My new podcast (and why it’s the opposite of The 21st Century Creative) - a podcast by Mark McGuinness

Today is the launch of my new podcast, and it’s something I’ve been planning and dreaming of sharing with you for years.



It’s called A Mouthful of Air. And in several ways, it’s the opposite of my 21st Century Creative podcast. I designed the two shows to work together from the start, although it's taken a while to get this one up and running.



In this bonus episode of The 21st Century Creative podcast, I explain:





The wonderful news that derailed production of Season 6 of The 21st Century Creative – and when you can expect the new season



Why A Mouthful of Air is the opposite of The 21st Century Creative – and how the two shows are designed to complement each other



How A Mouthful of Air works - and how it could help you become a better creator, whatever your creative discipline









Listen to A Mouthful of Air

















Episode transcript



Hello long time no see! I hope you’re doing OK in the midst of it all.



Here in the UK we are very fortunate with our vaccine rollout, it’s making a big difference and we’ve been opening up and getting out and about and meeting up with friends and family we haven’t seen for months.



I keep thinking about animals coming out of hibernation and poking their noses out and sniffing the air and getting excited at the prospect of going out into the world again.



On the podcast front, I was aiming to have Season 6 of The 21st Century Creative ready for you by now. I have started work on it, and I’m doing something a bit different with this season, which I hope will make it more relevant and helpful to you in our current situation.



So anyway, a few weeks ago I was working away happily on Season 6, when I was interrupted by some fantastic news – I received a letter from Arts Council England, telling me I had been successful in the funding application I had made for the brand new podcast I have been working on behind the scenes.



And I really wasn’t expecting to get this funding, because I know it’s always very competitive applying for public funding for the arts. So I’m delighted and very grateful to the Arts Council England for stepping up and supporting my new show.



As well as the money, it’s been a real confidence booster, dare I say it, a real shot in the arm, to know that such an eminent funding body buy into my vision for the show and they want to support it.



At first I naively thought I’d be able to launch the new show at the same time as creating Season 6 of The 21st Century Creative and come back with a bang with both things at once and hopefully surprise and amaze you. But it quickly became apparent that there was no way I could do both at once.



So the bad news is, I’ve decided to pause production of Season 6 The 21st Century Creative until late summer. I apologise for the wait, but rest assured I am not abandoning The 21st Century Creative. Far from it, I’m excited about the new season and I have a considerable backlog of ideas and guests to share with you.



And the new podcast is designed to complement The 21st Century Creative – I actually came up with the idea for both shows at the same time, way back in 2016, and they were always intended to work in tandem.



Why the new show is the opposite of The 21st Century Creative



So let me tell you a little bit about the new show. Because if you The 21st Century Creative I hope very much that you will like the new one too.



It’s called A Mouthful of Air. And in several ways, it’s the opposite of The 21st Century Creative podcast:



Unlike The 21st Century Creative, the episodes are relatively short: 20-30 minutes instead of an hour or more.

Further episodes of The 21st Century Creative

Further podcasts by Mark McGuinness

Website of Mark McGuinness