Alex talks about his passion for art books and the acquisition thereof, and introduces a series of episodes that showcase some of his book collection, starting with tomes on the artists Boris Vallejo and Jenny Saville.

In a first-time cross-over with his other podcast, The Confusion Matrix, Alex and TCM co-host Pete Hodge discuss how they use Generative AI in their creative escapades, why this creates some ethical dilemmas and how they reconcile these (or not). It all gets a bit confusing and Alex decides he’s just self-flagellating and ends up more confused than when he started. Life’s never simple, is it?

Alex is still creatively constipated and he’s not happy about it. In an effort to get to the bottom of what’s going on he conducts a deep dive into what causes performance pressure, some famous cases of it, and tries to counsel himself, in real time.

Alex spirals through creative paralysis, unable to feel the vibe for any episode on his list. Eventually he just starts writing about not being able to write, discovering that sometimes you’ve got to create something—anything—to break through the blockage. Process over product, always. Plus: why AI-generated creativity is fundamentally bollocks.

Alex talks from his cold, damp studio about constraints and how they can help drive creativity

Alex finds a quiet spot in his local woods and ponders the nature of feeling calm and how it’s more important than ever before to find your clam, happy space.

Alex talks to multi award-winning and bestselling author of children’s picture books and romance-led emotional suspense for adults, Paula Tait, about the differences between writing for adults and kids, coaching children’s authors, working with illustrators and how she managed to carve a synergistic niche writing for such distinct audiences.

Alex talks to Poet Ann MacKinnon about helping others discover poetry, how anyone can do it, and the lyrical wonder of the Scots language.

Alex talks to nature writer Keith Broomfield, author of countless books about Scottish cities and countryside, about finding nature everywhere and finding inspiration anywhere.

Alex talks to George Paterson author of The Girl, The Crow, The Writer And The Fighter and Westerwick about the love of the process of writing and his passion for the written word.