Episode #13: Start before you are ready, the scaffolding of meaning, and the existential habit of commoditising nature

Episode #13: Start before you are ready, the scaffolding of meaning, and the existential habit of commoditising nature

In this episode I realise how important meaning is as a way of organising my attention, reflect on the value of starting before I am ready in any creative endeavour and try to understand why human beings seek out quiet and stillness in nature only to fill it with noise. TL;DL 1:14 “The River Thames Project” and organising my attention to find flow 11:56 On humans and making noise in nature 19:15 A trip to Canada and the importance of starting before you are ready to start 29:04 The mysterious world of Connie Cyclonic Links to things I mentioned The paper on flow that I mention [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.70073] Sound of Silence podcast [https://www.soundofsilence.org.uk/] The imperfect portrait experiment [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCohOt2JenM] Two day Inner Critic Workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/pate/] Mask Workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/masks/] Solstice Festival at Samphire Hoe [https://beefriendlytrust.org/join-us-at-samphire-hoe-for-the-summer-solstice/] The written substack version of this episode can be read on my Substack. [https://stevexoh.substack.com/] If you're wondering why this is an accidental podcast then listen to the first 5 minutes of episode one [https://www.creativeadventures.uk/episode-1].   Comments, questions, requests and stuff to stevexoh@gmail.com [stevexoh@gmail.com]   (Total listening time 30’ 44”)

Episode #12: From midges to nuclear terror, the microtonal power of therapeutic art and the performative solemnity of the consummate professional

In this episode, encountering some midges on a run gets me reflecting on nuclear terror in the 1980s, I contemplate how therapeutic art works brilliantly in the gaps between words, and explore why acts of carnival are vital for weirdos trying to make a meaningful difference in the world.  TL;DL 02’ 06” A chain of thought from midges to 1980s nuclear terror 10’25”  The microtonal power of therapeutic art 18’ 18” The performative solemnity of the consummate professional 26’ 47”  Jackdaw invasion! 35’ 24” Upcoming workshops and Samphire Hoe Solstice Festival Links to things I mentioned Jonno Hanafin’s Percieved Weirdness Index [http://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Perceived-Weirdness-Index-Jonno-Hanafin.pdf] Unhurried moments podcast where I tell the story of that moment [https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unhurried-moments/episodes/Steve-Chapman---the-eerie-calm-that-settled-in-a-crisis-elfgug] Playing at the Edge Inner Critic Workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/pate/] Paper Cutting Workshop in Guildford [https://newhouse.art/events-listing/paper-cutting-workshop] Mask workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/masks/] Samphire Hoe Solstice Festival [http://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/solstice-both-scaled.jpg] The written substack version of this episode can be read on my Substack. [https://stevexoh.substack.com/] If you're wondering why this is an accidental podcast then listen to the first 5 minutes of episode one [https://www.creativeadventures.uk/episode-1].   Comments, questions, requests and stuff to stevexoh@gmail.com [stevexoh@gmail.com]   (Total listening time 37’ 53”)

Episode #11: Episode #11: Iridescent corvid secrets, the lost soul of Battersea and the art of the intentional ending

In this episode I investigate a strange fact I was sent about crows being rainbow coloured, explore impermanence and the art of ending projects at their peak, and lament the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and what that can teach us about the dangers of “golf-course creativity.” TL;DL 04’ 32”  I got sent a weird book about Rooks 08’ 36”  Are crows in fact rainbow coloured? 12’ 43”  The art of the intentional ending 25’ 04”  The lost soul of Battersea Power Station 34’ 33”  The Creatively Eccentric Podcast 35’ 37”  Details about forthcoming Open Studio events Links to things I mentioned Fred Deakin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/freddeak.in/?hl=en] Lemon Jelly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_Jelly] Talking Jim Reilly on the Glen Dye Podcast [https://open.spotify.com/episode/798Oy6kJqt7HT694Zl1lI4?si=1e5b6fff73094fd8] The Creatively Eccentric Podcast [https://pod.link/1842120062/episode/YWVlOWZjZGItNGQzMC00MGMxLTllNjQtMmY4MmYxMzU5OGFl] Details about Open Studios [https://www.somethingsidid.com/studio] Buy stuff in my shop [https://www.shop.canscorpionssmoke.com/] Buy me a coffee (support this podcast) [https://buymeacoffee.com/stevexoh] The written substack version of this episode can be read on my Substack. [https://stevexoh.substack.com/] If you're wondering why this is an accidental podcast then listen to the first 5 minutes of episode one [https://www.creativeadventures.uk/episode-1].   Comments, questions, requests and stuff to stevexoh@gmail.com   (Total listening time 36’ 49”)

