Welcome to the Creative Blood Experience. One culture-defining creative guest… One passionate host… And a deck of fifty question cards designed to yield incredible creative tips, real life experiences and untold stories from the artists working across the creative industries today!

Shantell Martin is not your average artist. She’s also a public speaker, cultural facilitator, curator, choreographer, songwriter, performer and mentor. And it’s this all-embracing, boundary-blurring approach to creativity and artmaking that forms the basis of this episode.

“For those of us who didn’t grow up going to museums and galleries, the art around us is what people are wearing. For us, the museum is the postcard on your fridge, it’s the t-shirt you’re wearing, it’s the sneakers you’re wearing”.

Originally from Thamesmead in South East London – the iconic brutalist housing estate where A Clockwork Orange was famously filmed – and now based in LA, Shantell is known for her signature, stream-of-consciousness line drawings, murals and ‘who are you?’ slogan. Her kaleidoscopic CV has seen her collaborate with brands including Max Mara, The North Face, Tiffany and Co., as well as institutions MIT, The Whitney and Boston Ballet (where she also choreographed) and establish her own podcast series What’s the Point? She even has her own open source font ‘Shantell Sans’! And that, if you can believe it, that’s just for starters!

Having navigated her way through the murky waters of the ‘art’ world and got to a place where she now has the creative freedom to explore, in this episode she generously and candidly shares her experiences, learnings and insights picked up along the way. From why every artist needs a cocktail of skills, to what feedback to ignore, Shantell shines a light on the practical, proactive mindset needed to thrive within an opaque system.

Follow Shantell @shantell_martin

EPISODE INSIGHTS

• What you don’t get told about the artists who’ve “made it” (and the hustling involved)
• Why you need to trust in your own vision
• The value of peer support, mentorship, patronage and anyone fighting your corner
• Why art can exist everywhere, beyond the museum walls and traditional spaces
  
  

Thoughts on the episode? DM us @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway
Produced by Scenery Studios
Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown

Welcome to the Creative Blood Experience. One culture-defining creative guest… One passionate host… And a deck of fifty question cards designed to yield incredible creative tips, real life experiences and untold stories from the artists working across the creative industries today!

Originally from the gritty favelas of São Paulo, Brazil, Emerson Miller moved to Los Angeles to chase his dream of becoming a photographer. While working at a car wash on Hollywood Blvd, he had a chance encounter with Nicole Muirbrook – the wife of Taylor Sheridan, creator of smash-hit TV show Yellowstone – which landed him the gig as the show’s on-set photographer, rapidly transforming dream into reality.

Since then, he’s shot everyone from Angelina Jolie to Kevin Costner to Dame Helen Mirren and Sam Elliott, with his work appearing in Vogue, GQ and Elle and on billboards all over the world.

The job of an on-set photographer is a little-known, but integral role for any TV show and film, with their photographs used across everything promotional – including billboards, social media, magazines, you name it! Here, Emerson shares his personal experience of how he works on set (spoiler: it may involve interrupting Kevin Costner’s reverie!), how he picks his moments between takes, plus, the charisma, talent and nerve needed to get that shot.

“Angelina Jolie said to me “buddy your job here is literally 99% of the marketing and if you want me to climb a tree, I probably will, because we are helping each other””

Follow Emerson @emersonmiller

EPISODE INSIGHTS

• A window into life working on a smash-hit show
• Learning on the job (fast) and on-set etiquette
• How to identify and capture ‘the moment’
• The value of a mentor
• How personal reinvention can take you where you want to be
• Why a photographer’s job is to remain open to the creative process

Thoughts on the episode? Drop us a DM @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway
Produced by Scenery Studios
Show music by Ben Tarrant-Brown

Creatively Down and Dirty is our new podcast series where we deep-dive with one creator into one project. Prepare to hear it all, from what sparked the initial idea from the high-highs to the low-lows during the making of it and ultimately, how it got released out into the wide world.

For anyone considering making a brave and bold leap into new territory, welcome to the perfect case study! In this episode, we delve into the story behind Proshine—a portable, natural, high-shine body oil that Ciara, and, as it turned out, the industry, was missing.

“I needed a solid body oil. I needed it to be portable, I needed it to be natural, I needed it to be high-shine under direct light. No shimmer, no glitter, no colour…I had such a clear idea”

From fear of failure to huge personal financial risks, to the passion, persistence and tenacity needed to reap the rewards, Ciara describes with fierce candour the organic journey she went on to get her product made and onto the shelves. She talks us through how she landed on the idea, perfected the formula, navigated branding and marketing, right through to getting stocked — and all while juggling a demanding career.

Originally from Tipperary, Ireland, Ciara has worked with Madonna, Liv Tyler, Millie Bobby Brown, and Alexa Chung, to name a few! Plus brands from J.W. Anderson and Ralph Lauren to Miu Miu and Agent Provocateur, with her work featured on covers for Perfect, Dazed & Confused, Vogue, POP and LOVE magazines.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the graft behind the glamour, and a rare insight into bringing a product to life!

Follow @ciaradoesmakeup / @proshine_by_cdm for stockists

EPISODE INSIGHTS

• Balancing an established career with a new, all-consuming enterprise
• The importance of of activating your own network
• Navigating the dos and don’ts of social media for business
• How a practical need inspired a practical solution
• Why nothing happens unless you accept the challenge and go on the journey

Thoughts on the episode? Drop us a DM @creativebloodworld

EPISODE CREDITS

Hosted by Laura Conway
Produced by Scenery Studios