Wasted Creatives

Michael Crilly
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Join Michael Crilly as he speaks to musicians, comedians, artists, writers and creators who chose a different path, or who continue to balance creativity alongside everyday working life. Over a drink and a chat, Wasted Creatives explores what it means to be a creative person, what inspires people to create, and the realities behind building a creative life in today’s world.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Sean Casey: From Drugs and Anxiety to Fitness, Business & Social Media Success

    In this episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with fitness coach, content creator and entrepreneur Sean Casey to talk about transformation, business, social media, family and what it really takes to change your life. Sean opens up about his early years of drinking, drugs, anxiety and paranoia, and how reaching breaking point became the catalyst for rebuilding his life. What began as a personal fitness journey during lockdown grew into content creation, coaching, TikTok success, online programmes, recipe books, The Social Circle and Gleam, which now supports thousands of members. They discuss Sean’s instinct for spotting good ideas, building businesses quickly and creating content that connects. The conversation also explores criticism, social media burnout, family, giving back, travelling to Australia, helping clients transform their lives and why success does not have to follow a traditional academic route. A raw and motivating conversation about curiosity, chaos, self-improvement and using your own experiences to help others move forward. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Ideas, action and how Wasted Creatives began01:37 — Why overthinking stops people taking action02:20 — Drinking, drugs and Sean’s early years04:26 — Anxiety, paranoia and mental health06:35 — Reaching breaking point in 201908:23 — Rebuilding his life through fitness08:48 — The first YouTube video that changed everything10:03 — Early TikTok growth and learning content10:47 — From PT to coaching, ebooks, Gleam and The Social Circle12:20 — Turning his own problem into a way to help others13:04 — Building The Social Circle13:55 — Finding his online personality through humour15:25 — Being recognised and not feeling like a celebrity16:47 — Lisa Ann’s transformation18:31 — How helping one person creates a chain reaction19:20 — The emotional connection with clients21:01 — Family, his mum and showing real life online23:21 — Friendship with Battle With Chris25:16 — How running helped Chris rebuild his life26:54 — Running Ireland and the UK28:30 — Giving back and helping people financially30:55 — Fundraising, cancer and the impact of loss32:24 — Why life needs to be lived fully33:00 — Returning to Australia and overcoming anxiety35:11 — Travel, freedom and eventually returning to Ireland36:25 — Why Sean paused the sauna business37:16 — Creativity, instinct and building ideas quickly38:12 — Spotting what works commercially39:32 — Selling sweets in school40:03 — School, grades and non-traditional success41:28 — Leaning into your own strengths43:09 — His parents’ advice on work and happiness44:03 — Building a career he enjoyed45:31 — Learning from criticism47:00 — Useful feedback versus negativity48:54 — Social media anxiety and burnout49:37 — Breaks, landmarks and celebrating small wins51:06 — The future of social media and long-form content53:02 — What is next for The Social Circle54:10 — Brian’s 100kg transformation55:14 — Why content is personal55:57 — Closing the episode

  2. Jul 23

    Darren Matthews: Stand-Up in Australia, Belfast Comedy and Life With a Day Job

    Comedian Darren Matthews joins Michael Crilly for a conversation about starting stand-up, surviving terrible gigs and learning that the only real way to improve is to keep doing the reps. Darren shares how a friend first encouraged him to try an open mic at The Pavilion in Belfast, why his second performance was a complete disaster and how moving to Australia unexpectedly accelerated his comedy career. They talk about performing across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Asia, supporting Paddy McDonnell in theatres and arenas, running comedy nights at The Sunflower, dealing with hecklers and helping to grow the comedy scene in Belfast and beyond. Darren also speaks honestly about balancing comedy with a full-time job, family life, constant driving, late nights and the occasional burnout that comes from trying to fit another creative career into an already busy life. A funny and honest conversation about creativity, persistence and why having a “normal job” doesn’t make you any less of a creative person. Search WASTED CREATIVES on Spotify and YouTube. Follow the podcast on Spotify, leave us a rating and subscribe on YouTube for the full video episodes and clips.

  3. Jul 16

    Ciaran Lavery on Spotify Success, Record Labels & Finding His Own Creative Path

    In this episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery to talk about the unexpected journey from working in a leisure centre to building a full-time life in music. Ciaran shares how his self-funded album quietly found a huge audience on Spotify, why early streaming success felt both exciting and confusing, and how that momentum eventually led him into the world of record labels, touring, creative compromise and industry pressure. The conversation explores what happens when success does not look the way you imagined, the difficulty of staying creatively honest inside commercial systems, and why Ciaran eventually found more freedom by returning to making music on his own terms. Michael and Ciaran also discuss songwriting, poetry, collaboration, nostalgia, live performance, the importance of creative limitations, and the story behind Soft Gut Song Camp, a project built to connect and support artists, producers and songwriters across Northern Ireland and beyond. A brilliant conversation about music, identity, creative control, collaboration, and what it really takes to build a sustainable life around the work you love.

  4. Jul 9

    Chris McClurg: Great British Menu, Michelin Kitchens & Coming Home to Belfast

    In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I sit down with chef Chris McClurg to talk about his journey through food, restaurants, creativity and hospitality. Chris shares how a teenage summer at Shanks helped shape the direction of his life, why restaurants became the place where he found his tribe, and how his career took him from Belfast to London, Cornwall and the world of Michelin-starred cooking. We talk about working with Paul Ainsworth at No.6, the pressure and reality of competing on Great British Menu, the difference between cooking great food and creating a great hospitality experience, and what it means to build a restaurant culture where both guests and staff feel valued. Chris also speaks about returning home to Belfast, pop-ups at Neighbourhood, and the new chapter he and Alice are building at Regency House. A brilliant conversation about food, ambition, creativity, pressure, leadership and the emotional side of hospitality.

