Creativity Found: Finding Creativity Later in Life

Looking for ways to explore your own creativity? Cass Sabo of Oxford Weaving Studio (see S1 Ep3) teaches weaving workshops for all ages. And she's also designed her own  Oxford Frame Loom.  Find out more, and check out a special discount from Cass at the end of the episode. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the...

Colour energy and art workshops for the blind and partially sighted Furrah Syed’s art is ALL about interaction. She creates heavily textured abstract art using acrylic and metallic paints, and even encourages ‘viewers’ to TOUCH her art. This extra sensory element has inspired her to develop art workshops for the blind and partially sighted, making her art and her art practice truly inclusive. If y...

Mark Deeks wants to shatter the myth that in order to play the piano you need to have started as a child, learnt scales and arpeggios and classical standards, and practised daily. He wants you to play piano for you, for your own enjoyment. He's even given podcast listeners a special discount for his Piano Startup Academy, which you'll find at the end of the episode. In this bonus podcast...

Louise Luton was a teacher for 20 years, but after realizing she was in burnout she took the difficult decision to leave the profession and embark on a new life with oil paints. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in the Fountain app . CreativityFound...

Jon Bond has trained in theatre studies and media arts, but during the lockdowns of Covid 19 has developed his own creative explorations through experimenting with photographic software. Doing so has kept him creatively active and helped him keep his mental health in check. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Supp...

After not being accepted onto the university course she wanted to join, Jane Beinart lost her confidence in her art. Fast forward ten years and Jane made a return to art for herself, but also for others, since she helps grown-ups discover or re-discover ways to express themselves through art. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podca...

Cecilia Poullain has had a successful career in law and finance. When she started seeing a Gestalt therapist, she discovered a source of creativity that she has continued to explore, from writing short pieces in French, to writing (and performing) a one-woman show and now working on a novel. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcas...

Before the multiverse: from Marvel UK to the brink of disaster. Andrew Wildman loved drawing as a child, and even while studying for a degree in graphic design all he really wanted to do was draw comics. It wasn't an industry that was easy to get into, so while working as a designer he spent his spare time putting together his portfolio of comic strip art and looking for a way in. His perseve...

This episode is ALL about Peter's experiences on The Great PotteryThrow Down . CreativityFound.co.uk Woburn Sands Clay at creativityfound.co.uk Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group YouTube @creativityfoundpodcast Pinterest: @creativityfound Twitter: @creativityfoun Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown Music: Day Trips...

Peter White had a successful and busy engineering business, perhaps too busy. After falling ill he decided to make a big change in his life, taking himself away from the business and considering what to do next. Since then he has studied for a BA then an MA in ceramics, trained and worked as an art and design teacher, started his own pottery studio and become a much-loved and very successful conte...

Tara L Lacey loved drama activities at schools in Oxford and Trinidad, but put the performing arts to the side partway through her university career as she concentrated on becoming a lawyer.  Thankfully she took a brave step later in life and returned to the theatre, and is now an actor, director, producer and an educator.  If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciatio...

Adriana is a healthcare worker who finds her escape and creativity through urbex photography. When her son became more independent as he grew older, and after a bad day at work, Adriana bought a camera and hit the road. She explores abandoned buildings and takes atmospheric photos of places most people will never see. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, con...

Debrah Martin took up writing by joining a course to help her through a very tough time in her life. She is now an award-winning author, and a mentor and teacher for others who want to explore creative writing. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your appreciation, consider supporting the podcast through the Support the Show link, or by sending a boostagram , for example in t...

Lesley Wildman loved her art foundation year, but was disappointed not to get into art college. It wasn’t until she decided to train to be a teacher that pursuing her artistic ambitions became a possibility once again. As a mature student aty the Royal College of Art, Lesley worked with glass rods in an attempt to push the boundaries of this material. But Lesley has never liked to be pigeon-holed,...

Richard Nicoll had a successful design career, which he loved. As his career became more business-oriented and less creative, he found himself in a bit of a creative hole. So he taught himself to play bass guitar (left-handed, even though he isn't left-handed - long story) and started writing songs influenced by his travels with work. If you found value in this episode and would like to show...

Finding fine art helped Morven Shortt find her feet. Starting in higher education in her fifties she says was hard, but very rewarding. Hear about how Morven took that step from mother to student, and about how she came to make art from waste materials, and how she wants to inspire and encourage others to explore their creativity, no matter what their age. If you found value in this episode and wo...

Phillipa James, photographer behind 100 Women of Oxford, dropped out of college, but returned to studies on an art foundation and on to moving image, which gave her a good, creative career in film and television. However, the film industry is not conducive to bringing up a family (at least when both parents are in it) so Philippa took on other roles while her children were growing. Feeling despond...

Rob Ballentine enjoyed drawing as a child, but when it became an obligation he became disheartened. The music business called to his creative nature, but an interest in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) was a stronger draw. Find out, then, how it is that he now enjoys creating pet portraits that really connect with the animal owners. If you found value in this episode and would like to show your...

When Karen Joy’s boys grew up, she had a ‘niggling feeling’, and joined a watercolour class. But that is a far cry from the acrylic paintings she is so passionate about now. Find out about her journey from printmaking, picture restoration, horses and family to acrylic landscape and abstract painting. CreativityFound.co.uk Karen Joy at creativityfound.co.uk Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast Facebo...

Cassandra's journey from Canada to Oxford has taken a number of twists and turns, encompassing engineering, travelling, having a family and growing her weaving skills and community weaving business. The Oxford Weaving Studio at creativityfound.co.uk CreativityFound.co.uk Instagram: @creativityfoundpodcast Facebook: @creativityfoundpodcast and Creativity Found group YouTube @creativityfoundpod...

Printing with linocuts after a not-very promising start. Oxfordshire-based printmaker Gerry Coles didn't have the best start to her linocut experience, but with perseverance, she discovered an art form she was passionate about, and good at! Discover how Gerry, a creative youngster, trod a different path after school, but discovered the artistic practice she now loves on a visit to Bath. Creat...

Tereza Barnard had a discouraging review of her art as a youngster, and went on to study and pursue a career in psychology. But something didn’t quite sit right for her. Find out how Tereza changed her circumstances and now earns money and accolade as a realist and abstract painter whose work features in Tom Croft’s book Portraits for NHS Heroes. Buy  Portraits for NHS Heroes here CreativityFound....

How does creativity benefit our lives as grown-ups? I'm Claire, and I re-found my creativity after a time of almost crippling anxiety. Now I want to share the stories of other people who have found or re-found their creativity as adults, and hopefully inspire many more grown-ups to get creative. I chat with my guests about their childhood experiences of creativity and the arts, how they came...