Unpublished

Episodes

• How We Built a Creative Life Together 01.07.2026 32m

  Welcome to the Jamesy and Amsy Q&A, in which we discuss high school romance, creative chemistry, business roles, blurred boundaries, editorial bluntness, Steam Deck timing, Space Story, travel chaos, alternative careers, and whether an ibis is from Egypt. It is not. We checked.We talk about what it’s really like to work with your spouse when one of you is a vibes guy and the other is building probability models in his head. We get into how we make creative decisions, why we text each other business thoughts even when we’re in the same building, why travel wrecks our routines, and why collaboration can be both the greatest joy and the hardest part of our relationship.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• Your Creative Time Is Not Free Time 24.06.2026 27m

  This episode is about saying: no, I cannot come to coffee at 12pm just because my calendar looks technically empty. I am busy being available to my art.We talk about creative devotion, guilt, boundaries, people-pleasing, small business weirdness, the fact that no one understands what we do all day, and why creative labour often looks like wandering around, reading, staring into space, going to the gym, walking, thinking, resting, tinkering and occasionally fucking up.We also discuss why people respect a traditional job more than a creative life, why devotion before success looks delusional, why you should not have to be Charli XCX before people leave you alone, and why artists may need to become just a little bit more diva-ish about the conditions their work requires.Your creative time is not free time. Your art is allowed to come first.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• Creative Help Hotline 17.06.2026 33m

  Welcome to the Creative Help Hotline. How can we help you?In this Q&A episode, we answer your questions about being exhausted by muggle life, creating through depression and anxiety, losing momentum, comparing yourself to other artists, wondering why your family has not become your personal fan club, whether you need a degree to make art, how to make money from creative work, and whether success means you will be crushed under the admin boulder forever.We also discuss a new alternative to the bare minimum strategy we have been married to, celiac superiority, making your own MFA, true fans, intuitive marketing, and remembering your power when gatekeepers start acting like they own your life.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• Could Art Cure the Manosphere? 10.06.2026 25m

  In this episode, we ask a strange and sincere question: could art help cure the manosphere?We talk about lonely men, alpha influencers, Andrew Tate, online rage, economic hopelessness, shame, identity, patriarchy, creativity, and why so many young men are being sold power by people who are profit from their pain. We explore the idea that the manosphere gives men a poisonous identity, while creativity could offer them something better: community, vulnerability, agency, emotional range, progress, purpose, and a way to make meaning that does not depend on dominating anyone else.This is not a neat conversation, and it is not an excuse for misogyny. It is an attempt to ask what might happen if more men were invited into art, softness, self-expression, and the power of making art. Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• How Creatives Should Manage Their Energy 03.06.2026 23m

  In this episode, we talk about creative energy, burnout, routines, self-preservation, and what it takes to build a sustainable creative life.We explore why burnout is not always caused by doing too much. Sometimes it comes from working against your own rhythms, ignoring your needs, fighting your process, or trying to create in conditions that make you feel unsafe, depleted or disconnected from yourself. We talk about front-loading creative work, trusting low-energy days, mean inner critics, sensory needs, routines, and the real strange niche conditions that allow us to make art.This is an episode for anyone who has ever felt embarrassed by the amount of structure, comfort, quiet, routine, coffee, sleep, water, lighting, solitude or control they need in order to function.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• You’re Allowed to Speak Before You’re an Expert 27.05.2026 23m

  What if you didn’t have to know everything before you were allowed to speak?In this episode, we talk about the way artists and thinkers self-censor when they’re afraid of being wrong, mocked, misunderstood, or exposed as “not expert enough.” We discuss over-researching as a form of perfectionism, the gatekeeping of big ideas, and why making things simple is not the same as dumbing them down.We also talk about work, economics, class, gender, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, and the kind of future artists might be brave enough to imagine if we stopped waiting for permission from the serious people. Your ideas are allowed to be alive before they are flawless.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• How to Become an Anti-fragile Artist 20.05.2026 30m

  What if rejection wasn't bad news? What if chaos, disappointment and rejection could become part of your creative power? What if the more 'bad stuff' that happens to you, the more brilliant you become? In this episode, we explore the idea of the anti-fragile creator: the artist who does not simply endure difficulty, but learns, adapts, expands and becomes more themselves because of it. We talk about rejection, self-publishing, the fragility of creative industries, the danger of needing permission, and why artists need curiosity more than thick skin.Order Amie’s book We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcneeRead Amie’s Substack: https://substack.com/@amiemcnee
• What You Consume Is What You Create 13.05.2026 31m

  We're recording from a hotel room with questionable acoustics and a very concerned James. Welcome to the Hotel Season!In Episode 1, Amie makes the case that if you want to be a serious artist, you need to be an equally serious consumer, not just of your own genre, but of everything you want to see more of in the world. We get into why consuming great work is more useful than craft content, the stress of reading Robin Hobb when you're trying to write your own novel, how to have a genuinely good scroll on social media, and why the attention you give is the culture you're actually building. Be OUR favourite consumer, READ We Need Your Art: https://www.amiemcnee.com/order-we-need-your-art-book-amie-mcnee
• Become Confident or Die 11.02.2026 34m

