If you want to get stuff made regularly, get your duty on and work out who you're doing it for. In this episode, Leila addresses the common misconception that creative work always has to follow on from an urge, or desire. She explains why you can never put your hopes in motivation – it won't stick around. Get a routine, and do it for someone el ...…

How do you get inspired in the least inspiring circumstances? I answer a listener's question about staying creative even when exhausted and miles from home, this week – bringing in a mixture of my own experience and reading, as ever. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between e ...…

Emma Bearman founded Playful Leeds – now Playful Anywhere, and is the proud proprietor of the Playbox, a shipping container full of surprises, entertainment and imaginative potential that turns up in public spaces all over Yorkshire. Emma also founded The Culture Vulture, the very successful magazine site rounding up the best of the Leeds arts ...…

A short but packed episode where I explain why you should create, rather than simply drink up experiences; why you may not be using your community to the full (but feel like you are) and why our constraints really do set us free. To discuss any of these ideas and more, get in touch via editor@hackcircus.com, or on social media (@hackcircus and ...…

This week I meet showmen and fairground archivists at the National Fairground & Circus Archive in Sheffield, and learn about the fascinating and community-minded history of travelling show people of the UK. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca Lionel Bathe's photos of fairgrounds https://patcollinsfunfairs.co.uk/ Anthony Harris (Youngest wall of de ...…

We need to look closely at what we're trying to protect, about ourselves, whenever we feel fearful of making big steps in our creative lives. When we really examine the anxiety, it often turns out to be a case of building a wall around a part of us that is in fact, totally dispensable. There's plenty more of us where that came from! We can take ...…

Neil Mullarkey is known as one of the Comedy Store Players – the famous long-running improv troupe with their own theatre in central London. He also works with brands and businesses, helping the corporate environment to benefit from the agility of improvisational thought. In this fun chat we discuss (among other things) Neil's creative backgrou ...…

To share your work and reach a wider audience, you have to be prepared to relinquish some of it. Leila explains the problem and suggests some ways to do this more effectively, in this short episode. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or just tell a friend about it! In between episodes (uploaded every Thursday) y ...…

Mike is a mindfulness teacher based on the Isle of Man. Mindfulness and meditation are portrayed as serene but it can also be a serious confrontation with the self which brings a raw, often brutal, truth to the surface. We discuss the reality of mindfulness – processing negative emotions that rise up, the positive breaking down of the self, how ...…

We all have our dreams – run a gallery, open a cafe, do a Masters degree, learn a language... Most of us are lazy and distracted and never quite seem to get off the blocks, but serial entrepreneur, curator and marketing guru Valentina Fois has made all these dreams come true, and more. Valentina's new cafe, Lele's (in Clapton, East London) is o ...…

Sometimes it seems like we have the wrong number of ideas: too many or not enough, and the flow is totally beyond our control. This week Leila has some tips for keeping your neverending stream of brain gunk in check, and answers a listener question about notebooks and sketchbooks. How do you use yours? If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to ...…

Rhodri Marsden has his finger in many creative and media pies. A journalist for publications including The Independent, writer of talks and books, keyboardist in Scritti Politti and Dream Themes, musical saw player, and prolific and entertaining tweeter with a huge following, he's constantly generating new material and surrounded by creative pe ...…

This week we tackle some issues around turning your hobby into a more serious enterprise. How to think about 'turning professional' in a way that will prepare you for the realities of it, plus the most important skill you'll need to learn when trying to get into full time creative work. Plus a note on failure and confidence as applied to your b ...…

This week we meet Alex Heminsley, or "Hemmo" – author, reviewer, wit and champion of women in sports. We discuss a life of challenges, sportiness, glamour, creativity and humour in this entertaining chat. Alex is incredibly inspiring; she sets herself goals and goes for them. She is the author of the best-selling Running Like A Girl, the true s ...…

Self doubt is one of the most common things I get asked about, and it comes in all kinds of disguises. I think anxiety about presenting your work to the public is often about self-consciousness, and getting rid of thoughts of oneself is often the key to overcoming nerves. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTunes, or ju ...…

This week we meet Simon Munnery, who you've probably come across on TV, radio or the live circuit doing his characters The League Against Tedium or Alan Parker Urban Warrior, or one of his experimental shows. Simon is a distinguished comic, highly acclaimed for his original wit and outlandish performances. He's also a maker, a fixer and a forme ...…

