Carrick's paternal grandmother was the actress Ellen Terry,[2] and his maternal grandfather was the model and painter Gaetano Meo.
[1] Carrick changed his last name from Craig to disassociate himself from his tyrannical and controlling father, with whom he disagreed over his career path, and who forbade his engagement to his future wife, Helen Godfrey, in 1928.
He also began to illustrate books, for Edward James among others, and he also produced work as a fine artist, including paintings, drawings and prints.
He next published Meet the Common People (1942), a commentary on the effect of war on everyday life.
He wrote a biography of his father in 1968, Gordon Craig: the story of his life, which includes some history of his famous family and became a best seller.