Country Creatives

Episode 024. Seasons in Creative Careers

Caleb and Reece have reconvened to bring you a brand new episode for 2023.  The duo are catching up on where they find themselves in business and life which instigates a great discussion on embracing different seasons in your creative journey.  They explore where opportunities for career growth might be hiding in plain sight, figuring out which opportunities to pick up or put down and how you might integrate them into your ever-changing creative career.  

Episode 023: How to have difficult conversations in business

Reece & Caleb are revisiting the tricky business of difficult conversation in a work environment in this encore episode of Country Creatives.If you struggle with asking your clients 'what is your budget?'. If you find it hard to put boundaries in when they ask you 'for just a little change', if you find your ego in the drivers seat when a client doesn't like the work you deliver, or when a project simply all goes a bit awry and you need to pick up the pieces pronto, then this episode is for you. Using real life situations from their own creative careers, Reece and Caleb unpack communication fails and troubleshoot how to ensure better outcomes as well as sharing their key strategies and scripts for all too common pitfalls when navigation the client/creative relationship.
The link to the book referenced by Reece in the episode can be found at:https://www.booktopia.com.au/twelve-and-a-half-gary-vaynerchuk/book/9780063203839.html

Episode 022: ENCORE Lauren Starr

In this encore episode Caleb and Reece are revisiting a chat they had with Bendigo creative on the rise Lauren Starr.  This talk occurred just before Lauren took out Australia's richest art prize so tune in to get some incredible motivation and inspiration from this incredible prize winning creative.
Lauren discusses how Bendigo has influenced her art and the creative goldmine that she has found in embracing her shadow side. There is also some great insight into how Lauren has struck a fantastic balance between artist and day job until she is ready to make the flip to full-time and she also gives Reece and Caleb the scoop on what creative adventures lie just on the horizon.

Episode 021.ENCORE Troy Firebrace

Caleb and Reece are revisiting a few of their compelling conversations and discussions from 2022 starting with their first ever guest on the podcast- Troy Firebrace.
Troy Firebrace is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung man making incredible visual art via his company Firebrace Designs. In this episode of Country Creatives Caleb and Reece find out about Troy's path to creating a significant and varied artistic career.  They learn about the process and motivation underpinning his evolving practice on canvas and on walls whilst juggling his work as an Aboriginal Educational Officer at Sandhurst Catholic Education Office Bendigo.  Recorded on 26 January 2022, this interview also contains some fantastic discussion around this current public holiday in Australia and other invaluable insight from this generous and talented guest.
 

Episode 020: The 2022 Wrap Up

Say sayonara to the year that was and contemplate your creative year to come with the latest Country Creatives podcast episode. Reece and Caleb are tying a big festive bow on 2022 with a chat about their personal highlights from the year that was, including some of the guest conversations that have really stuck with them.  The duo then look forward to their plans and aspirations for 2023.  

Episode 019. Craig Barker

In a career that has so far seen him move from teaching in the education system, to creating a successful freelance stock video production business, to finding a current place as the creative director of a fast growing online platform, Craig Barker is a country creative with a whole lot of ingenuity, curiosity and business skills to spare, as we find when he joins Caleb and Reece for their final podcast episode for the year.
 
In this fascinating chat, Craig discusses the choices, work ethic and processes that have helped him make the move from primary school teacher to the biggest producer of stock video footage in Australia, then transform from solo operator to content creation roles inside larger businesses. Caleb and Reece then uncover how Craig built on the sum of all these skills to now remotely manage content creators and other contributors from all over the world from his home in Bendigo, alongside tips for managing teams and productivity tools to make the whole experience a breeze.  

Episode 018. Check-in chat

As we begin to wind down to the end of the year, Caleb & Reece are grabbing a beer and sitting down for a bit of a check-in chat.  First up they talk with honesty about a situation familiar to many creatives at this time of the year- the financial black hole that can open up when clients, and their money, go on Summer holidays.   Thankfully Caleb has some very recent experience staring down, and then solving, this very problem in his own video production company.  Reece has been venturing into his home shed, aka laboratory, to invent some new ideas for future podcast episodes and Caleb also shares a huge creative win.
Sit back and relax as Caleb and Reece cover some great creative business learning, some laughing and then round it out with some table tennis talk.

Episode 017. Burn Out- What is it and how to get out of it.

Reece and Caleb speak candidly about an all too common occurrence for creatives - Burn Out.  They look at what it is, how to recognise it, what might be causing it, and drawing from their own experiences, some of the ways that you might work through it to a brighter side.  This is important work for all creatives who want to cultivate long enriched careers, so go easy on yourself and settle in here for some empathy and wisdom.

Episode 016. Megan Champion

Caleb and Reece discuss the invisibility of female artists and the devaluing of women's work with creative Megan Champion, founder of not for profit organisation 'We Are Untold'. Megan shares how she is building a business that utilises storytelling and visual art to ensure that the achievements of females working across all sectors is visible, valued and held up as vitally important. Megan talks about her Women of Gold program that is creating role models for the present day, stories that will become required historical learnings for future generations, as well as ensuring female art is paid for appropriately and displayed in prominent locations. There are more than a couple of mic drop moments as Megan turns the questions on Reece and Caleb and they delve deep into how we can all play a big role in shifting the needle on gender equality and eradicating the motherhood penalty. Listen in now and perhaps bring a notepad and pen, it's a big one.

Episode 015: Kylie Eddy

Kylie Eddy's presentation and workshop at Conflux Bendigo (A creative industries event held in regional Victoria in September 2022) was a highlight for so many of the participants including Caleb and Reece.  So much so, that they asked Kylie to join them in this episode to give us the lowdown on Lean Filmmaking, a revolutionary method for making feature films (or short films, book publishing or many other creative projects) using Agile processes.  In the past, gatekeepers like studios, distributors and exhibitors had the power to dictate which films got made and what audiences saw on screens. They’ve had a notorious reputation for silencing marginalized voices, discouraging diversity and lacking inclusivity. But as Kylie explains in this in-depth chat, you don’t need permission from the gatekeepers to make your film anymore.   Tune in now to discover a whole new way of working that puts collaboration, fans and story at the forefront.