Creative Chit Chat - Dundee

Ryan McLeod
  • 4.9 (9)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Creative Chit Chat - Dundee Podcast

A podcast of conversations with brilliant creatives connected to Dundee, exploring their journeys, thoughts and opinions. Hosted by Ryan McLeod.

  1. Dreamland - The importance of saying 'no'

    06/12/2023

    Dreamland - The importance of saying 'no'

    Ruby is the creative director behind Dreamland: happy, nostalgic fun clothing. Known for big bold prints inspired by TV shows and popular culture, in particular her upside down collection inspired by Stranger Things. Ruby takes me through how she started out the label and why travel and people watching are central to her creative process. There’s definitely a thread of nostalgia that quite clearly runs through her work but it’s also routed in her experiences and collaborations. The episode ebbs and flows from the positive to the realities of running a small creative business. It’s been a tough time recently for so many businesses and Ruby sums it up beautifully when she says "I'm very much trying to keep this small boat afloat in a very choppy ocean" We also go on to talk about the importance of saying ‘no’. It’s really difficult when you start out but it can lead to burn out. Picking and choosing the right opportunities that are healthy for you and your business is difficult but can make an enormous difference to your creative career. We also touch on the issue of space in Dundee and how it has affected Ruby directly. If you’re experiencing something similar or are just curious then please check out the Hapworks project (hapworks.co) If you haven’t done already go and check out Dreamland’s latest collections: https://www.dreamlandclothing.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/dreamlandclothing/

    1h 1m
  2. No Comply - "How many kickflips has that chopping board done?"

    31/10/2023

    No Comply - "How many kickflips has that chopping board done?"

    Cat and Andy repurpose old skateboards into beautiful new products. They take me through their labour intensive process from old broken board to shiny new product. The episode is a fascinating insight into how they've learned and developed their woodworking skills from scratch and built the business up at the same time diversifying the product range. I would recommend heading over to their instagram to see it for yourself as they capture it really well visually on there, far better than I would describe in a podcast description. https://www.instagram.com/nocomply.design/ https://www.nocomplydesign.com/

    1h 2m
  3. Duncan Barton - Learning not to be 'The Best Designer in the World'

    18/10/2023

    Duncan Barton - Learning not to be 'The Best Designer in the World'

    Graphic designer, Duncan Barton takes me through his design process, position on current trends and how he's developed a career around the things he loves. "At university they taught you to be 'the best designer in the world' not a jobbing designer" Probably my favourite quote from the episode. You're just not taught all the day to day nitty gritty of being a designer working with real clients, dealing with feedback and churning out more of the functional aspects of what design really is. Duncan also uses a lovely analogy in the 'gradient of design' from the boring and mundane repetitive tasks to highly concept driven design. I'd never considered it as such an apt metaphor before. Duncan mentions David Carson's TED talk from 2013 Design and Discovery https://www.ted.com/talks/david_carson_design_and_discovery He talks about how we shouldn't confuse legibility with communication. Something we explore in the episode along with readability and tying that to some of the latest trends. We round off by talking about Dundee and Duncan has a hugely positive view on the city and his time here. There seems to be some sort of weird synergy where things centred around his interests like music, design skating and plants all seem to be popping up around the city. https://twitter.com/witha4

    1h 8m
  4. Chris Hunt - Creativity as a route to a new world

    26/09/2023

    Chris Hunt - Creativity as a route to a new world

    With over 20 years experience in the fashion textiles industry Chris has a really varied and interesting career path. His journey starts from a really dark and troublesome place: at school during Section 28. Chris hasn't done many interviews and I feel privileged he was trusting enough to come on the podcast and share his journey. When I set up the podcast I wanted to share as many amazing creative stories as possible. The good times and the bad. Although it's definitely more difficult to talk about those dark and difficult times it can be so valuable to others so realise they are not alone and they can learn from the experiences of others. Chris' creative journey was sparked by an art teacher allowing him to write an essay on punk culture. This was the catalyst to exploring and understanding a whole new world. From his first drink in a gay bar to interning at Vogue, working in PR for multinational brands and then setting out as a freelancer. Chris has this amazing energy where he wants to make things happen and bring people with him along the way.