Episode #10: Decenary threshold guardians, the totem of aloneness and my distant uncle who was a happy little stomach on a stick

In this episode I try to resist doing anything special for episode ten but end up going down a decenary rabbit hole, I reflect on the difference between aloneness and loneliness and rethink the brain’s role in creativity through getting to know a primitive sea creature. TL;DL 3’ 12”     Why does the number 10 feel so significant anyway? 9 ’42”     A story of transforming lonliness into solitude on a remote island 26 ’20”  The human brain and the happy little stomach on a stick 32’ 35”  Come hang out in my brain 33’ 22”  Bad crow biology Links to things I mentioned The Ocracoke Art Adventure [https://ocracokeart.squarespace.com/] The article about "The British artists" in the Ocracoke Observer [https://ocracokeobserver.com/2023/03/01/british-artists-discover-the-magic-of-ocracoke/] 7 ½ lessons about the brain book [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48930266-seven-and-a-half-lessons-about-the-brain?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=wYSIdWFWwO&rank=4] "Towards a social psychology of loneliness" paper [https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2017/07/Perlman-Peplau-81.pdf] Upcoming workshops (Masks, musical improv, paper cutting) [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/events/] Details about my forthcoming Open Studio [https://www.somethingsidid.com/studio] The written substack version of this episode can be read on my Substack. [https://stevexoh.substack.com/] If you're wondering why this is an accidental podcast then listen to the first 5 minutes of episode one [https://www.creativeadventures.uk/episode-1]. Comments, questions, requests and stuff to stevexoh@gmail.com (Total listening time 34' 26”)

Episode #9: Memes vs art, a love affair with the Thames and the existential importance of being bored

In this episode I express my love of the River Thames through the metaphor of a storybook with the bridges as the chapters, explore the difference between art culture and meme culture, and reflect on boredom as a powerful indicator of living a meaningful life. TL;DL 2’ 41”     A trip to St Leonards and the Hong Kong  valley of the spiders 6 ’02”     A love affair with the Thames 15’ 16”   The existential importance of boredom 17’ 33”   Readings from my old school reports 27’ 07”   Memes vs art 37’ 26”   Support the show and a soabox bit about podcasts 39’ 44”   Jim the Podcast Sherpa Links to things I mentioned Seething Wells [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seething_Wells] 10 Year plan prints [https://www.shop.canscorpionssmoke.com/product/10-year-plan-limited-a4-art-silk-print/] My shop [https://www.shop.canscorpionssmoke.com/] Podcast with Jim the Podcast Sherpa [https://shows.acast.com/the-sherpas-podcast-picks/episodes/an-on-purpose-chat-with-artistwriter-steve-chapmancreative-a] My next mask workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/masks/] Super Secret Musical Improv Workshop [https://www.canscorpionssmoke.com/super-secret-musical-improv/]My online shop [https://www.shop.canscorpionssmoke.com/] Become a patron of my studio [https://www.shop.canscorpionssmoke.com/product/become-a-studio-two-patron/] Buy me a coffee (from £1) [https://buymeacoffee.com/stevexoh] The written substack version of this episode can be read on my Substack. [https://stevexoh.substack.com/] If you're wondering why this is an accidental podcast then listen to the first 5 minutes of episode one [https://www.creativeadventures.uk/episode-1]. Comments, questions, requests and stuff to stevexoh@gmail.com (Total listening time 41’ 46”)