It's been exactly 1 year since I published the second part of my stuttering but stunning How to Be Creative series and I've _finally_ got round to making part 3. That's still in production, and will be with you soon, I promise! But in the meantime here's the first 2 parts neatly packaged for your listening pleasure.

Hear Alex's soothing and perhaps magical tones as he walks through some woods in the dark. Warning: this episode may contain bats and sheep!

By way of Aesop's fable, The Ass and the Lion's Skin, Alex explores the nature of identity, and how we all, especially autistics, wear a mask from time to time to hide our true selves. He discusses the indelible marks that doing so imposes on our future selves, how this leaks out into our art, and why donkeys are awesome.

Alex chats with Owen Moxey about the dauntingly wide world, both fantasy and real-life, of table top gaming, and how rediscovering Warhammer miniature painting helped him navigate the physical and psychological challenges of successive diagnoses of Functional neurological disorder, autism and ADHD.

Alex wonders the Scottish countryside and laments the lack of recognition for illustrators and fantastical artists, despite their significant contributions to art and culture.

Alex christens a new type of episodes called 'Walking Therapy', despite the fact that several episodes of the kind have already been published. In this episode he discusses the wide range of styles and approaches to drawing he observed in a workshop for kids, and ponders why this early diversity doesn't seem to carry through to the commercial art world.

Alex takes a dreamy stroll through the woods and discusses how listening to challenging music like Bach's Well Tempered Clavier can be beneficial to creativity, why finishing things is not that important, and why your destination is not the point of your journey.

Alex pays tribute to the legend that was Ozzy Osbourne and the lessons that we can learn from his incredible life and work in our journey of creativity and mental wellness.

Alex reads his short book of art and verse, 'The Fall', a raw depiction of a recent mental health crisis and its effect on him and those around him. Content warning: this episode contains references to depression, anxiety, panic, autistic meltdowns and shutdown, suicide, and likely some other mental illness related stuff, and in a higher dose than usual. Consider yourself warned.

Alex chats to Tom Langlands and Lesley Buchan Donald about their ambitious projects to get the Perthshire public creating, writing and performing. We hear the story of how they found each other and forged their creative partnership, engaging and energising the community to help them deliver their stunning theatre shows, and giving a platform to all ages and abilities to share their creative outpourings. Lesley discusses using the power of creativity as a therapy for Parkinson's and as a welcome alternative to her prior, stressed out vet's existence, and we discuss using Auchterarder's rich history to bind it all together.

In stark contrast to the barely controlled chaos of part 1, Alex gets chill and takes us on a windy wonder through the Scottish countryside and extols the virtues of getting away from your daily grind, freeing your mind and finding new stimulus to fuel your creative journey. Be forewarned, the sound quality on some of this is a bit rough, so apologies in advance!

Alex recounts a recent experience where the appearance of a honey bee swarm lead to the sale of an artwork.

Alex has been distracted, _big time_. This is the story of failing to get things done, getting insulted by a belligerent AI, and having to set priorities or risk total logjam. Part one is a noirish parable of fall from grace. Coming soon, part two is all about redemption.

Alex talks to Peter Laisen, founder of the charity Auchterarder Picturehouse CREW, about creativity in the community, inspiring the young and old to get involved, the challenges and motivations of restoring an Art Deco period cinema, and how to make a big difference from small starts.

Alex introduces his new podcast Creative Squares where he and Mark Burden discuss the intersection between art, science, maths and technology. In episode 1 they discuss the fascinating concept of the Golden Ratio, exploring its significance in art, nature, and mathematics. They delve into the Fibonacci sequence and its relationship to the Golden Ratio, questioning whether these compositional paradigms represent a true aesthetic beauty or merely a conformity that limits creativity.

Alex recounts his recent life changes, muses on hope, change and laptop stands all while tussles with a malignant, omniscient AI Alex. Spooky!

Alex introduces his new cover image and intro track and takes us on a journey through their creation, meandering through the creative commons, via the enchanted lands of the Amen Break before falling into the foetid swamp of copyright to learn that sharing is indeed caring. Amen!

Alex goes deep, discussing the role of novelty and scarcity in art, how beauty emerges from complexity, and how diversity is essential for creativity to exist. The question is, how does all that relate to Lego, James Joyce, sports cars, John Carpenter's The Thing, and perms.

Alex discusses how attention is the most valuable commodity in the world and asks whether you are using yours wisely.

Alex talks to comedy improv artist Jen DeHaan about the transformative power of improvisational comedy