"Brands increasingly don't want people to write about their work now." (Eliza Williams bonus episode)

Summary

Daring Forever – "Brands increasingly don't want people to write about their work now."

Bonus Episode with Eliza Williams

Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Eliza Williams, Editor of Creative Review
Release Date: July 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this bonus episode of Daring Forever, host Radim Malinic spotlights four standout moments from his recent interview with Eliza Williams, Editor of Creative Review. The discussion revolves around the realities behind creative output, the evolution and challenges of creative publishing, the inherent exclusivity within the art world, and what it genuinely takes to build confidence in public settings. The episode provides an honest, nuanced look at courage, curiosity, and the ongoing importance of documenting creative work.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating the Closed World of Art & the Myth of Confidence

Timestamps: 00:51 – 02:44

• Eliza’s Early Experiences:
  Eliza recounts her initial anxiety entering the art and gallery world, describing it as "a small world and... a relatively closed world... even more the realm of the wealthy now, which feels like a bit of a shame."
  [00:51]

• On Imposter Syndrome & Self-Belief:
  Radim emphasizes Eliza’s candidness about her lack of innate confidence, tying this to "imposter syndrome", a feeling shared by every generation.
  "Confidence isn't something you need before you start. It is something you actually build by showing up scared and doing it anyway, again and again and again until it feels natural." – Radim Malinic [01:43]

Notable Quote

"London wasn't as sprawling as it is now and you could be anyone and rock up to something and it would be okay. But I wasn't like somebody that was massively comfortable doing that. So it always took a bit of a deep breath to do it."
– Eliza Williams [00:51]

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2. The Shift from Fear to Confidence in Public Speaking

Timestamps: 02:44 – 04:45

• Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety:
  Eliza describes how her fear of speaking publicly was overcome not through tricks, but through repeated exposure:
  "I used to absolutely hate public speaking, and I used to find it totally terrifying... what shifted with that... was essentially just being forced to do it and then realizing that actually it's not massively different to just speaking to people."
  – Eliza Williams [02:44]

• Developing Curiosity as a Skill:
  Radim interprets Eliza’s growth as rooted in curiosity and authentic conversation. Instead of relying on prepared questions, he advocates for genuine curiosity to unlock unexpected insights.
  "Prepared questions can get prepared answers. Natural conversations bring out the real story, the unexpected moments..."
  – Radim Malinic [03:44]

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3. The Power of Stories Behind the Scenes

Timestamps: 04:45 – 06:10

• Everyone Has an Interesting Story:
  Eliza's editorial philosophy: there are always fascinating, unexpected stories behind every person and every project. It’s the "getting there"—not just the end product—that’s truly compelling.
  "A lot of the time the things I love are getting to go behind the scenes... and when things go wrong, because they always do. And it's all that stuff which I find really interesting. And in some ways the polished end thing is the less interesting part really. It's the whole getting there that's good."
  – Eliza Williams [04:45]

• Connecting Over the Messy Middle:
  Radim stresses that for creatives, sharing only the highlights is less powerful than revealing the chaos, missteps, and behind-the-scenes reality—which is what others relate to most.
  "Don’t just show the highlights. People connect so much more with the behind the scenes chaos, because that's where they see themselves."
  – Radim Malinic [05:22]

Memorable Moment

"Nobody is boring if you ask the right questions."
– Summary of Eliza’s approach, paraphrased by Radim Malinic [05:22]

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4. Brands Shying Away from Public Storytelling

Timestamps: 06:10 – 06:45

• Brands Avoiding Coverage:
  Eliza brings up a major shift—brands, wary of negative backlash and online ‘storms’, are increasingly refusing to have their creative work documented or written about, even by trade publications like Creative Review. "I have noticed that brands, they don't want people to write about stuff now... because they just don't want the hassle of being attacked... the industry even amongst itself is not documenting the good stuff that's happening."
  – Eliza Williams [06:10]

• Loss for Industry Learning:
  Radim underscores that this reluctance leads to a lack of archived knowledge, stifling industry learning and growth, and robbing studios of deserved recognition.
  "Fear of criticism doesn't just protect brands, but also keeps industry from learning and growing. And if no one is willing to be written about, then no one gets to learn what actually works."
  – Radim Malinic [06:45]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Confidence isn't something you need before you start. It is something you actually build by showing up scared and doing it anyway, again and again and again until it feels natural."
  – Radim Malinic [01:43]

