How Can Creatives Practice Self-Care? Part One

Self-Care and the Creative Mind: Part 1

As the new year unfolds, many creatives feel the quiet pull towards renewal—not just of goals and projects but of self. In the face of burnout, unconscious self-neglect and misaligned priorities, self-care has emerged as more than a passing trend. It is a call to come home to oneself.

In a world that is increasingly aware of the impact of mental health—1 in 4 adults in England now experience a mental health challenge each year, and 1 in 5 adults live with a common mental health condition at any given time—one must ask: how much attention is truly being paid to the oil and water needs of your mental and physical engine?

Among young adults aged 16 to 24, the prevalence of common mental health conditions has risen to 25.8%, a sobering statistic that reflects not only societal pressures but also the unique vulnerability and depth of creative minds.

Is it time for a tune-up?

Creativity and Mental Health

A 2015 study from Iceland revealed that genetic traits associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia appeared more frequently in individuals in creative professions—painters, musicians, writers, dancers—than in those working in less creative fields like farming, manual labour or sales.

These findings suggested that creativity and mental vulnerability may share a common biological thread. While this does not mean that all creatives are unwell, it does highlight a deeper truth: the same neural architecture that allows for divergent thinking and emotional richness can, at times, make the inner landscape more complex to navigate.

Creativity might be your superpower. It might also be your kryptonite.

And this may be precisely why self-care needs to move to the forefront of your priorities—not as a luxury or indulgence, but as essential scaffolding for your future wellbeing.

What Is Self-Care, Really?

True self-care is the deliberate tending to your whole self—mind, body, emotions and spirit. It’s not just about what feels good in the moment but what sustains and supports you over time.

Self-care means witnessing yourself. It’s about asking, What do I need right now? and then giving yourself permission to respond.

Self-care cultivates behaviours that serve your life rather than sabotage it. It invites you to move away from self-harming patterns and energy-depleting environments.

Examples of Self-Care Might Include:

• Nourishing food choices

• Gentle or invigorating movement

• Time in nature

• Staying hydrated

• Honouring sleep

• Stillness, meditation or reflection

• Journaling or scheduled ‘worry time’

• Water therapies such as showers, baths, steam rooms or swimming (when accessible)

• Self or professional massage

• Anything personal to you that creates replenishment

This list is not exhaustive. What practices would you add that truly support you?

The Challenge of Prioritising Yourself

Understanding what self-care is can be straightforward. Living it is often another matter entirely.

For many creatives, the concept of putting oneself first is tangled in old attachments and survival patterns. These are not weaknesses—they are responses shaped by experience and, often, by necessity. But they can lead to habitual self-neglect, especially when merged with the hustle-driven ethos of modern life.

In such a climate, self-care can feel selfish. But what if selfishness was redefined? What if tending to yourself became a radical act of integrity rather than a mark of indulgence?

Seven Reflections on the Power of Self-Care

1. You cannot pour from an empty cup. When you invest in yourself, you are also investing in your capacity to support others.

2. Contribution begins with care. Your creative mind is wired for exploration. One way to honour that is through meaningful self-investment.

3. Self-kindness shifts the inner narrative. Notice what you say to yourself. Is it kind? Self-care opens space to change the tone.

4. Your needs matter. Prioritising your needs helps untangle you from the weight of others’ opinions or expectations.

5. Clarity emerges from within. Self-care clears a path towards what really matters, bringing purpose and direction into focus.

6. Trustworthy decisions are born from self-awareness. When you honour what is present, you make decisions rooted in confidence, not survival.

7. Environment matters. Who you spend time with and how you spend your time shapes your energy. Self-care includes choosing who and what deserves space in your life.

Ultimately, self-care is a practice of devotion—to the life you are building, the person you are becoming and the needs that call for your attention today.

In Part 2 of this self-care series, we will explore how to actively cultivate a self-care practice that is sustainable, nourishing and deeply attuned to your creative life.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

The Difference Between Coaching and Therapy

The Difference Between Coaching and Therapy

As the year draws to a close and a new one beckons, many find themselves reflecting on the patterns, behaviours and inner landscapes that have shaped their lives. This transitional moment—between endings and beginnings—often stirs the desire for deeper support, whether through therapy, coaching or a blend of both.

Understanding the distinction between coaching and therapy can be a grounding first step for those considering psychological or emotional support in the year ahead. Though both offer transformative potential, they differ in orientation, focus and approach.

Coaching

Coaching centres on present-moment action and future-forward momentum. It is a structured, goal-orientated process that helps individuals clarify their aims and take intentional steps towards realising them.

Rather than delving into the origins of behavioural patterns, coaching works with what is currently showing up and asks: How can we move through this? What strategies and behaviours will support change?

Problematic behaviours are approached with curiosity and a commitment to modification—not because the person is flawed, but because certain habits or beliefs may no longer serve their evolution.

Therapy

Therapy takes a deeper dive into the inner terrain. It explores the subconscious and unconscious influences that shape a person's experience, especially those rooted in the past.

The therapeutic process seeks to illuminate the ‘why’ behind current patterns—why one might feel stuck, reactive or anxious in certain situations. It offers space for integration, understanding and healing, often providing the emotional groundwork necessary for sustainable change.

A New Perspective on Support

There is a lingering stigma around seeking help—an outdated belief that turning to therapy or coaching signals weakness or damage. But what if this perspective were reframed?

What if support was seen as an act of radical self-care—a declaration of self-responsibility and a deep commitment to inner and outer wellbeing?

All living systems require tending. Minds, like bodies, need rest, repair and nourishment. Emotions need recognition and guidance. Patterns need light and space to shift.

Support, in any form, is not an admission of failure. It is an honouring of one's complexity and a courageous move towards growth.

Choosing What’s Right for You

Whether you choose coaching, therapy or a combination of both, the most important thing is that the support feels aligned. Both approaches can bring clarity, relief and practical movement in areas such as relationships, creative blocks, emotional regulation and decision-making.

Whichever path you follow, ensure the professional you work with is qualified and accredited. This protects your emotional and mental health and ensures the integrity of the process.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

This might be the year you choose to meet yourself more fully—with care, curiosity and the right kind of support to help you do so.

Breaking the Cycle: Why We Perpetuate Our Suffering

Breaking the Cycle: Why We Perpetuate Our Suffering

Suffering is part of being human. But perpetuating our suffering—that’s something we often do without realising it.

As creatives, we live close to our inner worlds. We draw from emotion, memory and meaning to shape what we make. But that closeness can sometimes become a trap. We get caught in loops of thought, in habits of self-blame, in stories that repeat long after their truth has faded.

So the question becomes: Are we in pain, or are we keeping pain alive through our response to it?

The Difference Between Pain and Suffering

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

This phrase, often associated with Buddhist teachings, invites us to see that while pain may arise through loss, fear or failure, suffering is what happens when we resist, attach or identify with that pain. It’s the mental and emotional looping that amplifies distress long after the original moment has passed.

• Pain says: “This is hard.”

• Suffering says: “This shouldn’t be happening.”

• Pain says: “I feel hurt.”

• Suffering says: “This always happens to me.”

In creative life, this might look like internal narratives that follow rejection: I’m not good enough. I’ll never succeed. What’s the point?

The story becomes louder than the truth. The emotion becomes more about the story than the present.

Why Do We Perpetuate It?

Because it feels familiar. Because it gives us something to hold. Because somewhere along the way, our suffering became a shape we knew how to carry.

Sometimes we cling to suffering because:

• It keeps us from taking risks

• It protects us from disappointment

• It validates our identity or past experience

• It gives us a false sense of control

But this familiar suffering costs us. It dulls our creativity. It dims our connection to others. And it interrupts the clarity we need to live and work with purpose.

