How do we motivate ourselves and find time for creativity in our lives? Come to think of it, what is creativity? Mel Byron wonders about the concept of 'New Year, New You'. What do we need to change? Do we need to change anything? So many questions, so let's start making time to answer them and be creative in 2016.

Squatting Toad

Squatting Toad Episode 6 New Year New, New Motivation

In this last podcast of 2016, recorded in Ukraine, Mel reflects on the year and hopes to inspire us all to greater creativity in 2017. There'll be more comedy, for sure.

Squatting Toad Episode 19, Goodbye 2016, Hello More Creativity

In this unmissable episode, Mel meets published author, Angela Thirlwell, for insights into her writing career and gets brilliantly helpful advice for aspiring writers.

Squatting Toad Episode 18 Daring to Write with Angela Thirlwell

Mel discusses amateur theatre with Angharad Ellis Jones of the Crouch End Players. Should we even call it 'amateur'? What inspires people to join an amateur theatre group? Is acting good for you? (Answer: Of course it is!)

Squatting Toad Episode 17 North London Dramaphilia

Mel meets Barbara de Biasi, inspirational head of Fireworks Music School. Barbara explains what happens inside our heads when we play music and why it's important to learn an instrument. It seems that music is the most beneficial creative thing we can do.

Squatting Toad Episode 16 Musical Fireworks

This time, Mel Byron reviews and recommends some great books for creatives, by David Quantick, Grayson Perry and Fergus O'Connell. Entertaining, yes, but you'll also learn a lot (from this episode AND from the books!).

Squatting Toad Episode 15 Top Books for Creative People

When is your creative work 'bad'? Who decides? And does it matter? Actually, it doesn't. Painter, Alex Vassiliades, talks about the fun she gets from the process and itself. A helpful reminder for all creatives.

Squatting Toad Episode 14 'Bad' Painting with Alex

Some helpful hints and inspiration for creatives, gleaned by Mel Byron from her own creative journey.

Squatting Toad Episode 13 A Sort of Mid-Term Summing Up

Funny, warm and insightful, performance poet and writer, Cynthia Hamilton, tells us what drove her to write and perform. Now she has taken a break from performing, how does she deal with the need for an audience? Once you take that step, are you always a performer, even if you never set foot on a stage again? And why the heck can't poetry rhyme?

Squatting Toad Episode 12 Cynthia Hamilton Performance Poet and Good Egg

Squatting Toad travels (almost) to Wales to join the Sunday meeting of a group of artists and art enthusiasts. Why do they paint together? Were those teachers who said we couldn't 'do' art right, or can anyone be an artist?

Squatting Toad Episode 11 The Art Group

This time we meet Peter Evans, presenter of Icelandic music show, Ice Station, on Croydonradio.com. Peter also presents a monthly poetry programme. How did he hit upon these two passions and find the forum to broadcast on them? What can we learn if we want to make community radio?

Squatting Toad Episode 10 The Radio Show with Peter Evans

So you're a musician and you want to play, but where? How do you let the world know how good you are, and how do you find and audience? Travel the open mic circuit. Musician, Dan Rubinstein, tells us about his experience.

Episode 9: The Open Mic Night

This time, Mel reviews two important new books on creativity: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and Think Like an Artist by Will Gompertz, and asks for your suggestions for inspiring books.

Squatting Toad Episode 8 Book review

This time, Mel Byron takes us back to some creatives from 1999. Then we ask, why is curiosity important to help us create?

Squatting Toad Episode 7 Curiosity

In this latest episode of the creativity podcast,we meet blogger, Maria Vassilopoulos of Once Upon The Book. How should we approach blogging in order to build an audience? Is that the most important consideration? And we touch on the topic of self publishing.

Squatting Toad Episode 5 Once Upon the Book

Interested in Creativity? Work full-time and trying to find the balance between your creative activities and the rest of life? Meet interesting people and be inspired as this is the podcast for you.