We are delighted to announce the launch of Sgraffito, a new mini podcast series from CACN. Join CACN’s Trainee Producer and podcast host Naomi Frost as she chats with artists, makers, performers and creative professionals connected to Cumbria.
Through honest conversations about careers, creativity and the realities of working in the arts, Sgraffito: Creative Journeys from Cumbria reveals the stories behind the work and helps demystify the creative industries for the next generation.
So why the title? The podcast takes its name from sgraffito, a pottery technique in which a surface layer is scratched away to reveal what lies beneath. In the same spirit, each episode digs beyond finished projects, job titles and public-facing achievements to uncover the experiences, challenges, inspirations and practical realities which shape a creative career.
You can expect candid conversations about everything from unexpected career paths and creative breakthroughs to making a living in the arts, navigating setbacks and building sustainable creative practices. Through thoughtful interviews, Sgraffito asks the questions that are often left unspoken, revealing what creative work looks like day to day and how artists sustain their practice in a rural county.
The idea for the podcast grew from Naomi’s own experiences of building a career in the arts. As an emerging creative, she found that some of the most valuable insights came not from formal training but from hearing artists speak honestly about their journeys, challenges and day-to-day working lives. The podcast was created to make those conversations more accessible and to help demystify the creative industries for others considering a creative career.
The first series features guests from across Cumbria’s cultural landscape, including actor David Kirkbride, ceramicist Lauren Reid and printmakers Jack Fawdry Tatham and Emily Fairlie Baker, alongside musicians, filmmakers and comedians.
Several questions run throughout the series. Guests are invited to reflect on how they found their way into their field, the realities of sustaining a creative practice, the challenges and opportunities of working in Cumbria, and the advice they would offer to those starting out. By returning to these themes in every episode, Sgraffito reveals both the shared experiences and unique paths that shape creative careers.
You can listen to each episode as they are released via the CACN website, and you can find episode one here.