A Somatic Lens on Suffering

The body doesn’t lie. It often holds suffering long after the mind has moved on. Tight shoulders, clenched jaws, shallow breath—these are signs of holding.

Suffering can live in the nervous system as a patterned response. That means change doesn’t begin in the mind alone—it begins in the body.

When you notice yourself suffering, pause. Breathe. Bring awareness to where the sensation lives. Place a hand there. Soften. Ask gently: What am I still holding? What am I ready to let go of?

The SHIFT Method: A Way Through

To support your journey out of suffering, consider the SHIFT method—an acronym for navigating those looping moments with compassion and intention:

S – Stop and Breathe
Create space. Even a single breath can interrupt the momentum of a spiralling thought.

H – Hear the Story
What are you telling yourself? Listen without judgement. Simply notice the narrative.

I – Inquire Gently
Is it true? Is it helpful? Is there another way to see this? Let your curiosity lead, not your critic.

F – Feel and Release
Let the emotion rise. Let it move through. Cry. Move. Journal. Breathe again. Trust that it will pass.

T – Turn Toward the Present
Come back to now. Ground yourself through sensation, breath or a small act of care. Ask: What matters most in this moment?

This practice doesn’t make you immune to pain. But it reminds you that suffering isn’t the only option. That you have choice. That you are not powerless in your own story.

In Closing

You don’t need to disown your pain. You just don’t need to live inside it forever.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Each time you step out of suffering and into presence, you reclaim energy for living, loving and creating. And that choice, made quietly and consistently, becomes a radical act of self-liberation.

Feeling Forward: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Creative Life

Feeling Forward: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Creative Life

Creative work is not separate from emotional life—it is emotional life, shaped and expressed through movement, sound, image or word. As a creative, your capacity to tune in to feeling, to tolerate discomfort and to respond to feedback with clarity is not just beneficial. It’s foundational.

This is where emotional intelligence becomes essential—not as a buzzword, but as a skill set that deepens both your creative process and your human experience.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognise, understand and manage your emotions—and the emotions of others. It’s what helps you navigate conflict, stay grounded in vulnerability and create with greater authenticity.

High EQ doesn’t mean being emotionally perfect. It means being emotionally present.

The four key components often associated with emotional intelligence are:

1. Self-awareness – recognising your emotions as they arise

2. Self-regulation – managing your responses rather than reacting impulsively

3. Social awareness – empathising with others and reading social cues

4. Relationship management – navigating communication, feedback and connection with intention

For creatives, each of these is not only useful—they are vital tools for sustaining creative flow, building resilience and staying in relationship with your own inner world.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Creative Life

Creative living asks you to:

• Sit with uncertainty

• Take risks

• Receive feedback without shrinking

• Stay open to inspiration while holding self-doubt

Without emotional awareness, this can become overwhelming. But when you cultivate emotional intelligence, you gain the ability to move through these states with more choice and less reactivity.

You are better able to:

• Pause before spiralling into self-criticism

• Recognise when fear is shaping your decisions

• Set boundaries around your energy and time

• Collaborate without compromising your truth

• Keep creating even when the inner critic whispers

A Somatic Path to Emotional Intelligence

Emotions live in the body before they make sense in the mind. Building emotional intelligence as a creative requires a return to the somatic. A tuning-in.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I feel this emotion in my body?

• What sensation is present—tightness, heat, fluttering?

• Can I name it without judging it?

Even this simple check-in is a form of emotional literacy. It says, I am here with myself. And in that presence, creative truth often begins to surface.

A Grounding Framework: The FEEL Acronym

To support you in practising emotional intelligence in everyday moments, use the FEEL acronym:

F – Find the Feeling
Pause and ask: What am I feeling right now? Name it. Locate it. Welcome it without rush or resistance.

E – Explore the Message
Every emotion has information. Is it pointing to a need, a boundary, a value? Ask: What is this emotion attempting to tell me?

E – Express Safely
Emotions need release. Can you speak it, write it, move it, or breathe through it? Expression brings integration.

L – Lead with Intention
Once acknowledged, choose how to respond. Lead with intention, not impulse. Ask: What action honours both the emotion and the moment?

This process may take minutes or days. The goal is not perfection—it’s practice.

Emotional Intelligence Is Creative Maturity

It’s what allows you to keep showing up—not just when inspiration flows, but when doubt visits, when feedback lands, when things don’t go to plan.

It makes your work deeper. Your relationships clearer. Your inner world less reactive and more responsive.

And like any skill, it grows with attention.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let emotional intelligence become part of your creative toolkit—not as a demand for better performance, but as an invitation to meet yourself more fully. Because when you FEEL with awareness, your art speaks with truth.

From Overwhelm to CALMER: A Creative’s Guide to Soothing Anxiety

Anxiety doesn’t always show up loudly. Sometimes it’s subtle—a restlessness, a tightened chest, a wave of dread that seems to arrive out of nowhere. For creatives, who live in close relationship with the emotional world, anxiety can interrupt the very thing that brings you most alive: your ability to imagine, to connect and to express.

So let’s begin by understanding what’s actually happening.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to perceived threat. It’s the activation of your nervous system to help you survive—by fighting, fleeing or freezing. The hormones released in this process (adrenaline and cortisol) are meant to keep you alert and alive.

The challenge is that when this response stays switched on for too long—or is triggered by situations that don’t require defence—it can lead to mental, emotional and physical exhaustion.

How Do You Know It’s Present?

You may notice:

• Unease, dread or a need for perfectionism

• Difficulty focusing or racing thoughts

• Physical symptoms like shaky hands, increased heart rate or shallow breathing

• A tendency to avoid or obsess over certain situations

• An ongoing sense that something’s wrong—even when you can’t name what

Sometimes these sensations pass quickly. At other times, they linger and start to interfere with how you show up in your work, relationships or daily life.

The following practices can help you soothe anxiety when it arises and build resilience so you can return to clarity and calm more easily.

The CALMER Method: Six Steps for Creative Grounding

C – Connect with Your Anxiety

Start by noticing. Keep a journal or voice note log to track when anxiety surfaces and what patterns you see. Get curious, not critical. This step alone can reduce overwhelm by turning vague fear into something more tangible.

Ask: What am I feeling? When does it show up? What thoughts follow?

A – Assess and Challenge the Thought

Catch the thought that’s fuelling the feeling. Ask yourself: Is this true? Is it kind? Is it useful? Try imagining what you’d say to a friend having this thought. Often our inner critic gets louder when we’re anxious—compassionate awareness helps dial it down.

L – Let It Have a Time Slot

Instead of letting worry dominate your day, give it a container. Designate a short time each day for ‘worry thinking’. During this time, use the Worry-Free Map:

1. What’s worrying me?

2. Can I do something about it?

3. If yes: plan it. If no: acknowledge, breathe and gently let it go.

Knowing you’ve made time for your concerns can create mental space for presence and focus.

M – Move Your Attention

Anxiety thrives on fixation. So gently redirect your focus. Mindfulness, music, movement and creative play can shift your state and soothe your nervous system. Bring awareness to the now—what can you see, feel or hear right here?

Try placing your hand on your body (heart, belly, jaw) and grounding through breath. A small somatic act like this can have a big impact.

E – Expose Yourself Gradually

Avoidance reinforces anxiety. By gently facing the things you usually avoid—one small step at a time—you start to build tolerance and confidence. Notice what safety habits you rely on, and consider loosening them gradually. With repetition, your body learns: I can handle this.

