The Creative Boom Podcast

Creative Boom
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The Creative Boom Podcast is a weekly interview show for designers, illustrators, animators, and creative professionals. Host Katy Cowan talks to artists, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers about the realities of building a creative career – confidence, burnout, money, failure, reinvention, and imposter syndrome – in honest, warm conversations that don't dress anything up. Part of Creative Boom, the independent magazine for the creative community established in 2009.

  1. From New York to 'Now What?': Starting Over on Your Own Terms, with Adam J. Kurtz

    1 DAY AGO

    From New York to 'Now What?': Starting Over on Your Own Terms, with Adam J. Kurtz

    In this week's episode, Katy sits down with artist, author and beautifully honest human Adam J. Kurtz to talk about what happens when you reach the thing you thought you wanted… and realise it's not the whole story. Dialling in from Hawaii, Adam shares how leaving New York forced him to untangle his identity from his work, his city, and the version of success he'd been chasing for years. What followed wasn't a dramatic reinvention, but something quieter and more meaningful—a shift towards simplicity, honesty, and figuring things out in real time. They talk about burnout, creative cycles, and the uncomfortable question so many of us are sitting with right now: what next? Adam reflects on how his work has evolved alongside his life, moving from hopeful striving to something more grounded, self-aware, and forgiving. There's also a glimpse into his upcoming book, Now What?, a project shaped by uncertainty, growth, and the reality that none of us ever really have it all figured out. It's a conversation about letting go of perfection, embracing change, and finding a version of success that actually feels good to live with. Funny, candid, and quietly reassuring, you'll realise that you're allowed to change your mind, path, and pace... no matter where you are right now.

    48 min
  2. The Spark: Aporva Baxi on Music, Movies and Making Things Without Overthinking

    5 DAYS AGO ·  BONUS

    The Spark: Aporva Baxi on Music, Movies and Making Things Without Overthinking

    In this week's bonus episode of The Spark, we get to know Aporva Baxi a little better. From photographing shadows and beams of light to whispering ideas into his phone in the supermarket, Aporva shares the small habits that shape his creative life. We chat about music that fuels his thinking (hello Aphex Twin), the films that have stayed with him (Kubrick, of course), and why noticing the everyday might be the most important creative skill of all. There's also talk of creative heroes, strange rituals, and the kind of dinner party that would properly stretch your mind. Yes, it's a lighter, more personal conversation. But as always, there's plenty in there to take away.

    35 min
  3. Why Taste Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI, with Aporva Baxi

    5 APR

    Why Taste Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI, with Aporva Baxi

    Today's guest is Aporva Baxi, co-founder of DixonBaxi, one of the world's most respected branding agencies. Our host and founding editor Katy Cowan recently spent some time at their London studio, having a proper nosey at how they work. And what stayed with us wasn't just the output, it was the thinking behind it. The curiosity, energy, and that constant push to evolve. So in this episode, we get into all of it. AI, of course. The pace of change. And this idea that keeps coming up right now… that when everyone has access to the same tools, what really sets you apart is your taste. We talk about the risk of everything starting to look the same. Why originality still matters. And how to hold onto your voice when the world is moving this fast. It's a big conversation. But, as we've come to expect from Aporva, it's also an optimistic one. It's about possibility and making things. About not waiting around for permission. So if you've been feeling a bit unsure about where you fit into all of this, this one might just give you a boost.

    45 min
  4. The Spark: Nicki Sprinz on Tilda Swinton, Imaginary Albums and the Death of 'Follow Your Passion'

    1 APR ·  BONUS

    The Spark: Nicki Sprinz on Tilda Swinton, Imaginary Albums and the Death of 'Follow Your Passion'

    In this week's Spark, we swap strategy for spontaneity, as Nicki Sprinz, CEO of ustwo, returns for our quick-fire bonus round, where things get a little more personal. We talk dream dinner parties featuring Tilda Swinton and Ann Patchett, why "just follow your passion" might be the worst advice in the creative industry, and what she's currently curious about in a world obsessed with short-form everything. Nicki shares her most controversial creative opinion, the one trend she's quietly over, and the small change that instantly improves her workday. There's also ambient electronic music, imaginary album titles and a question for the next guest. It's thoughtful. It's playful. And it reveals more of the human behind the CEO title. If you enjoyed Monday's episode, this is where you'll get to know Nicki a little better.

    11 min
  5. Why Wellness Apps Fail – and How to Fix That, with Nicki Sprinz of ustwo

    29 MAR

    Why Wellness Apps Fail – and How to Fix That, with Nicki Sprinz of ustwo

    Most wellness apps fail you. Not because you lack willpower, but because they were never designed around how humans actually change. Season 11 of The Creative Boom Podcast opens with Katy Cowan and Nicki Sprinz, CEO of ustwo – the studio behind Monument Valley – digging into the digital coaching revolution. What it looks like in practice, why it works when it does, and what it means to build technology that sits close to people's health, confidence and daily lives. Nicki has lived this. A former smoker who swapped one habit for running, she now helps brands create digital experiences that drive real behaviour change — from gut-health companions to fitness apps to smoking-cessation tools. One of their betas saw 75% of users engage more meaningfully with their health after just one month. They also talk about what all of this means for creatives: the changing shape of careers, why curiosity beats passion every time, and why critical thinking has never mattered more than in a world where AI can get you to the wrong answer faster than ever. This isn't an AI hype conversation. It's a grounded, generous one with a whole heap of hope. A new season begins. Right here.

