Have you ever had the experience of getting tantalisingly close to a big opportunity in your creative career a but not quite making it? Maybe it was a pitch, or a competition, a publishing opportunity, a senior role, or a funding application. Maybe you got really positive feedback. They said you were great, your work […]
The post Are You in the Ballpark? (finally, The 21st Century Creative on YouTube) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
When the Covid 19 pandemic struck in 2020, human life on earth was massively disrupted. Not only the human tragedy of millions of lives lost, but also the social and economic damage caused by the virus and our attempts to control it. As a writer and a coach for creatives, I have been particularly concerned […]
The post Creative Disruption: How 12 Creatives on 5 Continents Rose to the Challenge of the Pandemic appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 10 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Itas been my most ambitious season yet, with creatives from 5 continents and probably the closest Iall ever […]
The post How I Created, Funded and Launched My New Podcast (while the World Was in Meltdown) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 9 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. This week we are off to Tokyo, to meet Ichi Hatano, a wonderful artist whose work has deep […]
The post From Tattoos to NFTs with Ichi Hatano appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 8 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Have you ever had the idea for a creative project that youave never quite got round to starting? […]
The post Using Lockdown to Launch a Dream Project with Nicky Mondellini appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
If you work on your own a in your office or studio, or your bedroom or at your kitchen table a it can feel like no one is watching. So it doesnat matter whether you show up. If you skipped a day on your novel, who would know? If you didnat go to the studio […]
The post All Arts Are Performing Arts appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 7 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today weare focusing on a creative sector that is close to my heart, which was massively disrupted but […]
The post Taking Deep Work Online with Laura Davis appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A few months ago I was listening to the DavidBowie: AlbumtoAlbum podcast, a terrific show about Bowie hosted by Arsalan Mohammed. In Season 3 episode 11 Arsalan spoke to Donny McCaslin, the leader of the jazz band that Bowie discovered in a New York club, and asked to work with him on what turned out […]
The post Sometimes You Have to Grind the Work Out appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 6 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are off to Australia in the company of Charlotte Abroms, a music manager based in Melbourne […]
The post Helping Musicians Through Lockdown with Charlotte Abroms appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Last week I suggested that if youare serious about achieving your creative ambitions, you need to think in terms of projects, not tasks. Because if you get up every morning and ask yourself aWhat should I work on today?a you risk making decisions based on what feels urgent right now, rather than what will make […]
The post Work on Multifaceted Projects appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 5 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are going to look at one of the biggest challenge for many people during lockdown, whether […]
The post Staying Creative as a Parent (Even in a Pandemic) with Kay Lock Kolp appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
When we think of productivity we typically think about tasks and to-do lists, working habits and routines. We focus on how to make the most of our time on a daily or at most a weekly basis. All of which is great, but if this is all we focus on, thereas a danger of getting […]
The post Focus on Projects, Not Tasks appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 4 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we meet Amrita Kumar, the co-founder and CEO of Candid Marketing, an innovative marketing agency in India. […]
The post Launching a New Business in the Pandemic with Amrita Kumar appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Marketing is a word that strikes fear into the heart of a lot of creatives. Itas an area where a lot of us feel we donat have a natural talent a weare far more comfortable making work than telling the world about it, let alone trying to get people to buy it. One reason for […]
The post Make Your Marketing Personal with a Media Dashboard appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 3 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are looking at the world of film and TV production, which was massively disrupted by the […]
The post Rebooting Global Filming with Hometeam appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A lot of creative professions involve submitting work to gatekeepers of various kinds: agents, editors, publishers, gallerists, funders, producers, studios and competition judges and so on. Yes, the 21st century gives us plenty of options for creating things without gatekeepers a you can sell direct, build your own platform, launch your own event, self-publish or […]
The post Why Rejection Doesnat (Necessarily) Mean Your Work Isnat Good Enough appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 2 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. This week we are off to South Africa, to hear from Earl Abrahams, an artist and filmmaker who […]
The post Lockdown Series: Windows on a Changed World with Earl Abrahams appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
aEat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.a This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain. Apparently thereas no hard evidence linking it to him, but that hasnat stopped it from concentrating the minds of many people when they ask themselves […]
