Creative Rebels

Daisy Fancourt is professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at UCL.Her book Art Cure shows how art makes us happier, healthier and helps us live longer. Daisy has published 300 scientific papers, won over two dozen academic prizes and is listed as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world. Enjoy!The podcast is taking a short break and will be back soon! Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

This week is a special Q&A episode. I answer your questions and worries about social media, ‘content’, galleries, failures, doom scrolling and the freedom of creative discipline. I hope this fires you up for 2026!Make stuff. Put it out. You’re capable of more than you think.My insta - http://instagram.com/davidspeedukMy mailing list (to access art releases and event tickets) - https://shorturl.at/g9Tsx Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

Bee was an elite swimmer as a child. They bring the determination and resiliance to their art career as they share their ups and downs through the work they make.This episode covers; approaching creativity as an athlete approaches sport, the behind the scenes studio struggles that no one sees and why you should work like you’re ‘peckish’.As always, when I have a visual artist on the show, it’s my pleasure to share some images of their work. Here are some of Bee’s illustrations :) Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

JOY! Collective is a creative production house from London, who specialise in huge public art projects. They describe themselves as an ‘outsource-able art department’.They began as mural painters in 2010 and focused on painting for many years. They still create murals but they also bring ideas to life in various creative ways that don’t always involve paint. In this episode we discussed finding the perfect business partner, getting clients and then once you have clients, getting them to trust you to deliver big projects.If you enjoyed this episode phone your gran on christmas day and tell her about it xx Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

There have been three episodes of this show this year that have had a real impact on the art I’m making - podcasts with Luisa Omielan, Oliver Jeffers and this week’s episode with Alex Chinneck.Alex makes huge, incredible sculptures that deconstruct the world and put it back together. His work is surreal, it breaks the rules of gravity and physics.“There are more artists than opportunities” it’s time to become one of the artists that is getting the opportunities.Alex’s website - https://www.alexchinneck.com/Alex’s insta - https://www.instagram.com/alexchinneck/?hl=enIf you like this episode, tell everyone you’ve ever met, please. Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

Lava La Rue is the definition of a multi-hyphenate, they are a musician, a director, a designer and artist.In this episode we spoke about DIY culture and the idea that if you’re obsessed with what you do, you can build your own thing, even if you have no support. Build something, get people excited, create your own scene.If you enjoyed this episode, call everyone you know and tell them xLava’s new single ‘Easy Come Easy Go’ is OUT NOWLava on Insta : https://www.instagram.com/lavalarue Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

I started a podcast as a hack. I wanted to speak to my heroes. If you email Seth Godin, Debbie Millman or Oliver Jeffers and ask for an hour of their time, the answer will probably be no.A podcast is the cheat code to having a conversation you never imagined you’d have and this week I get to tick another hero off of my list and share it with you.Oliver Jeffers has sold 18million books. But the first thing I asked about was his dip paintings. Because, it’s one of my all time favourite art projects.We spoke about Oliver’s long career as an author, illustrator and artist and navigating between them. This will be an episode I come back to many times. I hope you enjoy it. If you do - tell a stranger on the bus about it.Oliver’s links:Website - oliverjeffers.comInsta - @oliverjeffers Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

Dr Rebecca Marks jokes that we shouldn’t listen to what critics and art historians say, but some of her unique takes in this interview, have been rattling around my brain since our discussion. Rebecca is an art historian, writer, and social media creator which is an interesting and pretty unique Ven diagram. In this episode we discussed some big topics, like the purpose of art and the ‘starving artist’ cliche. If you’re a long-time listener, you’ll know I’m always struggling with the tension of making art for yourself vs making it for an audience. My biggest take away from talking to Rebecca was her opinion that when an artist expresses their individual experience, it becomes an “expression of universal experience” that can resonate with a huge number of people.I hope you enjoy this one :) Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

This week I sit down with Quyen Dinh aka The Parlor WorkshopThe TikTok algo served me up one of Quyen’s incredible creations and I knew I had to try and get some time with this wonderland creator!We spoke about Quyen’s wiggly path to get where she is today. Growing up in a strict Vietnamese family, Quyen’s dad told her that art was selfish and that she needed to get a proper job.It’s something I see with so many creatives, the pressure of not ‘letting down’ your family can be really intense. At the end of it all though, you must follow your curiosity and live your own life. I’ve met countless people who have buried their creativity to please others and they always have huge regrets.In this episode we discuss;* The philosophy of pain and growth* Overcoming fear to create* Sacrificing income for creative freedom* Whether you need to post frequently on social media to be successful* And much more!If you like this episode, take out an ad in your local paper and let everyone know. THX xQuyen’s insta / tiktok - @the_parlor_workshop Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

I’m excited to let you into the room to hear a discussion I was lucky enough to be a part of recently.I’ve just completed an artist residence at the University of Warwick, called ‘Retreat to Create’ as well as creating a mural and giving a keynote to the students, I hosted the panel talk you’re about to hear! My guests were; Doreen Foster who is the director of the Warwick Arts Centre, Jonothan Neelands the professor of creative education at UoW and Denisha Anderson who is an artist, filmmaker, photographer and documentary producer. We spoke about a big topic - the state of creativity in 2025. Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

I’ll try and get Soph back again, because this podcast is a masterclass!We spoke about everything arty in this episode but one of the stand outs to me was our discussion on Sophie’s now famous ‘Charity Shop’ series. Sophie goes to a charity shop, buys an item, paints on it, returns it to the shop and the item is then resold. It has catapulted the already well known artist into another stratosphere. Soph knew she wanted to create an episodic series and we dive into everything it takes to make it. I’m currently seeing that the creators that are smashing it at the moment are making content in public. I wrote about it HEREHopefully this sparks something for you and your art!The article I reference during this episode is by the excellent The Black Hoody and can be found HEREFind Sophie on all channels by searching SOPHIE TEA ART Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

The right answer is never the fun answer. Over the years of this podcast we’ve always said - you must choose consistent, daily creative work over the allure of virality. Jami Attenberg is evidence that it works. She uses writing to explore other worlds and connect with a wider audience but it’s her consistency that has made the difference. In this episode you’ll learn how an accountability pact with a friend, turned into tweet which grew into "1000 Words of Summer". A project, which now has a global community of over 50,000 people, helping countless individuals finish projects and even secure book deals. Jamie emphasises that true success comes from relentless dedication and self-accountability, not waiting for external permission or allowing projects to "abandon ship". If you can commit to 1000 words a day, your life could change.I’m so excited to share this episode with the powerhouse Jami Attenberg, with you all!Let me know what you think :)Jami’s substack - Website - https://www.jamiattenberg.com/1000wordsInsta - https://www.instagram.com/jamiattenberg/ Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe