A short bonus episode showcasing a few stand out moments from this week's guest interview with Kyle Wilkison ~ 

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[00:00:00] Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. This is a bonus, episode 30, and actually bonus episode number 98 in total. As you know, v these things, I am back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, pulling out those moments that deserve a second look, and digging deep in what makes them special.

'cause I'm always on the lookout for the moments and ideas that hit differently this week. I welcome back Kyle Wilkinson, a multidisciplinary designer and the founder of House of Thrills. in the episode, published a few days ago was titled Dare to Choose Your Own Problems, and we covered a lot of ground in getting the info from behind the scenes of and what it takes to build a solo show in 90 days.

 If you haven't checked out a full interview, and if you are building something this year or thinking about stuff, definitely give it a go, but if you haven't listened to it, let me start with these four moments that stood out from our conversation. 

Kyle p2: there's a beauty in the naivety to, to things [00:01:00] when you put yourself in a, a position of, I don't necessarily know what I'm doing or what I'm getting into because I think the outcome. Is is often better. I, I heard something from Noel Gallagher recently, and it really hit where he, he were talking about, don't look back in anger, and he wrote that on a Sunday night or whatever, just picked up his ga guitar and, and wrote it and. He was saying that if he understood the enormity of that song whilst writing it, it would've never been written because he would've put himself too much under too much pressure to just get it out and to get it right and to metic, meticulously, like craft every word. He just did it and then put it down, put his guitar down and off.

He went to pub or whatever he did. And I think there's a beauty in that naivety and, and, and the, the unknown and putting yourself in them scenarios where. You've, you can just create freely. And in this, in my scenario is that, yes, I didn't understand getting into it, but if I'd have known at the start, oh, it's gonna cost this much money, then that would've probably held me back from doing it because I would've [00:02:00] gone, oh shit, what if it didn't work out? Oh, 

Wow. I loved this moment because this quote beautifully summarizes the paradoxes of creative ambition. When you know too much, it can be paralyzing. Kyle mentioned in, don't look back in anger. Being a song that was just written on a Sunday without really understanding the eventual cultural impact is massive imaginative.

Noel knew what he was doing, that he was writing one of the defining anthems. the pressure would potentially froze in his creative process. And actually remember listening to quite a few interviews, Noel Gallagher, because he's always a good value to listen, say ' cause he will give you some insights and some real dry, dressing down for some famous people.

 But I remember that he said some of the songs that. They become the most popular of that time where literally of like, yeah, can you ride, a B side? And he wrote a master plan [00:03:00] I'm not an Oasis fan, but obviously these tracks have been monumental and I know some why most of them and what they've become, and it's a great parallel that Kyle used that knowing the enormity of what you're creating can really trip you up.

 Because there are two polarizing opposites of being in a business or being creative. Some people can drive with their eyes shut or they can drive in the dark. Some people need to see a mile ahead, otherwise they can't move.

 And there is somewhere in between, I think is the sweet spot because you can't, you can't drive in the dark forever. You know, you can't be naively working on stuff forever because that would ultimately give you tons of mistakes. But then equally like, if you know exactly what you're doing, seeing Miles ahead, it can, you know, just make the journey either.

unenjoyable. It can make you freeze [00:04:00] and potentially paralyze you. So with Kyle's popup and his 90 day commitment timeline. He kind of, yeah, he didn't really comprehend what he was getting into. You know, how much of his budget could go wrong. You know, what the production times can be, the plan of 12 weeks being half to six because of, you know, production timelines.

 All of that adds up to problem solving and firefighting in a way that. Made to show what it was and not necessarily having a full plan of where he needed to go with it. And I think that's the exciting part because seeing a mile ahead and knowing everything could potentially make the cortisol level a bit, um, less spiky, shall we say.

And the nights potentially slept better, but where would the fund be? Right. I'm sure you agree.

Yeah. 

Kyle p2: That's exactly why I think pressure is a privilege. I, it is [00:05:00] ultimately you're putting yourself in that position that you're under pressure. But what a situation to be in. I've put myself in a position that I can create a show in London on under my own steam and do what I want with it. that's a privilege.

Like that's amazing. It's an immense amount of pressure. Course it is. But what, what a ride, what an experience and irrelevant of the outcome, the memories that are built from it, and the kind of experience and emotional kind of, growth from it. Is worth every step and every painful kind of part of the process.

 The reason why I've chosen a title debt to choose your own problems is loosely linked to a chapter in my, one of my previous books titled Creativity for Sale, where I talked about the fact that when you create your own business, when you create your own entity.

You can choose your own problems. You can choose the reasons why you want to stay up, not up late and solve something that, um, [00:06:00] can give you a ride or headache. Because when you're employed, when you're choosing, when you, when you're solving someone else's problems, not your problem. You don't really care that much about it.

It's a manufactured problem. And then you have to kind of. Go with it and have all sorts of regrets or second thoughts about a situation. Whereas talking about Kyle's show and having to the privilege of creating your own pressure is a moment that validates what we do. Because the theme of the show, as Kyle told me, and it was documented quite well, and as it was documented through the promo.

 The theme of the show was about dopamine, how we are addicted to it, and what is our relationship to dopamine for digital devices through our work, through the ways of work in society. And pressure is technically one way of dopamine sourcing because, You know, [00:07:00] creating your own problems and solving them gives you the validation, gives you that sort of 360 cycle, and there's something about it.

