Innovation = Staying Relevant - Barnaby Dixon
Innovating is about staying relevant. Our world is constantly evolving, it’s impossible for a creator to remain relevant if they don’t innovate.
When a creator continuously innovates, they are more likely to stay relevant. Imagine if Jimmy Diresta only made things on the band saw. Would he be as relevant as he is now?
My guest Barany Dixion is an innovator in his field of puppetry. Barnaby is at the forefront of design, movement, video and stage production. He is a true artist.
In this show we talk about where it all began
Staying the course even when friends and family didn’t support you
Barnaby unveils his process of making and idea realty
We then get down into how he has innovated over the years in, design, production and probably the most important aspect his mindset.
QUESTIONS:
1) Before we get started. Do you want to introduce yourself, who is Barnaby Dixon?
1–2-minute elevator pitch on: Who you are? Where you are from? What you do?
Today out topic is “Innovation”
In one of our conversations, we talked about the importance of innovation in our work. I thought this would really resonate with the audience as often when making ones ideas reality one is required to innovate.
Without innovation, you create nothing new, and without anything new, you cannot expect to stay relevant. The other sad side is when we cease innovate as a human, we also expect to stay relevant with family and friends.
2) Before we go deep into our topic, I wanted to give the audience some context of your journey so far.
Where did this all start?
3) Being a puppeteer is not a job most would probably boast about. When I think of a puppeteer, I unfortunately think of a weird guy called Craig Schwartz crawling through a little door on the 7th ½. Obsessed with “Being John Malkovich”.
In those early years where you were in your bedroom with blacked out windows playing with dolls.
Did friends and family have concerns and if so, how did you deal with them?
What about those in a similar situation now where someone doesn’t get why they are doing there thing.
Any advice for them?
4) You started in stop motion. For those who follow your work. Your puppets have evolved to do very interesting things that you could never achieve with stop motion.
How has your innovation in design of your puppets changed the trajectory of your career?
For those struggling to innovate in their designs.
Any words of wisdom for them?
5) Lets talk about your process of making an idea into reality.
What’s your process? Does the end result always look like the original idea?
6) The world’s attention moves quickly from tv - YouTube - TikTok. You put your work out there in various formats and places.
How have you innovated with your productions and videos?
What could one do if they feel stuck?
7) Your work has gained the attention of the likes of the Henson Company and JJ Arams. I’ve also seen you on tested with Adam Savage. They are some of the highlights, but life is not always sunshine and rainbows with cake and ass parties. You spoke to me before about using your ego to fuel the drive to succeed and getting hyper fixated on a project but….
Have you had to innovate this mindset to navigate through the successes and failures?
Changing your mindset is fucking scary thought for many. They have told themselves that this is who I am but shit still keeps going wrong.
What’s the first thing you should look at if you want to change your mindset?
RAPID FIRE 5
1) What is something people get wrong about you?
2) What is something you like doing that has nothing to do with making?
3) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
4) Dabchick is always buying things on the internet in the pursuit of true happiness. What do you think happiness look like?
5) Who should be the next guest on the podcast?