry has greatly expanded in recent years and the recent link up with U.S. based Directory Of Illustration to form the World Illustration Awards.Ren is keen to take the business new places in more ways than one and is keen to break down boundaries between disciplines as the creative industry becomes increasingly amorphous.

We all need to use it, many of us struggle to get away from it. The internet has become the core of may of our worlds and in the creative industry of today, we have it at our fingertips at all times. But are we using all this glorious technology effectively? Where do we draw the line between cat video, selfie and portfolio? Heart Internet's Nick Leech has been heavily involved since the advent of the readily accessible world wide web and he joins me to talk about what SEO is, why it's important and how we can maximise our use of it. How do we boost our search engine rankings and how do we find the most effective use of social media for ourselves and our unique identity? Do we build a website from the ground up or use a tool such as Squarespace or Adobe Portfolio?With some great insights, tips and tales, Nick brings A-list internet experience to Arrest All Mimics to break it all down for us.http://heartinternet.co.uk - Heart Internet officialhttps://twitter.com/HeartInternet - Heart Internet on Twitterhttps://

Did you ever stop to think about how people perceive your brand, shop, artwork or look? For me personally, colour was always a way of conveying a mood, energy or method of instantly drawing a viewer into my artwork. But if I'm honest, I never truly stopped to consider the deeper psychological impact of colour. Whilst reading Malcolm Gladwell's Blink a few years ago, I was intrigued with a case study in the book. It informed me that 7up carried out a taste testing session as part of a rebrand. After adding 15% more yellow to the packaging, they found that the vast majority of subjects reported that the drink tasted more of lemon, when in fact, no change had been made.So after a chance introduction to Justine Fox, a colour psychologist and professional colour consultant, I had to find out more. Justine explains why certain branches of high-street stores failures could be linked to the interior design colour palette, how we perceive and digest the colours in the world around us and why Facebook is blue! This is

Rohan Daniel Eason's stark black and white, pen and ink illustrations are rooted in the more traditional style of organic illustration. Often found in beautiful books with a dash of fantasy, they inspire freedom of imagination and transportation to a faraway land. But Rohan's real-life story is far more intriguing and inspiring than that. Taking the long road, his musical exploits, not without success, led him back to his childhood pleasure of drawing.He takes us through that tale, including school artworks sold to peers, open-minded parents not questioning subversive pieces including three girls sat on toilets and a less than conventional method of getting his place at Kingston University.Rohan's tale is hilarious, a great lesson to people who feel like they're existing down the rabbit hole in this confusing and often challenging creative industry.We take a look at Rohan's work for Unicef, creating animations for a recent campaign to raise awareness of the plight of child refugees, his illustrations for My F

When Liz Atkin gets on the tube, pulls out her pack of charcoal and starts to feverishly draw on the free The Metro and The Evening Standard newspapers, there’s a refreshing break in the monotony of tired commuter journeys, littered with people with heads lodged firmly in their mobile devices, disconnected with the immediacy of right here, right now. For anyone who’s ever felt the self-conscious pinch when opening a sketchbook and getting to work in the public eye, or been overcome by the alarming notion that they are indeed the subject of a creative stranger’s work, Liz Atkin manages to shatter both discomforts.With energy and an inescapable charm, Liz, on face value, creates vibrant original artworks and hands them to fellow passengers. This alone is enough to snap many from their routine daily slumbers and provide them with an unexpected anchor point to the present moment. Some find it fun, watching with a curious smile and a raised eyebrow, delighted when Liz almost telepathically grows aware of their int

London based graphic designer, art-director and illustrator Gordon Reid (Middle Boop) joins me to discuss the dual sciences of specialist creative style and versatility. Gordon takes us through his career to date, a journey that has seen him evolve from editor of the magazine he created, via freelance illustration, to a more rounded, versatile role on a range of different projects in advertising, music, editorial design, public speaking with the likes of Saatchi & Saatchi, London Design Festival, Mogwai, Coca-Cola and many others.As an illustrator who has created a very distinct brand, I wanted to see where Gordon and I crossed over, the methods we’ve created over the years in order to facilitate the work we wanted and how perception and packaging can be the difference between treading water and significant progression.Episode 39 is a must listen for the modern creative professional who operates in an ever-changing digital landscape where adaptation and problem solving is paramount.http://middleboop.com -