Because being able to do this, being able in a position where you can choose your own problems, ultimately adds up to the picture of one success. This brings me back to the episode with Rachel Gel. pictured have success in an almost a sort of infographic diagram saying, you know, I do different things in a way that I can choose them to do.

Not in a way I can choose to do them, in my own way, rather in a way that someone else tolds me. So. the standout moment is very much about ownership and authorship. ' cause when we choose our own problems, even when those problems involves watching your budget double or questioning yourself at 3:00 AM you are still the leader of the story, the author, and that authorship, that agency and self-determination is precisely what Kyle identified as a privilege, even when it was at [00:08:00] times a little bit painful.

Kyle p2: So I think once you have that grounding root of your own kind of personal beliefs and principles within the work, the work can then go off into any direction, that you see fit or would like to search down.

And for me, with creativity, especially with when you get a client brief, if you know the answer at the start of the project, then you're doing it wrong. Because it's not about, not if you, you're not creating anything, you're just replicating something that you've, either you've done before, you're resting on your laurels, you're in a CA certain scenario that.

You know what you're doing. The, the, the whole point of creativity is to create something, to make something. And it's like, it's like knowing the answer to the jigsaw puzzle before you've, you've, you've started, you, that's not the point of the, the game. 

when you think about what clients want from creative suppliers, they often go and want to see the previous proof of work to make sure that whatever they think they require is going to be. Done. [00:09:00] Well, that sort of, when you see creators building their portfolios to demonstrate their ability to deliver specific outcomes, it's kind of, it's the backbone of the creative infrastructures because.

 People get commission on predictability and prove. But in this instance, Kyle, I think challenges it quite beautifully because he believes that the idea is backwards, through creativity by definition involves not knowing the moment you know the answer. The beginning, you've already constrained the what could be seen as solution or to what you've done or what you've seen others do.

and during this moment, Kyle was using metaphor of a rainforest that you have to be willing to sit in the dark in crowded spaces. Being in sort of feeling the uncomfortable of not knowing, to eventually break through the canopy into the light because.

Let's be honest again, moment of truth that most creatives [00:10:00] avoid this discomfort by staying in familiar territory and in this democratization of design, creativity, branding, cross pollination of ideas. Familiar is safe and familiar, gets across the line to do something which is weird and unknown. Can really feel uncomfortable, but what's different gets noticed.

Yes. This is the homage to our friends from Ragged Edge. What's different gets noticed And in this instance, Kyle challenged his mindset beautifully because he's never created this type of artwork before.

He's never created wooden sculptures. He's never put an event like this, and Kyle was my guest, number one in the original season of the podcast, and I remember when I asked him like, what's next? He says, I'm gonna do a gallery.

 I didn't bring into the conversation because I forgot and we focused on the now. But it's amazing how he's been projecting and [00:11:00] visualizing what he wanted to do. And even though he didn't have the answers year and a half ago, two years ago, followed on the process and he's followed on the idea and made it happen.

Kyle p2: people often ask what, what? Do you worry about what people think about your work?

And to me it's like we create the platform for opinion. So we create a piece of work for, to allow people to allow others to have an opinion. I would so, so much rather be on the pitch playing the game than being the stands, throwing their opinions about, I wanna be on the game, I wanna be on the pitch, playing the game.

Every single time. And sometimes I will play badly or some people will think I shouldn't be playing and that's fine 'cause I'm still gonna play. And, and I think that once you hit that bar, that only comes from that kind of self, self-confidence. and I'm not quite sure what it is, but that kind of hitting that bar of, I'm gonna create this for me and hit a standard that I expect of myself.

And then if, if that [00:12:00] results in a positive or negative outcome, it doesn't really matter. obviously you're human, you want it to be positive, but it's better that you still play the game. 

I mean, I don't even have to say too much of this, right, because he's already said it in his in, in the standout moment. How many times do we get judged by people who have absolutely no foggy idea about what to do and how to do it, but they still have an opinion on stuff that we do or you do. And. In Karl instance is like, I'd rather be in the unknown and the uncomfortable getting to do this stuff.

 Rather than, you know, be to passing traffic, because I love that. When we, and during the conversation he said that there was a piece of work in the show where someone said, in Kyle's words, he said that someone really summarized beautifully. What they [00:13:00] seen, you know, as a barn of his pieces, as a, as a part of a sophisticated social commentary.

 And then somebody else says, why the fuck would you want a skull on your wall? And those both reactions are valid, but those are just reactions. There's not someone who's making the work, making it exist. And during the conversation with Kyle and during many conversations prior to the show, you know, happening on the phone, We had a lot of chat about why to even start the show and why to do it and to actually create something because there are not many people doing stuff right now on that scale in this sort of way. Because Let's rewind back 10, 15, 20 years ago. And that was what we used to do. We create as a norm because the digital alternative wasn't available and it's kind of. Disheartening in a way that whatever happens these days as an experience or [00:14:00] something like an event, we're talking about, you know, general sort of corporate events, creative corporate events.

The creativity part is so minuscule and the biggest noise about a show is not about a work or how it influences people. We just got. Teenage content creators running around, making reels about how they, you know, came to see something. And it's almost them justifying the free train tickets to come to the show.

 So this is not to speak sort of, of ill, of how, how things work right now, but it's the fact of. how do we make people feel and how do we still very much have the ability to get people to be part of something really exciting and actually make people feel something like it happened in the past.

So if you haven't listened to the full episode with Kyle, are very much encouraged to do so. It's it's full [00:15:00] of artist determination and how we made it happen. And thanks for joining me on this bonus episode, and I'll see you on the next one.