• "I used to absolutely hate public speaking, and I used to find it totally terrifying... what shifted with that... was essentially just being forced to do it and then realizing that actually it's not massively different to just speaking to people."
  – Eliza Williams [02:44]

• "A lot of the time the things I love are getting to go behind the scenes... when things go wrong, because they always do... the polished end thing is the less interesting part."
  – Eliza Williams [04:45]

• "I have noticed that brands, they don't want people to write about stuff now... and the client's refusing."
  – Eliza Williams [06:10]

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Episode Flow & Tone

• Warm, reflective, and honest—both Radim and Eliza share candid insights about the creative journey, with Radim providing thoughtful commentary on Eliza's observations.
• The conversation blends practical advice (how confidence is developed) with broader industry critique (the consequences of brands avoiding publicity).
• The language is inviting and relatable, with memories and advice aimed at creatives at any career stage.

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Recommended Segments

• On Imposter Syndrome and Building Confidence – [00:51 – 02:44]
• The Value of Curiosity and Authentic Interviewing – [02:44 – 04:45]
• Why Stories Behind the Scenes Matter More Than the Output – [04:45 – 06:10]
• Industry Impact of Brands Avoiding Publicity – [06:10 – 06:45]

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For Further Listening

• Check out the full interview ("Dare to Take the Slow Road into the Industry") for extended stories and deeper dives into these themes.

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Summary Prepared for Listeners Seeking Key Insights on Creativity, Confidence, and Industry Publishing Trends.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, welcome to this bonus episode of the Daring Forever podcast. This is my opportunity to zoom in on a few standout moments from this week's interview, finding those moments that deserve a second look and dig deeper in what makes them special. This week I spoke to Eliza William, who's the editor of Creative Review, a magazine bringing a creative community together since 1980. In our conversation, we talked about what's behind a polished output to the messy middle, why the future of creative publishing matters, the exclusivity of the art world, and what it actually takes to build confidence in public. This is an honest look at staying curious, staying honest, and daring to keep asking the questions. The episode published a few days ago was titled Dare to Take the Slow Road into the Industry. And if you haven't checked out a full episode yet, let me share with you these four standout moments.

[B]

I was terrified. There's lots of different things that were difficult. There was a lot of social anxiety about going up because you could go to openings and they were pretty free and open. But it was a small world and it was a relatively closed world, the art world. And this wasn't really the artist actually. It's more just a gallery world. And I would say it was more open then than it is now, because I think it's even more the realm of wealthy now, which feels like a bit of a shame. London wasn't as sprawling as it is now and you could be anyone and rock up to something and it would be okay. But I wasn't like somebody that was massively comfortable doing doing that. So it always took a bit of a deep breath to do it. And then in terms of the writing, I didn't really get a lot of people hating on me. But I think if you write for the nationals or you're in a very high profile art magazine and you're that established name, then there's a lot more pressure on you.

[A]

I think Eliza wasn't born confident, nor was you, nor was I. But in her 20s, she walked into industry events feeling completely out of place and she's open about it even now. The best part of the quote, I would say, is the. And as you may have heard me say that before, I like to say that, you know, imposter syndrome wasn't invented in the late 90s, or it wasn't invented pre2010 because we didn't have the words for it. I mean, imposter syndrome existed every single generation. And every generation thinks that anxiety is new and that everyone else has it figured out. What Eliza's doing here is basically saying we are all faking it. If you're early in your career and you feel terrified in these, in whatever the room you're in, it doesn't mean that you're in the wrong industry, it doesn't mean in your wrong place. It's just. That's how it is. Confidence isn't something you need before you start. It is something you actually build by showing up scared and doing it anyway, again and again and again until it feels natural.

[B]

You asking me about Colgent? It just happened over time. There's certain things in terms of writing, I think that happened quicker. I used to absolutely hate public speaking, and I used to find it totally terrifying. And I really actively avoided doing it for quite a lot of my early career, even though I'm quite an extrovert person. But it just intimidated me immensely. And I can't remember exactly what shifted with that, but it was essentially just being forced to do it and then realizing that actually it's not massively different to just speaking to people, it's just speaking to a lot of people at once. But if you go into it thinking of it like that, that you're not actually having to perform, you're just doing what you do. And by that point, I'd interviewed lots of people. I think the key thing was learning how to ask people questions and have natural conversations. And that way you got much more from people in interview terms.

