There’s a reason that the BBC’s Repair Shop is so popular.  It’s got those magic ingredients of heartfelt human stories, our deep emotional connection to certain objects and a range of slow, focused craft practices that work at odds to our fast-paced, single-use,...

It might possibly be the worst feedback I could ever receive… “you’re too salesy”.  Thankfully I’ve never received it.  But maybe that fear of appearing pushy, too keen on closing the deal, putting profit before humanity has also held me back.

I’ve...

Years ago, I was talking to a theatre friend about why I was struggling to get some of my theatre production ideas funded.  I was using all sorts of phrases to describe how the theatre I made wasn’t edgy.  It was still dealing with the issues of our times, but it had a warmth to...

I don’t know about you, but the global pandemic has caused me to reflect on things far more deeply than my busy life usually allows.

One thing that I keep ruminating on, as I stare out of my window is playfulness. When the crisis hit in early March I felt bombarded with creative and play...

UPDATE: as a result of this blog, I was on Woman's Hour on BBC4 as an expert on... get this... Pottering!  How totally brilliant is that!  You can listen to me sharing my expertise and rather unfortunately talking about my man drawer here.

This blog was written in June 2020.

As...

For the past two weeks I have been waiting. I’m not very good at waiting. I’m also not the best at admitting I’m not particularly good about something I think I should have mastered by now.

But, by being open and telling you, it’s helping my resolve to work on it... I'll...

This image is of Paul Gauguin playing the harmonium in Alphonse Mucha’s studio. As you can see, he’s forgotten his trousers. No idea what’s really going on here, but it’s always struck me as an excellent visual representation of the Art of Winging It.

I vividly remember a...

When working with my coach this week, I was talking about a situation which was making me feel a bit uncomfortable and scared as well as excited.  At the root of it all was a fear of rejection.  Once we’d uncovered that, things got easier because I’m well versed in rejection...

I love food. I really love it.

I don’t mean always I’m greedy and forever gorging. No.  I just love different tastes and textures and sensations and smells. I love the peace and flow I get from cooking. I ADORE cook books and food magazines.

I’m totally passionate about food....

I’ve lived in my house for 3 winters so far and the first was really hard. I’ve always held the internal narrative that I’m not a morning person, which is a tricky story to have when you’re a lone parent getting two little ones to primary school. I didn’t make things...

A friend recently posted this quote on my social media timeline…

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity”.

(It looks like this quote, commonly attributed to Dorothy Parker, was actually said by Ellen Parr)

My friend was prompted to share from a chat we...

This blog first appeared on the Creative Entrepreneurs Club.  If you're a creative type, and you've not come across CEC you should really check it out.  There's a wealth of support, inspiration and connections waiting for you there.

Recently, I’ve become a pirate.

Not the bad kind...

I’m not going to lie, things are tough right now.

Yesterday I felt more drained and flat than I possibly have ever felt before. It wasn’t very nice, but today is a new day and things feel less bleak. This week I feel wrapped in layers of loss. Loss of my dear dad, but also loss of...

This year I’ve become “an expert” in a surprising range of things. I lost all my contracts I’d lined up for 2020/2021 by mid April. Some were frozen, others cancelled. Grieving for the year I thought I was going to have, and grieving for what at the time, felt like the end...

It’s an ongoing point of discussion in every self employed or small business sector I’ve been involved with. How can you price yourself in a way that reflects your worth but also creates a sustainable thriving business?

There’s also the thorny issue of working for free.

A subject...