In this episode, I interview Keith Boswell (@keithboswell), an extremely creative individual with a unique hobby; collecting toys and posting photos of them on Instagram.
Keith and I had a chance to sit down for an interview while attending a conference in Florida, and we talked quite a bit about toys as an up-and-coming art medium. When you hear “toys” you may be thinking G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Transformers, or My Little Pony, but it turns out there’s a whole world of toys made by artists and aren’t mass-produced. We also chatted about raising creative children, and what it was like being a creative in the dotcom world of the late 90’s.
Scroll down to listen, or subscribe and listen through iTunes. If you like the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, as well.
In this chat, we discuss;
- What’s it like living in a “popsicle house” full of creative people, and how his unique toy collection is used as decoration
- How he became a toy collector (Hint: It all started with Star Wars.)
- How artists in Asia began creating toys as art in the early 2000’s, and how that’s expanded across the world
- The accessibility of toys as art and the challenge these artists have offering pieces at multiple price points
- How the internet has made art accessible for everyone, regardless of location or budget
- How artists are using social media to make money
- Keith’s start by launching a web design company in 1996, and how his career has evolved since then
- The lifestyles of digital creatives in the late 1990’s, and how those experiences influenced the evolution of many Gen X careers
- How Keith has benefited from having a wide variety of interests and skills throughout his career
- How he commits to publishing a new Instagram photo daily, and what that process is like for him
- The in-box versus opened debate of toy collecting
- How Keith and his wife raise creative children
- Keith’s advice for other creatives
In addition to Twitter, check out Keith’s Instagram feed to see his toys in action.