Communication is the most important tool of the creative.

It’s also often one of the most overlooked.

I used to think the skill of my painting was the important part. I’ve realised it’s not.

The important thing is to communicate what your art is about. That’s what grows your following and your career.

Learning to communicate effectively is what will set you apart from everyone else in your field.

This week’s guest is Adam Aleksic - the Etymology Nerd. He has built an audience of over 1.6 million followers on instagram.

He’s been able to do this because he knows how to communicate.

His approach is strategic and replicable. Even in the age of the algorithm.

We often give mythical powers to the algorithms.

Adam explains what they actually are and how they affect our entire lives- even down to the way we algo-speak.

While the algorithms shape us we have a chance to use them to send our message into the world.

Adam is proof that you can make the internet work for you and that it’s not as random as we think.

Adam’s book - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468266/algospeak-by-aleksic-adam/9781529949148

Adam's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/etymologynerd/

Attention is the world’s most valuable commodity.

If you have a smartphone your attention is being quietly siphoned away from you. 30 minutes here, an hour there. It’s subtle and more dangerous than most of us will give credit.

If your life is where your attention goes then, not to be too dramatic but your life is being stolen.

I do believe it’s theft because it’s not accidental, it’s by design and I think we should be angry about it. Sure, we all enjoy certain aspects of being online but the game is not our enjoyment. Tech companies want us so addicted that we’re online 24/7.

This all sounds like I’m leading towards the magic solution. Sorry, I don’t know the answer, I’m just as addicted as you. I’m hopeful though, because I’m at stage 1 - admitting I have a problem. From here we can start to work out some solutions.

This week’s guest is August Lamm and she has found a solution, albeit a drastic one - she’s ditched the internet altogether.

Some people can get quite angry about this decision, they think August is selfish and entitled.

I’ll be honest, we’re lucky that this interview even happened. My UK number wasn’t working properly in New York. I could get imessage, but that’s no good for August’s brick phone.

Share this episode with a friend (not if they’re offline though)

There were times when I was trying to contact August but the New York Library was closed. One day I got a string of emails, ending with “I’m going to have to go. I’m using the computers in the Apple store and they’re getting pissed off with me”

It’s slightly annoying to arrange meetings with an offline person. I’m sure August faces some of these difficulties every day. But I really don’t think it’s anything to be mad about.

Your sanity is your responsibility and if that means not participating with what everyone else deems normal, so be it.

I deleted WhatsApp about 7 years ago. I know it’s a pain for some people but I will never go back and if you really want to speak to me you’ll work it out.

I’ve lost friends because I don’t drink alcohol.

I leave parties at 9pm because I go to bed at 10.

Your most important people will understand.

When I first went sober it definitely wasn’t the norm. Now if you don’t drink, it’s pretty universally accepted.

Maybe it’ll be that way with the internet someday. Maybe we’ll recognise that scrolling is worse than smoking. Maybe more and more of us will get offline.

There are dumb phone communities popping up here and there and it feels like collectively we’re all starting to agree that our screen time is too high.

Ditching the internet does feel extreme though and I really want to believe that there are less dramatic actions we can take.

August disagrees. Only time will tell.

I travelled to the middle of the woods, in Wilmington Delaware, to interview recovered alcoholic and heroin addict, Jackass and Viva La Bam star, Brandon Novak.

I took an hour long uber, from Philadelphia to get to Bandon’s place in Wilmington, Delaware. My Uber driver chatted non stop as eventually we started veering away from civilisation and snaking through tree lined tracks until we approached Brandon’s property.

Brandon is sat on a bench outside the house as I pull up. He’s wearing just a pair of shorts, no shirt, no shoes. I try and read some of the words on his heavily tattooed torso as I walk over.

It’s clear that he’s on a call, so we do that silent hello thing, he daps me up and gives me a hug.

I sit down next to him as the call continues. It’s gently raining but it’s so warm (that sticky American heat) so the sporadic rain drops are actually a relief.

He’s talking business. ‘Novak’s house’ is a sober living facility.

The business side of helping people sounds intense.

The call concludes and we go inside.

Brandon had moved into his new digs a week prior. The bones of the house are beautiful. There’s a couple of pieces of flatpack furniture yet to be built and art is stacked in front of the walls, ready to be hung.

He shows me an incredible, ornate iron cross, salvaged from the ruins of a French church.

I meet his cats.

We sit down and have the conversation you’re about to listen to.

I was nervous about this interview. I’m not an addiction expert and I didn’t want to focus on Brandon’s lowest moments, like a lot of interviewers do.

I’m so happy that I made that decision and this is a conversation that I’m really proud of.