Leila addresses a couple of positivity paradoxes this week. When it comes to getting on with a creative project, we might have been trained rather unhelpfully to think about our audiences, and think about ourselves. These tips are intended to help you get something done this week. If you enjoy Hack Circus, don’t forget to rate or review on iTun ...…

This is the second half of a long chat I had with the incredibly inspiring Mary Turner Thomson; check out part 1 first, if you haven't already. Mary’s tale of living with a sociopathic liar is unlike anything you've heard before – but the way she has overcome this appalling experience makes her the true star of the story. Raising children witho ...…

This week's Creativity Clinic looks at the importance of telling your own story and occupying your own space, and explains why failing big is an important rite of passage for any creative. hackcircuspodcast.com Tune in again on Thursday for the interview episode! And remember you can subscribe to the Creativity Clinic newsletter, here: leilajoh ...…

This is the first half of a long chat I had with the incredibly inspiring Mary Turner Thomson; tune in next week for the second episode. Mary’s story of living with a psychopathic con artist is truly extraordinary, but not as extraordinary as the way she has overcome this appalling experience. She emanates positivity and dignity, determined to ...…

Most of us are experts at blaming things, people or situations for our misfortunes. Sometimes this is justifiable, but just because it sometimes proves true, Leila argues, doesn't mean that we shouldn't suspect every argument against our creative progress for being a potential excuse. Additionally, one of the reasons we are so quick to blame is ...…

Does making stuff all the time feed your energy or sap it? In this week's Creativity Clinic, Leila takes a question about the Hack Circus project itself, and talks publicly for the first time about some of the joys and drawbacks of taking on something so ambitious over the last three years. If you're enjoying these episodes, please rate or revi ...…

Sarah Smizz is an artist, medic and PhD student, based in Sheffield. Sarah was recently awarded Radiography Student of the Year, and has just begun a PhD all about creative practice in medical care. Sarah is a creative across the board, with experience as a writer, rapper, graffiti artist, cartoonist, comedian and poet. She has an amazing work ...…

A slightly different kind of episode this week. I've decided to try a 'creativity clinic', answering listeners' questions submitted online. If you have something you'd love to know, or an area you'd like me to tackle, get in touch by email – editor@hackcircus.com, on twitter @hackcircus, facebook hackcircuspodcast, or instagram @hackcircus. Thi ...…

Flamenco dancer Rosamaria Cisneros Kostic discusses her craft, how to stay grounded, calm and physically aware in a hectic world, and the fascinating dance/tech research she's involved with at C-DaRE in Coventry. Rosa grew up in the U.S. but has lived and worked all over the world. She's a professional dancer, dance historian and critic, Roma s ...…

This week I chat to Sheffield-based leadership coach and award-winning close-up magician, Steve Faulkner. Steve advises businesses and individuals, helping them to find their direction, and build good habits into their lives. Steve is also a highly accomplished performer whose fascinating background spans circus training, street performing in C ...…

iTunes link Direct download This week Leila is in Finland, investigating Helsinki's creative technology community. You'll meet Rambo of the Helsinki Hacklab, Ashish Mohite – a designer 3D printing with ceramics at the Aalto University Digital Design Laboratory, and Erik Parr, an artist working with all sorts of cool stuff, including glass-smash ...…

This week we chat to writer and editor Simon Ings. Simon has just written a non-fiction book about science research under Stalin's regime. We talk about the plight of the scientists, the problem of metricised governing, and why Russia's plans were often far more rational than they later seemed. These complex issues are brought to life brilliant ...…

Download this episode This week we meet friend of Hack Circus, science comedian Helen Keen! You may know her from her Radio 4 series It Is Rocket Science. As well as being an established comedy writer and performer on the circuit, Helen is the author of The Science of Game of Thrones, which is out today. Helen is a highly experienced writer and ...…

This week I chat to Dr Sean Power, a philosopher based in Ireland. Sean has a keen interest in the study of time, and how it relates to presentism and eternalism. He often collaborates with artists, scientists and hackers, and knows a lot about sci-fi movies too! Sean is on Twitter @jdepaor and you can find out more about him and read some of h ...…