R – Respond with Problem Solving (When Ready)

Worry often centres around solvable problems. When you're grounded enough, use these steps to take action:

1. Identify the core issue

2. Brainstorm possible solutions

3. Weigh the pros and cons

4. Choose a direction

5. Make a plan

6. Test it out

7. Reflect and refine

You don’t have to solve everything now. But having a path can reduce the sense of powerlessness.

When to Seek Extra Support

If anxiety is consuming your day, affecting your relationships or causing you distress that won’t ease, it may be time to reach out for professional help. You’re not weak. You’re human. And you’re not alone.

Support is available in the UK through your GP or services like:

• Samaritans: 116 123

• CALM: 0800 58 58 58

In Closing

Anxiety doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your system is attempting to protect you. But when protection becomes a pattern, your creative self can feel trapped inside it.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let this moment be a turning point. Not to push through, but to soften in. To listen. To soothe. And to remember that even in anxiety, there is agency. There is choice. And there is always the next breath, waiting to bring you home.

Beyond the Tipping Point: Spotting and Soothing Creative Burnout

Beyond the Tipping Point: Spotting and Soothing Creative Burnout

In the creative world, energy can feel both precious and elusive. One moment you’re in flow, inspired and alive. The next, you’re foggy, depleted or running on fumes. The pace of life, the pressure to produce and the emotional demands of creative work can quietly accumulate—until you realise you're not just tired, you're threadbare.

Burnout often doesn’t announce itself loudly. It builds quietly in the background. And in a culture that praises productivity, it can be hard to admit when your inner resources are running low.

Burnout is not about being weak or disorganised. It’s about being human in a system that often forgets your limits. For creatives—who rely on emotional presence, nervous system attunement and imaginative capacity—burnout can be especially draining.

So how can you recognise it before it takes hold? And how can you begin to restore what’s been depleted?

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is the cumulative effect of prolonged stress. It’s what happens when you’ve been pushing through for too long without rest, support or emotional replenishment. It’s not just a passing low—it’s a sustained depletion that can affect your body, your creativity and your mental health.

How to Spot It: The B-L-A-Z-E Acronym

Here’s a simple tool to help creatives recognise the signs before burnout takes root. Think of it as a self-check. Your creative fire doesn’t need to be extinguished—it just needs tending.

B – Body Exhaustion
Are you feeling physically wiped out no matter how much you rest? Do you wake already tired or find even small tasks draining?

L – Loss of Joy
Has your creative practice started to feel dull or pointless? Are you struggling to find inspiration or connection to your work?

A – Avoidance or Escape Fantasies
Do you find yourself fantasising about quitting, running away or disappearing? Are you reaching for numbing habits—scrolling, food, substances—to cope?

Z – Zero Patience
Are you snapping more easily? Do minor frustrations feel overwhelming? Is your tolerance for discomfort unusually low?

E – Emotional Numbness or Overwhelm
Do you feel emotionally flat, disconnected or shut down—or the opposite, anxious and overstimulated? Is your sense of self beginning to blur?

If you recognise yourself in any of these signs, your body may be asking for care, not just more effort.

Gentle Practices to Prevent Burnout

Burnout prevention isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing differently. These practices help create a sustainable rhythm in your creative life:

• Prioritise restoration: Don’t wait until you’re depleted. Integrate daily grounding rituals—walks, baths, journaling or quiet time without screens.

• Nourish your body with intention: Eating well stabilises your mood and energy. Start small. Stay consistent.

• Move regularly: Creative energy is cyclical. Movement helps regulate emotion, clear stagnation and reconnect with the body.

• Protect your sleep: Treat sleep as sacred. Create a wind-down ritual. Dim the lights. Put your phone away. Let your body lead.

• Ask for help: Creativity can feel solitary but you don’t have to hold everything alone. Reach out. Let someone in.

• Re-establish boundaries: Boundaries around time, commitments and energy protect your inner world. Say no with kindness and clarity.

Recovery Is a Process

You don’t bounce back from burnout overnight. It’s a process of remembering how to care for yourself again. How to listen again. How to be with your creative self in a way that honours your limits, not just your aspirations.

This might mean making less. But what you make will come from deeper ground.

In Closing

Burnout doesn’t always arrive with drama. Sometimes it comes as silence, disconnection, the quiet dimming of your spark. But it is not the end. It is an invitation. A signal that it’s time to return to what matters—not just in your work but in your being.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let this be your call to come back—not with force but with care. Not by powering through but by softening in. Your creativity doesn’t live in your productivity. It lives in your presence. And that presence is always worth protecting.

Let It RAIN: A Grounded Practice for Emotional Well-Being

Let It RAIN: A Grounded Practice for Emotional Well-Being

In moments of emotional upheaval, our instinct is often to shield ourselves. To armour up. To stay safe at all costs. And while this instinct once protected us from danger, in daily life it can quietly block our ability to feel, connect or move forward.

So what can you reach for instead of the old shields?

You can let it RAIN.

RAIN is a mindfulness-based framework that offers a compassionate, step-by-step path through challenging emotions. It doesn’t ask you to bypass your feelings or force positivity. It asks you to stay—with presence, with curiosity and with care.

This practice is especially helpful for creatives, whose emotional lives are deeply entwined with their work. When you feel stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself, RAIN helps you pause and return—to your body, to your truth, to your own resilience.

I’ve adapted the traditional RAIN model into RAINS to add a key final step: Self-care. Because emotional wellness isn’t only about understanding your experience. It’s about honouring it with action.

R – Recognise

Begin by naming what you’re feeling. This may sound simple but it’s powerful. Emotions are often felt before they’re understood. By identifying what’s present—I feel overwhelmed, I’m anxious, I’m sad—you create a moment of separation. Not to disconnect, but to bring awareness.

You are not your emotions. You are the one witnessing them.

A – Acknowledge and Accept

This is where gentleness is vital. Can you acknowledge what is true for you right now, without rushing to fix it or push it away?

Acceptance is not about resignation. It’s about making space. It’s the internal exhale that says: This is what’s here. And it’s okay to feel this.

That acceptance often begins to soften what was tight. You may notice your breath deepens or your body unclenches. That’s your nervous system responding to your kindness.

I – Investigate

Here’s where coaching curiosity comes in. What does this feeling want you to know? What’s underneath the surface? This isn’t about self-analysis—it’s about inner listening.

You might ask:

• What triggered this emotion?

• What story am I telling myself right now?

• What do I need that I’m not receiving?

Let your body answer as much as your mind. Investigation invites a gentle widening of perspective—one that can dissolve the intensity of the emotion and reveal the need beneath it.

N – Non-Attachment

This step is a quiet liberation. You are not your thoughts. You are not your fear. These are passing states, not permanent truths.

When you remember this, even in fleeting moments, you create freedom. You begin to experience your emotions without becoming consumed by them. This space allows you to reconnect with your deeper values—what matters beyond this moment—and take aligned action from there.

S – Self-Care

And finally, return to the body. To rest. To nourishment. To connection.

Self-care isn’t a luxury. It’s your emotional grounding. It might look like going to bed earlier, stepping away from your phone, reaching out to someone safe, journalling for ten minutes or drinking water with intention.

Let it be real. Let it be small. Let it be enough.

Self-care is how we integrate emotional processing into sustainable living. It says, My needs matter. I matter. And that message ripples into everything you create and everyone you care for.

This practice, like all good things, takes time. But even on the hardest days, it offers a way back to yourself. A way to feel without drowning. To care without losing centre. To honour your emotional world as part of your creative power—not an obstacle to it.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let it RAIN. And let your healing make space for what’s next.