The post Eat that Frog (But Eat the Cake as Well) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Today we kick off Season 6 of The 21st Century Creative, the podcast that helps you thrive as a creative professional amid the demands, distractions and opportunities of the 21st Century. The theme for this season is CREATIVE DISRUPTION. Every episode will feature an interview with a creator whose work was disrupted by the Covid-19 […]
The post The Rocky Road for Theatre through the Pandemic with Steven Kunis appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
I hope this finds you as well as can be. Here in the UK weare bracing for what we are assured will be a large wave of Omicron. I know things may be very different for you, depending on where you are in the world. But whatever the circumstances, I hope you are finding your […]
The post Video: Forget the Career Ladder a Start Creating Assets appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Today is the launch of my new podcast, and itas something Iave been planning and dreaming of sharing with you for years. Itas called A Mouthful of Air. And in several ways, itas the opposite of my 21st Century Creative podcast. I designed the two shows to work together from the start, although it’s taken […]
The post My new podcast (and why itas the opposite of The 21st Century Creative) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Last night I was about to go to bed when I suddenly remembered an idea Iad had for an article a few months ago. Though I say so myself, it was a great idea, and I was keen to revisit it, so I opened up the Scrivener project where I had written it downa| and […]
The post Ideas Are Leprechauns appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Michael Bungay Stanier, a returning guest whose interview way back in Season 1 proved very popular. And his book The Coaching Habit turned out to be even more popular, as it went on to sell three quarters of a million copies. Michael is back with some excellent […]
The post Avoiding the Advice Trap with Michael Bungay Stanier appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A lot of productivity advice tells us that we need to stop procrastinating, beat Resistance, and get things done. The Americans like to talk about ashippinga, meaning finished and sent out for delivery. This emphasis on getting things done and out to market is part of their extraordinary entrepreneurial culture. Famously, Guy Kawasaki even said […]
The post Every Creative Project Is a Revolving Door appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Krystal Lauk, an illustrator who took an unconventional path by creating illustrations for tech companies, and founded a studio that counts Google, Uber, Facebook and The New York Times among its clients. Itas a fascinating story of discovery and enterprise at what Krystal calls athe intersection of […]
The post The 21st Century Illustrator with Krystal Lauk appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Iave recently started taking one-to-one Japanese conversation lessons. It hasnat been easy. In fact, itas been a bit of a humbling experience. Between work and family responsibilities, I only have 30 minutes a day to study Japanese, and Iave spent this time every day for the past two years memorising kanji characters, vocabulary and grammar […]
The post You Have to be Bad to Get Good appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Cynthia Morris, a coach for creatives who shares insights on the book-writing process, based on her latest book The Busy Womanas Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. So if you are contemplating writing a book – whether itas your first one or your twenty-first – there is […]
The post Writing a World-Changing Book with Cynthia Morris appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
If you think about overhearing something, you probably think of listening to someone elseas conversation, whether deliberately or accidentally, and picking up a titbit of information that you would never otherwise have been privy to. It might be funny, or shocking or useful, or – as in the case of so many loud phone calls […]
The post The Art of Overhearing Yourself appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Emily Kimelman, a thriller author who has travelled the world in a boat and criss-crossed the USA in an Airstream trailer while writing and publishing her books, and selling hundreds of thousands of copies in the process. Emilyas adventurous spirit shines through in her writing as well […]
The post The Adventure of Writing with Emily Kimelman appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Charli XCX is preparing to release her new album Brat next month. The pop star held a surprise event in Brooklyn last week, and she was on last night’s episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. On her late-night television appearance, she fangirled over The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City’s Whitney Rose.
Last month, Other Half announced Dark Ageism, the follow-up to 2022’s Soft Action, which was our Album Of The Week. They shared the lead single aLifted Fingersa featuring Nada Surfas Matthew Caws, and now the Norwich indie rock trio is back with “Farm Games.”
The Melbourne alt-rock quartet Quivers gained some attention in 2021 when fellow Melbourne indie artist Courtney Barnett admitted her music video was a lot like theirs. Now they’ve signed to Merge for the release of new album Oyster Cuts, and lead single “Apparition” is quite nice. The slightly twangy, lackadaisical vibe puts them squarely in the Pavement zone a as do hooks that rhyme “oh my god, oh my god” with “everybody’s got, everybody’s got” and break out into a wordless “woo-ooh” melody. There’s also a bit of cheery early 2010s Grouplove/Of Monsters And Men-type energy in the song that I will forgive because it’s mighty catchy, because the guitars are extremely classic rock, and because I like the lyric “Do you turn into an apparition without the smoke?”
