Top 5 Podcasts For Creative Individuals Searching For Inspiration, Education, and Laughs While Also Being Stylish
Podcasts have quickly grown from a barely known, homegrown stepchild of radio talk shows into a market-disrupting, widely used means of entertainment and information. Despite being the butt of many a joke(in many cases rightfully so), podcasts have become a leader in this new age of media consumption. So much so that there are now fake podcast clips popping up across Tiktok and IG reels, which showcases the assumed ethos that is now connected to the relatively young media format. As web culture writer and podcaster, Ryan Broderick puts it, “If there’s a mic in front of you, I assume the logic goes, it means you’re important enough to record.” Therefore podcasts are a viable and successful way to distribute information and entertainment to the masses.
There is one large downfall for this media though, and it is a negative for podcast listeners as well as podcast creators. With there being 449,041 podcasts actively releasing at least one episode every 90 days, how is anyone supposed to find what shows to listen to? I mean, “So what podcasts do you listen to?” could be a decent ice breaker or conversation starter, but most shows are so hyper-focused on their set of topics that many shows are greatly hit or miss from person to person. Therefore, I’ve decided to list my top 5 podcasts for creative individuals searching for inspiration, education, and laughs while also being stylish. If you fit this very specific criteria, are looking for more podcasts to fill your listening hours, or just happen to want to know what podcasts I listen to weekly, please enjoy the following rankings.
Sunday Scaries is a weekly podcast that focuses on that precious yet anxiety-inducing time that exists for people still working a classic five-day work week, Sunday. Host Will DeFries covers a range of topics that accompany this day of the week, such as hangovers, cleaning the house, or deciding when and how to quiet quit your current job. What I find fascinating though is the occasional sister show, Retail Therapy, that is released on the same feed(but does have different socials). Here DeFries is joined by his cohost Barrett Dudley to talk about fashion, style, and current pop culture.
Even though there are plenty of podcasts discussing fashion and pop culture, Retail Therapy’s duo finds the correct balance of industry knowledge and bright-eyed enthusiasm that makes it highly relatable to listeners. Especially for listeners residing outside of the cultural hubs of LA or New York since the show is based in Austin, TX. Sunday Scaries is also enjoyable in its focus on a niche that is often overlooked due to its middle-childlike position between the best day of the week and the most hated day of the week, and its weird amalgamation of both days that it is sandwiched between.
The Idea Generation Podcast is “a show about creative entrepreneurs” hosted by Noah Callahan-Bever where he talks to “some of the most innovative ideators in culture, and try to figure out how they make their creative decisions.” NCB uses his connections made during his time as Editor-in-chief of Complex Magazine to have insightful and inspirational conversations with people like Paul Rodriguez, The Alchemist, Dwayne Wade, and FUTURA about their pasts, presents, and the lessons learned along the way.
The range of guests and their different career paths are what make this show stand out amongst its peers. Callahan-Bever can talk to legendary music producers, legendary visual artists, fashion designers, and athletes, and get them to break down how they were able to not only become successful but also make a lasting imprint on culture. There is worthwhile information that comes from any good interview, but there is an extra bit of ethos when an individual can succeed in a way that makes them a household name, or widely respected in their industry. And The Idea Generation provides that ethos in abundance.
3. Blamo!
Blamo! is a show that explores the world of fashion, music, and culture with the people that shape it. Host Jeremy Kirkland “speaks with a different guest about their journey through their career and outlook on the future.” These guests include colorful characters from a wide range of artistic endeavors such as designers, brand creators, comedians, and watch enthusiasts.
The aspect that separates Blamo! from other interview-focused podcasts is Kirkland’s ability to facilitate a genuine conversation with his guests through a combination of similar interests and life experiences that goes beyond materialistic values. Kirkland can balance between style and psyche without becoming too focused on mental health or traumas while using the latter to bring more meaning to the former. This ability helps to make every guest intriguing without the need for any prior knowledge of the guest’s work or history.
