Episode 13 – Gaylene Gould – Creative Practice

‘What is the new set of values, principles, behaviours that’s going to cut through all of the stuff we’ve been doing for generations?…….really at the heart of that is compassion….kindness in response to suffering.’

Gaylene Gould (@gaylenegould on Instagram @gaylene_g on Twitter) is a Creative Director, broadcaster and writer who designs interactive art projects and spaces that generously connect us with ourselves, each other and the world. She explores the healing and growth potential of sharing space, stories, ideas and knowledge through her artistic, writing and consultancy practice. She believes the transcendent moments that art and culture creates can change how we are in the world. Her projects have been commissioned by and performed at the Tate, V&A, Arts Catalyst, Vivid Projects, Selfridges, h club, Moderna Museet Sweden and BAM, New York. Her projects are produced by her creative company The Space to Come.

She is also an arts broadcaster for the BBC, a published fiction writer, a facilitator, cultural reviewer and a Cultural Ambassador for London appointed by Mayor Sadiq Khan. She has been a cultural leader for 25 years heading up major cultural institutions and projects including Head of Cinemas at BFI Southbank and producing, programming and consulting for the Arts Council, Toronto International Film Festival, National Theatre, Young Vic and Bernie Grant Art Centre amongst others. She is on the Artistic Advisory Board for Brixton House, the Advisory Board for the Decolonising Arts Institute, University Arts London and a Trustee for ANU Productions.

In our wide ranging conversation we discuss:

Our first meeting in 2013 and how it changed the course of my life
What coaching is and how it can help you get unstuck
The value of an upbringing without the burden of expectation and which placed importance on play, forming relationships and exploration
Art as a lifeline and a process of emotional development
Angels on the path, reaching out to people in a way that stands out and the importance of mentors
The intrinsic value of getting good at something
Changing direction in your journey and finding your next North Star
Gaylene’s writing practice, exploring what gets in the way and the different experiences and feelings when writing fiction in comparison to non-fiction
Gaylene’s approach to interviewing
Insight into Gaylene’s coaching practice
The background to Gaylene’s company ‘The Space to Come’ and what the company was created to do and insight into Gaylene’s creative practice as an artist and a maker
The value of talking to yourself
Morning rituals
Whether ‘the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house’?
The beauty and depth of the Toy Story films