Trusting the Void and Cultivating Creative Growth: Behind The Bins Podcast So Far

We are halfway through the first series of the Behind the Bins podcast! Let’s catch up on everything we’ve learnt from our speakers.

Episode 1: Trust the Void featuring host Aswan Magumbe and guests Katy Mason and Paul Ayre. Image Credit: Trash Club, 2023.

Aswan Magumbe, Katy Mason and Paul Ayre introduce us to the premiere episode of Behind The Bins as they discuss trusting the void and taking on the challenges of starting new projects. Reassuring us when we face periods of uncertainty in our creative practices.   

Hearing from each speaker's perspective, we are encouraged to leap into the unknown as often this will steer us onto the right path, “we’re constantly learning and you can impart that into something else and I’ve never looked back” Paul says, adding “being in a void is healthy because you learn from it, and you grow from it.”

Katy also details her post-graduate experience, adding to the positives of being in a void “during that time because it was so open, things kind of snowballed without me even planning it” which led to co-founding the Berlin-based upcycling brand Soup Archive, and Trash Club alongside Matthew Needham during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Episode 1 highlights the transformative nature of void periods, emphasising the importance of embracing uncertainty, being proactive and trusting the void as an opportunity for learning and growth in the creative journey.

Episode 2: Growth featuring host Matthew Needham and guests Jawara Alleyne and Jennifer Droguett Espinosa. Image Credit: Trash Club, 2023.

In Episode 2, Matthew Needham, Jawara Alleyne and Jennifer Droguett Espinosa resonate with their former speakers as they discuss growth. 

Fashion designers, Jawara and Jennifer share their experience of migrating to London, and embarking on their studies within a white-washed education system, “they were all trying to funnel us through the same aesthetic that they wanted to push,” Jennifer remarks, “you constantly need to define your identity because other people want to define it for you.”

As the sustainability lead tutor at Central Saint Martins, Matthew shares how he communicates the importance of implementing an environmental and social value system within students’ work, “I always ask what is the purpose of their work, what is it presenting to the world?”

Whilst Jawara values his own story and Jamaican and Caymanian identity, his work is a reflection of people with shared experiences. Jawara echoes his value system that is conveyed across his work, “it’s really important to present things that show you that you can create what’s around you and build a story from that. When I look at my identity it’s not about me but that experience that I have that many other people can share.” 

Sharing these experiences, the speakers tell us how they’ve grown and learnt to adapt to new environments and surroundings by bringing their own, new perspectives into the fashion industry through the work they make.

With two more episodes to go, we can anticipate further detailed conversations from inspiring creatives as they reflect upon their experiences, delve into intimate stories and unpack themes of Letting Go and Coexistence. Stay tuned! 

Have you listened to Behind the Bins yet? Listen and watch Behind the Bins on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts now!