Even if you work alone - perhaps especially if you work alone - you need a strong network. Grow yours. Nurture it. And use it. It changes everything. Here’s how.

We all fall prey to compare and despair. Especially in the hall of smoke and mirrors that is social media. So remember this: You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be human. To make something, and put it out there.

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Novel: Irvine Welsh, Men In Love Picked this up from the library on Friday. I’m enjoying spending more time with the Trainspotting crew. And seeing how much Welsh has grown as a writer since that early novel.

We love the idea of the lone genius, working alone and unappreciated. It's a great story. But it's rarely true. Most leaps forward in culture grow out of what Brian Eno calls scenius: groups of creatives supporting, inspiring , provoking and competing with each other.

We're all waiting for an invitation to the club. But you don't need permission to be a writer, an artist, a director, a designer, a musician – or anything else. To own the noun, do the verb. Write. Paint. Make. Film. Act. Design. Play. Sing. Perform. Create, create, create. Feels good, no?

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Comedy: Lou Sanders, No Kissing At The Bingo Hall The filming of her show at Ramsgate involved silly props, an absurd dress, (barely) controlled chaos, and some great anecdotes. Plus quite a lot of laughter.

I've worked with creative professionals of all kinds - as a journalist, as a magazine editor, and later as a coach. Here's what I've learned from them all. thecreativelife.net/what-ive-lea...

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Person: My husband. It’s his birthday today. We’re been together 43 years. We're in Spain at the moment, celebrating the fact that we still quite like each other.

Struggling to get back into your rhythm after the summer? The creative life is by its definition an irregular one. A sudden job comes up, a deadline is moved forward. Then there are the school holidays, guests coming to stay, travel, social commitments.. it all jogs us out of our routines. 👇

This is from Amie McNee's book We Need Your Art, a kind kick up the bum if you're having doubts about your creative work. Failure comes with the territory. It's how we learn, how we grow. Getting comfortable with failure frees you to push boundaries and make the work only you can make.

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Play: Inter Alia, National Theatre There were sound problems the night we saw it, but Suzie Miller has followed Prima Facie with another devastating look at gender, the law and sexual assault.

10 keys to a thriving creative business (even when times are tough) 1. Know your why. Get clear on the life you want. Know your values, who you want to serve (and who you don’t), and check in regularly to make sure you're on course. It’s easy to build a successful business that feels like a prison

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Documentary: DEVO (Netflix) Delightful Chris Smith film examining Devo, the most eccentric of the bands who came up via the NY punk scene. It’s a treat - and the music still sounds fresh, 50 years on.

As summer draws to a close, you might be wondering why you’re so exhausted. Rest is so important. But there are different forms of weariness, and each has its own cure. It’s not just about sleep. Here are seven forms of tiredness - and what to do about them.

I love What Art Does, the book Eno wrote with artist Bette A. I also love the idea of play as research. What have you been playfully researching in August? #CreativePlay #MakeAugustPlayfulAgain

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week. Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern Glorious retrospective of paintings and batik work from this important Australian artist, explaining the work’s intimate connection to Alhalker, her ancestral lands in the Northern Territory.

Still want to bring more playfulness into your life? Here are 100 ideas for play dates. Which will you try this week? thecreativelife.net/100-ideas-fo... #MakeAugustPlayfulAgain

Adults need play too. Especially if you do creative work. How do you bring playfulness into your work? And your free time? #CreativePlay #MakeAugustPlayfulAgain

Sunday celebration Usually three things I’ve enjoyed this week, but this is all about the Folkestone Triennial, on till Oct 19. Three standouts from 2025: - Dorothy Cross, Red Erratic. A huge red marble sculpture capturing the pain of Syria and inviting us to consider our feelings about migration

As part of my on-going campaign to Make August More Playful, here's a post about why adults need play. And how to bring more of it into your life.

The best ideas start with play, curiosity. With questions like: 'I wonder what would happen if..?' Every creative needs to block out time to play with ideas, materials, influences. Without the pressure to produce something immediately. When did YOU last give yourself that space? #CreativePlay

5. Visit an older relative, friend or neighbour. Interview them about their life. Ask what advice they’d give their younger self. Or what they’d do more of, if they were your age. Want more ideas? My book Creative Play: 365 Ideas for Artist Dates and Solo Adventures is out now! amzn.to/4m1gHcj

Five ideas for creative play: 1. Get out your favourite outfit, the one you save for best. Wear it today, for no reason except that it makes you feel great. 2. List 50 things you love. Then consider ways to bring them into your life more often.

