001: Creativity isn’t a luxury: it’s essential
Attend to the abandoned rooms of your self-expression
Your creativity is a house with its own infrastructure.
This is how artist Frieda Kahlo puts it in her diaries:
The house of art has many rooms. Some are cluttered with the debris of failed attempts, others shine with the polish of completion. But every space is sacred, every corner holds potential.
There’s sacredness in your abandoned ideas, your half-written drafts, your unfinished projects—yet you don’t always see it. Instead, you slam shut the doors of those debris-filled rooms. You equate ‘success’ with completion, or with external validation and the approval of others.
In the rest of your life, you’re successful: you’ve achieved a certain status in your field of work; you’re valued for your skills and experience. But those messy rooms of your creativity haunt you. The shame of not being ‘good enough’ haunts you.
You think you can’t afford to fail. You view creativity not as essential infrastructure but as a decorative luxury you can't afford to spend time on.
This mindset causes a rupture between your professional identity—the accolades, the achievements, the visibility—and the creativity that you keep hidden.
So, over time, you construct a hardened outer shell for the house of your creativity, assuming it will serve as protection. In fact, it becomes a constraint. You build elaborate external facades while neglecting the inner space of your true expression.
You become hypervigilant about maintaining external appearances while, internally, everything falls into disrepair. Those cluttered rooms sprout the mould of self-doubt, imposter syndrome and diminished self-worth. You lose trust in your inner ‘house-whisperer—the intuitive part of you that knows what needs restoration.
But here’s what’s true: the debris in those cluttered rooms is an essential part of you. It represents your thoughts and feelings, your experience of life. The things that matter.
All that material deserves to be seen, and shared.
For years, I kept those ‘shameful’ rooms of my own creativity bolted shut. I abandoned drafts of potentially powerful writing. I held myself back from expressing myself fully in other ways—through cooking, through dance, through singing. I clung to my status as an academic researcher and teacher, because that success seemed safer and more obvious.
It took me a long time to realise the extent of the shame I’d felt about taking time for creative self-expression. That it isn’t selfish. That to offer others my experiences, my perspective and my gifts is a sacred act.
Creative expression isn't a luxury or distraction from your success: it's the missing piece in your personal and professional fulfilment.
In the end, I came to see there’s no shame in seeking help to construct the house of my creativity. Calling in expertise to attend to the festering damp and disordered rooms isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s essential maintenance.
What essential maintenance is your creativity demanding right now?
Field notes from the community
Earlier this month, some of the members of the Wordplay community gathered online to choose and share 3 words for the year. It’s a simple, powerful and intentional process that I’ve found incredibly supportive over the years. My words for 2025 are power, co-creation and faith.
What are your words for this year?
If you need help choosing, you can download the guide I’ve created, which will walk you through the process of setting your intentions and calling in what you want for the year to come—all through the lens of 3 single words. And this week we entered a new lunar cycle—so the timing is perfect!
I’m roughly half way through a Sacred Business Planning Rituals challenge, devised by Phil and Carolina of Sacred Business Flow. It’s a revolutionary way to plan your time and to discern where to put your attention: anchored in your long-term vision for your life. Whether or not you’re an entrepreneur, this offering is GOLD. Already, just half way through the challenge, it’s made a huge difference to the actions I choose on a daily basis.
Below is Phil’s post that summarises some of the transformations experienced so far by the participants in this current challenge—and details on how to sign up to the waitlist for the next round. I urge you to consider it. This is life-changing stuff!
Creative inspiration
Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit speaks to the importance of creativity in daily life (hint: it isn’t a luxury, it’s essential!). The key premise is that creativity can become an essential aspect of life if we’re willing to make it a habit.
The New York Times calls it ‘an exuberant, philosophically ambitious self-help book for the creatively challenged.’ Have a read, and let me know what you think! Hit reply (I read all emails), or, if you’d rather chat in person, book a virtual coffee with me on Zoom. I keep some 20 minute slots in my schedule each month for these kind of informal conversations (I won’t try to sell you any coaching, we’ll just talk about what lights us up!).
Memorable quote of the week:
Build your house of creativity on four cornerstones: Curiosity in the east, where new ideas dawn; Courage in the south, where passion burns bright; Persistence in the west, where challenges set; And Wonder in the north, where dreams take flight.
Pablo Neruda, from ‘Odes to Architecture.’
What’s next?
If there’s something you’re longing to create (a writing project, an artistic creation or new venture) but need more courage and guidance, I’m here to support you expand the power of your self-expression.
Here’s how I can help:
Make an appointment for a virtual coffee (free). I hold 3-4 slots every month so we can get to know each other. Perfect if you’re curious about meeting new people and making connections.
Book a 30-minute connection call (free). This is for anyone—whether you have an idea you want to brainstorm, an issue that’s holding you back, or you just want to know more about my work. Think of it as a microdose of powerful coaching that can help point you in the right direction!
Read my manifesto for creative courage (free). Learn about the core principles I work with in my own creativity and business and follow in serial form the journey of how I came to found Wordplay Coaching.
Inquiry of Writing, an intimate group coaching experience. We meet twice a month—in which we use writing as a tool for curiosity, exploration and transformation. Respond to powerful questions, in discussion and in writing; share your experience; get feedback on what you’ve written. Get the support and connection you need to gain clarity about your life and creativity, and develop your confidence. This is currently full but talk to me about joining the waiting list.
Creative Essence 1:1 coaching. Personal guidance to work with you on recognising your survival mechanisms and the fears that hold you back from expressing yourself fully. Twice-monthly deep dives on Zoom plus individualised support between sessions. This is ideal for you if you’re looking for deep transformation and powerful support to make changes in your life or with a creative project.
This is so good. 😍
Oh, the debris! The feelings about it!
🙏 for naming that. Opening the 🚪 today x