Alastair McKimm On Gratitude & an Addictive Personality | What's Contemporary Now?

Alastair McKimm returns to What’s Contemporary Now?, this time on camera, to discuss life after 23 years at i-D and the launch of Prototype, a new creative venture bringing publishing, product design, and creative services under one roof. Now also Chief Creative Officer of Visual Talent Group (VTG), McKimm reflects on building a new model for creative businesses, his work with Gap, Marc Jacobs, and Miley Cyrus, and the role of curation in navigating an increasingly saturated world. From editing creative work to editing our own lives, we explore instinct, ambition, insecurity, and the challenge of sustaining a career without losing sight of ourselves. “What's contemporary now is curation and editing. Whether it comes to work or your own life or how you make your way through the world.” - Alastair McKimm Episode Highlights: 01:12–01:57 | Leaving i-D After 23 Years and Building Something of His Own 01:59–05:04 | Why Print, Curation and Editorial Judgment Still Matter 05:28–05:52 | Filtering the Noise in an Overwhelming World 05:58–08:17 | Giving Artists Creative Freedom Through Prototype 08:21–10:18 | Rethinking the Magazine Format and Business Model 10:18–12:03 | Building a Democratic Publication Without Hierarchies 18:04–20:39 | Finding Inspiration in the Everyday and Reimagining the Ordinary 21:03–22:35 | How We Give Meaning to the Things We Create 22:35–25:10 | Why We Still Need Physical Objects in a Digital World 25:34–26:51 | Finding His Own Creative Identity After i-D 27:50–29:28 | Learning to Embrace Uncertainty Through Marc Jacobs 29:29–30:40 | The Expanding Role of Creative Direction With Miley Cyrus 34:29–36:55 | Dealing With Criticism, Negativity and the Pressure to Please 36:56–38:14 | Staying Open to the World Beyond the Screen 38:14–39:48 | Creative Ambition, Insecurity and the Need for Validation 39:48–41:13 | Finding the Next Chapter When Your Career Defines You 41:18–44:32 | Work-Life Balance, Recovery and the Danger of Abandoning Yourself 44:11–44:32 | When Bad Habits Become the Price of Professional Success 44:45–45:34 | AI, Print and Why New Technologies Don't Have to Replace the Old 45:44–46:22 | What Is Contemporary Now? Curation, Editing and Clarity Hosted by Christopher Michael Produced by Sasha Grinblat Creative Post-Production & Social by Chase Coughlin Original Theme Music by Joseph Topmiller and Chase Coughlin of The Black Soft Director: Kyleen James