Today, I’m suffering a bit from FOMO

It was the Next Radio conference in London – a gathering of radio people, eager to learn new things, share new ideas and generally talk about the medium they love. I’m not too worried – I’ve been following the highlights online at Radio Today Live – and if this year is like other years, the vast archive of content will eventually make itself available online. But there’s always next year…

I’ve been a couple of times, and really enjoyed it  – and the only reason I’m not there is that next month, I’m off to The Imaging Days.

This conference is now in its second year – and will be packed full of producers listening to, talking about and sharing ideas about radio production and imaging. For many people, this would be akin to torture. For me, and many colleagues, it will be all about learning – learning how other people approach the job I love – and how they do it better. There’s a great lineup of producers again this year – including Jon Frost, Matt Fisher and Kelly Doherty. Some I’ve worked with, some I know online, and some I’ve never met – but all will have interesting things to say.

And don’t fool yourself, it’s never too late to learn stuff – and never too late to ask questions too.

Being creative is all about opening your mind to new ideas. And you can only discover new ideas by being open to learn things – however much you already know

When I first started doing this job 20 odd years ago, there weren’t many places to get inspiration from. I could  subscribe to California Aircheck and wait a few weeks for a new cassette to drop through the door. Or drive around in the car to record what stations out of my hometown were doing. Or maybe buy one of Dan O’Day’s conferences on cassette.

Now, there’s stuff to learn everywhere. Benztown have a blog. Reelworld have a blog. Earshot showcase things. Producers like Chris Nicoll and Rick Allen share their experience.  I devour them all – even though, by rights I should know everything they talk about.

But if you start thinking you know it all – there’s a danger you’ll get stuck in a rut – and slowly but surely, your work becomes less and less relevant.

If you’re a creative  producer, there are still tickets available to The Imaging Days – who knows what you’ll learn and who you’ll meet?