This August we’ve been soaking up the sun, watching Team GB with amazement and interviewing an eclectic range of Passion Podders all for your interest and stimulation!

This month’s creatives all have one thing in common: determination. Whether that’s because they’ve set themselves a seemingly insurmountable task – like The Tempest Two who committed to sailing across the Atlantic when neither had stepped in a boat or even held an oar before – or whether like Kate Underdown and Luke Keen they’ve switched career paths, they’ve all achieved the career they wanted through sheer bloody minded persistence. We’re a big fan of that around here! So here they are, sharing their gleaming nuggets of encouragement and advice on how to go after that career or pursuit or gold medal (blame Rio-fever) that you want!

Gemma Compton describes herself as a contemporary artist. Making a living through painting is hard enough but Gemma also had a serious economic crash after graduation to contend with. Through perseverance and many pub and retail jobs, she’s now a full time freelance artist and illustrator who has worked with the likes of Facebook, Topshop and ASOS. She offers some practical tips about carving out a career in a notoriously difficult industry.

What happens when you realise the career you worked for is no longer the one you want? Luke Keen had to face this problem when he realised  that, as much as he enjoyed performing stand up comedy, he couldn’t see himself doing it in the long term. His decision to pursue gardening instead might confound some people but after hearing him chat about his favourite plants, how he sees flowers as colours and the bed he’s planting in Victoria Park we really really get it. We hope you do too. 

We don’t know about you but our drunken pub conversations have never led to us committing to sail across the Atlantic but that’s just where The Tempest Two got the idea. These two best mates, both in marketing, hit upon the idea when they realised their mums were having more adventures than they were. Oh, and neither of them had sailed before or even picked up an oar. Not only did they have to train like some kind of Usain Bolt-Mo Farrah hybrid, but they also had to fund raise to cover their trip – pulling in sponsorship from big players like Go Pro and Spotify. This pod really is a testament to team work and what you can do when you set your mind to it. 

And finally we had a Passion Pod first: a Passion Pod Revisited if you will. Kate Underdown came to chat to us in our single digit days, when she was in the millinery world (making hats to the uninitiated). After realising that she had come as far as she wanted to in the industry, Kate changed tack and set up The Fold Line. An online sewing community for people who love stitching, want to chat to other amateur seamstresses, browse patterns and arrange IRL meet-ups. This pod really highlights how social media can be harnessed to empower and build communities around creative interests. A bit like this community we’ve got going on!

So that was August – phew! We’ll be back in a month with yet more creatives taking brave, different and experimental paths and interrogating them for everything they learned along the way. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook for updates and please, please keep creating!