What would I do if I won the lottery?

I wrote this post almost 10 years ago, and some of the answers at the end have changed in their relative importance and practical application – because I have a 6-year old daughter now! And because I didn’t include chatting to people about their ideas and helping them plan, progress and complete them – I’d … Continue reading What would I do if I won the lottery?

Creativity has a mind of its own

Earlier this year I decided to write a book. I knew I’d need some quiet time to do that, so one of the things I did was find an office space that would work for me and my writing. It was a nice quiet place, by the river. I rented an office for one day … Continue reading Creativity has a mind of its own

How can I make progress on a creative project?

In my last post I talked about weaving creativity into my days and weeks, and wondered how I could do that given my time constraints. This morning I started reading The Artist’s Way for Parents and realised a couple of things that were useful. Firstly that some of the key elements Julia Cameron talks about … Continue reading How can I make progress on a creative project?

Can you live a creative life when the world around you is not set up that way?

I’ve read a few things recently about living a creative life, and I’ve also been thinking about this topic in relation to curating my days so they have creative time in them. But what is a “creative life”? I think the definition of a creative life is a very individual thing, although there will inevitably … Continue reading Can you live a creative life when the world around you is not set up that way?

How to include joy in your life

Do you actively plan in time for activities that you enjoy, or some space to take notice of what’s around you? Or is it a bit of an afterthought when you get some spare time? Emma While talks a lot about joy, and about conscious curation – ensuring you put things in your diary for … Continue reading How to include joy in your life

Thoughts about creative energy

I’m re-reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron at the moment*, a book subtitled A spiritual path to higher creativity. And the introductory part made me think about the type of energy we need for different activities. For me, there’s “doing things” energy, which is where I spend a lot of my working time, and … Continue reading Thoughts about creative energy

Why I missed blogging when I had time away

I’ve been away from this blog for a few months and only just published another post. Why? At first it was because I was busy and didn’t have time to write at all. Then I had a few weeks of coaching at the time I’d normally write, so I didn’t create anything new. And just … Continue reading Why I missed blogging when I had time away

Who am I to tell my freelance story?

I was wrestling with whether to complete and publish an ebook which collects together some of the blog posts I wrote at the start of last year. I asked a freelance group I’m in and the general feeling was that it would be useful as it’s always nice to hear the stories of other freelancers. … Continue reading Who am I to tell my freelance story?

The benefits of going for a walk during the working day

I haven’t been very good at doing it this week, but I do try to get out for a walk during the working day, even if just a 5 minute wander around the block. I find that as well as the obvious benefit of exercise and fresh air, it also helps with other things. Come … Continue reading The benefits of going for a walk during the working day

How I find head space for creativity

Over the years I’ve found that I need space in my brain in order to write or to develop new ideas. But in a busy life, it’s not always possible to get that space as often as I want. So how do I manage to find it? Not jumping straight onto social media or email … Continue reading How I find head space for creativity