This week we catch up with Welsh-Iraqi comedian, actor, writer and all-round supercreative Nadia Kamil who is now living and working in LA. She's known for her double act with Luke Roberts, 'The Behemoth', a string of hit Edinburgh shows, and 'The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society'. In 2014, Nadia played the petulant flight attendant in Stars ...…

This is the second half of an in-depth two-part chat with Steve Punt. A well-known British comedy writer and performer, Steve is a regular on BBC Radio (especially The Now Show), and known for his comedy partnership with Hugh Dennis and work on phenomenally popular topical satire TV show, The Mary Whitehouse Experience, which he also starred in ...…

This is the first of an in-depth two-part chat with Steve Punt. A well-known British comedy writer and performer, Steve is a regular on BBC Radio (especially The Now Show), and known for his comedy partnership with Hugh Dennis and work on phenomenally popular topical satire TV show, The Mary Whitehouse Experience, which he also starred in, back ...…

In this episode, Leila talks to archivist and writer Arike Oke. Arike looks after the archive at Rambert, one of the UK's leading contemporary dance companies, where Leila completed a residency earlier this year. They talk storytelling, dance and the challenges of acting as the custodian of the invisible, and plumb some of the fascinating and u ...…

Earlier this year, your host was the first digital artist in residence at Rambert, one of the UK's leading contemporary dance companies. In this episode, Leila talks technology, learning, mastery, driving, injuries and more with two of the world class dancers she's been working with: Liam Francis and Hannah Rudd. Look out for more episodes feat ...…

Currently in residence at Sheffield's Site Gallery, artists Anna Chrystal Stephens and Glen Stoker are interested in survival and empowerment. Their residency began with a 60 mile walk across town and country, living off the land and slowing down their thinking, before arriving at the door of the gallery full of inspiration and in need of a sho ...…

My big project for September is called How To Live Forever. I've gone rogue as the Hack Circus Ringmaster and created a kind of "solo album..." I've been reading a load of stuff about death (and life) and 'transhumanism' and talking to loads of interesting experts about longevity and technology, trying to get a few different sides of the issue ...…

In this episode, Leila catches up with Heather Fenoughty at her home in Sheffield. For composer and sound designer Heather, everything from the bathroom fan to the dishwasher seems carefully placed: "To me, the world is sound designed". Find out how to manipulate people's emotions with music, which came first – the lyricist or the composer, why ...…

It's series two! This series of podcasts explore the magical in everyday life. This time Leila meets Nick Davies, hypnotist and hypnotherapist, Director of the Warwickshire School of Hypnotherapy and creator of the BLAST therapy technique for resolving trauma. Learn how to put yourself into a more receptive state, and find out a little about th ...…

LJ Rich is a classically-trained composer, music technologist and journalist who has recently started speaking publicly about her synaesthesia and perfect pitch. Everything in LJ's world is musical, and she shares some of her extraordinary experiences in this exclusive interview – which includes an original composition based on part of this con ...…

Leila meets the writer Warren Ellis, whose prolific output includes Transmetropolitan and Gun Machine. They talk comics, sleep patterns, scepticism, "wearable shirts", whisky, and this great age of technological boredom.

In this episode Leila meets magician Mike Stoner to talk weddings, podcasts, telepathy, making things interesting, choosing volunteers – and how magicians need to master the art of *selling* before they even pick up a pack of cards. Mike brings some tricks along, and needless to say, Leila's mind is blown. More about Mike at: www.magician-4-hir ...…

In the third episode of the Hack Circus podcast, Leila Johnston meets Joe Banks from Rorschach Audio, a fascinating sound artist who has been researching acoustic illusions, EVP and everything to do with the psychology of sound, for many years. For more about the new issue & next event – see hackcircus.com.…

In the first episode of the new Hack Circus podcast, Leila catches up with her friend Helen Zaltzman from the well-known podcast 'Answer Me This' (and many other things). They chat about making, painting, Jewishness, mirrors, driving and much more – and the Ludic Rooms pop in with some circuit-bending tips for beginners. For more about the new ...…

Leila chats to Nick Drage, a former 'pentester' who reguarly donned disguises and false identities in order to test the physical security of organisations. This intriguing chat explores the psychology of infiltration, and Nick offers some advice for others aspiring to do this mysterious and exciting job. More from Nick in the new issue & next e ...…