Wasted Creatives

Michael Crilly

Join Michael Crilly as he speaks to musicians, comedians, artists, writers and creators who chose a different path, or who continue to balance creativity alongside everyday working life.

Over a drink and a chat, Wasted Creatives explores what it means to be a creative person, what inspires people to create, and the realities behind building a creative life in today’s world.

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9 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes9

Newest first

Thursday · 56 min
Sean Casey: From Drugs and Anxiety to Fitness, Business & Social Media Success
In this episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with fitness coach, content creator and entrepreneur Sean Casey to talk about transformation, business, social media, family and what it really takes to change your life. Sean opens up about his early years of drinking, drugs, anxiety and paranoia, and how reaching breaking point became the catalyst for rebuilding his life. What began as a personal fitness journey during lockdown grew into content creation, coaching, TikTok success, online programmes, recipe books, The Social Circle and Gleam, which now supports thousands of members. They discuss Sean’s instinct for spotting good ideas, building businesses quickly and creating content that connects. The conversation also explores criticism, social media burnout, family, giving back, travelling to Australia, helping clients transform their lives and why success does not have to follow a traditional academic route. A raw and motivating conversation about curiosity, chaos, self-improvement and using your own experiences to help others move forward. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Ideas, action and how Wasted Creatives began 01:37 — Why overthinking stops people taking action 02:20 — Drinking, drugs and Sean’s early years 04:26 — Anxiety, paranoia and mental health 06:35 — Reaching breaking point in 2019 08:23 — Rebuilding his life through fitness 08:48 — The first YouTube video that changed everything 10:03 — Early TikTok growth and learning content 10:47 — From PT to coaching, ebooks, Gleam and The Social Circle 12:20 — Turning his own problem into a way to help others 13:04 — Building The Social Circle 13:55 — Finding his online personality through humour 15:25 — Being recognised and not feeling like a celebrity 16:47 — Lisa Ann’s transformation 18:31 — How helping one person creates a chain reaction 19:20 — The emotional connection with clients 21:01 — Family, his mum and showing real life online 23:21 — Friendship with Battle With Chris 25:16 — How running helped Chris rebuild his life 26:54 — Running Ireland and the UK 28:30 — Giving back and helping people financially 30:55 — Fundraising, cancer and the impact of loss 32:24 — Why life needs to be lived fully 33:00 — Returning to Australia and overcoming anxiety 35:11 — Travel, freedom and eventually returning to Ireland 36:25 — Why Sean paused the sauna business 37:16 — Creativity, instinct and building ideas quickly 38:12 — Spotting what works commercially 39:32 — Selling sweets in school 40:03 — School, grades and non-traditional success 41:28 — Leaning into your own strengths 43:09 — His parents’ advice on work and happiness 44:03 — Building a career he enjoyed 45:31 — Learning from criticism 47:00 — Useful feedback versus negativity 48:54 — Social media anxiety and burnout 49:37 — Breaks, landmarks and celebrating small wins 51:06 — The future of social media and long-form content 53:02 — What is next for The Social Circle 54:10 — Brian’s 100kg transformation 55:14 — Why content is personal 55:57 — Closing the episode
July 23 · 56 min
Darren Matthews: Stand-Up in Australia, Belfast Comedy and Life With a Day Job
Comedian Darren Matthews joins Michael Crilly for a conversation about starting stand-up, surviving terrible gigs and learning that the only real way to improve is to keep doing the reps. Darren shares how a friend first encouraged him to try an open mic at The Pavilion in Belfast, why his second performance was a complete disaster and how moving to Australia unexpectedly accelerated his comedy career. They talk about performing across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Asia, supporting Paddy McDonnell in theatres and arenas, running comedy nights at The Sunflower, dealing with hecklers and helping to grow the comedy scene in Belfast and beyond. Darren also speaks honestly about balancing comedy with a full-time job, family life, constant driving, late nights and the occasional burnout that comes from trying to fit another creative career into an already busy life. A funny and honest conversation about creativity, persistence and why having a “normal job” doesn’t make you any less of a creative person. Search WASTED CREATIVES on Spotify and YouTube. Follow the podcast on Spotify, leave us a rating and subscribe on YouTube for the full video episodes and clips.
July 16 · 1 hr 8 min
Ciaran Lavery on Spotify Success, Record Labels & Finding His Own Creative Path
In this episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery to talk about the unexpected journey from working in a leisure centre to building a full-time life in music. Ciaran shares how his self-funded album quietly found a huge audience on Spotify, why early streaming success felt both exciting and confusing, and how that momentum eventually led him into the world of record labels, touring, creative compromise and industry pressure. The conversation explores what happens when success does not look the way you imagined, the difficulty of staying creatively honest inside commercial systems, and why Ciaran eventually found more freedom by returning to making music on his own terms. Michael and Ciaran also discuss songwriting, poetry, collaboration, nostalgia, live performance, the importance of creative limitations, and the story behind Soft Gut Song Camp, a project built to connect and support artists, producers and songwriters across Northern Ireland and beyond. A brilliant conversation about music, identity, creative control, collaboration, and what it really takes to build a sustainable life around the work you love.
July 9 · 54 min
Chris McClurg: Great British Menu, Michelin Kitchens & Coming Home to Belfast
