Dan and Paul reflect on the "chaos" of a creative life and the inevitable ebb and flow of productivity when balanced against family, university, and professional work. The conversation shifts from the guilt of a hiatus to the importance of embracing "asymmetry" in one's practice, eventually diving into the specific visual signatures of their local environments. Dan discusses his recent exhibition at the Copeland Gallery, specifically defending a photograph of a nondescript portacabin as a vital representation of the Medway landscape. They also explore the concept of "carnalgia," the pitfalls of nostalgic cliches in photography, and the artistic value of documenting the "monstrosities" of the present day—like the Fiat Multipla—for the benefit of the future.

This week, the super-talented and almost Welsh documentary photographer Roo Lewis talks to The Idle Hands Society about folklore, faith, community, and the importance of telling positive stories. Roo spent over two years photographing the landscape and the people of Port Talbot to create a wonderful body of work.

Dan and Paul round up 2023’s highlights in their end-of-year review.

We caught up with Roland Ramanan at the tail end of his Kickstarter campaign to print Dominoes, his decade-long exploration of joy, addiction, pain and hope in a community centred around a unique corner of London's east end.

Dan, Paul, Ed Thompson catch up in an inpromtude episode of The Idle Hands Society Podcast. Sorry about the audio blowing out in a few spots; we recorded this gem unplanned using some very basic gear. As we’re getting into the slower months for our work, you’ll see us picking up the pace a little with the podcast.

We catch up after a little break to discuss the end of Dan’s first year at university, our collaborative project Adult Youth Club, the last art of maintaining friendships, and the Homeless World Cup.

Dan waxes lyrical about “LU cinnamon biscuits”, his new website, and his upcoming first exhibition at the Copeland Gallery. We discuss if it’s possible to make pictures about how we feel rather than what we see. Paul also discusses the imminent release of his first zine, Not so far.