why podcasts?
I have been wanting to do this post for awhile now. As both a commuter and someone who works from home a few days a week. I’ve always had to rely on some sort of noise in the background to keep me engaged while I am in my office working remotely. I started with music but eventually transitioned to podcasts and audiobooks. The constant conversation gives the illusion of inter office conversation and breaks the remote silence.
After I graduated from college I had a part time job in the afternoon but still got up around 6:00am to have a coffee, search for potential jobs in my field, and the odd freelance job. My roommate at the time had a real job that went from 9 – 5. I was going stir crazy and was looking for anything to break the silence in the apartment. I had exhausted all my music then moved to talk radio but few of the topics interested me and a lot of the banter felt so fabricated.
I had recalled a while back Apple had announced they would be putting podcasts into the the itunes store. I was like awesome….but…what the hell is a podcast? Upon further investigation it was downloadable talk radio that seemed to be highly specialized. A perfect medium for a kid fresh out of college, looking to sponge up information in his field.
Over the years many podcasts have come and gone, some continue to stick with me to this day. Here is a selection of my favourite podcasts focusing on illustration, design and being a creative.
Let’s get into it: “Top design, illustration and creative podcasts (part 1)” as stated by me.
Adventures in Design has to be one of my favourites on this list. It’s not the creative content or how it contributes back to the industry (though it does a great job at those things) that rank it high. It’s because it feels real; like shop talking with a peer or hanging out with an old friend. Those are the conversations when you see nuggets of wisdom, experience and craft drop right in front of you. All while still having a laugh and not taking yourself too seriously.
Mark Brickey is the crass talking host that mans the ship. Steering you through the rocks and waves of the creative struggle as well as his own personal ones. Shows are released pretty much daily with guests that range from designers and illustrators all the way up to executives for multi-million dollar corporations. Mark brings his knowledge of everything DIY. Leaning on his years of life experience in touring bands, rough childhood and being one of the pioneers in the gig poster/silkscreen scene.
The shows cadence isn’t for everyone but I think that is why I enjoy it. His interview style is unique, detailed and realistic. In an over saturated market this show definitely stands out and constantly surprises me. This is the punk rock of design podcasts.
Notable guest:
Shepard Fairy, Bobby Hundreds, Tara McPherson, and Paul Frank (and SO MANY more)
You know those kind of friends that you haven’t seen in ages but when you get together you can just pick up where you left off? That is The Master of One Podcast in a nutshell. You sit back and shoot the shit while Andrew, Patrick and Luke talk about everything movies, comics, video games etc. The next thing you know, your gut hurts from laughter and now your amazon cart is filled with all the cool new stuff you got to checkout.
The main focus of the show is getting you up on the cool new trinkets, art and whatever else you can get your hands on. When they aren’t getting you wise to that stuff they talk with the creators. Digging into process, life story or just hanging out.
Welcome these guys into your podcast library and they will become the friends you didn’t know you had.
Notable guest:
Huck Gee, Matt Taylor, Andrew Kolb, and Invisible Creature (and SO MANY more)
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Thanks for checking this out. I hope to release more insights on some of the podcasts and resources I am digesting on the regular. Hope you guys enjoy and comeback soon.
Check out part 2 (coming soon)
