Musings on creativity, oomph, getting unstuck, playfulness and living a more joyful life.
This is a sentence opener I’ve found to be super useful when I get asked “so what is it you do?”.
That question used to freeze me in fear, especially when asked by someone who wasn’t in the creative sector. “Well, I do a few things…” I’d mumble.
Fast forward a few years and I now confidently say,...
When you’re freelance or self employed, properly going on holiday is a hard thing to do. There’s a worry that, as you do everything in your business, things might fall apart if you’re not keeping on top of messages and emails. There’s also the more uncomfortable thing that you get validation and a...
I often catch people staring when I’m out and about without a wig. I don’t mind it at all - I’d stare too; it’s just human to be curious about difference and diversity. On the whole, I find that humans are lovely and they don’t want people to get upset by knowing they are being stared at, so when ...
Tricky question right?
If you follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn, you'll have seen that I've been musing on that a bit recently, especially in relation to creativity.
There are, what I would consider to be, healthy distractions and unhealthy ones.
Healthy distractions would include reflective tim...
It's been nearly 3 months since I braved the shave at the end of January. One most definite thing I've learned is that January is a poor time of year to go bald. It's been a voyage of discovery in that respect, including testing out lots of different options until I've finally found the right ha
...
So many days asking “Why is my hair falling out” have come to an end.
Yesterday was the first day in nearly 4000 days when my hair didn’t fall out. I didn’t check the bald patches to see what was worse, what was growing back, what was turning pure white. I didn’t sigh as a handful of hair came ou...
In one of the last face to face meetings I had just before the pandemic massively changed our lives, someone said to me “the only way forward is through radical generosity”.
We were talking about the arts sector and how it could withstand the year on year eroding of funding and support. But the ph...
Let me put my cards on the table (next to a chai latte and a bit of baking goodness): I blooming love Christmas!
This isn't because every Christmas I've ever had has been idyllic. Far from it. 10 years ago, my brother passed away suddenly right before Christmas day. Then we had that incredibly d...
“What, in this situation, can you control?”
That question comes up a lot in coaching. As a client tries to untangle something they feel unclear about which is complicated by lots of external factors: other people’s behaviour and choices, society at large, the weather, etc. There’s a common thread...
My best ideas come one of two ways. One is the lightning bolt where an idea arrives, brilliant in it’s fully formed wonderfulness. The other, which happens far more frequently, is a slow burn: one where an idea emerges from the depths of my mind, vague and indistinct.
I feel it’s taken me far too...
I’ve often said that facilitation is an art form in itself.
The beginning of my career was mainly focused around drama workshops. I delivered these up and down the country with people of all ages and a huge variety of backgrounds. They took an energy I’m not sure I could muster several times a we...
My blog this month isn’t a blog, it’s a letter to you, a love letter of sorts from one sole trader to another.
It’s an attempt to capture all that is wonderful about you and provide some words of support and celebration.
It is a whirlwind of brilliant stuff. We are our own bosses! Oh the freedom...
Even as I type, I am unsure whether I should be sharing this.
There’s a little voice in my head telling me it will be damaging to my business if I do.
That I “should” always portray a sense of successfulness. That being brutally honest about failure will make people less keen to work with me.
Ho...
There are a few definitions of the word Retreat, which is my theme for this month.
The one that I’m on about is this:
Retreat: “A quiet or secluded place in which one can rest or relax”
It’s my chosen theme because, after a pandemic-caused hiatus, I’m producing actual retreats again. Taking peop...
Once upon a time…
No.
Hang on.
That’s a bit old hat, isn’t it? Not how I want to start. I’ll try again…
Let me tell you a story. Come on in, grab a comfy seat. You might need that cosy blanket too, March has been a bit cheeky, weatherwise round here.
Right. Settled?  Then I’ll just go for ...
