Ep07: Bec Hill on healthy jealousy and what success means in a creative life

by Laura Kidd

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Hello hello! Thanks for visiting this page to listen to my conversation with comedian Bec Hill, recorded on 27th March 2020.

[Content warning: one or two very mild swears.]

In this conversation, we discuss:

• the life changing effects of The Artist’s Way
• the difference between healthy and unhealthy jealousy and what success means in a creative life
• living with anxiety when people assume you must be an extrovert
• smartphone addiction – how screen-free Sundays help
• how creating an enjoyable workspace can change your mood
• why it’s okay to make work you know your audience will like (as long as you like it too)

The pieces of work Bec invites you to check out are: short videos on her YouTube channel and longer shows “Bec In 1 Hour” and “I’ll Be Bec” on Next Up Comedy (free trial available!).

Since lockdown she’s been raising money for WaterAid with the £5000 t-shirt. Sponsor a square or six here.

She also does FOUR podcasts: Because You Watched, A Problem Squared with Matt Parker, The Designspark Podcast with Dr Lucy Rogers and Harriet Braine and Con Sessions with Matt Highton.

The other comedians she recommends are: Sam Campbell, Joz Norris, Spencer Jones, Josie Long and Sarah Kendall.

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Other things we mentioned:

In the intro I mention the limited release of my live Penfriend album, available til the end of Sunday 5th July only. Hurry hurry! I also mention my friend Marc Burrows, who does comedy and music *and* just published a book about Terry Pratchett!

We both talked enthusiastically about Julia Cameron’s 12 week course of The Artist’s Way and the daily practice of writing the Morning Pages. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be more creative day to day.

I referred to my recent podcast episode with Frank Turner where he talks about getting the 9 o’clock shivers.

Bec talked about setting up her dream desk – watch the tour here!

I mentioned my favourite life changing books of recent times: “Deep Work” and “Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport (his new podcast is great, too!) plus Austin Kleon‘s brilliant trilogy: Steal Like An Artist, Show Your Work, Keep Going. His newsletter is brilliant, too.

Bec talked about St Luke’s Church in West Holloway, and ex-Reverend Dave Tomlinson’s book “How to be a bad Christian…And a better human being“.

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About Bec

Australian-born and now London-based, Bec has gained a cult following in Australia, the UK and Ireland thanks to her award-winning solo shows, Twitter presence and popular YouTube videos. She has a talent for incorporating arts and crafts into her stand-up routines, creating a unique and unforgettable comedy style that she calls “paper-puppetry”.

Bec can be found as a guest on the 2nd series of “Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit”, a judge on “Sam & Mark’s Big Friday Wind-Up”, and the voice of several characters in “Mass Effect: Andromeda”. She has also appeared in every series of CBBC’s “The Dog Ate My Homework”, and starred in the Sundance UK Grand Jury Prize winning short film “Russian Roulette”.

Her one-liners regularly feature in “best joke” lists by “reputable” sources like The Telegraph, Dave, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Record and Buzzfeed, which isn’t surprising, as she is the creator of the UK’s only pun-based comedy night, Pun Run. She has also written for The Amazing World of Gumball, Bluestone 42, Dilemma, The Now Show and her first short animation directorial debut, “Scoring Pointes” aired with Disney in 2016.

She was also one half of the award-winning, critically-acclaimed family comedy double-act, Bec & Tom.

Follow Bec on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.

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Have a lovely day xo

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