In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I sit down with chef Chris McClurg to talk about his journey through food, restaurants, creativity and hospitality. Chris shares how a teenage summer at Shanks helped shape the direction of his life, why restaurants became the place where he found his tribe, and how his career took him from Belfast to London, Cornwall and the world of Michelin-starred cooking. We talk about working with Paul Ainsworth at No.6, the pressure and reality of competing on Great British Menu, the difference between cooking great food and creating a great hospitality experience, and what it means to build a restaurant culture where both guests and staff feel valued. Chris also speaks about returning home to Belfast, pop-ups at Neighbourhood, and the new chapter he and Alice are building at Regency House. A brilliant conversation about food, ambition, creativity, pressure, leadership and the emotional side of hospitality.
July 2 · 53 min
Improv, Stand-Up and Belfast’s Alternative Comedy Scene with Frazer Robb & Laura Conlon
In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I’m joined by comedians Frazer Robb and Laura Conlon for a conversation about improv, stand-up and the growing alternative comedy scene in Belfast. Frazer talks about how he first got into improv, travelling to Chicago to train and bringing those skills back to Belfast at a time when improv comedy was still finding its feet here. We discuss his improv group Wonder Frog, his journey as a stand-up comedian, and even how teaching improv led to him meeting his wife. Laura shares her own route into stand-up and improv, the difference between performing prepared material and creating comedy live in front of an audience, and how different audiences respond to each style. We also talk about Turnstyle, the alternative comedy night she runs in Belfast, and how different styles of improv are being explored locally. There are stories about corporate improv gigs, including one Wonder Frog performance that had to be shut down after the audience got a little too crude with their suggestions, as well as a wider chat about how online clips and crowd work have changed the dynamic between comedians and audiences. I talk about my own experience of getting into improv through classes taught by Frazer, and the creative release it has given me outside of my day-to-day life. We also talk about what it means to follow your creative talents while still working 9–5 jobs, and the reality of trying to juggle work, life, comedy and creativity when there are only so many hours in the week. A conversation about comedy, creativity, risk, audience dynamics and the strange joy of making things up in the moment.
June 18 · 1 hr 32 min
Mark Bowen on IDLES, Leaving Dentistry, Creativity & Florence + The Machine
This week on Wasted Creatives, I sit down with Mark Bowen from IDLES. Mark’s story goes from dentistry to Glastonbury, from working in dental practice to becoming part of one of the most distinctive and important bands in modern music. We talk about his early love of music, studying dentistry, working as a dentist while IDLES were beginning to grow, and what it was like trying to balance a professional career with life on tour. Mark also shares how IDLES approach creativity, why intention sits at the centre of every project, and how the band think about their albums, live shows, visuals, audience and identity. We also get into Glastonbury, Grammy nominations, staying grounded, family life, success, and his recent creative work connected with Florence + The Machine. Topics include: • Growing up with music • Choosing dentistry • Working as a dentist while touring • Leaving dentistry for IDLES • Building the band’s sound and identity • The creative process behind IDLES • Why intention matters • Glastonbury and major live shows • Grammy nominations and success • Florence + The Machine • Family life and staying grounded • Building a creative life outside the traditional path Wasted Creatives is hosted by Michael Crilly
June 11 · 49 min
Big Daddy Slims / Andrew McSparran: Food, Mental Health & Building a Creative Life Online
In this episode of Wasted Creatives, I’m joined by Andrew McSparron, better known online as Big Daddy Slims. Andrew is a food content creator from Northern Ireland whose account started as a personal accountability page after becoming a dad and wanting to make a change. What began as a way to lose weight slowly became something much bigger; a creative outlet, a love of cooking, and eventually a recognisable food page followed by thousands of people. We talk about where the name Big Daddy Slims came from, how cooking helped Andrew through a really difficult period with stress and mental health, and how making a simple spaghetti Bolognese became the start of something he never expected. We also chat about social media, food content, family life, creativity, marketing, and what the future might look like for Big Daddy Slims. A really honest conversation about food, identity, creativity, and finding something that helps you feel like yourself again.
June 4 · 43 min
Gareth Dunlop: Songwriting,Belfast to Nashville & Music for TV and Film
Michael sits down with Belfast singer-songwriter and producer Gareth Dunlop to talk about songwriting, Nashville, co-writing, touring and the strange world of writing music for TV and film. Gareth shares how an early trip to Nashville helped shape his career, what actually happens in a co-writing room, why writing a song with someone can reveal more than a week of normal conversation, and how one of his songs ended up being used by T.I. They also chat about TV and film sync, creativity, touring with musicians he admires, supporting Bonnie Raitt, social media, bread making, voice notes, and the reality of trying to build a creative life from Northern Ireland. A great listen for anyone interested in songwriting, music, sync licensing, Nashville, creativity, or the behind-the-scenes reality of being a working musician.
May 27 · 1 hr 16 min
From Medicine to Art: Anna McKeever on Leaving Psychiatry, Irish Identity & Children of Lir
In the first episode of Wasted Creatives, Michael Crilly sits down with Belfast-based contemporary artist Anna McKeever to explore her journey from medicine and psychiatry into life as a full-time artist. Anna shares how painting was part of her life from childhood, why she first chose the more traditional path of medicine, and how the pressure and burnout of the Covid years helped push her back towards the creative life she had always been drawn to. This conversation explores creativity, confidence, motherhood, Irish identity, emotional connection, landscape, memory, and the deeper meaning behind Anna’s work. Anna also discusses her palette knife technique, her sell-out Full Beam collection, and her upcoming work inspired by Children of Lir. A thoughtful and honest conversation about what it means to follow creativity seriously, leave behind certainty, and build a life around the thing that has always been calling you.