Managing an Emotional Crisis: A Creative's Guide to Returning to Centre

Managing an Emotional Crisis: A Creative's Guide to Returning to Centre

In the heart of every creative lies a pulse that beats with emotional intensity, fierce imagination and deep sensitivity. These qualities make our work powerful, but they can also leave us vulnerable—especially in times of emotional crisis.

At The Creative Genius, my work in psychotherapy and coaching centres around helping creatives return to themselves with compassion, curiosity and clarity. Emotional crises are not signs of weakness; they are signals that something within needs attention. When our inner world becomes louder than the world around us, we need tools that reconnect us to our body, soothe our mind and support our emotions.

The Brain's Survival Programming

Understanding that the brain is always seeking survival was a profound moment in my journey. It will do whatever it takes to protect us, even if that means developing coping mechanisms that are more self-destructive than supportive. This awareness gave me a sense of autonomy—by becoming conscious of these patterns, I could begin to choose differently.

And I want that for you too.

Because knowledge can be power—but only when it is met with self-compassion and practice.

A Somatic-Cognitive Tool: R.E.S.T.

When you're in the midst of an emotional storm, clarity can feel impossible. That is when you need a structured tool that helps slow the emotional momentum. I offer you R.E.S.T—a practice designed for the moment when your emotions feel bigger than the situation itself.

R.E.S.T. stands for:

Relax – Pause. Step back from the immediacy of the emotion. Breathe deeply. This moment is about interrupting the autopilot and giving yourself space.

Evaluate – Ask: What is really happening here? What are the facts? How am I feeling mentally, emotionally, physically? Is anyone in danger? What do I know to be true?

Set an Intention – Gently ask yourself, "What do I need right now?" Choose a small, doable action that supports your wellbeing. This isn’t about getting it perfect; it’s about choosing something that breaks the pattern.

Take Action – Respond mindfully and with care. Follow through with what you’ve decided, even if it's small. The act of choosing is powerful.

Practise R.E.S.T. not only in the heat of the moment but during reflective times too. Look back at past experiences: What were the patterns? How might R.E.S.T. have changed your response?

Emotion-Based or Problem-Based?

When facing any difficult moment, ask yourself: Is this an emotion-based or a problem-based situation?

• Emotion-Based: Something you can’t or don’t want to change (e.g., grief, a strained relationship). Here, comfort and containment are key. Strategies include walking, journalling, bathing, meditating, or speaking gently to yourself.

• Problem-Based: A situation that needs action or change (e.g., boundaries, workload, conflict). Here, direction and decision-making are important. Reach out for support, write a to-do list, take action, set boundaries, or revise your schedule.

Both are valid. Knowing the difference can help you respond more appropriately to your needs.

Coming Home to Yourself

When you find yourself emotionally overwhelmed, it can feel like you've drifted far from your creative centre. But these moments can also be invitations—calls to slow down, tune in and return home to yourself.

Returning to centre doesn't mean having it all figured out. It means choosing presence over panic, breath over reactivity, and gentleness over judgement. It is a practice. And like all practices, it becomes more natural with time, support and patience.

Remember that your wellbeing is not a luxury or a side project. It is the ground from which your creativity grows. Protecting it, nurturing it and prioritising it are courageous acts.

So wherever you are in your journey—whether you're in a place of pain, reflection or quiet recalibration—remember this:

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Support is here. Your breath is here. And the next moment is yours to choose.

Sounding Your Centre: How Mantras Can Ground And Inspire The Creative Mind

Sounding Your Centre: How Mantras Can Ground and Inspire the Creative Mind

For centuries, mantras have been whispered, chanted and sung as a pathway to calm, clarity and connection. Rooted in ancient traditions, they’ve found new resonance with creatives seeking not only inspiration, but emotional balance and somatic grounding in a fast, fragmented world.

But can a mantra really help you face a blank canvas? Or soothe the sting of creative rejection? Can it help you reconnect when you feel scattered or self-critical?

Yes. And perhaps more than you realise.

What Is a Mantra?

The word mantra comes from Sanskrit—man meaning “mind” and tra meaning “vehicle” or “instrument.” A mantra is, quite literally, a tool for the mind. A sound, phrase or vibration that helps carry you out of busy, cognitive thinking into deeper layers of awareness.

Originally given by spiritual teachers in lineages of Hinduism and Buddhism, traditional mantras were crafted for specific energetic purposes and passed down with reverence. Today, mantras are also embraced as tools for focus, embodiment and self-regulation. And they’re particularly powerful for creatives, whose work often lives in the tension between inspiration and uncertainty.

The Somatic Science of Sound

Mantras are more than affirmations—they are vibrational. Whether spoken aloud or internally, they engage the breath, the vocal cords and the nervous system. Repeating a mantra can slow your heart rate, regulate your adrenalin levels and calm an overactive mind. Research even shows benefits to simply listening to mantras, with measurable effects on blood pressure, brain waves and mood.

Unlike overthinking, which often spirals into anxiety or paralysis, mantras return you to rhythm. They become an anchor—something to hold onto in the sea of self-doubt or distraction.

Why Creatives Might Especially Benefit

The creative process is inherently vulnerable. Whether you're a dancer, musician, actor, painter or writer, your work often requires you to be open, expressive and present. But that same openness can leave you sensitive to criticism, rejection or comparison. Mantras provide a portable, accessible tool to return to yourself.

A regular mantra practice can:

• Reduce anxiety and rumination

• Increase confidence and concentration

• Soothe nervous system dysregulation

• Encourage self-compassion and resilience

• Focus attention away from perfectionism and back to process

In moments of creative block, mantra can help shift your state from reactive to receptive. In the aftermath of disappointment, it can soothe your system and help you integrate. In the flow of inspiration, it can enhance presence.

Starting Your Practice: A Simple Ritual

Mantras can be spoken, sung, whispered or thought silently. Choose a method that suits your body and nervous system. Here's a gentle entry point:

1. Settle: Find a comfortable seat. Let your spine rise naturally. Let your shoulders drop.

2. Breathe: Notice your breath. Allow it to deepen without force.

3. Repeat: Begin your mantra. Speak it with intention, even if just for a few seconds.

4. Return: Each time the mind wanders, gently come back to the sound.

Even one minute can begin to shift your state. And over time, these moments build trust between you and your inner world.

Sanskrit and Modern Mantras

Traditional Sanskrit Mantras:

• Aum / Om – The original vibration of the universe

• Om Namah Shivaya – “I honour the divine within”

• Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu – “May all beings be happy and free, and may my thoughts and actions contribute to that peace”

Modern Meditation Mantras:

• So Hum – “I am”

• Shanti – “Peace”

• Breathing in, I send myself love. Breathing out, I send love to someone else who needs it

• Be a warrior, not a worrier

• Everything I need is within me

Choose what resonates. Let it become a thread in your day.

In Closing

Mantras aren’t magic spells. They won’t erase the complexity of being a sensitive, creative human. But they will offer you a way to stay close to yourself. To regulate your nervous system. To return—again and again—to the quiet clarity underneath the noise.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let mantra become not just a practice but a relationship. A reminder that the answers you seek aren’t always outside of you. Sometimes, they arrive in the rhythm of your own breath, the resonance of a simple sound and the willingness to begin again.

The Strength To Be Seen: Embracing Vulnerability in Creative Life

The Strength to Be Seen: Embracing Vulnerability in Creative Life

The past few years have asked a great deal of us. Not just in action, but in presence. In patience. In persistence. And for many, in learning how to be with what is deeply uncomfortable.

Whether your journey has been shaped by loss, stillness, overwhelm or growth, one thread seems to rise again and again—vulnerability. Once quietly tucked away, it's now spoken of more openly, worn more visibly, especially among creatives and younger generations.