    51 min
  6. The Spark: Chris Wilson on Confidence, Chaos and Keeping Your Creativity Alive

    15 JAN ·  BONUS

    The Spark: Chris Wilson on Confidence, Chaos and Keeping Your Creativity Alive

    This bonus episode brings Chris Wilson of Stckmn back for a lighter, looser conversation to round off the season. After a deep, emotional main interview, Katy and Chris shift gears into something playful, candid, and full of spark. Chris answers quick-fire questions about his quirks, his guilty pleasures, the creative advice he ignores, and what really happens behind the scenes when he's out of his depth. They discuss parenting, music, creative identity, and the inner critic he has named Steve. There are seaside amusements, mosh pits, broken toes, and a surprising amount of wisdom tucked into the laughter. It's a warm, human conversation about what keeps us going when the work gets tough, and life gets messy—a gentle, joyful way to close the season.

    27 min
  7. From Trauma to Triumph with Chris Wilson: Creativity, Resilience & the Courage to Keep Going

    12 JAN

    From Trauma to Triumph with Chris Wilson: Creativity, Resilience & the Courage to Keep Going

    This final episode of the season closes on a note that feels right for a new year. Honest. Hopeful. A little raw and full of heart. Chris Wilson, the multi-disciplinary force behind Glasgow’s one-man studio Stckmn, joins Katy for a conversation about surviving life's sharpest edges and still choosing to create something good. Chris grew up working class in Clydebank, a kid who took things apart to understand how the world worked. That curiosity shaped everything. So did hardship. He talks openly about trauma he never recognised as trauma until therapy named it: a violent attack at university that left deep physical and emotional scars. The loss of his dad. Years of pushing pain aside and throwing himself into work because survival sometimes looks like graft, not clarity. And yet. Through humour, compassion, and the stubborn belief that he could always graft his way forward, Chris built a career spanning product design, graphics, branding, packaging, and beyond. He tells Katy how he learned to reframe fear into momentum, why being a generalist has kept him afloat in changing times, and how a decade of running Stckmn has been as much about resilience as it has design. They talk about belonging, too. About feeling out of place in creative spaces that can still feel elitist. About the invisible hierarchies that quietly shape the industry. And the joy of realising most of us are just muddling through, hoping no one notices our nerves. It's a candid, funny, deeply human exchange. Chris also shares the burnout that landed him in hospital, the difficult lessons about boundaries he's trying to honour, and the softer tools he's building as a dad. His son, Caleb, pops up as a recurring theme. A reminder of why slowing down is key. Why healing matters. And why showing up as the gentler version of ourselves is important. This is a conversation about making peace with your younger self. About the courage to start again, no matter how many times life has knocked you sideways. And about the strange, hopeful power of creativity to stitch us back together. A beautiful way to end the season. A reminder that even in the mess, even in the dark, there's always a way to move forward.

    1hr 7min
  8. The Spark: Joy Nazzari on Fish and Chips, Street Art Dreams and Friday Studio Nostalgia

    8 JAN ·  BONUS

    The Spark: Joy Nazzari on Fish and Chips, Street Art Dreams and Friday Studio Nostalgia

    Joy Nazzari of DNCO is back for The Spark, and this time we're keeping things short, sharp and delightfully unhinged. In this bonus episode, she opens up about the creative hill she'll die on, the medium she secretly wishes she could master, and the project that left her thinking, oh god… this is huge. There's talk of graffiti, guilty pleasures, strange compliments in Japan, and the emoji she overuses so much it's basically become her personal brand. We also discover what's sitting at the top of her camera roll this week and why it made her heart burst. Along the way, Joy and Katy veer into fish-and-chip politics, studio nostalgia, and the odd ways creative leaders get themselves into the right headspace before big moments. And to wrap things up, Joy poses a brilliant question for next week's guest, Chris Wilson — one that might reveal how he gets himself fired up, calm, or somewhere in between.

    30 min
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About

The Creative Boom Podcast is a weekly interview show for designers, illustrators, animators, and creative professionals. Host Katy Cowan talks to artists, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers about the realities of building a creative career – confidence, burnout, money, failure, reinvention, and imposter syndrome – in honest, warm conversations that don't dress anything up. Part of Creative Boom, the independent magazine for the creative community established in 2009.

Information

  • Creator
    Creative Boom
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    198
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Creative Boom
  • Show Website
    The Creative Boom Podcast
  • Provider

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