Hack Circus

Luke Jennings is the creator of the hit TV series Killing Eve, about the mutual obsession between an MI6 agent and a female assassin. He was also, until recently, the dance critic for The Observer newspaper, and worked as a professional dancer in his youth.  We discuss the process of writing Killing Eve, sexism and bias in the dance world, and how seeing women empowered through dance has inspired his writing. Luke on Twitter Luke's Wikipedia page Watch Killing Eve on iPlayer Libsyn feed (browser) iTunes link PlayerFM Spotify coming soon!

Hazel Findlay is a top professional climber, constantly touring the world in search of new adventures and breaking records. In recent years she has been working as a coach, helping climbers of all abilities to overcome their fears and progress to the next level.  Some of the subjects covered in this chat include idea of mastery (as opposed to competitiveness), the mental health benefits of climbing, coaching as a kind of giving back, how climbing is similar to public speaking, and how training an awareness of the body helps to increases one's awareness in general.  This episode was recorded at an arts organisation called Access Space in Sheffield. Access Space supports those developing skills and interests in creative technology and is well worth checking out. Hazel's blog Hazel's Wikipedia page Watch her climb   Libsyn feed (browser) iTunes link PlayerFM Spotify coming soon!  

The Hack Circus podcast is back with a bang after an enormous break of two years! The star guest this episode is Tom Tobia – a creative entrepreneur based in Sheffield. We cover the origins of an organisation he helped to found, Makerversity, his principled drive, and the way he approaches consulting with the range of businesses he works with. We also exchange some thoughts about creativity – how it arises from constraints, its relationship to failure, and why people should embrace a more open-ended approach to planning. Tom's website: http://www.tomtobia.com Tom's new project: https://www.anewfield.org/

If you want to get stuff made regularly, get your duty on and work out who you're doing it for. In this episode, Leila addresses the common misconception that creative work always has to follow on from an urge, or desire. She explains why you can never put your hopes in motivation – it won't stick around. Get a routine, and do it for someone else, and you'll stand a chance of getting to done. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! And remember to check out Hackcircuspodcast.com In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

How do you get inspired in the least inspiring circumstances? I answer a listener's question about staying creative even when exhausted and miles from home, this week – bringing in a mixture of my own experience and reading, as ever. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

Emma Bearman founded Playful Leeds – now Playful Anywhere, and is the proud proprietor of the Playbox, a shipping container full of surprises, entertainment and imaginative potential that turns up in public spaces all over Yorkshire. Emma also founded The Culture Vulture, the very successful magazine site rounding up the best of the Leeds arts scene. In this chat, we find out about the challenges of facilitating a vision of this scale on your own, how play relates to disobedience, and where the drive to create playful spaces comes from in the first place. https://vimeo.com/68169045 (Urban Mischief video, with the diving board etc) https://twitter.com/PlayfulAnywhere http://www.playfulanywhere.co.uk https://theculturevulture.co.uk/ https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emmabearman http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/why-robots-are-set-to-take-over-leeds-1-6037956

A short but packed episode where I explain why you should create, rather than simply drink up experiences; why you may not be using your community to the full (but feel like you are) and why our constraints really do set us free. To discuss any of these ideas and more, get in touch via editor@hackcircus.com, or on social media (@hackcircus and hackcircuspodcast on Facebook). You should also check out the weekly Creativity Clinic newsletter: leilajohnston.com/newsletter which delivers tips like these straight to your inbox every Monday, bringing actionable advice for your creative week ahead.

This week I meet showmen and fairground archivists at the National Fairground & Circus Archive in Sheffield, and learn about the fascinating and community-minded history of travelling show people of the UK. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca Lionel Bathe's photos of fairgrounds https://patcollinsfunfairs.co.uk/ Anthony Harris (Youngest wall of death rider in the world, in the 1940s)  

We need to look closely at what we're trying to protect, about ourselves, whenever we feel fearful of making big steps in our creative lives. When we really examine the anxiety, it often turns out to be a case of building a wall around a part of us that is in fact, totally dispensable. There's plenty more of us where that came from! We can take a few hits!  Find out what we should really be protecting instead, in this short Creativity Clinic episode. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

Neil Mullarkey is known as one of the Comedy Store Players – the famous long-running improv troupe with their own theatre in central London. He also works with brands and businesses, helping the corporate environment to benefit from the agility of improvisational thought. In this fun chat we discuss (among other things) Neil's creative background, a comedy career that started as President of the Cambridge Footlights, his old double act with Mike Myers, the benefits of improv, and the careful systems put in place to make improv work in a theatre – and on TV. http://neilmullarkey.com/  http://twitter.com/neilmullarkey  

