Owner of Megaflatables, a manufacturer of giant inflatables. Megaflatables designed the giant monsters that were all over the city of Chelmsford. They’ve designed giant Squid Game characters for Netflix promotion, including a giant 15 metre inflatable red light green light doll Young-Hee. NIck has worn a real Squid Game tracksuit. John smells gorgeous FYI. What makes you a Mudite if you live in Maldon?

John started his career at Canon reprographics for 20 years - but was tired of this work - so he started a new business with variable voice recognition. His business partner had an unrelated idea to start selling Air Dancers AKA Wacky Waving Arm Tube Guys! Air Dancers were designing in the USA in the 1970s to draw attention to car dealerships. Making a giant inflatable Rylan. John’s company made the huge Camilla Walala inflatable installation for London Design Festival. There are a lot of Health and Safety considerations in the inflatable industry to ensure public safety. Megaflatables design in two dimensions, and their manufacturer works out the three dimensional model. Inflatables don’t like straight edges, so you’ll end up with more curved shapes in designs.

Why do new warehouses use 1:1 scale inflatable articulated lorries? To give an idea of scale. Making a 15 metre floating Loch Ness Monster to surprise a stag on a stag do. Finding inflatable manufacturers around the world. How a deal with Pizza Hut in Upminster really kickstarted the creativity at Megaflatables. How John ended up on Dragon’s Den, and did they invest? If you can think it, we can make it.

Don’t chase quick money - Make good quality products that’ll keep people coming back. Making stage inflatables for bands on tour. The art of hand painting inflatables to look solid. Making giant boobs for the Scissor Sisters. Making inflatables for the Lord Mayor’s New Years Parade and Pride. Making art for David Shrigley, crazy swans and giant thumbs up. Working with Jason Wilshire-Mills to make giant art inflatables with disabled children. Inflatables are such a joyful medium.

Megaflatables
Megaflatables on Instagram
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Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Lora is an Egyptian–British interdisciplinary artist, writer, and researcher whose community-led work moves between environmental storytelling, walking-based arts, and cultural practice.

We are channeling full moon energy in the studio. This was recorded before Nick’s Costa to Costa mission and he is buzzing to set off. Lora is the partner of our previous guest Marley, the Community Farmer and Film Maker, who we LOVE! We love Lora too! What’s up culturally between Essex and Suffolk? Lora moved to the S county, but still feels culturally rooted in Essex. What is ethnobotany? It’s all about how humans relate to plants and place. Anthropology of plants. Uses of plants and their names change with places, especially historically.

Essex’s modern identity is part geezer, part Haywain. The National Gallery, so many great paintings in one place, and The Haywain is coming back to Essex this year! Changing the image of Essex. Lora is a wildcrafter, working with foraging, land access, dealing with pollution, and now a tenant farmer, which is very hard. Lora worked bringing people together and showing them what is around them, edible, medicinal, and the justice that exists around land use. A deeper understanding helps people want to protect their natural environment. Education about plant families and similarities to make global connections between people and place. Lathcoats Farm apple tasting station is amazing to try different varieties. Planting fruit trees and digging bore holes on the farm. Wondering at the layers of orange earth, blue London clay, sand and chalk that came from the bore hole, and processing them into art - all of these colours from beneath their feet on the farm.

How did feudalism and capitalism change land rights. Hawthorn was planted to keep people off of land in these times, and it is very prolific across the county.

All about the 70 mile North to South ‘Saffron Trail’ in Essex, running from Southend-on-Sea to Saffron Walden. Lora walked the Pilgrim’s Way and the Essex Way during lockdown. Saffron is a plant not from Essex, so it is an interesting subject for people and place. Growing saffron and grapes for wine in Essex, and climate change. The cultural stress of learning about new growing and production on land, such as Essex’s move to grape growing playing catch up with generations of tradition from other growing regions. What are ‘blue spaces’? Water spaces. Of which there are loads of varieties on the Saffron Trail. And artists can respond to these sites in Lora’s project. About the Sudbury to the Sea kayak route. Slow travel and exploring the county. Making inks and paper from the land, and using them for calligraphy. The history of colours. Lora has been exhibiting at Wellcome Collection in London in the exhibition ‘Thirst In Search of Fresh Water’. Be curious - learn about plants, talk to people about them, observe them, and explore.

Lora Aziz website

Lora Aziz on Instagram

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

Children’s book illustrator from Mersea Island, Essex. He recently got a selfie stick and will throw it in a ditch if he sees anyone else on his walk. Mark Strong and his sexy microphone voice. Tom had just been doing an online schools event for the book he created with author Michelle Robinson ‘The Pumpkin that Stole Halloween’ - talking to 400 schools. Tom has drawn SO MANY pumpkins in his career. He’s illustrated over 50 books, and written some too. Good Knight, Bad Knight by Tom Knight illustrated by Tom Knight is a classic! It takes about three months to illustrate a book. He used to illustrate with ink, but now does a lot of work digitally on iPad. Crowd scenes take a long time to draw, and Tom likes to sneak friends into them. Tom started his career as a graphic designer in the marketing department for Essex Police. Poo Watch at Chelmsford Police Station. Sneaking small subversive illustrations into the police artwork. What is the difference between vector and raster artwork? The police allowed Tom to work part time, so he balanced earning money with starting out as an illustrator and establishing himself. Tom quit his full time job in 2016 and made the leap into full time illustration. Establishing your own unique style as an illustrator. He always drew from very young and felt like he was an illustrator, but needed to hone his illustration skills. His first commission came from sending a postcard to David Bennett from Boxer Books at the perfect time when he needed an illustrator. How do you get an agent? Bright were Tom’s dream agency, and they signed him up. Big up Vicky from Bright! The publisher Magic Cat has signed up Tom for three of his own books, written and illustrated by Tom, ‘The Hole Beneath the Hedgerow’. Everyone has an idea for a children’s book, is it the default side hustle? Nick’s Adrien Brody story. Drawing real humans like Greta Thunberg and Caleb the farmer. Pairing authors with illustrators. Going for inspiration walks around Mersea Island. We all love David Hockney! Is digital art real art? The importance of meeting your audience, understanding them and getting feedback. How to set your price for creative work. How to start out as an illustrator in such a competitive market? Find the thing that makes you happy, be yourself, and fly your own flag. Pirates in Pyjamas is an amazing book!

Tom Knight Instagram

Bright Agency

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff.

Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support