  We're back!Topics: Creating while travelling/busyThe importance of confidence in your own workWhether James' justice streak makes his life harder (feat. sauan etiquette) And lessons from the biggest year of our lifeI Don't Want a Job, the book, is available for the next two weeks only! Also available, cool t-shirts, a masterclass with Amie, and signed copies!Read the original essay here
• What We've Learned from Ten Years of Writing 17.10.2025 44m

  We take you on a journey from Amie's first painful attempt to write a book to now, Amie's settled routine as a professional author, with all the steps along the way.Pre-order To Kill a Queen nowJoin Amie in Barcelona for a book event on Friday November 7th!
• You Have to Believe You're Exceptional 08.10.2025 45m

  Join us for a rambling discussion that starts with us assessing how successful we feel, goes on to a long digression about preserving energy for hard times, talks about honesty in the publishing industry, and finished with Amie's message to artists just starting out.Pre-order To Kill a Queen, Amie's book about a non-binary detective in Elizabethan London who has the hots for their bartender. If you're outside the US, your only choice is to get it shipped to you from Amazon :( But we are so grateful if you do!If you're in the US, it would be a huge help to us if you pre-saved the audiobook on Spotify (even if you don't plan on listening to it there!).
• How Much Work Do We Do in a Day (plus all your writing questions answered)? 13.08.2025 41m

  Q+A ep! It just so happened to be that most of your questions were about our work and writing routines. There are also a few other Q's answered including: how exactly is making art generous, big breaks we've almost had (and why they may not have mattered anyway). Sonja, I'm so sorry, I forgot to answer your question about bilingual artists... please email us with your question again and we'll answer you.Amie's WNYA events in England:Oxford Blackwells Saturday 16th of August 3-4PM (tickets essential)Waterstones Canterbury 18th of August 6:30PM (tickets essential)Pre-Order To Kill A QueenRead James' Substack about the guy who steals his friend's cryptoDid you know you can buy PRINTS and ORIGINALS of Amie's love notes? Available on our website now. Stock limited to ten for each large note and fifty of each small.
• How Do We Deal with the Enshittification of the Internet? 04.07.2025 32m

  We're talking:When the internet gives you the ickThe flattening of culture by algorithms How social media sows the seeds of its own destruction when it prioritises attention over qualityAnd more!Pre-order To Kill a Queen, Amie's queer detective novel set in Elizabethan London. Remember, this is literally the most important thing you can do for an author!Order We Need Your Art or get a SIGNED copy hereEnshittification was coined by our mate Cory Doctorow which we should have known!
• Are More People Making a Living with Art Now than Ever? 26.06.2025 44m

  Hello friends! Today we're talking about the rise of the middle class artist. Based on Amie's substack post.Buy Amie's book for F***'s sake!ALSO you can pre-order Amie's queer Elizabethan detective novel, To Kill a Queen!References:Hollywood is Broken. Can YouTubers Fix it? Colin and Samir interview Max Reisinger.Brandon Sanderson podcast about AI
• Building Utopias: Why Artists Must Envision a Better Future 22.05.2025 47m

  I'm so sorry everyone but it's another AI episode :(Listen to us, two people who aren't experts on anything really, talk about AI, climate change, utopias, the housing crisis, Australian politics and what's wrong with the left these days.⁠Would love it if you bought We Need Your Art!⁠Things mentioned:⁠Review of Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson⁠⁠Basic Income: And How We Can Make it Happen, by Guy Standing⁠⁠TikTok’s annual carbon footprint is likely bigger than Greece’s, study finds⁠⁠Hank's video about the state of renewable energy⁠Anthony Albanese buys a $4.3 million homeAustralian Housing Crisis compared to other countries
• Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan: How Creativity Trumps Anxiety 26.03.2025 1h 4m

  We had so much fun recording a very fancy in person episode with THE Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan! How 'bout those production values?Don't forget Amie's new book, We Need Your Art is out now in Hardcover, Audio, and E-bookIn today's episode we discuss:The amazing power of creativity to banish anxietyHow art and community building creates ripples that extend far beyond our personal practice and help the whole worldWhy society is so afraid of art and artists And so much more!If you want more chats from Rowan and Martha, you can listen to them on the hilarious and wise Bewildered podcast. You can also follow Bewildered on Instagram.We will be dropping by Bewildered soon so make sure you're following them to get the Amie and James episode!Martha is on Instagram @themarthabeckAnd Rowan at @rowanmanganIf you want to dive deeper into all things Martha Beck, you can check out her linktree, but you should really read her new book, Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose! We absolutely loved it.
• You Should Celebrate Your Own Art 18.03.2025 37m