But what does it mean to live vulnerably in a world that doesn’t always reward it? Can we truly see vulnerability not as a weakness to overcome, but as a source of creative strength?

Vulnerability: A Core Human Experience

Vulnerability is not an add-on to the human condition—it is the human condition. It is the experience of being open to uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. Which means it is also the experience of being in relationship, of trying, of creating, of caring.

Yet, for much of our cultural history, vulnerability has been painted as something soft, fragile or even dangerous. It was the thing to be masked or hidden in favour of strength, confidence or composure.

But what if strength and vulnerability are not opposites? What if they are, in fact, partners?

The Quiet Power of Vulnerability

To allow yourself to be seen as you are—especially in your creative life—is a radical act. It asks you to let go of the polished persona. To meet your own imperfections with grace. To create without guarantees.

This is not a passive state. It’s an active choice. A courageous stance. And it offers profound benefits:

• Authenticity: Vulnerability peels back the layers of performance and people-pleasing. It brings you closer to your truth, and to those who accept you as you are.

• Empathy: When you name and express your feelings, you become more attuned to the feelings of others. Empathy grows through shared experience, not perfection.

• Emotional resilience: Vulnerability isn’t about emotional chaos—it’s about emotional honesty. When you allow yourself to feel, you also learn how to move through.

• Creative courage: Every time you put pen to paper, brush to canvas, voice to story, you are saying: “This is what I see. This is what I feel.” That is vulnerability in motion.

A Somatic Perspective

Vulnerability isn’t just a concept—it’s a felt experience in the body. It can show up as a tight throat before speaking your truth, the flutter in your chest before sharing your work, or the heaviness in your stomach when you’ve exposed something tender.

To live with vulnerability is to stay present to those sensations, rather than fleeing them.

Explore this: the next time you notice vulnerability rising, pause. Place your hand where the sensation lives—your heart, your belly, your jaw. Breathe into that space. Soften your shoulders. Let your body know you are safe. This act of staying is the practice of embodied strength.

Living a Fulfilled, Genuine Life

Vulnerability does not promise ease. It promises depth. And in a culture obsessed with certainty and control, choosing vulnerability is a reclamation.

If your desire is to live fully and truthfully, then stepping into your vulnerability is not just valuable—it’s essential. It will cost you the armour of detachment, but it will give you something far richer: connection, courage and creative clarity.

A recommended read: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown offers a compassionate, research-backed invitation to reframe vulnerability as strength, not deficit.

In Closing

To be vulnerable is to be human. To be seen in that vulnerability—and to keep showing up—is to be strong.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let your vulnerability be the doorway to deeper connection, to real creativity, and to the kind of life that doesn’t just look good, but feels true.

What Your Everyday Holds: A Somatic Check-In for Creatives

What Your Everyday Holds: A Somatic Check-In for Creatives

If June was an invitation to pause and reflect, July is where that reflection begins to take root. It’s not about pushing forward—it’s about listening inward. Noticing the quieter truths emerging from your days.

For creatives, the shift from insight to embodiment is a tender one. It asks us to bring our awareness down from thought and into the body, to notice not just what we know but what we feel, what we carry and what we are slowly becoming.

This month, I want to offer you a tool that supports that gentle integration. Devised by Dr Roger Greenaway, an expert in experiential learning, the “Four Fs” provide a structure for reflection that can be both practical and profound. And with a somatic lens, they become more than a mental exercise—they become a way to tune into the subtle layers of your lived experience.

Here’s how you might approach them.

1. Facts – What happened?

Begin by observing your days without judgement. Think of this as gathering the raw materials of your experience. These aren’t just calendar events, but sensory and situational data your body has moved through.

Consider:

• What stands out from recent days or weeks?

• What has changed in your creative rhythm, relationships or routine?

• What moments felt charged, vivid, or memorable—even in quiet ways?

Somatic cue: Close your eyes. Recall a recent day. What sensations return first? A particular sound? Temperature? Tension or ease in the body? Let those guide what you notice.

2. Feelings – How did it feel?

Now, move from observing to sensing. Emotions are not just thoughts with labels—they are experiences held in the body. This is where we begin to touch what mattered.

Consider:

• Which moments brought lightness or weight?

• When did you feel most present—or most absent?

• What feelings linger in your body even now?

Somatic cue: Scan your body gently. Where is there tightness, spaciousness, warmth or resistance? Let that inform how you name what you’ve felt—not just what you think you should have felt.

3. Findings – What have you learned?

Learning doesn’t always come in grand epiphanies. Sometimes it whispers through patterns, gut hunches or a quiet “not this.” This stage invites meaning-making—not to evaluate yourself but to honour what your experience has taught you.

Consider:

• What truths are becoming clearer—about yourself, your work or your needs?

• Where were you aligned and where were you out of sync?

• What did your body know before your mind caught up?

Somatic cue: As you consider each insight, notice what happens in your breath. Does it deepen, catch or soften? Let your body affirm what feels true.

4. Future – What’s emerging?

The final stage is not about planning in the traditional sense. It’s about tuning into what wants to unfold next. Think of it as planting rather than projecting.

Consider:

• What are you craving more of—movement, stillness, connection, solitude?

• What feels like it’s ready for attention or care?

• What small step would feel kind to take this month?

Somatic cue: Place a hand on your heart or belly. Ask, “What do I need to feel supported creatively right now?” Listen not just for answers but for sensations, images, or instincts.

This process is not about perfection or performance. It’s about presence. It’s a way to stay close to yourself when life gets noisy or uncertain. A way to remember that even in the mundane, your creative life is speaking.

Try this check-in at the end of a week, after a studio session, or during a moment of transition. Let it become a rhythm of re-attuning—a way to return to your body, your truth and your creative path with gentleness.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let July be less about reinvention and more about relationship—with yourself, with your process and with the wisdom already within you.

Be Kind to Yourself: The Creative Courage of Self-Acceptance

Be Kind to Yourself: The Creative Courage of Self-Acceptance

I have a couple of questions for you.

Can you accept that you can't control others—or the world around you—but you can control how you meet yourself in the midst of it all?

Can you accept that your worth is not earned by perfection but lived through presence?

These questions aren’t meant to provoke guilt or stir pressure. They’re an invitation. A call inward.

In my work as a psychotherapist and coach—and through my own journey as a human—I’ve found that one of the most powerful traits we can cultivate is self-acceptance. It’s more than a concept. It’s a creative practice. A return to centre.

What is Self-Acceptance?

Self-acceptance is the ability to be with the full range of your being—your contradictions, your shadows, your brilliance—with tenderness and truth. It means allowing all parts of yourself to exist without harsh judgment. It doesn’t mean complacency or giving up on growth; it means starting from a place of compassion.

When we accept ourselves, we create a spaciousness within that softens our reactivity to others. We begin to move through the world with more grace. We release the need to perfect, and instead give ourselves permission to be in process.

As author and speaker Brené Brown reminds us:

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”

And in that bravery, creativity can flourish.

Compassion as Creative Ground

Self-acceptance naturally gives rise to self-compassion. When we allow ourselves to be human, we meet our mistakes and moments of struggle not with shame but with care. We soften. We begin again.

This softening isn’t passive—it’s profoundly active. It’s the courage to stay close to ourselves even when we feel raw, uncertain, or vulnerable. It’s the same muscle we use to create—to face a blank page, a blank canvas, a quiet room and trust that something meaningful can emerge.

And for many of us, this wasn’t modeled growing up. So how do we begin?

We begin with small, embodied steps.

3 Ways to Practice Self-Acceptance Through Compassion and Resilience

1. Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Simple, tangible gestures—helping someone carry a bag, offering a smile, sending a thoughtful message—remind us that connection is healing. Generosity softens judgment and roots us in shared humanity.