Fcukers, a trio from NYC making headblown electronic party music, recently signed to the Ninja Tune imprint Technicolor. Shanny Wise (vocals), Ben Scharf (drums), and Jackson Walker Lewis (bass, keys, production) are back today with “Bon Bon,” a wild new track that reminds me of Basement Jaxx or a I hate to say it about a song I’m enjoying a Die Antwoord. Except with a vocal element that strikes me as a bit indie-pop? I don’t know. It thumps, it bangs, it’s just begging to soundtrack a hedonistic movie montage. Getcha bon bon below.
Like the subject of its lead single, Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism comes and it goes, a quick pop workout that immediately does a Houdini-like escape act from staying power. The record is a frustrating listen: an album that it’s hard to find anything really wrong with, that’s packed to capacity with inarguable bangers, but that feels so, so inessential.
A couple months ago, the Akron band Annabel announced Worldviews, their first new album in nine years, and shared its lead single “Defense Mechanism.” They’ve since shared another song from it, the title track, and today they’re back with a third, “Dog.”
All music is the product of thoughts and feelings, but Tom Krell’s derives from so many thoughts, from emotions felt so deeply. Most albums released into the music industry slipstream are presented with some degree of “director’s commentary”-style guideposts explaining how to think about the work a interviews, press releases, an official biography a even before getting into the common language of cover art, music videos, stage visuals, merch, and social media posts. Music is an ancient form of human expression; popular music, especially in the internet era, tends to be a multimedia art project. Krell understands both points, and with How To Dress Well, the great creative endeavor of his life, he goes beyond the norm to give the world a little extra. Or maybe a lot. Extra is who he is. He pours his whole heart and mind into his records, and then he gives you detailed footnotes.
Last year, the Irish musician CMAT released her sophomore album, Crazymad, For Me. Today, she’s back with her first new single since then, “Ah, Shoot!” Here’s what she had to say about it:
FKA Twigs has been cast in The Carpenter’s Son, a new horror film about Jesus’ childhood. As Deadline reports, Twigs will play the role of “the Mother” — aka the Mary stand-in — opposite Nicolas Cage (who will play “the Carpenter”) and Noah Jupe (who will play “the Boy”). The film was written and directed by Lotfy Nathan, whose debut feature Harka premiered at Cannes in 2022.
Last month, Arooj Aftab announced her new album, Night Reign, arriving at the end of this month. The Pakistani artist shared the lead single “Raat Ki Rani,” and now she’s releasing “Whiskey.”
Over the past few months, The Flenser has been sharing tracks off the label’s forthcoming Low tribute compilation Your Voice Is Not Enough, with contributions by Have A Nice Life, Drowse & Lula Asplund, Planning For Burial, and Allison Lorenzen. Today, the California musician Kathryn Mohr — who we last heard from on the 2022 EP Holly — has offered up her take on “Cut,” from Low’s 1994 debut I Could Live In Hope.
A couple months ago, Rico Nasty teamed up with Boys Noize for an EP called HARDC0RE DR3AMZ, the latest in a series of collaborations that has included songs with Eyedress, the Drums, and 100 gecs. It’s been a couple years since Rico’s most recent solo album, though — 2022’s Album Of The Week-worthy Las Ruinas — and today she’s back with a new track of her own, “BLEACH BROWS,” which was produced by ilykimchi and coucouchloe. Check it out below.
Last month, the New England trio Perennial announced a new album, Art History, with “Action Painting,” which made our list of the five best songs of the week. The album’s title track was already featured on the surprise Lemon In Plastic EP from earlier this year, and today they’re back with another single, “Up-tight.” Check it out below.
The last Hinds album was 2020’s The Prettiest Curse. Since then, bassist Ade MartAn formed a side project called Shanghai Baby and then later left the band, along with drummer Amber Grimbergen. Now as a duo, the Spanish garage rock outfit is back with the announcement of their fourth album, Viva Hinds.