  5. Jul 2

    Improv, Stand-Up and Belfast’s Alternative Comedy Scene with Frazer Robb & Laura Conlon

    In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I’m joined by comedians Frazer Robb and Laura Conlon for a conversation about improv, stand-up and the growing alternative comedy scene in Belfast. Frazer talks about how he first got into improv, travelling to Chicago to train and bringing those skills back to Belfast at a time when improv comedy was still finding its feet here. We discuss his improv group Wonder Frog, his journey as a stand-up comedian, and even how teaching improv led to him meeting his wife. Laura shares her own route into stand-up and improv, the difference between performing prepared material and creating comedy live in front of an audience, and how different audiences respond to each style. We also talk about Turnstyle, the alternative comedy night she runs in Belfast, and how different styles of improv are being explored locally. There are stories about corporate improv gigs, including one Wonder Frog performance that had to be shut down after the audience got a little too crude with their suggestions, as well as a wider chat about how online clips and crowd work have changed the dynamic between comedians and audiences. I talk about my own experience of getting into improv through classes taught by Frazer, and the creative release it has given me outside of my day-to-day life. We also talk about what it means to follow your creative talents while still working 9–5 jobs, and the reality of trying to juggle work, life, comedy and creativity when there are only so many hours in the week. A conversation about comedy, creativity, risk, audience dynamics and the strange joy of making things up in the moment.

  6. Jun 18

    Mark Bowen on IDLES, Leaving Dentistry, Creativity & Florence + The Machine

    This week on Wasted Creatives, I sit down with Mark Bowen from IDLES. Mark’s story goes from dentistry to Glastonbury, from working in dental practice to becoming part of one of the most distinctive and important bands in modern music. We talk about his early love of music, studying dentistry, working as a dentist while IDLES were beginning to grow, and what it was like trying to balance a professional career with life on tour. Mark also shares how IDLES approach creativity, why intention sits at the centre of every project, and how the band think about their albums, live shows, visuals, audience and identity. We also get into Glastonbury, Grammy nominations, staying grounded, family life, success, and his recent creative work connected with Florence + The Machine. Topics include: • Growing up with music• Choosing dentistry• Working as a dentist while touring• Leaving dentistry for IDLES• Building the band’s sound and identity• The creative process behind IDLES• Why intention matters• Glastonbury and major live shows• Grammy nominations and success• Florence + The Machine• Family life and staying grounded• Building a creative life outside the traditional path Wasted Creatives is hosted by Michael Crilly

  7. Jun 11

    Big Daddy Slims / Andrew McSparran: Food, Mental Health & Building a Creative Life Online

    In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I’m joined by Andrew McSparron, better known online as Big Daddy Slims. Andrew is a food content creator from Northern Ireland whose account started as a personal accountability page after becoming a dad and wanting to make a change. What began as a way to lose weight slowly became something much bigger; a creative outlet, a love of cooking, and eventually a recognisable food page followed by thousands of people. We talk about where the name Big Daddy Slims came from, how cooking helped Andrew through a really difficult period with stress and mental health, and how making a simple spaghetti Bolognese became the start of something he never expected. We also chat about social media, food content, family life, creativity, marketing, and what the future might look like for Big Daddy Slims. A really honest conversation about food, identity, creativity, and finding something that helps you feel like yourself again.

  8. Jun 4

    Gareth Dunlop: Songwriting,Belfast to Nashville & Music for TV and Film

    Michael sits down with Belfast singer-songwriter and producer Gareth Dunlop to talk about songwriting, Nashville, co-writing, touring and the strange world of writing music for TV and film. Gareth shares how an early trip to Nashville helped shape his career, what actually happens in a co-writing room, why writing a song with someone can reveal more than a week of normal conversation, and how one of his songs ended up being used by T.I. They also chat about TV and film sync, creativity, touring with musicians he admires, supporting Bonnie Raitt, social media, bread making, voice notes, and the reality of trying to build a creative life from Northern Ireland. A great listen for anyone interested in songwriting, music, sync licensing, Nashville, creativity, or the behind-the-scenes reality of being a working musician.

  9. May 27

    From Medicine to Art: Anna McKeever on Leaving Psychiatry, Irish Identity & Children of Lir

    In the first episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with Belfast-based contemporary artist Anna McKeever to explore her journey from medicine and psychiatry into life as a full-time artist. Anna shares how painting was part of her life from childhood, why she first chose the more traditional path of medicine, and how the pressure and burnout of the Covid years helped push her back towards the creative life she had always been drawn to. This conversation explores creativity, confidence, motherhood, Irish identity, emotional connection, landscape, memory, and the deeper meaning behind Anna’s work. Anna also discusses her palette knife technique, her sell-out Full Beam collection, and her upcoming work inspired by Children of Lir. A thoughtful and honest conversation about what it means to follow creativity seriously, leave behind certainty, and build a life around the thing that has always been calling you.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Join Michael Crilly as he speaks to musicians, comedians, artists, writers and creators who chose a different path, or who continue to balance creativity alongside everyday working life. Over a drink and a chat, Wasted Creatives explores what it means to be a creative person, what inspires people to create, and the realities behind building a creative life in today’s world.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Crilly
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Michael Crilly
  • Show Website
    Wasted Creatives