Creative or Dead

Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine

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Hosted by industry pals Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine, this interview-style show features conversations with creatives to unravel their process, and get a glimpse into each guests unique way of thinking – all with equal parts levity and depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 de jul.

Creative sparks with Volker Haug

Volker Haug's story starts with a spark (quite literally)! As a kid, he was so captivated by light that he'd made his first light fitting by the age of ten, and somewhere along the way managed to accidentally electrocute himself. This early obsession never really left him, even as he built a first career behind the chair as a hairdresser. In this episode, we trace his journey from the salon to founding one of Australia's most distinctive lighting studios. And along the way he shares the calling that pulled Volker toward lighting design, the mentors who shaped how he thinks, and the very humble beginnings of his business: a garage converted into a workshop that grew, organically, into the studio it is today. From there the conversation opens right up. Volker gets into why collaboration makes both design and business healthier, how travel keeps his creativity alive, and the role our senses play in memory and making – plus the strange overstimulation of modern life and how he finds calm inside it. He's a firm believer that creativity is a universal human trait, that desperate situations often spark the best of it, and that his years in hairdressing taught him more about people than any design course could. Find Volker's work at volkerhaug.com and follow the studio on Instagram at @volkerhaug - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 de jul.

Following the tingles with Sarah Ellison

Sarah Ellison is a Byron Bay–based creative director whose winding, capital-C creative career has taken in fashion, interior styling, magazine editorial and a furniture brand that found success on both sides of the Pacific. In this episode, we trace the full arc – from a fashion label sold at Bondi Markets, to years assisting stylists and schlepping props across Sydney in a little Suzuki Swift, to seven years as a style editor at Real Living, to launching her own eponymous furniture brand and, most recently, stepping away from it to build a slower, more sustainable studio of her own. Sarah is refreshingly open about creative burnout – the desk-bound years running a growing brand, the day she felt she'd run out of ideas, and how a few weeks off and a pottery wheel helped her bring her back. We also get into her sensory approach to design, the alchemy of past and present, working with local bio-materials, her ever-shifting take on what AI means for creatives, and the dream of a boutique hotel done top to bottom. Find Sarah's work at sarahellisoncreative.com and follow her on Instagram at @sarahellisoncreative - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 de mar.

Can we kick it with Jack Lovel

Jack Lovel is a Melbourne-based architectural photographer who has spent the better part of a decade chasing light through modernist houses, and making some arresting images in Australian architecture photography. In this episode, we trace the full arc – from a first trip to Europe with a borrowed camera, to growing up in an Ivanoff-designed house in Perth, to somehow ending up in the Hamptons in the summer, photographing mid-century houses on Long Island. Jack talks about the personal project that changed everything: his decade-long documentation of the work of West Australian architect Ivan Ivanoff, which started as a modest exhibition in Perth and snowballed into a book, a Melbourne exhibition, and shows at the London Festival of Architecture, and Modernism Week in Palm Springs. Something Jack doesn’t shy away from talking about is always searching for that balance between commercial work and personal projects – and why doing the soul-feeding, non-paying stuff is what usually opens the door to exciting new projects. We also talk about patience as a skill, the fine line between loosening up and losing the plot, and why Jack will never let his work be mistaken for AI slop. Check out Jack’s work at jacklovel.com, and follow him on Instagram at @jack.lovel. --- Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18 de mar.

Unknown gnomes with Richard Walzer – Design Director, Breakthrough Innovation at PepsiCo

“Innovation” is one of those words that gets overused so much it’s starting feel devoid of meaning. Richard Walzer isn’t interested in new for the sake of it. As Design Director of Breakthrough Innovation at PepsiCo (Europe), he works in the uncomfortable space most businesses avoid – the unknown unknowns. The problems no one has defined yet, let alone solved. In this episode, Richard pulls apart what real innovation actually looks like when there’s money, scale and risk on the line. And we hate to break it to all the light bulb moment die-hards out there, but true innovation (at least for Richard) is not about eureka moments or big creative swings. It’s rigour, it’s watching what people actually do, not what they say. It’s spending most of your time making sure you’re solving the right problem, before you even think about the solution. One of the biggest creative lessons to glean from this episode is that most teams aren’t failing at execution, they’re just designing the wrong thing. We also get into the discipline behind design thinking, the myth of differentiation, and why “distinctive” is the only thing worth chasing. From sacrificial prototypes to future consumers, Richard maps out how ideas move from vague hypothesis to something that can survive the real world. This is creativity with true commerciality at its core. - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 de mar.

