Podcast Summary: Daring Creativity. Daring Forever.
Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Kyle Wilkinson (Founder, House of Thrills)
Episode: Dare to Choose Your Own Problems
Date: January 5, 2026
Overview of the Episode
This episode of Daring Creativity. Daring Forever. dives deep into the mindset, challenges, and lessons learned from launching a daring, self-initiated art exhibition in just 90 days. Host Radim Malinic welcomes back multidisciplinary designer Kyle Wilkinson, founder of House of Thrills, to explore the reality behind pursuing creative ambitions, the privilege and pressure of choosing your own problems, and the need to make imperfection and uncertainty a driving force in creative endeavors.
Through candid storytelling and honest self-reflection, Kyle unpacks the journey of conceptualizing and executing “The Clinic,” a pop-up exhibition themed around dopamine and social media’s effect on modern life, and offers inspirational takeaways for anyone aspiring to do creative work on their own terms.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Power and Peril of Deadlines
- Self-Imposed Constraints: Kyle explains the need to give his project a strict 90-day timeframe, recognizing that "the creative sector is rife with ideas that never come to life. Everybody has them, but then bringing them to life and executing them is the most difficult part" (05:55).
- Tool for Urgency: This short timeline forced Kyle into action and out of the comfort of endless planning: "Ideas that never happen – this is ideas that will definitely happen" (16:16).
The Premise and Experience of “The Clinic”
- Theme Selection: The show focused on society’s addiction to dopamine, social media, and validation. It combined pop art with satirical social commentary, blending accessibility with depth (10:21).
- Accessibility & Immersion: Kyle aimed for people to leave having fun, regardless of whether they “got” the art, transforming the typical gallery experience into a more inviting, immersive, pharmacy-themed event with actors and interactive touches: "The gallery is themed like a pharmacy with nurses that greet you at the door...it's a little bit more immersive" (10:21-12:15).
The Emotional Cost: Pressure, Regret & Resilience
- Financial and Emotional Toll: Kyle discusses the anxiety of investing personal funds, turning down paid work, and setting fire to his bank account: "At the same time setting fire to a bank account...is this the correct thing to do?" (08:43).
- Pressure as Privilege: He reframes pressure as a privilege — a chosen hardship rather than one imposed on him: "Pressure is a privilege. It is. Ultimately, you're putting yourself in that position...What a situation to be in" (45:11).
Process, Structure, & Managing Overwhelm
- Planning around Constraints: Kyle prioritized finding the exhibition space first, then tailored the work to fit it, reversing the usual order: "The first task of the 90 days was to find the space first...the space came first" (22:06).
- Handling Curveballs: Time and production constraints, like framers needing more weeks than expected, forced rapid problem-solving — often by simply voicing fears to others: "Get it off your chest...you will just figure it out as you're talking and use people as a sounding board" (16:49-19:07).
- Managing Many Tasks: He likens his brain to a football team of 11 Kyles all chasing the ball, emphasizing the importance of separating tasks and switching focus when stuck (20:04).
Material Choices & Playing at a High Level
- Quality over Compromise: Kyle refused to cut corners, opting for 24 karat gold and premium framers: “If we're doing something, you either see it through and do it right or just don't bother. The world doesn't need more kind of meh, go and do it properly” (00:00, 26:38).
- Big Budget Risks: He candidly reflects on his spiraling budget, driven by a commitment to quality and immersive experience, with actors and free bars: "The budget just, yeah, ended up doubling" (26:38).
Growth Through Naivety & Uncertainty
- Embracing the Unknown: Citing Noel Gallagher, Kyle praises the “beauty in naivety,” suggesting that not knowing the enormity at the start allows for freer creativity: "If he understood the enormity of that song whilst writing it, it would have never been written" (30:25).
- Skill Stacking: The varied artworks — from gold-detailed prints to sculptures — reflected his refusal to niche down, instead embracing a broad creative skillset (38:28).
Self-Acceptance, Validation & The Value of Audience
- Creating for Oneself: Kyle stresses the importance of making art first for himself; external validation is secondary: "First and foremost, you've got to want to pick the guitar up for yourself and sing the song..." (33:25).
- Polarizing Work: He relishes both positive and negative reactions, seeing creative work as creating a "platform for opinion": "I would so much rather be on the pitch playing the game than being the stands throwing the opinions about" (48:14-50:21).
- The Physical vs. Digital Experience: The exhibition’s tangible, real-life gathering stands as a reclaiming of depth versus the instant-but-shallow dopamine of digital likes (52:25-53:44).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Pressure and Craft:
“If we're doing something, you either see it through and do it right or just don't bother. The world doesn't need more kind of meh, go and do it properly.”
— Kyle Wilkinson (00:00) -
On Deadlines:
"Turns out 90 days is not a very long time.”
— Kyle Wilkinson (04:18) -
On Creativity’s Reality:
“The creative sector is rife with ideas that never come to life... bringing them to life and executing them is the most difficult part.”
— Kyle Wilkinson (05:55) -
On Pressure as Privilege:
“That's exactly why I think pressure is a privilege. It is. Ultimately you're putting yourself in that position that you're under pressure. But what a situation to be in."
— Kyle Wilkinson (45:11) -
On Artistic Rewards:
“I know that personally, the outcome of the show has been amazing... But personally, the growth that I've had in terms of...emotional resilience... is so important.”
— Kyle Wilkinson (30:25-32:24) -
On Self-Acceptance and Critique:
"Somebody so beautifully described the piece of being, of its time...Then the other polarizing view is, why the fuck would you want a skull on your wall?...Both we create we, we create platforms."
— Kyle Wilkinson (48:14) -
On the Purpose of Making:
“You've got to want to pick the guitar up for yourself and sing the song or create the piece of art or whatever it be.”
— Kyle Wilkinson (33:25) -
On Playing at a High Level:
“If I'm gonna get to that level, then why not play at that level at the very beginning and...I sourced them the very best things...”
— Kyle Wilkinson (38:28)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:00 – Kyle on using 24 karat gold and his philosophy: do it right, or don’t bother.
- 04:18 – Choosing to launch a pop-up show in 90 days.
- 05:55 – Industry is full of unrealized ideas; importance of constraints.
- 10:21 – Concept of "The Clinic" — dopamine, social media, and inclusivity in art.
- 16:16 – Kyle’s process for handling stress and curveballs.
- 22:06 – Why the venue came first and how it shaped the exhibition.
- 26:38 – Budget stakes: the commitment to quality materials and "spiraling" costs.
- 30:25 – Naivety lets you create freely (Noel Gallagher’s songwriting story).
- 38:28 – Mixed-media works, sourcing premium framers, and conceptual depth.
- 45:11 – Embracing pressure as a privilege and building emotional resilience.
- 48:14 – Self-acceptance, critiques, and the importance of playing the creative “game.”
- 52:25 – Physical experience vs. digital validation.
- 53:44 – The value of real-world connection, community, and collaboration.
Closing Thoughts
This episode delves into what it genuinely means to dare creatively — to set audacious deadlines, risk your own money, choose meaningful problems, and let go of both perfectionism and the need for external approval. Kyle Wilkinson exemplifies creative risk-taking and the growth that comes from venturing into the unknown, sharing lessons with humor, candor, and a refusal to compromise on the quality or integrity of his work.
This is an essential listen for anyone who wants to understand what it takes to not just think, but do “daring creativity” in the real world.