“...Creativity is so fascinating... when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
About
Who am I and what inspired me to start Releasing Creativity?
Releasing Creativity is a new venture for me and I'm so excited about it.
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In case you're wondering what inspired me, here's the answer, and I'll endeavour to keep a long story short. Well, short-ish.
I am a creative human being, as I believe we all are, and when I'm in my creative "flow", I feel happy, fulfilled, purposeful, free, expansive, joyful, open-hearted, connected, sometimes at peace, and I get out of my own way. Things flow. I flow. I can express myself, I feel truly myself. My creativity is a drive, a life force, a love, a passion. It helps me feel part of the world and to transcend it.
However, at various times in my life, I have been blocked, frustrated, struggled with shame and self criticism, been paralysed by fear (and that damn self-criticism again) and have had a complicated and upsetting relationship with my creativity.
Various life events, including burnout, as well as practical issues, such as finances and time, along with my own relationship with myself, have got in the way of me being able to fully embrace my creativity, and that has had a huge impact on me, leading to mental health problems at times.
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Those experiences lead me into my own therapy nearly three decades ago, and eventually, seventeen years ago, to train to be a counsellor.
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Along the way, I have explored my creativity and the effect it has had on me in so many different ways and I have continued to deepen my relationship to it (and to myself). I've come to understand that like life, it's not always smooth sailing. ​It can be be a source of profound healing and can help us make sense of and get through the pain and suffering in our lives, and equally, it can be elusive and difficult to connect to, at times.
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It seems that, as human beings, a need for connection is wired into our biology, and we need to feel safe enough to be seen and heard, to be witnessed and understood, and each of us have our preferred ways of experiencing that.
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I'm a singer, and five years ago, I decided to embark on a deep dive into singing which has always been one of my major creative outlets and the journey has been both profound and uplifting. It has also inspired me to start this new project, as I am sure I am not alone in my experiences with creativity, and I very much hope that this will help you to do what it's taken me decades to get to grips with.
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To release your creativity and how to make your peace with the ebb and flow of it.
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What I'm also loving is exploring the multi-faceted aspects of creativity, of what it means to each of us and how we can be creative and allow creativity into our lives in so many different ways. I think it's not just about the arts, or making or producing, it's a way of thinking, a flow state, a way of living, a transcendent state, but I'm curious and excited to hear what you have to say about it.​
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Because I believe everybody is creative, I aim to offer free resources for everyone, as I would like everyone to be able to benefit in some way from the project. Yes, some of my services are paid for, but alongside those, will be a wide range of free resources including a podcast and a blog, and in time, I intend to create an online community, so that we can share both our inspiration and frustration, our joys and struggles.
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My own journey continues and I am so grateful to have so much support and inspiration, and I really look forward to helping you with your journey, your exploration of what creativity means to you, and how you can bring more of it into your life in a way that supports you. ​
My background
Aside from having lived experience of my own, as a creative human being, I have trained in, been involved with and worked in a variety of creative arenas. Here's a selection to give you a sense of what I've done.
Training
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Studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths' College.
Trained with various vocal teachers over the years.
Completed an Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling
Trained in Polyvagal Theory, trauma recovery and somatic practices.
Trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
Trained in holistic massage and other bodywork approaches.
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Work
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Therapeutic Work
For the last seventeen years, I have been focusing on counselling, have trained and worked as a Humanistic Integrative Counsellor and have had a successful full-time private practice in the UK for over a decade.
I am Trauma-Informed and have welcomed Polyvagal theory into my approach, as my interest in neuroscience and the benefits of working somatically with the body and the nervous system, have increased over time.
During the course of my work as a counsellor, I have worked with actors, artists, photographers, writers, musicians and singers.
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Membership Body: I am a member of British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
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If you would like to know more about my counselling work, then please click here to go to my website for further information.
Production
I worked freelance for many years in film and television production (Channel 4, BBC, Miramax, amongst others).
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I have also worked in events management for the broadcast industry, working with writers, directors, producers, script editors on development initiatives, and awards ceremonies. (Lloyds Bank Channel 4 Film Challenge, BAFTA, Arista).
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Over the course of my performance and production experience, ​​I've worked with writers, photographers, musicians, actors, producers, directors, production designers, costume designers, composers, musical directors, lighting, camera and sound teams, post production teams, in theatre and the film and TV industries, as well fine artists.
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Performance
I have worked semi-professionally as a performer, both as an actress and singer and have experience (both professional and otherwise) performing in theatre, TV, cabaret, choirs, open mic nights and more recently, guesting with other jazz musicians.
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Other creative outlets
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Other ways that I connect to my creativity include cooking, interior design, fashion, dancing, art, "drifting" by the sea and watching the seagulls float on the air currents (honestly, try it!), meditation, reading, listening to live and recorded music... I recently realised that scheduling is creative work for me too, so it really isn't all about the arts.
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I'm constantly inspired by nature and the town that I live in which is full of creative souls, expressing themselves. I'm so grateful and joyful because of it!
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I have experience both of running my own business and of operational management in someone else's business (both creative outlets for me), so I can bring that skillset too, if required.
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If you have any questions about my background, then please feel free to ask me, as it's important that you feel like you're in safe hands.
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