The extra episodes for Patreon subscribers are another differentiator in Blamo’s wheelhouse. Blamo! has two types of extra shows published through the show’s Patreon with “The JJJ Show” and “Blamo! presents Derek Guy” where Jeremy invites fashion industry insiders Jian Deleon(Nordstrom Menswear/Mule Boyz) and Jon Moy(writer) and monthly conversations with the mind behind Die Workwear, writer Derek Guy, respectively. These two extra shows offer a deeper dive into fashion and style for listeners who seek out that type of content. Therefore Blamo! provides content for listeners with a wide variety of creative interests and different levels of intellectual depth, which is a refreshing aspect for a podcast to have. It can be deeper than a kiddie pool, but less deep than a plunge. It exists as a comfortable audio hot tub within the podcast ecosystem.
Throwing Fits may not be my number 1, but it “is the only podcast that matters.” Lawrence Schlossman and James Harris come together to become the jesters of menswear, Larry and Jimmy, to discuss the fashion industry with all the frivolity, levity, and humor it deserves. TF is a weekly interview podcast that invites guests to come and converse about pop culture that’s relevant to them, sharing their fits, and (not) answering hard questions such as, “How much money do you make?”
Jimmy and Larry inject a sense of classic radio shock jock energy into a subject that is taken way too seriously much too often, and this is what separates them from other fashion-oriented podcasts. The show also works great because they invite guests that can be knowledgeable in their respective industry while also playing into the humor of the “Boyz.” And similar to Blamo!, Throwing Fits offers extra episodes through their Patreon that focuses on hilarious “would you rather” questions with their guests, and weekly “Boyz Only” episodes where Jimmy and Larry can share their recent shenanigans within their worlds and their own opinions on current news. In short, Throwing Fits is the fashion podcast equivalent of George Carlin. Intelligent, wise, and humorous in a uniquely juvenile and offensive way that is sorely lacking in the fashion world.
Before we get to my number 1 podcast for creative individuals, I would like to mention the podcasts that are too singularly focused to recommend to a wide array of people or more fashion and style podcasts than the average person needs. Below are those honorable mentions, and what type of creative individual would listen to them.
Castle Super Beast: For people interested in games, anime, and related pop culture.
The Illustration Dept: For people interested in illustration, graphic design, or book design.
The Stack: For people interested in current magazines and the current magazine industry.
Print is Dead(Long Live Print): For people interested in the history and heyday of magazines.
Mad Happy: For those interested in mental health.
Garmology: For those interested in garment manufacturing, repair, archiving, and other subtopics that go beyond fashion and style.
Articles of Interests: For those interested in the history of Ivy style and other subtopics such as ballet shoes, Cher Horowitz’s closet, and the garment factory audit industry.
The Fashion Collective: For those interested in even more conversations with individuals in fashion from designers, writers, and store owners.
Customer Service: For those interested in conversations about the menswear industry from a Midwest perspective instead of a coastal city. Hosted by the cool guys at Canoe Club.
Claima Stories is my number 1 podcast because it realizes the platform that podcasts are creating and the importance of giving everyone an equal opportunity on that platform. “Co-Founder of Claima and Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging creatives and entrepreneurs of color about how they were able to build their tables by turning their hobbies, side hustles, and ideas into thriving small businesses.” This focus completely separates Claima Stories from other creative podcasts by giving a platform to often overlooked individuals working in highly saturated markets, such as Jon Humphrey founder of Beignet Boys, Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper founders of Eastside Golf, and Heather White founder of TrillFit. Listeners like myself can relate heavily to the guests’ backgrounds and life experiences by knowing that they have most likely faced or will face the same hurdles as themselves.
Claima Stories is a necessary entity in a world where race and background still play a large role in people’s lives and careers. It is also refreshing to hear stories from BIPOC individuals that exist outside of the cliched paths of musicians or athletes. This allows younger listeners to hear and learn about careers that are not often highlighted in today’s entertainment media-focused ecosystem while giving older listeners a batch of fresh inspiration that could lead to more creative endeavors. Even though some people would try to say that race isn’t as important in today’s world, even if that were true, it is still important for people to see others that look like them succeed so that they know it is possible.
So those are my favorite podcasts for creative individuals. Let me know what you think in the comments, or share some of your favorite creative podcasts as well. It’s becoming road trip season, so the more audio hours the merrier.