  Join us as we remind you how important it is to celebrate your own art (coz no one's gonna do it for you!).Fully raw ep today. No music (sorry to our composer/intro creator Matilda Eyre) I ran out of time.The Collective is open for 5 days only!WNYA is our now everywhere00:00 Introduction and First Impressions of New York City01:20 The Inspired Collective Membership03:57 Challenges with Book Launch Planning05:32 Grassroots Book Events and Community Support06:17 Reflections on the Publishing Industry (oh-oh!)13:23 Celebrating the Book's Success19:30 We love our agents!20:51 Iconic New York Moments24:19 The Importance of Celebration29:36 (More) Publishing Industry Frustrations36:51 Gratitude and Farewell
• WE NEED YOUR ART, STOP F***ING AROUND AND MAKE SOMETHING 06.03.2025 45m

  BOOK OUT THIS WEEKBOOK OUT THIS WEEKBOOK OUT THIS WEEKBUY BOOK BUY BOOK BUY BOOK00:00 Introduction and Holiday Hat00:30 Book Tour and Podcast Plans03:05 The Importance of Art04:05 Creative Blocks and Overcoming Them12:00 Role of Patience in Creativity25:31 Art reset challenge26:10 Rice Cakes26:44 Book Promotion and Blurbs33:18 Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing36:24 Expectations for the Book43:15 Podcast Reflections and Upcoming EventsBOOK TOUR INFOUSA EAST COASTThe BookMark Shoppe Brooklyn 11th March 2025 7pm - BUY TICKETS HEREHead House Books, Philly, 13th March 2025 6:30pm - BUY TICKETS HERETaylor Co Books, Brooklyn, 14th March 2025 7:30pm - BUY TICKETS HERE (just scroll down the home page!)Morocco Bound Bookshop", 25th March - BUY TICKETS HEREScheltema, 5th April, 2pm - BUY TICKETS HERE!I am going to be all up and about your business. Please stay tuned.UNITED KINGDOMAMSTERDAMBERLIN, SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE!
• How NOT to Finish Projects and Improve as an Artist 27.02.2025 1h 2m

  00:00 Introduction 02:13 Housekeeping and Upcoming Events03:39 25 Things to Avoid 03:45 Obsessing Over Details04:57 The Pitfalls of Excessive Research09:09 Setting Unrealistic Goals10:16 Managing Expectations and Pressure15:40 The Importance of Planning16:48 Guarding Your Creative Time19:31 Sharing Ideas and Seeking Validation22:38 Avoiding Comparisons and Judgments28:32 Over-Education and Procrastination31:30 Finding Your Own Rhythm33:23 The Importance of Consistency35:16 Navigating Critique and Feedback39:14 Embracing the Challenges of Writing46:28 Balancing Creativity and Well-being50:38 Avoiding Distractions and Staying Focused58:01 The Growth Mindset in Writing01:00:26 Wrapping Up and Final ThoughtsUSA EAST COASTThe BookMark Shoppe Brooklyn 11th March 2025 7pm - BUY TICKETS HEREHead House Books, Philly, 13th March 2025 6:30pm - BUY TICKETS HERETaylor Co Books, Brooklyn, 14th March 2025 7:30pm - BUY TICKETS HERE (just scroll down the home page!)UNITED KINGDOM & AMSTERDAMMorocco Bound Bookshop", 25th March - BUY TICKETS HEREScheltema, 5th April, 2pm - BUY TICKETS HERE!BERLIN TBA
• We Need Men's Art Too! 20.02.2025 52m

  Today we're talking to the boys! Or, given our audience demographics, we're talking to the girls and gender non conforming folks about the boys... Buy We Need Your Art here and be our best friend forever!00:00 Introduction and Preamble00:47 Discussing Men and Creativity00:49 Housekeeping and Personal Updates03:13 How we're trying to be less tired07:10 Book Launch and Pre-orders12:12 The Importance of Men's Art27:37 The Gendered Nature of Art and Craft27:48 Men's Role in Art: Historical Context29:13 The Struggle of Monetizing Art for men and women32:33 Cultural Influences on Art Monetisation 33:33 The Australian Male and Creativity35:10 Encouraging Men to Embrace Art40:53 Breaking Gender Norms Through Art50:13 Final Thoughts and EncouragementTOUR DATESBROOKLYN event at the Bookmark Shoppe on the 11th of March ( I refuse to bow to the ludicrous American style of writing the date)PHILLY Event at Head House books on the 13thBROOKLYN event at Taylor & Co on the 14th (scroll down home page and you'll find it!)Note those dates are actually different to the ones I've been talking about... misread an email!Save the date for LONDON: 25th of March at Morocco BoundAnd the 27th of March at the Marlow Book shop (our local!)Save the date for Amsterdam: April 5th, 2-3pm at Scheltema