Home as a living installation with Susannah Holmberg

What if a home was composed like a work of art? In this ep of Creative or Dead, we speak with interior designer Susannah Holmberg, founder of Susannah Holmberg Studios (www.susannahholmberg.com) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Susannah approaches interior as immersive installations – spaces where art, architecture and materials intersect. We talk about her unconventional path into design, the idea that beauty might actually be a form of function, and how her studio develops personal interiors by drawing on unexpected references – from favourite films and books to travel and landscape. The conversation also explores creative process: why blocking time for deep work matters, how tension between contrasting elements can spark originality, and why handmade pieces and craftsmanship remain central to her projects. And, in our usual Creative or Dead fashion, we finish with our final question: if you could design your own death, what would it look like? Susannah’s cinematic vision involves black veils, oversized florals and a rainy green landscape. This is a conversation about creativity, craft and designing spaces that feel like living works of art. - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25 de fev.

Mermaids, mulch and making with Ty Symonds

In this episode of Creative or Dead, we chat to Ty Symonds – a designer who thinks like an artist. Ty’s creative origin story starts in Far North Queensland, where rainforest and lace-like fungi created an unforgettable impression on his psyche. This early education in the art of observation has underpinned everything that followed: from designing textiles at Peter Alexander, to navigating big-box retail, to reshaping Country Road Homewares through collaboration and long-term thinking. This is a conversation about trusting your intuition versus over-analysing, and building impactful collaborations with a commercial mindset – all without losing your soul. We get into leadership as a creative practice, the importance of making (not just designing on screens), and why nature doesn’t believe in waste. We also jump into flow states, mermaids, and a manifesto for slowing the hell down. It’s an episode about listening to materials, to place, to your gut, and trusting that creativity will surface when you make enough space for it. Follow Ty on Instagram to stay up to date with what he's up to next. - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 de fev.

Art as an act of love with Golnar Roshan (Rive Roshan)

In this ep, we sit down with Golnar Roshan, co-founder of Amsterdam-based studio Rive Roshan, to talk art, design and what it really means to build a creative life on your own terms. Golnar traces her journey from Sydney to Europe, from visual communication student to working at Marcel Wanders, and into a sincerely collaborative practice that sits somewhere between art, design and technology. We talk about creativity as a lived practice (not just a job title), and power for work to be coupled with emotional intelligence. This episode digs into creative partnerships, making work with integrity, and holding onto empathy in a noisy, commercialised world. There’s Milan Design Week, experimental materials and politics layered with beauty. If you’re searching for conversations about creative careers, art and design practice, creativity with substance, or how to build a career without flattening yourself in the process – start with this conversation. Rive Roshan is being presented by Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert at Melbourne Art Fair (19-22 Feb 2026). Links See more about Rive Roshan at riveroshan.com Sub Catcher riveroshan.com/projects/sun-catcher-rive-roshan-alcova-milan-2025 Shifting Perspectives riveroshan.com/projects/shifting-perspectives Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert gallerysallydancuthbert.com Melbourne Art Fair melbourneartfair.com.au Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 de fev.

Nasha Gallery is sorry for the late reply

In this episode (hello season three!), we chat with Viktor and James, the founders of Nasha Gallery in Sydney (Eora) to learn about building a gallery without following the rules. The guys talk about their leap from artists to gallerists, what it actually takes to run a commercial gallery and why they back emerging Australian artists who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside global talent. Expect unfiltered takes on being “brave”, how they choose artists (studio visits, taste, trust), and why transparency in the art world shouldn’t be radical – but still is. If you’re into contemporary art, creativity, art careers, gallery life, art management, collecting, or the messy reality of making a project survive, this one’s for you. Plus: there's road trip stories, a near-illegal mega-show, and two very different death designs. Check out Nasha Gallery and all their upcoming shows at nasha.com.au. Nasha Gallery is presenting James Little at Melbourne Art Fair 2026. - Creative or Dead is hosted by Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine. Aleesha is the founder of About Futures, an independent publication on the future of sustainable design. David is a creative business builder and leader with more than two decades across branding, strategy and social impact, and sits on the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted by industry pals Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine, this interview-style show features conversations with creatives to unravel their process, and get a glimpse into each guests unique way of thinking – all with equal parts levity and depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Criado por

Aleesha Callahan and David Constantine
Anos de atividade

2024 - 2026
Episódios

22
Classificação

Explícito
Copyright

© Creative or Dead
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