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Welcome to the Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

On this episode, we're lucky to be joined by award-winning photographer, visual storyteller, and artist Emma Brown.

Emma's work sits at this kind of intersection of art, humanity, and process.

Emma creates stunning images using a technique called wet plate photography. And since finding it, she has completely immersed herself in this historic process that was developed in the 1850s.

A raw, unforgiving, and beautifully imperfect form of photography that Emma describes as a 'Dark mistress. Full of magic and ritual, where you have to just surrender to the process.'

She's the recipient of the Juliet Margaret Cameron Award, among many others, and her work has been featured in recognised publications like Focus Quarterly, and she's been selected for multiple exhibitions, including The Royal Academy Summer Show.

But beyond the accolades, Emma's work spans portraiture and music, as well as long-term collaboration projects with NGOs and charities, including volunteering with the Sahrawi Refugee Community in both Algeria and here in the UK. It's her dedication to ethical storytelling that really defines Emma's legacy as a photographer.

In this episode, we discuss Emma's creative journey. We explore everything from her route into photography, the realities of working in the industry, and we go into detail about the work that she does for unrepresented communities. Where she uses her passion for photography to help others tell their stories through images.

We go into detail about Emma learning wet plate photography and falling in love with its magic, and why it is just so important to surrender. Slow down and be truly present with the process.

We talk about the vulnerability of being an artist, putting our heads above the parapet and saying, "This is what I do!"

And we also discuss why we should all consider taking the 'Un-Path', because the unconventional routes often lead to the most incredible journeys.

Check out the links to Emma's website and social media, where you can see more of her amazing work.

Hope you enjoy this episode of The Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

EMMA BROWN WEBSITE: https://www.emmabrownphotography.com/

EMMA BROWN INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/emmabrownphotography

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Welcome to the Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

You've probably already worked out that I love using the podcast to shine a light on the people in my world who are doing interesting and inspiring things.

Well, this episode is no different, as we are joined by my wonderful friend Gary Bonnick.

Gary, along with his wife Shannon, runs a business called Wear Change, A Shop, an online platform that sells a wide range of vintage and pre-loved clothing and paraphernalia.

Wanting to do something a bit different in a world filled with fast fashion. Wear Change focuses on sustainability, building community, and giving back to the people around them.

They've recently signed a partnership with the Salvation Army, under which a percentage of all sales from Wear Change will go directly to them and to the amazing work they do in the community.

But not only that, Wear Change wants to help other artisan makers and creators. So if you are a fashion designer or perhaps an artist, then Wear Change wants to be a platform or a storefront for you to sell your work, too, because, as Gary tells us, it's bigger than just them and there's opportunity for everybody to win.

That's Gary through and through. And one of the reasons why I wanted to get him on the podcast, he's one of those people who genuinely cares about others and someone whose energy lifts the people around him, whether he knows it or not.

In this episode, we talk about Gary's journey, the early days where, as most of us did, He was searching for direction. We talk about his evolution and the passion and drive that he's now found, starting and running Wear Change alongside his fantastic wife, Shannon, supporting each other every step of the way.

We discuss why fashion is a language and why we need so much more colour in this somewhat beige world we all live in. We also talk about having strong work ethics, the lessons that we can all learn from failure, why rejection is simply a sign of redirection, and so much more.

Be sure to check out the links to the Wear Change social media and shop below:

Hope you enjoy this episode of The Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

WEAR CHANGE SHOP: https://www.vinted.co.uk/member/67944777-shannt

WEAR CHANGE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/wear_changeuk/

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CNL WEBSITE: https://www.creativenowhereland.com/

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Welcome to the Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

There are always hurdles on any journey, especially on a creative one; some people may fall and simply give up, and then there are others who can face challenges, however tough, and they seem to elevate and rise to it! They may not know how, while they’re in it, maybe it’s forced upon them, but they just do it!

And our guest on this episode is a great example of that. We’re joined by ceramicist Ayesha Bibi from Sketch Avenue.

Looking at Ayesha’s work, it might be hard to believe that she only began working in ceramics a couple of years ago.

But she took on the challenge of learning a new skill head-on and now creates the most incredible pieces, which are often abstract yet ergonomically designed and inspired by everything from architecture, the Bauhaus movement, and even pop art.

Now she may be relatively new to ceramics, but Ayesha has repeatedly sold out her collections, and her work can now be found in locations all over the world, including LA and Dubai.

But not only that, in 2025, Ayesha featured on the UK TV show, ‘Be your own Boss’, where she was mentored by 'Not on the High Street' founder, Holly Tucker. Which helped give Ayesha more confidence to push forward and develop Sketch Avenue further as a business and a brand

She’s definitely been busy.

Now, you might be thinking ok, where are the challenges?

Well, the journey for Ayesha to get here is a long one, and I could tell you all of the hurdles that she's faced along the way, but surely it’s better to hear about them from the person who faced them, overcame them, and who elevated in the face of every challenge put in front of her.

So…

You can check out the links to Ayeshas social media and website to see the amazing work below:

Hope you enjoy this episode of The Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.

SKETCH AVENUE WEBSITE: https://sketchavenue.com/

SKETCH AVENUE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sketchavenue_/

Support the show

CNL WEBSITE: https://www.creativenowhereland.com/

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER: https://www.creativenowhereland.com/join

CNL INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/creativenowhereland/

CNL PODCAST MUSIC: https://www.instagram.com/jjodabeats/