Whilst researching the creative mindfulness exercise ‘Cut-Up Poetry’ I discovered a rather fascinating history. It's a process favoured by artists, poets and songwriters alike, including Kurt Cobain and one of my heroes David Bowie. Read on to learn more about its history knowing you're in good company if you decide to try this very mindful creative technique. The History of Cut-Up Poetry Cut-up poetry is the literary take on collage. I discovered an exciting and rich history while researching the cut-up poetry technique.  American writer William Burroughs is often attributed to the cut-u ..read more

Traditional vs Creative Mindfulness In traditional mindfulness meditation, we use non-judgemental present moment awareness of the breath and body, thoughts and emotions, as our focus. We become more aware of our bodies, minds and the world around us. The simple difference with creative mindfulness practice is we bring this mindful non-judgemental awareness whilst engaged in a creative activity. To focus and notice what thoughts and emotions arise as we create.  In case you have urgent creative matters to attend to, here’s a brief summary: TL:DR In creative mindfulness practices, we brin ..read more

Being unbusy means knowing your values and keeping to them Being unbusy is a choice Being unbusy is a mindset Being unbusy involves being mindful Being unbusy is committing to doing nothing at times Being unbusy is being mentally supple Being unbusy is listening to your body's innate wisdom Being unbusy is embracing the uncomfortable feelings too Being unbusy is about a process over an outcome Values It all starts with your values when it comes to an unbusy life. Values define how you live, work, and your priorities and goals. They are crucial to making authentic decisions, a ..read more

How are you? No, really...how are you? I must confess, I really dislike this question. It's one of those standard greetings that people ask without genuinely being interested in the response. We don't have time, right? We're too busy to stop and listen to the answer, so why do we even ask it? We ask this question to be polite (in the UK anyway). Still, we secretly hope that people won't actually tell us the truth. In case we have to stop, listen and spend our precious time listening to a never-ending list of woes, complaints or gossip.  What does the question "how are you?" really&nb ..read more

Small acts of everyday creativity have the potential to increase your overall sense of wellbeing. Today we’ll look at the wellbeing benefits of creativity and art-making and for the sceptical among you we’ll look at the research evidence to support these ideas. 5 Wellbeing Benefits of Everyday Creativity As long as your chosen art-making activity is easily accessible to you and your circumstances, art-making and everyday creativity can potentially: Everyday creativity nurtures your overall wellbeing Helps regulate emotions, leading to better mental health Reduces stress and make you more ..read more

What can transport you to another dimension, where the concept of time and even yourself disappear? All you’re left with is a deep sense of satisfaction. That’s Flow. And I’m an addict. “A state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi The concept of 'Flow' is enjoying a resurgence of popularity at the moment in our overly distracted, multi-tasking, digital age where our attention has become a commodity. Hungar ..read more

This post was originally written back in 2019 (when this site was a blog and portfolio). I thought it would be useful to revive it to show you how my journey from burnt-out social media content creator to digital wellbeing advocate, started with a digital detox. The initial 30-day digital detox turned into 3 months. It was initially pretty extreme but ultimately life-changing. In this post I’m talking directly to you: fellow artists, designers, hobbyists, creatives. If you rely on creativity for work or pleasure, I believe it’s really important to look at how your use of technology is affectin ..read more

“The act of mindfulness has simply uncovered who I am. It had just been covered by dusty piles of self-imposed rules and rags of expectations.” If you’re a student or practitioner of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more

I had the best day the other day. A morning walk and a coffee at the local cafe with the hubby, work running online facilitation sessions and then onto some writing and drawing time. All finished off... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more

Latest sketchbook walkthrough from the week beginning February 7th 2022. I love keeping a sketchbook. It’s a brilliant place to try new ideas, make mistakes and be less than perfect. It’s incredibly... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more