Daring Creativity

Murugiah returns to Daring Creativity for a conversation that feels like watching someone step fully into who they were always meant to be. A multidisciplinary artist trained in architecture, living and working in London, Murugiah has spent the years since his last appearance developing a deeply personal body of work — acrylic paintings that fuse his digital aesthetic with a new emotional rawness, rooted in his Sri Lankan heritage and shaped by a decade of intentional craft. ~ One email to the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration led, against all expectations, to an invitation to open the entire centre with his debut solo exhibition.This is a conversation about patience, pursuit and the quiet power of just doing the work — without waiting for permission, without chasing the outcome, and without needing the world to show up before you get started.Key takeaways:Creating your own opportunity is not a strategy — it's a mindset. One email sent from a place of genuine excitement changed the entire trajectory of Murugiah's careerEmotional heft takes time. The years spent developing a visual aesthetic were necessary before the personal, introspective work could emergeFollowing the fun keeps you present. When imposter syndrome strips you of the now, curiosity and play bring you backTactility is a response, not nostalgia. Moving into acrylic painting was a deliberate turn towards what AI cannot replicate — intuitive, human, physical decision-makingThe journey is the reward. The hours at the table, the meetings, the exchanges — those are what you carry. The response to the work is secondaryRadical empathy fuels introspection. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes — even a bus driver's — creates the internal awareness that feeds deeply personal workA debut doesn't need to come early to matter. Coming to it at 38, with a full life behind him, made Murugiah's show richer and more resonant than speed could ever have allowed Daring Creativity. Podcast with Radim Malinicdaringcreativity.com |  [email protected] by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFcFree audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobookBook bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.ukLux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with George Wu and Malika Favre (icantaffordthisbutmaybeshecan) ~Daring Creativity. Podcast with Radim Malinicdaringcreativity.com |  [email protected] by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFcFree audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobookBook bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.ukLux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Malika Favre is one of the most recognisable illustrators working today — a master of bold geometry, reduced palettes, and images you feel before you decode. George Wu is a graphic designer, event director, product creator, and by her own admission, a jack of all trades. Together, they created I Can't Afford This But Maybe She Can — a curation account that started as a private joke between two best friends and grew into a 350,000-follower community, a newsletter with a 70%+ open rate, and a full concept store with over 300 products from 90 independent brands worldwide.This conversation captures why that happened — and what it actually takes to build something meaningful without a business plan, a marketing budget, or any intention of selling out.Key TakeawaysFriendship is a creative force. Malika and George's decade-long friendship is the foundation of everything — the trust, the honesty, and the courage to post without approval-seeking.Curation is care made visible. Their process — going down rabbit holes, translating Japanese craft websites, following follower trails — shows the difference between sharing and truly giving a damn.Ego is the first thing to go. George's journey from curating for approval to posting freely mirrors a shift every creative needs to make at some point.Innovation vs. perfection isn't a conflict — it's a team. George chases the new; Malika pursues the perfect. Their output is both.Building outside the algorithm is an act of resistance. No reels, no faces, no sponsored clutter — and 350k people followed anyway because the care was unmistakable.Monetising without compromising is the hardest part. The shop, the newsletter, the auction house commission — each step has been deliberate, values-led, and brutally honest about what isn't working yet.The last mile is rarely crowded. Their willingness to go further — to find the fourth-generation kite maker in Japan, to contact every one of 90 brands individually — is exactly why their audience trusts them. Daring Creativity. Podcast with Radim Malinicdaringcreativity.com |  [email protected] by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFcFree audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobookBook bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.ukLux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

A short bonus episode showcasing a few standout moments from this week's guest interview with PJ Richardson from Laundry Studio ~Daring Creativity. Podcast with Radim Malinicdaringcreativity.com |  [email protected] by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFcFree audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobookBook bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.ukLux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)