2. Seek Common Ground
Instead of focusing on differences, look for the invisible threads that connect you to others. Every person you meet carries stories, pain and hopes just like you. This perspective widens the heart.

3. Celebrate Small Wins
Every time you notice progress—no matter how small—acknowledge it. This builds an internal environment of encouragement rather than criticism. Qualities, not just quantities, shape a life well-lived.

Contribution: A Pathway Back to Ourselves

As humans, one of our deepest needs is the need to contribute. When we give from a genuine place—not to prove worth but to share our presence—we build resilience and reinforce our capacity for compassion.

Tony Robbins speaks to this beautifully:

“The secret to living is giving… life supports that which improves the quality of life.”

When we support others, we remind ourselves that we belong. That our presence matters.

Here are some deeply human ways to build self-acceptance through contribution:

6 Ways to Build Self-Acceptance through Compasssionate Contribution

1. Tune In to Subtle Needs
   Notice when someone might need support—without them having to ask. Your awareness can be its own form of care.

2. Offer Light, Respectful Touch
   If appropriate and welcome, a touch on the shoulder or back can say, I’m here with you. This small gesture can bring a profound sense of reassurance.

3. Share Your Emotional Presence
   A sincere smile, a moment of shared silence, or visible emotion can validate another’s pain and say, You are not alone.

4. Mirror Emotions When Invited
   Laugh or cry with someone if it feels attuned. Sometimes the deepest connection is not found in fixing but in feeling together.

5. Speak with Mindful Compassion
   Words hold energy. Let them be slow, intentional and kind. You don’t need to wait for a crisis to show care.

6. Turn Off the Noise
   Put your phone away. Be fully present. This act alone is a rare and radical kindness in today’s world.

And afterward? Reflect. Take a moment to acknowledge your effort. You are learning, growing, evolving—just like everyone else.

A Final Invitation

To be kind to yourself is not a luxury; it is a necessity. You are not a machine. You are a living, breathing, ever-changing being.

You will falter. You will rise. You will forget. You will remember again.

So today, let yourself be fully human. Like a plane adjusting its course mid-flight, you are always refining your way forward. You don’t need to rush to become someone new—you need only to return to who you already are.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

This moment—wherever you find yourself in it—is an invitation, not a verdict. You don’t need all the answers. You just need the willingness to meet yourself honestly, with grace.

Let your mistakes be your teachers. Let your gentleness be your guide. And let your next small act of care—for yourself or another—be enough to mark your progress.

Because the kindest thing you can do—for yourself, for your art, for the world—is to stay close to your own becoming. To walk forward with a heart that knows: I may not have it all figured out but I’m here. And I’m learning. And that matters.

Rooted Rising: A Creative’s Guide to Cultivating Inner Strength

Rooted Rising: A Creative’s Guide to Cultivating Inner Strength

Inner strength isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build. Brick by brick. Breath by breath. Especially as a creative, your ability to return to yourself in the midst of uncertainty, doubt or adversity becomes a quiet superpower. One that sustains you through setbacks and softens you in the face of your own vulnerability.

Also known as resilience, inner strength is the ability to bounce back—not because life is easy or fair, but because you have cultivated the internal capacity to meet it with steadiness, clarity and compassion.

What Is Inner Strength?

At its core, inner strength is the belief that you are in charge of your own response. It holds the conviction that you are capable of change—on your terms. It isn’t about control or perfection. It’s about agency. Presence. Resourcefulness.

Not everyone has had the chance to develop the behaviours, skills or attitudes that support this capacity. But the good news is that it can be learned—and lived.

The Five Human Resources of Resilience

According to strategist and coach Tony Robbins, there are five intrinsic resources that support our ability to bounce back from adversity. Think of these as foundational pillars that can be cultivated over time:

• Adaptive Emotional Skills: mindfulness, resilience, empathy

• Positive Emotions: love, self-compassion, gratitude

• Optimistic Outlook: confidence, openness, determination

• Engaged Manner: relaxed, humorous, responsible

• Warm Personality: generous, hardworking, wise

These traits aren’t fixed. They’re flexible. Each one can be deepened through awareness, intention and practice. If this resonates with you, I recommend exploring Resilient by Rick Hanson for further insight.

The RISE Framework: A Four-Step Guide

To help you embody these qualities more fully, I offer a somatic practice framework called RISE—a four-step process that supports you in navigating difficult experiences with acceptance and compassion.

R – Reflect: Determine What the Situation Means

When something painful happens, it’s easy to be swept away by the emotional current. Reflection allows you to pause and digest. What meaning can you draw from what’s happened? Sometimes clarity arrives slowly. Other times it speaks through memory or sensation.

Personal example: During an intensely stressful time, I lost my hair. It was a deeply vulnerable experience. And yet, it taught me to reconnect with my body, to honour my limits and to cultivate the compassion I had so often reserved only for others. Meaning doesn’t always arrive wrapped in ease—but it arrives.

I – Invite Growth: See Your Hardship as an Opportunity

Muscles grow under pressure, and so do we. While stress is rarely welcomed, it can offer something transformative when approached with care.

Ask yourself: What is this experience asking me to learn or do differently?
Can you reframe this moment as a chance to build new muscles—like discernment, courage or flexibility?

S – Shift Focus: Choose What You Can Control

Focusing on what’s out of your hands can leave you depleted and paralysed. Resilience means gently returning your attention to what is within your power—your breath, your beliefs, your next small action.

By doing so, you protect your mental health, lessen emotional overwhelm and reaffirm your agency.

E – Envision: Visualise a Supportive Outcome

When emotions run high, the body tightens and the mind narrows. Take a moment to visualise the outcome you wish to create. This practice can calm your nervous system and reconnect you with possibility.

Why not start your day with a brief visioning practice? It can ground you for the hours ahead, especially when life feels unpredictable.

Cultivating Inner Strength in Daily Life

Inner strength grows through consistency and compassion. Here are supportive practices to accompany the RISE framework:

• Morning rituals (even brief ones)

• Gentle cold water exposure

• Prioritising rest, nourishment and sleep

• Conscious breathwork during stress

• Daily self-compassion check-ins

And remember: your beliefs shape your experience. If you believe you can respond with strength, you likely will. If you believe you are incapable or at the mercy of others, that too can become your reality. The shift begins with choosing a new story.

In Closing

To live from your inner strength is not to avoid hardship. It is to meet life with more grace and less fear. It is to understand that your emotional response matters. That self-compassion is not weakness. That your resilience is built not in a moment—but in many moments, returned to again and again.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Let each breath, each pause, each act of self-kindness be another thread in the strong, soft tapestry of your becoming.

The Yin and Yang of Self-Compassion: A Creative’s Path to Emotional Resilience

The Yin and Yang of Self-Compassion: A Creative’s Path to Emotional Resilience

For many creatives, the survival instinct is deeply ingrained. The nervous system is shaped by experience, and the brain—ever-adaptive—rewires itself in response. If your early life was marked by emotional neglect, belittlement or invalidation, it is not uncommon to internalise those patterns. Over time, this conditioning weaves itself into your nervous system, influencing how you think, feel and behave—often manifesting as a harsh inner critic or chronic self-doubt.

Why would we treat ourselves this way? Because it is familiar. And the familiar, even when painful, can feel safe.

This is exactly why practising self-compassion is both essential and transformative. It is not about indulgence. It is about re-learning how to relate to yourself from a place of gentleness and strength.