My new book is published on Amazon today. The first in a series of Useful Little Books for creatives, this one explains why we all need to play more and how it benefits creative work. Then it offers 365 suggestions for creative play – at work and when you need a break. amzn.to/4m1gHcj

Why I think we should ALL be more playful. But especially anyone involved in creative work. Play isn't frivolous - it's part of the job!

How? Play. Explore. Try new things. Revisit things you loved to do, but somehow stopped. At work, try new approaches. Allow yourself to be a beginner sometimes. And to fail. (Which isn't failure at all: it's useful data.) It might be fun. You might also be more creative, productive – and happy!

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week Exhibition: Thread Memory at V&A Dundee. This display of intricate embroidery by Palestinian women is both beautiful and moving. The Garden Futures exhibition at the V&A is also worth seeing.

Deirdre Kashdan spent 27 years guarding a secret. Now she’s using her art to reveal it. I interviewed her here, because she’s long been an inspiration to me. It’s never too late to make art that matters!

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week TV: The Residence Shonda Rimes does it yet again with this joyfully camp murder-in-the-White-House whodunnit referencing everything from Agatha Christie to the BBC’s Sherlock. (With a few jabs at the current WH inhabitant).

Rejection hurts. It's painful. Yet here I am, encouraging you to go out and seek more of it.

The Slits were my guiding stars in my teens. And Viv Albertine remains an inspiration. If you haven't read her memoir Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boy, Boys.. it's a treat!

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week Art: The Missing Project, The Beaney Museum in Canterbury Powerful exhibition by Deirdre Kashdan exploring the hidden carers holding up loved ones with addiction or mental health issues.

Creative is a verb, not a noun. If you're stuck inn your career, make some new work. If you're feeling jaded, explore a new direction. Do your verbs, and magic happens..

What's distracting you today? And what will you do about it? Make a decision. Stick to it. See what happens when you prioritise the things you really WANT to get done.

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week TV: Pernille Norwegian drama about a single mum and her chaotic family, the 30-minute episodes make me smile and offer a welcome reminder that the world is still full of love, and people muddling through the best they can

Kim Deal of The Pixies and The Breeders on how to make.. pretty much anything. Just make one part that doesn't suck. Then the next part. And keep going, until you have enough. Showing up is half the battle won.

Feeling tired, uninspired? Remember: - You don't need to earn a break. - You don't have to deserve a rest. - You don't need to clear the decks first. Just take a break. And notice what happens when you do. thecreativelife.net/feeling-tired/

Monday's mood: A writing day. So why not start with breakfast on the beach?

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week TV: The Bear Series 4 of the Chicago restaurant drama is back on form, building up to an intense and emotional final three episodes. We binged it all this week!

I’m at the end of a book project. Just a short introduction to finish. Yet I’ve been stuck on it for weeks. If this is familiar, here are seven reasons you might be delaying.. and what to do about them. (And yes, I wrote this mainly for my own benefit!)

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week Film: 28 Years Later Danny Boyle doing what he does best - and doing it brilliantly. A rollercoaster ride of a film, with great music, great cast (Alfie Williams is exceptional). And new, improved alpha zombies!

These are tough times for many creative professionals. And it can be hard to focus on our work when the world feels like its collapsing around us. So why do we even bother making art? Many, many reasons. Here are just a few:

This week I'm diving into What Art Does, Brian Eno's book with Bette A. Already finding gems!

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week Music: Little Simz, Lotus She just gets better and better, doesn’t she?

This productivity tip is so simple it's almost patronising. But it's a an easy route out of overwhelm. Do it consistently, and it changes everything!

We don't talk about this often enough. Especially in the context of AI doing it all for us. Creativity as self-care. Some of us make things because we want to. But also because we need to. Humans were meant to create, not just consume. It's who we are.

My office. Monday's mood. This week, I'm going to finish the first of my Useful Little Books. It's about creative play. What are you up to this week?

Sunday celebration: three things I've found fun or inspiring this week Music: Massive Attack Their music has soundtracked my life for 34 years now, so it was fantastic seeing them live once more, in Hackney’s Victoria Park this week. Liz Fraser and Horace Andy were exceptional on guest vocals.

Reading over my 2012 interview with the brilliant British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, I found lots that is relevant to all creatives. He talks about experiments, taking risks. And the need for your creative work to make enough money for you to make more. I found him so inspiring.