To share your work and reach a wider audience, you have to be prepared to relinquish some of it. Leila explains the problem and suggests some ways to do this more effectively, in this short episode. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook(hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

Mike is a mindfulness teacher based on the Isle of Man. Mindfulness and meditation are portrayed as serene but it can also be a serious confrontation with the self which brings a raw, often brutal, truth to the surface. We discuss the reality of mindfulness – processing negative emotions that rise up, the positive breaking down of the self, how to properly watch your self, and how to find the courage to let go.  Mike has had his own fundamental consciousness-expanding experience, which we also discuss in this episode. Mike's website is: MyFreeMind.org and you can find him on twitter at MyFreeMind_IOM  

We all have our dreams – run a gallery, open a cafe, do a Masters degree, learn a language... Most of us are lazy and distracted and never quite seem to get off the blocks, but serial entrepreneur, curator and marketing guru Valentina Fois has made all these dreams come true, and more.  Valentina's new cafe, Lele's (in Clapton, East London) is open throughout the festive period and has various seasonal offers HC listeners should check out – including panettonne (of course!) and original art and design work from independent creators, in a specially curated pop-up shop. We talk about that, plus the future of consumer tech, wake-up calls, being the boss, and more, in this special festive episode. It's always great to talk to someone who actually does things rather than just talks about doing them. Hopefully this chat will give us all a much-needed boost as we go into 2017. You can follow Valentina on Twitter, and check out her cafe, Lele's, next time you're in the area. If you’re enjoying Hack Circus, give us a

Sometimes it seems like we have the wrong number of ideas: too many or not enough, and the flow is totally beyond our control. This week Leila has some tips for keeping your neverending stream of brain gunk in check, and answers a listener question about notebooks and sketchbooks. How do you use yours? If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

Rhodri Marsden has his finger in many creative and media pies. A journalist for publications including The Independent, writer of talks and books, keyboardist in Scritti Politti and Dream Themes, musical saw player, and prolific and entertaining tweeter with a huge following, he's constantly generating new material and surrounded by creative people – but interestingly, doesn't classify himself as 'creative'.  Rhodri knew Chris Sievey the man behind Frank Sidebottom, and played in the band supporting Frank's act. We talk about Rhodri's musical background, his current projects, the importance of just making stuff, and what it's like to be someone who likes an efficient system, yet who seems destined, like an inspirational Midas, to make creativity happen wherever he goes.  You can follow Rhodri's antics on Twitter and Instagram. 

This week we tackle some issues around turning your hobby into a more serious enterprise. How to think about 'turning professional' in a way that will prepare you for the realities of it, plus the most important skill you'll need to learn when trying to get into full time creative work. Plus a note on failure and confidence as applied to your business. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

This week we meet Alex Heminsley, or "Hemmo" – author, reviewer, wit and champion of women in sports.  We discuss a life of challenges, sportiness, glamour, creativity and humour in this entertaining chat. Alex is incredibly inspiring; she sets herself goals and goes for them. She is the author of the best-selling Running Like A Girl, the true story of a seemingly impossible challenge – catapulting herself from nothing to running marathons in a short space of time, fuelled by willpower alone. Alex's forthcoming book, Leap In, chronicles her recent adventures in outdoor swimming. And she's now co-writing the story of tennis player, trainer and mother of champions, Judy Murray. She is also tremendously witty and insightful on social media, and you can follow her on twitter or instagram. 

Self doubt is one of the most common things I get asked about, and it comes in all kinds of disguises. I think anxiety about presenting your work to the public is often about self-consciousness, and getting rid of thoughts of oneself is often the key to overcoming nerves.  If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircuspodcast), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus), IRC #hackcircus (on freenode) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!

This week we meet Simon Munnery, who you've probably come across on TV, radio or the live circuit doing his characters The League Against Tedium or Alan Parker Urban Warrior, or one of his experimental shows. Simon is a distinguished comic, highly acclaimed for his original wit and outlandish performances. He's also a maker, a fixer and a former computer programmer! If you enjoy Hack Circus please rate or review it on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! Hack Circus goes up every Monday and Thursday, and you can peek behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircuspodcast), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat. It’s also a magazine. Enjoy!

Leila addresses a couple of positivity paradoxes this week. When it comes to getting on with a creative project, we might have been trained rather unhelpfully to think about our audiences, and think about ourselves. These tips are intended to help you get something done this week. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) you can glimpse behind the curtain by following us on Facebook (hackcircus), Instagram (hackcircus), Twitter (hackcircus) and Snapchat (can you guess?). Enjoy!