Have you come across the concept of clean questioning? It was new to me when I read about it in a LinkedIn post by Maddy Morton, Founder and CEO of Lucid People, the insight, brand and innovation consultants. Catching the undercurrents of a conversation I’ve always been fascinated by the importance of good listening skills […]
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When you’re creating a writing workshop, how long does it take? I was talking to a writer friend about this at the weekend, and he reckoned that it takes him between two and three weeks to create a two-hour workshop. I’d say it’s about the same time for me. Not that I’m working on it […]
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This August, I travelled to Iona, an island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. People have been making pilgrimages to Iona for centuries, from the early middle ages onwards. Famously, St Columba sailed from Ireland to Iona in 563, with 12 companions in a ‘curragh’, also known as a coracle. This […]
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Recently, I had the most amazing day visiting Manor Oak, a primary school in Orpington, Kent, with my harp. My friend, Amanda, teaches music at the school and invited me along. Amanda and I play together in the London City Orchestra. I play the harp; she plays the flute and piccolo. I’d already been to […]
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This story starts with a journey to a watercress farm and ends with an unexpected bottle of gin. That’s what happens when you follow a thread of curiosity to see where it leads you. Last weekend, I travelled to Surrey with my dad to see his cousin, Barrie. They hadn’t met up for a while […]
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Chances are you haven’t heard of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). I hadn’t, until they got in touch with me last year. But this charity does extraordinary and important work. Protecting children from abuse The IWF protects children by hunting down and removing images of child sexual abuse online. They do this by combining the […]
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When a digital flyer for a ‘Winter Light’ photography course in Paris fluttered past my desk, I clicked on it straight away. What better way to add a touch of sparkle to January while touching up my photography skills? The facilitator, or chief photo-flâneur, was Richard Pelletier, an author, copywriter and photographer based on Whidbey […]
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A while back, the inestimable Jim Davies of totalcontent got in touch with me, asking if I’d write a chapter for a book he was compiling. Back then, the working title was BandLogoJukeBox, based on the blog that inspired the original idea. The book would delve into the history of band logos, running from Abba […]
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Thank you to everyone who came to my charity storytelling workshop at the Bloomsbury Festival this weekend. Run as part of the Wordstock event for the 26 writers’ group, it took place in the gorgeous wood-panelled library at Conway Hall. I’ve long associated Conway Hall with storytelling, as for several years it was the venue […]
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Why is the toy dinosaur holding a light saber? It’s to promote the upcoming London City Orchestra concert of film music at Cadogan Hall on 14 July. I take care of social media for the orchestra and wanted to find a different way to share the news. One of the cellists in the orchestra, Anna […]
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Yesterday I went to Shoeburyness in Essex. I’d never been there before and was inspired to go by a dream I had not long ago. In the dream, a man came up to me and said, quite crossly, “I’ve come all the way from Shoeburyness.” His tone was accusing, as though I’d somehow forced him […]
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My mother died on Christmas Eve last year. Here are my reflections on grief, written on 15 February this year. I’m sharing this write in case it helps someone else who’s been bereaved. I could empty the green carrier bag that I brought home after Christmas, but I won’t. It contains the Christmas present […]
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“What a treat to write to music and to look up close at the beautiful beast that is a harp. Thank you for your wonderful workshop.” Lydia Thornley sent this lovely message following my harp and writing workshop for the fabulous women of the East End Women’s Institute last week. The beautiful beast that is […]
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This blog explores two books and an exhibition that elevate abandoned shopping lists and scraps of paper into art. Treasured rubbish Have you ever been fascinated by a discarded shopping list left in a supermarket trolley? Wondered who the person was who just wanted to buy milk, bleach and a birthday card? There’s something so […]
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Saving purple. It’s when you save your best things because they’re too special to use. It’s a concept invented by my friend Helen Fisher, a business psychologist. Here, she explains how the idea originated and discusses the upsides and downsides of ‘saving purple’ in your life. “I first remember thinking about saving purple when […]
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