The Nervous System and Self-Compassion

Self-compassion, as defined by Dr Kristen Neff, is simply compassion turned inward. It teaches your nervous system a new way of being—one that soothes rather than shames, supports rather than silences. Whether you’re learning to meet your own needs or offering presence to someone else, these acts of compassion carve out new neural pathways. They create space for healing, for growth, and for change.

But compassion is not only soft. It can also be strong. This is where Dr Neff’s concept of the Yin and Yang of Self-Compassion becomes especially relevant for creatives.

Yin and Yang: Two Sides of the Same Compassionate Coin

When we think of compassion, we often imagine something soothing—gentle words, a soft hand, a quiet presence. This is Yin compassion—nurturing, calm, reflective. But there is also Yang compassion—active, assertive, bold. It protects, provides, and motivates.

A truly compassionate life invites both energies.

The Yin Side of Self-Compassion

Yin is slow, dark, receptive and feminine. It is about "being with"—staying present with yourself or others in a kind, accepting way. Yin compassion offers:

1. Comfort – Providing emotional warmth and companionship when you or someone else is in distress.

2. Soothe – Calming the nervous system, easing tension, and allowing the body to settle.

3. Validate – Naming and affirming feelings without judgment; recognising emotional truth with gentleness.

The Yang Side of Self-Compassion

Yang is active, light, directive and masculine. It steps forward, takes action and sets boundaries. Yang compassion shows up as:

1. Self-Protection – Saying no to harm, shifting your internal dialogue, standing up for your worth.

2. Self-Provision – Meeting your needs proactively. This requires awareness, belief in your value and effort to follow through.

3. Self-Motivation – Encouraging yourself to grow and pursue your dreams with kindness, not criticism. Becoming your own advocate and inner coach.

Compassion in action is not passive. It is participation. It’s the courage to meet yourself where you are and to respond with care.

Practising Self-Compassion: Daily Invitations

To bring both Yin and Yang compassion into daily life, consider these gentle practices:

• Offer encouragement and celebrate another’s success

• Listen attentively without judgment

• Show patience and presence

• Apologise when you make an error

• Honour difference and diversity

• Speak with warmth and respect

• Practice gratitude

• Extend kindness spontaneously

• Forgive when you're ready

• Let your actions reflect your values

Each of these practices invites the nervous system to soften and stabilise. They build emotional resilience from the inside out.

Compassion is not a destination. It is a way of being—a language your nervous system learns over time. Some days it will feel easier than others. That is okay. What matters is your willingness to begin, again and again.

So wherever you find yourself—navigating grief, healing wounds or simply yearning for more gentleness—remember this:

You are not behind. You are right on time.

The practice is yours. The path is yours. But you never need to walk it alone.

Why Bother With Compassion?

Why Bother With Compassion? A Somatic Invitation for Creatives

Compassion is talked about a lot these days—especially in the wake of the global upheaval caused by COVID-19 and the tender process of returning to ourselves and our lives. But amid the headlines and hashtags, compassion can start to feel like an abstract concept. Something aspirational. A nice idea.

So let’s ask plainly: why bother with compassion?

Especially for creatives—for those of us whose lives depend on attunement, imagination and the courage to keep creating even when things feel uncertain—compassion is not just important. It’s vital. And it's not a luxury or a personality trait. It’s a practice. One that lives in the body as much as in the mind.

What Is Compassion, Really?

Compassion is the recognition of suffering—our own or another’s—and the desire to relieve it. The word itself comes from the Latin compati, meaning “to suffer with.”

It’s not about fixing or pleasing or pretending things are fine. It’s about meeting pain with presence. And it’s about remembering that pain, failure and vulnerability are not signs that something has gone wrong. They’re part of the terrain of being human.

Dr Kristin Neff, a leading voice in the study of self-compassion, breaks it down into three essential elements:

• Self-kindness rather than harsh self-judgement

• Common humanity instead of isolation

• Mindfulness instead of over-identification with thoughts and emotions

This broader definition is especially helpful for creatives, because our inner world is so often our raw material. To turn compassion inward is not to dilute our drive—it is to create the conditions where our creativity can thrive.

Compassion and the Body

Compassion isn’t just an idea. It has a physiological signature. When we feel and offer compassion, our brain activates caregiving centres and releases oxytocin, often called the bonding hormone. Our heart rate slows. Our nervous system begins to shift out of stress mode and into connection. In other words, we feel safer.

When the body feels safe, the creative mind opens. We can take more risks. We can be more honest. We can rest when we need to. We can hear ourselves more clearly.

That’s why cultivating compassion is not indulgent—it’s essential.

Why Self-Compassion Matters for Creatives

We know how to be compassionate with others, at least in theory. But turning that same kindness inward? That’s often harder.

Here are three reasons why it matters:

1. It models how we treat others. When we practise self-compassion, it becomes easier to extend that same care and decency outward. Our relationships become more grounded in mutual respect.

2. We have a duty of care—to ourselves. If you have influence over your own choices and mindset, then you hold responsibility for how you care for your inner world. That care changes how you show up, and how others experience you.

3. It supports your overall well-being. Self-compassion strengthens resilience, supports emotional regulation and deepens relational awareness. When you treat yourself with patience and presence, your body can breathe again. Your nervous system can settle. You are more able to engage meaningfully—with your work, with others and with life itself.

The Benefits of Compassion (Backed by Research)

• Psychological well-being: Giving to others, even financially, has been shown to create more lasting happiness than spending on ourselves.

• Longevity: Volunteering and helping others out of concern (not obligation) is linked to longer lives.

• Physical health: Compassionate living lowers inflammation, reduces depression and strengthens immunity.

• Relationship depth: Compassionate behaviour—whether noticed or not—deepens connection and improves relationship satisfaction.

So no, compassion isn’t a soft option. It’s a radical one. It changes how we relate to ourselves, how we live and how we create.

A Compassion Practice You Can Remember: CARE

To bring this into daily life, try using the acronym CARE as a somatic check-in when you feel overwhelmed, critical or creatively stuck:

• C – Connect with your body. Pause. Feel your feet. Place a hand on your heart. Breathe.

• A – Acknowledge what is present. What are you feeling? Where do you feel it in the body?

• R – Respond with kindness. Offer yourself one gentle thought or gesture.

• E – Engage with intention. What do you need right now? What one small act of care can you take?

Let this become a rhythm. A soft returning. A way of meeting yourself again and again with compassion—not just when you feel worthy of it, but especially when you don’t.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Compassion is not a side note in your creative life. It is the pulse that keeps it alive. Let it guide you—not as a demand, but as a way of being.

Midyear Light: A June Reflection for Creatives

Midyear Light: A June Reflection for Creatives

June arrives not just as a month, but as a threshold. The midpoint of the year, rich with the scent of blooming things and long light, invites us to pause. To breathe. To notice not only what we have survived, but also what we are ready to grow.

For creatives, this moment holds potent possibility. It asks us to reflect on the inner weather of the past six months—the shadows we’ve met, the joy we’ve felt, the dreams that still whisper. June, with its solstice brilliance, can become a sacred checkpoint: not to assess our productivity, but to realign with our purpose.

After years shaped by uncertainty and lockdowns, many of us still carry echoes of fear. Fear of stalling. Fear of beginning. Fear of another season slipping through our hands. But fear, as Judy Blume reminds us, is a gate we must walk through:

"Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it." — Judy Blume, American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction.

We often forget that fear isn’t asking to be eliminated; it’s asking to be held with presence. Thich Nhat Hanh, the beloved Vietnamese Buddhist monk, offered this gentle perspective:

"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay." — Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist and teacher.

To create from this place of presence—in our studios, our journals, our gardens, our conversations—is a radical act of self-trust.

