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This weekend, I went away. On my first writing retreat. I brought my notebooks, my ideas and, importantly, no expectations about what I needed to produce. Stepping away from ordinary life. Making space. Allowing my mind to roam free. Sometimes, you have to create the space to discover what lies beneath the surface. ☀️ Read more
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On 23 August, I wrote a blog called The Practice of Stepping Away. I had finished the first draft of my research paper. It was 38 pages long and, in my words at the time, a warm, stinky turd. 💩🤣 I knew I needed to step away from it. What I didn’t realise was how… Read more
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For a long time, I think I was looking for reassurance in the wrong places. I wanted to know that I was doing enough. That I was good enough. That the thing I was working towards was going to work out. I wanted certainty. But writing doesn’t really offer much of that. There are submissions… Read more
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On 22 June, a friend and I started body doubling. The idea was simple. We would work alongside each other. No complicated system. No checking up on each other. No reporting back. Just two people quietly getting on with their own work. At first, I thought the benefit would be obvious. I would get more… Read more
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I’ve been thinking about rejection. Not the dramatic kind. Just the quiet little emails that arrive after you’ve sent something you’ve spent time making. Thank you for your submission… Unfortunately….. Not this time….. I’ve had a few of those recently. And, if I’m honest, they sting. Because there is something vulnerable about sending your writing… Read more
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I’m working on my first poetry collection, so I’ve been spending time with my poems and writing some new ones. It’s been interesting to stay with one art form. And I’ve been asking myself: What happens when I keep returning to one art form and learn how to see through it? I think I’m beginning… Read more
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I think I’ve just learned something about how I write poetry. I used to think the first draft was where I was supposed to write the poem. Now I think the first draft might be where I excavate it. I start with what happened. Not beautifully. Not cleverly. Just the details. The things I noticed.… Read more
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Last week I was bored. Not a little bit bored. Properly bored. And apparently, this is excellent news for my creativity. Because when I have nothing to do, I write. In the boredom, my mind has time to run free and, as a result, I wrote two new poems. One of them came from looking… Read more
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Last Sunday, we went for a cliff walk in Wicklow. We walked along the coast, enjoyed the views, and saw two lovely seals in the water. We also saw a jellyfish, ate golden pear and picked blackberries. It was one of those simple days that makes you feel light. There was something about that moment… Read more
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I’ve had a two-week break. Starting again feels harder than I expected. There’s a temptation to try to catch up, make up for lost time, or wait until I feel ready. But I don’t need to wait. I just need to begin again. So today, on the school run, stepping out with my phone, looking for… Read more
Scientist. Writer. Facilitator. Artist. Curious about what helps us grow.