[A]

I admire what Eliza does because she's very good at finding the right questions for her guests and her podcast that she used to do in the past and producing the work that goes behind the scenes really so well in some way is a masterclass hidden in that casual comment, because for someone who used to hate public speaking, she actively and in fact, she would actively avoid it. What changed for her wasn't a lack of confidence trick, but it was a way of thinking. I believe the real insight here is that it goes beyond interviewing technique. It's about treating curiosity as a skill you can develop, not just a personality trait. Prepared questions can get prepared answers. Natural conversations bring out the real story, the unexpected moments and the things people didn't know they would say. Whether you interview and network, you know, just trying to connect with someone at a dinner party, the key is to ask because you're genuinely curious, not just because it's a checkbox.

[B]

I think everyone you talk to is interesting and you find there's interesting stories. Everyone you talk to will have something interesting to tell you and unexpected, but also in terms of the Industry and the work and stuff like that, that a lot of the time the things I love are getting to go behind the scenes, whether that be literally sometimes, but also just hearing about how things are made and the stories behind how things are done and when things go wrong, because they always do. And it's all that stuff which I find really interesting. And in some ways the polished end thing is the less interesting part really. It's the whole getting there that's, that's good.

[A]

I believe this summarizes Eliza's editorial philosophy in just a few sentences. After decades of interviewing creatives, executives and everyone else in between, I think she realized something truly fascinating. Nobody is boring if you ask the right questions. The second part of this moment is what actually hits home for me because for anyone in creative field, the polished work you show to the world is often the least interesting part. The mess, the mistakes, the versioning that got scrapped, the arguments with clients, that's where the real story is. And it's a great reminder for anyone building a personal brand, a portfolio, even just telling their own career story, don't you show the highlights? Because people connect so much more with the behind scenes chaos, because that's where they see themselves.

[B]

I have noticed that brands, they don't want people to write about stuff. Now we've had quite a few times where a major brand has done a rebrand and yours hear about it from the studio and then you're saying, well, we'd like to write about it and the client's refusing. And I think some of that is a direct response to these sort of storms that have blown up, that they just don't want the hassle of being attacked. We've seen some of it's become political and all kinds of things. I think that's a real shame because the problem is then the industry even amongst itself is not documenting the good stuff that's happening.

[A]

This was a fascinating insight because when you think twice about this moment, you realize it's true. Because not that long ago we used to have a rebrand stories one a minute and what followed didn't exactly, how would I say it, it didn't exactly go to plan or didn't go swimmingly because in our current society, with the loud trombone megaphone, whatever you want to see, and our social media voices be like today, it can get really fun and it can get really nasty really quickly and we do give people option to express themselves of what we want to know about, you know, what they think about some of this. But let's be honest. The surface level news have now turned into a debating club with people who sometimes haven't got a foggiest clue about the work, about the process, about what goes behind the scenes. And this is really, really, I would say, sobering insight to learn that brands will stop a press release go out because they don't want to be in the middle of a punch up, they just want to be brands doing their own thing. And if you're a studio, what you want is obviously PR coverage because you're really proud of what you did and the way you did it. So when Eliza told me that, she kind of thinks that actually it's a bit of a loss for the industry because the good work is no longer written about, discussed or archived as if it never happened. Of course there might be a case study on a studio website. So when you think about it, the Creative Reviews value comes from documenting and putting work in context. So Eliza's moment here is a clear reminder that fear of criticism doesn't just protect brands, but also keeps industry from learning and growing. And if no one is willing to be written about, then no one gets to learn what actually works. Thank you for joining me on this bonus episode of the Daring Forever podcast. I'm a big fan of what Eliza and her team at Creative Review are doing with the magazine and the content and the future of publishing, and I would like to encourage you to check out a full interview because there's so many amazing moments in there. Thank you again and I'll see you next week with the next episode. If you enjoyed this episode and would like more accessible resources to help you discover your daring creativity, you can pick up one of my books on themes of mindful creativity, creative business, branding and graphic design. Every physical book purchase comes with a free digital bundle, including an ebook and audiobook to make the content accessible wherever you are and whatever you do. To get 10% off your order, visit novemberuniverse.co.uk and use the code podcast, have a look around and start living daringly.