June is not a deadline; it is a dawn. A reawakening. It invites us to tune into our bodies and the bodies of the natural world. What is blooming in you now? What is asking for light?

In the words of Audre Lorde, poet and activist:

"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." — Audre Lorde, Black lesbian feminist writer and civil rights activist.

Strength, for creatives, doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it rests. It wanders. It listens deeply. For many who live with chronic illness or disability, creativity is a quiet resilience. Writer and disability rights activist Alice Wong reminds us:

"Access is love. And love is an ongoing act of making space for each other." — Alice Wong, disabled activist and founder of the Disability Visibility Project.

June can be a time to create that space within ourselves: space to recover, to reimagine, to return to the sacred act of making without pressure. Whether you're navigating grief, burnout, or simply the fog of transition, your creative voice matters. Your process, however nonlinear, is valid.

Consider this reflection from Indian-American poet and author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni:

"Stories have the power to heal. They help us make sense of the world. And sometimes, they give us the courage to change it." — Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, poet, novelist, and professor.

What story are you ready to begin, or to return to? What fragments of idea or vision need your attention this season?

And action, even in its smallest form, brings life back into motion. Dale Carnegie once wrote:

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage." — Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer.

So write the first sentence. Plant the seed. Make the call. Try the thing. You don’t need to know where it will lead—just that it matters.

As we stand in this luminous midpoint, let us gather the gems of wisdom from around us and within us. Let us honor our differences as creative strength. As the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says:

"Our stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize." — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author and feminist thinker.

You are not behind. You are right on time.

Six months in, you carry more than you realize—lessons, tenderness, resilience, and a quiet strength shaped by your journey so far. This midpoint is not a measure of how far you’ve fallen behind, but a gentle invitation to trust where you are now.

Let this be your moment to step forward—not with certainty, but with courage. To create without knowing exactly where it will lead. To listen, to begin, to believe in the unseen path ahead.

Because creativity, like the seasons, doesn’t rush. It deepens. And right now, at this turning point of light, you are already becoming what the year has asked of you.

Sharing the Mic - Lydia Flock of FLOCKSTARS Coaching is Redefining How To Train The Voice

I had the pleasure of doing a Q&A with Lydia Flock, the talented and innovative founder of the holistic voice and singing coaching company, FLOCKSTARS.

This dynamic soul is really redefining how the human voice can be trained.

Lydia is a graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA in Music Theatre programme where she conducted research on the interactions between voicework and well-being.

Based on her research is her unique method to training the voice - The FLOCK Flow.

Lydia’s method struck me because she addresses the mind-body-voice connection.

She addresses the whole artist.

Her holistic approach is essential for the arts community in the UK, particularly when we consider the additional stress that COVID-19 has placed on artists.

Artists need an empathetic approach.

Lydia’s method, The Flock Flow, is exactly that.

In combining somatic resilience training methods like Organic Intelligence® and cognitive healing methods like mindfulness and meditation with the most current speaking and singing voice pedagogy, Lydia Flock is redefining how to train the voice.

Now to Share the Mic, please enjoy my Q&A with Lydia below.

Transcriptions included after each question.

Q: Tell me about Flockstars Coaching in 60s or less.

A: My mission at Flockstars is to, “use the speaking and singing voice as a vehicle for healing, confidence building, and personal growth”.

Based on my research I conducted on the interactions between voicework and well-being at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, I have created my unique approach to training the voice called “The Flock Flow”.

Yes, Flock is my surname, but in the land of the Flock Flow, it stands for Formatting a life you’ll love, Loving thoughts, Open heart, Confident action, Killer results.

The Flock Flow combines voice science with somatic and cognitive healing methods such as mindfulness, meditation, and other speaking voice techniques.

Flockstars offers coaching of singing and voice technique, speech and accents, public speaking, audition prep, and exam prep (UK only).

Everything is currently online due to COVID-19 but usually I offer online lessons in person in London or online via Skype. Either way, we have a lot of fun.

Q: What are 3 things that motivated you to create Flockstars?

A: Failure, curiosity, and dedication.

My feelings of failure began when I was about 17 and I suffered from a vocal injury at a time when I really needed my voice most.

My voice injury created feelings of shame and anxiety around my voice.

Even after I healed from my vocal injury, I took a lot of those feelings of shame and anxiety to my studies and performances.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and my feelings of failure turned into curiosity.

I was at one of the top musical theatre programs in America but I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore. I needed to figure out why, how did I lose my joy and how can I get it back.

Why wasn’t my voice doing the things I needed it to do?

This is where dedication comes in.

After switching schools and taking the pressure off myself, I realised I could have way more fun and my vocal health could be more consistent.

I decided to go back into training, got my masters and conducted research that became the foundation of The Flock Flow and thus Flockstars was born.

Q: Why do clients come to you?

A: Clients come to me because they want to feel good.

Whether that be in learning how to sing for the first time ever, learning more advanced technique, accents, or preparing for an audition or presentation, my clients want to be confident.

They want to actually enjoy themselves when they present or perform. I know what it is like to not feel confident, to be anxious even. Because of this, I am able to empathise with my clients and create a space where we can leave fight or flight at the door and relish in the “stay and play”.

Q: What are 3 key things you’d like people to know about Flockstars?

A: If you are a “Flockstar” or thinking about working with me and becoming one, know that all my lessons are bespoke.

The Flock Flow is malleable and is applied at a pace that works best for you and in a format that works best for you.

The Flock Flow is great for all ages and any level of experience.

It is particularly great for anxious performers but it is also great for beginners and children who are working to build confidence.

I really straddle the balance between being scientific and unscientific.

Although I am all about the kumbaya, essential oils, yoga mats galore, I am also a huge voice science nerd.

Being paradoxically scientific and unscientific is important for a balanced voice practice, and also really important for achieving a flow state in practice or performance.

I am not about the “master and apprentice” model. I encourage my clients to be curious about their voices. We discover things together.

Q: What are 3 experiences your clients say they’ve had with you that have impacted them immensely?

A: One client said,

Working with someone who directly understands and relates to my insecurities was so helpful…the specific exercises opened up a whole new world of vocal thought for me, showing me that I can have control over what my voice becomes.

Another client came to me thinking they might be tone deaf but they really wanted to sing soprano repertoire.

After working with me, I was able to help them have much greater pitch accuracy and they are actually able to sing those soprano songs that they never thought they could sing before!

Lastly, a client came to me because they had no vocal experience at all but needed to sing something for a big event coming up.

This client came to me hoping to learn how to sing as quickly as possible (and they did) but they also ended up experiencing a big increase in feelings of confidence around singing, themselves and their voice.

Q: Where would you like to take Flockstars in the future?

A: I would love Flockstars to become one of the top holistic vocal coaching studios in London and internationally online.

I am planning to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on my method, The Flock Flow.

A big goal of mine is to present my work at various voice conferences around the world and eventually patent and/or trademark my method.

With all these things considered, I would love Flockstars to reach a wider audience and inspire people to enjoy their voices and feel safe and informed when using them.

Q: How can viewers explore further with you?

A: If you are interested in getting in touch or booking a lesson, please email me at lydia@flockstars.com or visit the website www.flockstars.com.

I would also really welcome any Instagram DMs @flockstarscoaching.

I have a lot of free resources on my website and Instagram, so please do follow along. I would love to hear about your voice journey and voice goals.

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I hope you enjoyed this quick Q&A with the budding leader that is Lydia Flock. I really do believe that she is someone with extraordinary promise.

She is a pioneer in her field, redesigning the landscape that is voice work and voice training.

Be sure to follow Flockstars and check out my very own “Sharing the Mic” blog piece about The Creative Genius with Lydia on the Flockstars blog page.