Creator Spotlight: Dr. Tim Butcher

Introducing Dr. Tim Butcher and the ‘ConnectCurateCreate’ Podcast

Dr. Tim Butcher, author and podcast host, presents the ConnectCurateCreate podcast, focusing on the creative industries and the people who drive them. With his rich background in research, Dr. Tim interviews artists and creators, offering insights for those interested in creative careers. The podcast highlights the importance of creativity in society and aims to give artists the recognition they deserve. Listen to ConnectCurateCreate for an in-depth look at creativity and professional advice from Dr. Tim and his guests.

You can listen to his show here: https://connectcuratecreate.com/podcast

Tell us about your show!

Every week, ConnectCurateCreate shares insightful conversations with artists and creators. Dr. Tim Butcher speaks with artists, creators and people who work in and around the creative industries, unraveling their stories, lessons learned, and offering valuable insights for those forging a career in the arts. ConnectCurateCreate offers you transformative lessons for your own creative journey.

Why did you start your podcast?

Having published my latest book, Creative Work Beyond Precarity in 2023, I founded ConnectCurateCreate to solve the fundamental problem at the core of the arts and creative industries — giving artists and creators a fair go (as we say in Australia) — rediscovering the true value of creativity to culture and society, in order to begin properly recognizing and rewarding artists and creators for their creative work. The podcast is central to our mission — its the gateway to opening up the truths about life and work in the arts and creative industries and sharing what’s meaningful and valuable, so we all might (re)discover genuine connections with art, creativity and each other.

What's been your biggest challenge so far?

I gave myself 3 months to learn how to produce a podcast from scratch. I’ve been interviewing for my academic research for 20 years, so that wasn’t an issue. Learning what equipment I’d need to record quality audio, and how to produce it was always going to be my biggest challenge. I got some great advice though from friends who podcast, and that gave me confidence. However, there is no substitute for sitting down and playing with the software. It’s been a steep learning curve and I’ve still much to learn, but one challenge (a job I used to hate as a researcher, but know to be so important) that I didn’t need to overcome myself was transcription. When I plugged my first episode into Podium, I was blown away by what it produced. The show notes are excellent, and I love that Podium offers me options. Sure, I make tweaks to refine it to our brand voice, but the hours it saves me and the fact that it does a better job than I’d do myself, is truly invaluable.

How has podcasting impacted your personal and professional life?

Well, we’ve only published two episodes so far, but I’ve interviewed 5 artists and have plenty more who’ve volunteered their time for future episodes. Making the podcast has helped me to rediscover the thing I love most in my work — hanging out with awesome people and learning about their lives. It’s what I used to do as an academic — I did longitudinal studies with (not of) ordinary everyday people, from remote Aboriginal communities to social engaged artists, learning about their struggles and why they persist through adversity, to understand the meaning they find in what they do. The problem with doing that as an academic (as Andrew Huberman has pointed out) is ‘who reads academic publications?’ — not people like you and me. So, making this podcast is all about properly sharing stories with the people who matter, so that together we all might learn something new and interesting, and we might take what we learn in new and exciting directions. Podcasting is my happy place.

What advice do you have for new podcasters?

My advice is simple — don’t hesitate, don’t doubt yourself. Jump right in and give it a go. You might surprise yourself. If you’ve a genuine interest in other people or something you want to talk about, share it with the world. There’s really never been a better time to do it, and we might not have the same opportunities in the future. And it ain’t that difficult — don’t overcomplicate it. I edit my podcasts in Apple GarageBand for the iPad. That software has so many limitations that I have to work within, but by placing constraints on my process, I stay focused and that mean I ‘ship the work’ (as Seth Godin says). Make something that’s important to you and share it with the word — ship the work.

Anything else you'd like to share with the world?

If you’re interested, here’s why I do everything I do… I didn’t go to art school but have always wondered what would have happened if I did. I’ve always had a camera but only in the past 10 years or so have I learned that I can call myself a photographer or an artist. I spent too long wondering what might have been, researching with others to understand the meaning they find in creating meaningful things, rather than doing it for myself. Sure, I’ve had a great life as an academic, but only now am I really living — now that I’m a creator, putting my work out there. Don’t do what I did — don’t wonder what might have been — don’t wait; make something you love and share it with the world. You might be surprised how positive our responses will be.

How has Podium improved your workflow?

Podium has, as I said above, been awesome so far. I see new features are being added all the time and I’m excited for what’s to come. But overall, what I love most is Podium’s simplicity. I just upload my audio, it transcribes it and interprets it into show notes that listeners can relate to. It’s always spot on with its suggestions, and it offers enough (but not too many) options to choose from. I find I don’t have to edit those suggestions much either. I just download the text files and copy them into my episode. I really didn’t have to learn anything, I just needed to trust it. When I’ve played with other transcription tools, I’ve found them to be way too busy for me. While some people might like that, I prefer the plug and play-ability of Podium. It saves me time and effort. I come from an era not too long ago when I had to transcribe myself. Podium is a breath of fresh air.