I'm joined by Designers block ahead of their events at the 2016 London Design Festival. Rory Dodd and Bud Moore take me through the Designers Block story, bringing European design ideas to east London in the late 1990s and seeing the potential of the Old Truman Brewery long before it was hip! As a three-person core, Designers Block carry out huge design and arts events in many unconventional spaces worldwide, from craft fairs to talks and forward thinking projects ahead of time.The guys divulge the story of the mind-blowing, forthcoming 'Painted Oceans' project, run by Tristan Eaton, involving Shepard Fairy, How & Nosm, Futura 2000 and The London Police, including why the 'James Bond' approach to filming was considered...This not to be missed insight into one of the creative industry's real gems is essential for all, no matter your position, veteran or student!http://verydesignersblock.com - DB officialhttp://twitter.com/designersblock - DB Twitterhttps://www.facebook.com/Designersblock/ - Designers Block

One year on from her first appearance on Arrest All Mimics, Miss Led returns. In summer 2015, we met in Brooklyn, New York to discuss her creative roots, journey to becoming one of the most recognisable and loved illustrators in the business and plans to expand. (You can listen to that on episode 4 of the show) It’s been one crazy year and I meet her at ‘Miss Led Towers’ in London to hear all about the imminent launch of her online video tutorial course. We also hear about inspiring adventures to a solo show in Hong Kong, live painting with Escoda Brushes in Barcelona and much more. We talk about how Miss Led’s evolution from freelance illustrator to functioning as a more rounded creative professional, dabbling in art-direction with Lynx, taking on an assistant and how a huge, hard-earned social media following can bring global exposure and opportunities. This lady is one inspiring professional and she lays down a perfect example of the commitment, self-belief and individuality required to continue progressin

Illustrator and designer Kingsley Nebechi joins me to discuss the release of his debut artist book, the wonderful post-apocalyptic illustrated Tribe Hunters. Kingsley’s fascinating journey involved a move from his native Italy to London at the age of fourteen and he’ll tell us all about the challenges he faced, possessing only a very basic grasp of the English language before thriving and embracing the sink or swim nature of the English high school and the cultural differences. We recount our first meetings through Twitter, when Kingsley came across my angry blog and we connected because whilst my freelance lifestyle ramblings resonated with him, he feared it was getting to me a little too much! We find out why Kingsley’s mother’s notepad doodles during phone calls influenced him during childhood and became subtle foundations in the beautiful patterns seen throughout Tribe Hunters. He also tells us why thoughts become things if you believe in the work you’re doing and work hard, how he landed a job with his d

Jane Bowyer joins me to talk about celebrating inspiring women through creativity in her recent exhibition, 'Women In Print.'The Manchester based show sees 16 designers and artists each creating a piece of work celebrating 16 women from Manchester and surrounding areas.We discuss Jane's recent shift to freelance design, how she made the exhibition happen and shares some tremendous stories including how a lady from Leigh is revered in Japan.Episode 35 is supported by http://Illustrationweb.com http://HeartInternet.co.uk and http://Printed.comhttp://www.womeninprint.uk/ - Women In Print official siteSupport Manchester Women's Aid by buying prints at: http://womeninprint.bigcartel.com/http://bowyerjane.co.uk - Jane Bowyer official siteExhibitors:Eve Warren - http://evewarren.com/Laura Boast - http://ljbstudio.co.uk/Anna Mullin - http://sneakyraccoon.com/Helen Musselwhite - http://www.helenmusselwhite.co.uk/Tash Wilcocks - http://tashatime.tumblr.com/Emma Reynolds - http://www.emmareynoldsillustration.com/Kat Lo

It’s funny how we begin creating at a young age, simply for pleasure. Wax crayons, felt-tip pens, glitter-glue, pencil-crayons, all tools that we use to depict something that makes us happy or interests us in some way. Liam Gall is a 10 year old who freelances as an artist, illustrator and cartoonist at primary school. The first time I tried to make any money from my creative skills came when I was 14 years old. My friend convinced me that there was money to be made by sketching David Beckham with no clothes on. I panicked and destroyed the masterpiece before we ever found out whether there was indeed anyone willing to pay for such mischief. Many of us abandon the innocent enjoyment of making something from nothing when adult life starts to come into play. Parental pressure, grades in education, living costs, self-imposed ideals and trends are just a few of the factors, but I wanted to talk to Liam to see how he felt about his creative talent and how going into business at such a young age had happened. We di