Mike Campbell has announced a new album with his band the Dirty Knobs. Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits will be released on June 14, and it includes guest appearances from Graham Nash, Lucinda Williams, Chris Stapleton, and Benmont Tench. Campbell’s two previous Dirty Knobs albums, Wreckless Abandon and External Combustion, came out in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
In 2021, Armlock released their debut album Trust, which glimmers with the cozy, idiosyncratic indie magic of Alex G. Today, the Australian duo is announcing its follow-up, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, which is their first for Run For Cover. The lead single “Ice Cold” is out now.
Last month, Draag announced their new EP Actually, the quiet is nice and released the bewitching lead single aOrb Weaver.a The LA shoegaze outfit has a knack for conjuring sweeping, mystical atmospheres, and they’ve done it again on their new song “Microgravity tank.”
Last year, GUM, the project of Tame Impala/Pond member Jay Watson, teamed up with Ambrose Kenny-Smith of King Gizzard and the Murlocs for a 7a3 single. Today, the Australian psych musicians announced a new collaborative album titled Ill Times.
Stereophonic, the Broadway play about a fictional ’70s rock band, was nominated for 13 Tony Awards last week. It features original songs written by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire — Butler picked up a nomination for Best Original Score (Music And/Or Lyrics) Written For The Theatre. (Winners will be announced at the Tony Awards ceremony in June.) The Stereophonic Original Cast Recording will be released digitally this Friday (a CD will follow right before the Tonys), and today we’re getting two songs from it, “Masquerade” and “Bright v1.”
Brandon Miguel Valdivia is a Nicaraguan-Canadian percussionist and composer who’s played in a bunch of Toronto bands. These days, he records as Mas Aya, and he sometimes collaborates with his partner, the Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta. In 2021, Pimienta guested on the Mas Aya track “Tiempo Ahora.” Today, Mas Aya announces a new album, and the first single is another team-up with Pimienta.
With her deep knowledge of history and literature, combined with her vulnerable, evocative lyrics, Myriam Gendron has the power to open emotional portals. There is something intangible about the sound of her voice, the phrasing of her words, and the chords she chooses that unlocks something within me, like few other musicians can.
Austin City Limits has announced its 2024 lineup. Billed as headliners this year are Dua Lipa, Tyler, The Creator, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Sturgill Simpson, and Pretty Lights.
Last year, OFF! released the FLSD EP. The year prior, Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, ex-Black Flag) and Dimitri Coats (ex-Burning Brides) announced the departure of Steven McDonald (Redd Kross, etc.) and Mario Rubalcaba (Hot Snakes, etc.). Now, the psychedelic punk supergroup is announcing farewell shows.
Last night, one of Drake’s security guards was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting outside the rapper’s mansion in Toronto’s affluent Bridle Path neighborhood. Toronto Sun reports that the 48-year-old victim was found unconscious following the 2:10AM shooting and taken in for emergency surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital. His injuries are not considered life-threatening. In their investigation, police have cordoned off the street in front of Drake’s house and it’s not clear whether Drake was home at the time of the shooting. No descriptions of the suspect or car have been reported.
Steve Perry has re-recorded the Journey deep cut “It Could Have Been You” with the Effect, a band whose members include Trevor Lukather (son of Toto’s Steve Lukather) and Nic Collins (son of Phil Collins). “It Could Have Been You” appeared on Journey’s 1986 album Raised On Radio.
In exactly a month’s time, Eels are releasing a new album called EELS TIME! We’ve heard two tracks from it so far — “Time” and “Goldy” — and today Mark Oliver Everett has another one out there, “If I’m Gonna Go Anywhere.” It’s another co-write with Tyson Ritter, the All-American Rejects frontman who Everett first started working with on the 2022 film Prisoner’s Daughter. E shared: “If youare gonna make a choice, why not make the nice choice?” Listen below.
It’s been five years since LA psych-rockers Wand released Laughing Matter, their last proper studio album. Frontman Cory Hanson has been cranking out solo music since then, including last year’s evocatively titled Western Cum. This summer, Wand will open a few shows for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they dropped a single called “Help Desk” a couple of months ago. Now, Wand have announced a new album that’s set to arrive this summer.
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