blog/articles
Over the years, I’ve written a shit-tonne about getting out of your own way, making shit happen and giving yourself permission to build a wholehearted creative life you love!
Here you’ll find a selection of those articles!
(I’m in the process of re-branding all the graphics, so don’t mind the branding, just jump into whatever speaks to you right now!)
A simple trick for when you’re feeling uninspired or lacking ideas
You’re going to have days you feel uninspired. You’re going to have times where you literally can’t think of any ideas, and you’re going to have days where that feeling makes you feel shitty. But what do you do when they happen?
Creatives: Just Keep Baking Bread
This is a tale about making bread. But it’s not really about making bread.
It’s about keeping going when you don’t feel like you’re making a difference
Why it’s important to take a creative break from the work you love
The blog is back! After a creative break this summer, I’m so excited to go back to blogging at least once a week, and I have SO many posts planned to help you shine brighter, put yourself out in the world as you are and thrive wholeheartedly in a world that sometimes feels like it’s […]
An Open Letter To All Creatives Struggling With Self-Doubt
Okay, Couragemakers who struggle with self-doubt, listen up. Sometimes on this creative and dream chasing journey, we all need reminders which are a bit more of a kick up the ass. Today is one of those days. So here’s the thing: If you are looking for evidence that you’re shit, you’re going to find […]
8 Untranslatable Words Every Creative Needs To Know
It’s fair to say that as kind-hearted creatives, we spend a lot of the time feeling like we’re swimming against the tide. We contemplate things which others think are plain odd (my Dad is SO sick of being asked if he’d rather be a bench or a tree) and generally spend a lot of time […]
Unhidden Creativity & The Personal Cost Of Sharing Your Creativity Online
If you put yourself out there on a regular occasion, by showing your life and your work online or IRL, this is for you. And if you dream of one day doing that, this is definitely for you. When I started That Hummingbird Life – nearly 3 years ago now – shit really started to […]
What If? Flipping Fear On Its Head & Telling Self-Doubt to Fuck Off
When I was 22, I watched something that made me feel understood in a way that I had never felt understood before that moment. It was a two-part documentary on young people who were living and struggling with OCD – just like me. The series focused on an OCD bootcamp, with participants coming out of […]
3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start Any Creative Project
I don’t know about you, but there seems to be so much similarity in so much of the stuff we see online. Blog posts look the same, Instagram feeds look the same, e-courses look identical but with perhaps a shift in colour scheme. And it can get so fucking boring. And I think it […]
EPIC POST: A Creative's Guide on What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up
Feeling like giving up for me, is on the same level of scariness as losing your enthusiasm (read that epic post here). When I feel like giving up, I go really deep into a spiral of shame, frustration, depression, and to be honest, I usually sink into an all out existential crisis. And this is […]
5 Reasons Why You Can't Create (and what you can do about it)
Feeling uninspired is the dreaded fear of all creatives. It’s like the He-Shall-Not-Be-Named of creativity but we all get it. And when we get it, we panic that it’s never going to come back. And sometimes that ends up being a self fulfilling prophecy. Maya Angelou said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you […]
You Don't Have To Be a Starving Artist (and here's why!)
I want to share with you something I’ve been struggling with for a long time. And that’s this idea that you can only do the work you love if you’re willing to be a starving artist. I come from the non profit world and I also have an activist background. So it’ll come as no […]
The 'secret' to getting creative work done and chasing your dreams
When I first started writing, at a very young age, I was obsessed by how other writers achieved success. What writing habits did they adopt? Where did they write? Did they type or hand write? How did they map their novels? What kind of pen were they using? I thought this knowledge was the secret […]
Read this if you've ever felt like a fraud
I want to talk about something today that we don’t really like to talk about, or admit. We all feel like frauds. Who am I to be doing this? Why should someone pay me attention/money to do this? What if they find out that I feel like a mess and discover I’m a massive fraud? […]
What would you create if no-one was judging?
Life Lesson 1: Good ideas always come in the shower. Especially when you’re singing loud to ‘Go Your Own Way’ (this version is the best!) Life Lesson 2: Not everyone cares if you go your own way. They might not care about what you do in general. Stay with me on this one. You know […]
On Creative Resistance & Doing the Work
Sometimes doing the work is really really hard. You might be a writer, you might be a painter, or a blogger, or you might sell handmade things on Etsy. Or you might have a dream of owning your own business, or be in college doing final exams to graduate in a subject you adore. But for some reason, even though you know exactly the steps you need to to do the work, you just can’t do them. Everything around you becomes SO much more appealing. Checking your email suddenly becomes the most urgent thing you need to do - wait, there’s a corner in the living room that needs tidying - oh and the dishes need to go away. And you might as well phone bank and sort out your debit card at the same time - and while you’re on the phone, it would be nice if you called your brother to see how he is.
Why being visible & creative takes a shitload of bravery
Here’s the thing. Not many people are talking about how scary it is to put yourself out there; how scary it is to make yourself completely visible. And how brave that makes you. They’re not talking about how vulnerable you feel when you create something that comes straight from your heart, and you know […]
Creative ruts & re-filling your cup
I’ve been thinking a lot about inspiration and creativity lately. Amber’s guest post on creativity and consumption has really had me questioning my own creative process, and how getting sidetracked on social media has a huge impact on my work and what I produce. And Helen’s guest post on women, creativity and creative afternoons has […]
Guest Post: Encouraging and inspiring through creative afternoons
When Meg asked me if I could write a guest post about this, I was over the moon – the opportunity to be on her fantastic website and to share the experience I’ve had hosting craft afternoons, wow! But when I’ve tried to write it, it’s been more difficult than I expected. It’s so hard […]
Guest Post: How Consumption Influences our Creativity by Amber Thomas
When I started writing for NaNoWriMo last November I dedicated myself to reading a half hour a day. It seemed annoying some days, why not spend that half hour writing instead? I noticed my progress wane on days I’d skipped my “warm-up reading” and felt a nudge that quality consumption was influential in my creativity. […]
13 things you'll gain from starting that big project
Today I’m sharing with you the big fuck off reminders life gives you when you’re undertaking any big project. Whether you’re writing a book, thinking of starting your own business, planning a wedding, or even thinking that you’d like a big project; there are so many great takeaways. Now, if you’re anything like me, you like […]