Daring Creativity Podcast: "Change doesn’t have to be a big, scary thing." (Catharine Pitt Bonus Episode)

Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Catharine Pitt (Formplay)
Release Date: February 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This bonus episode revisits the standout themes and moments from Radim Malinic’s recent interview with Catharine Pitt, co-founder of Formplay, an animation duo in Brighton. The conversation unpacks how Catharine and her partner, Mark, navigated a mid-career burnout and transitioned intentionally to a new, creatively fulfilling path—offering insight into the realities and myths of change, intellectual property, and the creative mind’s relationship with worry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Turning Point: Burnout and Starting Over

• Catharine recounts the experience of burnout at their formerly successful, yet unfulfilling studio:
  • “We burnt out. We were trying to do everything... ultimately we didn’t really love what we were doing.” (Catharine Pitt, 00:59)
  • Despite achieving what many creatives see as goals (an established studio, clients, financial success), they were left feeling empty.
  • The pivotal question became: “Are we too late to retrain? Are we too late to start again?”
  • Catharine emphasizes the necessity of change:

    “Well, it was the only time to do it. We had no choice. It was something we had to do. It was that itch we had to scratch.” (Catharine Pitt, 01:36)

Host Reflection:

• Radim draws parallels with his own creative journey, underscoring the courage required to walk away before perfect timing or permission.

• “Sometimes the scariest thing isn’t starting over, it’s staying stuck.” (Host, 03:20)

2. Valuing Your Work: Intellectual Property (IP) and Creative Economics

• Catharine highlights industry habits regarding IP:
  • The default practice of signing away IP is “just become a sort of bad habit of our industry.”
  • Early in their careers, Mark and Catharine signed away copyrights for little compensation:

    “We signed all the copyrights and I cannot tell you the number of times that we’ve seen these illustrations in different iterations... The value that we’ve provided far outweighs the amount that we were paid for them. And that’s not a fair transaction.” (Catharine Pitt, 04:24)

  • She stresses the importance of creatives learning about copyright, acknowledging it’s a dry topic but “a game changer.”

Host Reflection:

• Radim points out that separating creation fees from usage fees—as is done in music and illustration—can create more sustainable creative businesses.

• “Formplay builds recurring income, longer client relationships and sustainable value. It’s not radical. It’s basic creative economics... The real kicker, most creatives have never questioned why they sign everything away. But Catharine did, and it changed her entire business model.” (Host, 05:33)

3. Reframing Change: It’s Not All-or-Nothing

• Catharine debunks the myth that change must be dramatic:

  • “Change can be tiny little incremental steps that you take. It doesn’t have to be a big scary thing... making a habit of challenging yourself in these very small ways.” (Catharine Pitt, 06:14)

  • She advocates for small, joyful resets as antidotes to the fear of big leaps.
  • The importance of gradual transition:

    “Her and Mark didn’t quit their studio on Monday and launch Formplay on Tuesday. They spent two years experimenting in the evenings, phasing out old clients, testing new work on Instagram.” (Host, 07:17)

Host Reflection:

• The show’s ethos is articulated:
  • “You don’t need a dramatic exit. You just need small, consistent steps towards something that feels right. Permission granted.” (Host, 07:29)

4. Worry vs. Creativity: The Importance of Optimism and Constant Motion

• Catharine shares one of her favorite quotes:

  • “There’s a great quote actually from a poet called Darby Hudson... ‘Worry is creativity’s idiot twin. They both make shit up for nothing.’” (Catharine Pitt, 08:42)

  • Worry and creativity both invent futures, but only one is helpful. Worry stifles action; creativity fuels it.
  • Catharine’s advice:

    “Just keep moving, keep making, Keep that optimism. That fire in your belly is so important.” (Catharine Pitt, 08:54)

Host Reflection:

• Radim calls out this as a “mic drop” moment, identifying overthinking as creativity’s biggest enemy:
  • “Instead of just making the thing, here Catherine reminds herself and us to keep moving, keep making, keep trusting the process... Optimism isn’t naive. It’s the fuel that keeps creative momentum alive.” (Host, 09:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Catharine Pitt [00:59]:

  “We burnt out. We were trying to do everything... We found ourselves in our mid-40s at that crossroads thinking, well, we do not want to do this anymore. Are we too late to retrain?”

• Host [03:20]:

  “Sometimes the scariest thing isn’t starting over, it’s staying stuck.”

• Catharine Pitt [04:24]:

  “The value that we’ve provided far outweighs the amount that we were paid for them. And that’s not a fair transaction. But we were naive and I don’t blame the commissioner. It’s. We should have made it our business to understand copyright.”

• Catharine Pitt [06:14]:

  “Change can be tiny little incremental steps that you take. It doesn’t have to be a big scary thing. It can be little joyful moments... In that moment, it’s a reset.”

• Catharine Pitt quoting Darby Hudson [08:42]:

  “Worry is creativity’s idiot twin. They both make shit up for nothing.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:59–02:06 — Catharine on burnout, the need for change, and the crossroads moment
• 04:03–05:21 — Intellectual property: lessons learned and why copyright matters
• 06:12–07:03 — The myth of dramatic change: how small steps compound into transformation
• 08:17–09:07 — “Worry is creativity’s idiot twin”: On moving forward despite uncertainty

Tone & Takeaways

This episode offers a candid, hopeful, and practical look at how midlife change in creative careers can happen gradually and intentionally. The tone is honest, supportive, and non-dramatic—encouraging listeners to value themselves, keep learning, and embrace the incremental path to creative fulfillment. Catharine Pitt’s reflections and Radim Malinic’s empathetic hosting make this a resonant listen for anyone contemplating a new beginning or feeling stuck in their creative work.