‘Sometimes a fuck up isn’t a fuck up: it’s the angel on the shoulder of the devil on your shoulder.’

These lines were among the first I came across by the Australian poet and artist Darby Hudson. I liked them so much I asked if I could use them to head a chapter on mistakes in my own book. Darby said yes, and so began our correspondence.

I’ve thought for a while that Darby would be an excellent guest on the Wind Thieved Hat and when I found out that he was about to publish a book on creativity and poetry, I invited him to join me.

Our conversation roams over subjects as diverse as the losses and wins of getting older, what your sober self can learn from your drunk self, the benefits of hanging out in cemeteries and much more besides.

Darby’s a charming bloke with lots to say about creativity. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

You can explore all things Darby related here.

You can join his hordes of Instagram followers here.

And you can find out more about Glass Leaves here.