5 inspiring podcast episodes for designers
All images courtesy of Clever podcast.
If you’ve ever been in a slump — a creative block if you will — sometimes listening to other creative people overcome struggles and obstacles, or forge a new path, can be incredibly inspiring. At a time when everything feels distanced or disconnected, listening to someone tell their story in their own words can provide comfort and help us feel connected.
Clever podcast focuses on the humanity in art and design — how creativity keeps us connected — through candid and revealing conversations with creatives. Here are five must-listen episodes you’ll want to bookmark ASAP:
Podcast #1: MoMA’s Senior Curator of Architecture & Design, Paola Antonelli
In this episode, Paola Antonelli traces her path from the design culture of Milan to New York City, where she landed a dream job, curating design exhibitions and acquisitions for the Museum of Modern Art. She discusses how we learn about and view the world through objects. Exploring societal and cultural topics like death, fluidity, data, algorithms, and more, she believes cultural institutions, like museums, are the R&D of society. One of the most interesting and perhaps unique acquisitions at MoMA in recent years was the ”@” symbol. Read the fascinating blog post about it here and see more of her work here.
Photo credit: Michael Poehlman.
Podcast #2: Graphic Designer Aaron Draplin
In this podcast recorded at a previous live Adobe MAX event, graphic designer Aaron Draplin is unabashedly honest, incredibly charming, and fun-loving. Definitely one of our favorite interviews, he highlights his journey from Detroit to Minneapolis, how music inspires his work, and how he works hard to take care of his people. Read the best advice he’s ever been given and more here.
Photo credit: Victor G. Jeffreys II.
Podcast #3: Designer Stefan Sagmeister
What can we say about this legend other than he has inspired so many great designers with his work, honesty, and clear direction. Recorded at last year’s Adobe MAX event, Stefan Sagmeister serves us some honest advice about sabbaticals, being happy, and having optimism.
Podcast #4: Cognitive Neuroscientist Sahar Yousef
This is a must-listen for anyone who struggles with balancing technology and creativity. Sahar Yousef explains how a fascination for consciousness at a young age drove her to study philosophy and then neuroscience. Using these superpowers, she helps people maximize their potential so they can do their best work and be more creative. Sometimes that means learning when to stop working or when to silence your phone so you can stop draining your brain!
Podcast #5: Designer of Joy, Ingrid Fetell-Lee
One of our favorite episodes for its unbridled optimism was our chat with Ingrid Fetell-Lee. In this podcast, the author and former IDEO designer discusses the differences between happiness and joy and the ways in which we can inject more joyful moments into our lives through design and art. Listen to learn more about the profound effects that our surroundings have on our well-being. It might just change the way you look at the world.
These are just five of over 125 inspiring episodes! Listen to all of the episodes here and also sign up for the newsletter at cleverpodcast.com. Subscribe to Clever here and follow Clever on Instagram @cleverpodcast.