Find out more about Brandon’s and his work - Brandonnovak.com

People often ask me what my favourite episode of Creative Rebels is.

Sometimes, what they are really asking is; what’s the magic bullet?

The one episode that will answer all my problems and set me on the path to success.

It doesn’t work like that.

This podcast is a ‘course’.

A course that will continue for as long as I’m able, with weekly optional lessons, with optional homework and everyone who listens will graduate at a different time.

It’s not one important episode, it’s a series of stories that will build you up for as long as you need it.

That being said… This is a really important episode!!

Stephanie Harrison is the author of ‘New Happy’ and founder of ‘The New Happy Newsletter’ which has over a million subscribers.

Her mission is to break down ‘old happy’ - the ideas most of us have on how to be happy aren’t serving us. In fact, they’re probably making us miserable.

Stephanie’s research will challenge the foundations of how you make your work, as a creative.

Becoming connected to yourself, others and the world around you is going to change your life.

I’ve been struggling with the state of the world lately. As have many creatives I know.

How can you make art through a cost of living crisis, through racism, through war and genocide?

Stephanie doesn’t sugar coat how bleak our current situation is but rather how to be happy despite it and that actually, your happiness is a defiant act that will help us all.

So, if you push me for an answer… This episode is one of my favourites. I think it’ll help. I don’t often say this but this one is ‘must listen’.

Check out Stephanie’s website -

https://www.thenewhappy.com/

Or find her on most socials @newhappyco @stephaniehson

This episode has nothing to do with sport - please don’t worry ;)

I sat down with George Eghator and we spoke about hustle culture, the freedom of discipline, support circles and the difficulty of stepping away from collaborations.

Sometimes, it’s hard to take your own advice. Five years ago at an online Creative Rebels event I advised George to take his projects solo. It took me two years to finally take this podcast solo after my co host bowed-out.

It was great to chat to George about his journey and I hope you’ll take something away from listening.

Find George on insta: https://www.instagram.com/georgeonsports/?hl=en

Thanks to all of the paid supporters of this podcast, who keep the train on the tracks. Without you, this show wouldn’t be possible.

Subscribe at http://creativerebels.substack.com and become part of the CR family

The people you meet will change your life.

As an introvert, I wish it wasn’t the case… but that networking event that you don’t want to go to or that email that you don’t want to send could be thing that changes everything

This weeks guest is Rosie Woods.

Rosie travels the world making art. Her career is a tapestry of establishing connections, exploring ideas and following her curiosity.

I’m proud to have played a small part in Rosie’s career. She became my first ever apprentice about a decade ago. Rosie was curious about spraypaint so emailed for some pointers. That email turned into a four year apprenticeship. Now, she’s one of the world’s most recognised street artists!

Every artists journey is different but after doing hundreds of interviews for this show I’ve noticed some universal truths;

The successful artists are the ones that keep going. They find their style by following their curiosity. Opportunities follow them because they take chances and put themselves out there.

You can find more of Rosie's work here: http://instagram.com/itsrosiewoods

Zoë Allen is founder of Artistic Statements - essentially she puts art into spaces. Zoë is great at talking about getting your work seen and communicating with people about it, whatever that may be.

The wonderful thing about working with someone like Zoë, is that you can just be an artist. We need curators, we need cheerleaders and we need people who will empower us to focus on making our best work.

With this show I’ll always try to bring you different voices from all over the map and I think discussions like this one with Zoë are important; to demystify the processes that artists have to go through when getting work commissioned.

Send Zoë your portfolio - zoe@artisticstatements.co.uk

Check out her website https://www.artisticstatements.co.uk/

Zoë’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/artisticstatements/

There seems to be a mini-theme of ‘finding yourself’ on the podcast at the moment.

Last week we spoke to tattooist Rosie Rackham (in a hugely well received episode) about being lost as a creative, until you find your *thing*.

This week Zack Evans is up and before the success of Create.Repeat, he was struggling. The crazy thing is that on the surface, everything was peachy - he was an early internet ‘influencer’. His comedy skits were frequently going viral. He had hundreds of thousands of social followers.

But he knew it wasn’t his calling.

In this episode we dive into the dark arts of going viral on social media and how to find your purpose.

OH btw, if you’re a fan of Creative Rebels, you’ll love Create Repeat - go check them out.

Pre-order Zack’s book here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468442/create-repeat-by-evans-zack-and-morgan/9780241737781

Create.Repeat’s substack: https://www.createrepeat.com/

Create repeat instagram - http://instagram.com/create.repeat

Create Repeat podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@create.repeat