How Nathan Paddison survived 13 years behind bars, solitary confinement, and an ice addiction

Welcome to another weekend episode of The Briefing hosted by Antoinette Lattouf. In this episode, we chat with ex-con turned global artist, Nathan Paddison.

Nathan has spent nearly 13 years of his life in and out of prison for a range of crimes: some small and others violent. He says art saved him.

Antoinette and Nathan went to school together in western Sydney and reconnected at his latest art exhibition. You cannot downplay some of his crimes, including a charge of domestic violence, but rarely do we hear about how criminals try to turn their lives around.

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CHAPTERS:
02:23 "I always thought I was going to go to jail"
03:47 How Nathan Paddison ended up in jail
06:27 Joining a gang at 15-years-old
07:32 How Nathan made $560,000 in 6 weeks
07:58 Going to jail the first time
09:27 Spending 13 months in solitary confinement
12:16 What is life in solitary confinement like?
13:35 What's it like being alone for 13 months?
14:15 Can jail change a person for the better?
14:43 How Nathan became an artist
15:11 Getting stabbed 9 times while behind bars
18:19 Does Nathan Paddison need drugs to create art?
20:50 How long did it take to become an international artist?
23:09 Stigma and fear: How has Nathan been received by the art world?
25:07 Why does Nathan post to social media: TikTok and Instagram content
28:19 The importance of learning self defence before going into prison
29:15 What's it like to stab someone?
30:36 Art, therapy and wanting to be a good dad






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