    1h 16m
  5. Katie Murrie - Let's be more human, step back & ask more questions

    20/09/2023

    Katie Murrie - Let's be more human, step back & ask more questions

    A lead consultant at the Service Design Academy, Katie says that she fell into Service Design after doing a masters in leadership and innovation. We have a really interesting discussion around whether Katie sees herself as a designer and the complexity around design terminology. This also leads onto a topic I'd like to explore further run the future of how we make design skills a core competency in the same way maths or English is. By giving people these fundamental building blocks to change their perception of the world and the ability to influence it could be transformational. Katie also said: "If we can start to be more human, step back and ask more questions, rather than making assumptions, in any walk of life then it's going to be a better place (the world) going forward." Empathy is so important and it's often difficult to comprehend what others are experiencing day to day, it's so important as a human being let alone a designer to be able to take that step back and consider more deeply the circumstances and actions of others. If we all had a little more empathy the world would be a much better place. https://www.sda.ac.uk/

    53 min
  6. Alastair Low - From Kickstarters to Creative Baths

    12/09/2023

    Alastair Low - From Kickstarters to Creative Baths

    After a successful kickstarter campaign Alastair decided to start Lowtek Games a studio focused on creating games and tools to help dyslexic players enjoy video games more. It was at primary school that Alastair got an early diagnosis of dyslexia creating real difficulty with reading. As text to speech technology became more readily available and with the rise of online video tutorials it allowed him to take a more hands on practical approach to creativity. Advances in game technology led to more complex graphics and often more complex storylines and on-screen text. This led Alastair to stay in the realm of retro games. It ended up having a real impact on his creative process and career becoming an advocate for dyslexia friendly games. After going to Abertay University Alastair got his first industry job at Ninja Kiwi and quickly became 'the optimisation guy' specialising in low poly 3D models. After running a successful Kickstarter campaign he decided to start up Lowtek Games and build out his game Flea. Which was made for the NES running on physical cartridges on original consoles without any modification. He has become a bit of an internet sensation especially within the highly supportive retro games and NES developer communities. His latest project, the pop up book is simply magical. Interactive projection overlaid on a pop up book where you can colour in, play a traditional platform or some mini golf among other applications. He's currently in talks to turn it into a projection mapping console which sounds like a super exciting opportunity. We end by discussing the small scale and how great ideas should be the measure of success not turnover or profits. We need to champion the great small scale creative studios we have in the city and create more brilliant ideas. Twitter - https://twitter.com/Wallmasterr?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

    1h 10m
  7. Muckle Studios - When a psychologist met a designer

    05/09/2023

    Muckle Studios - When a psychologist met a designer

    Design researcher Stephanie Crowe and Design Generalist Kevin Sinclair met and decided their love in discussing the failings of design in the world around them was enough to start Muckle Studios. They take me through a journey of how they built a partnership based upon the crossovers in their skillsets and also what they could learn from each other. They are a balance of optimist vs realist and detail vs big picture. This episode is a lovely snapshot of how they've grown as a studio through frustrating times as well as successes. There's lots to be taken from this episode if you're thinking about going freelance or starting out on your own. It's not easy to find someone you work will with and their process of working together is one to be admired. If you did enjoy this then you can always listen back to Kevin's own episode from 5 years ago. https://www.mucklestudios.com/ https://www.twitter.com/mucklestudios https://www.linkedin.com/company/muckle-studios-ltd/

    1h 25m
  8. Volk Gallery - Scotland's first art vending machine

    12/07/2022

    Volk Gallery - Scotland's first art vending machine

    Hear how a trip to Vienna where all the museums were unexpected closed due to the pandemic led to Elizabeth Ann Day and Luke Cassidy Greer creating an art dispensing vending machine in the Keiller Centre in Dundee. It's been a long time since I've had two guests on the podcast and this week it's a real deep dive into the Volk Gallery project. One year on from installing and launching their art vending machine Elizabeth and Luke talk me through the fascinating origin story of the project and the progress they've made in a year. It's a great project that really makes art more accessible through an experience that has lovely level of nostalgia and mystique. Future plans include looking towards further funding to commission more artists and create more sites around Scotland. https://volkgallery.com/ https://www.instagram.com/galleryvolk/

    57 min
See All (120)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

A podcast of conversations with brilliant creatives connected to Dundee, exploring their journeys, thoughts and opinions. Hosted by Ryan McLeod.

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan McLeod
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2023
  • Episodes
    120
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Creative Chit Chat - Dundee

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada