Unlocking My Creativity

The Voice I Silenced

I didn’t write creatively for over 15 years.

My school report said I was “too verbose.” In English lessons, I never seemed to see the right things in poems. So, I shut my creative voice down, convinced it didn’t belong. For years, I focused on fine art, but something was missing.

A friend mentioned she was running a creative writing course, and for the first time in years, I felt a pull—an urge to explore words again.

Now, I’m unlocking my creativity in all directions—I let my inner voice wonder and play in my journals, spin absurd and joyful stories in improv, and am adventuring into the world of stand-up comedy.

Creativity isn’t just about art—it’s about how we express ourselves, solve problems, and bring fresh ideas into our work and everyday life.

When I was three, my ballet teacher called me a “fairy elephant.” I felt clumsy and out of place, like I didn’t belong in movement. Now, I create in my own wild and unfiltered way—grounded, expressive, and fully mine. No rigid steps, no holding back, just getting my head out of the way and my body moving as it feels.

I help others unlock their creativity, however it wants to show up—whether through art, writing, storytelling, or the mindful creativity woven into daily life.

It’s not just about painting or performing; it’s about finding inspiration, building confidence, and rediscovering that spark—whether at work, home, or in a team environment.

Creativity has taken me on an unexpected journey—one of play, discovery, and the joy of self-expression. But at the heart of it all, it’s about moments.

Moments when I felt lost, moments when I found my voice, and moments where I saw the power of creativity change something inside me.

Here are three of those moments. Maybe, as you read, you’ll hear a little of your own story too.

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Three Stories About Me

one

Harriet, You’ve Got Such a Vivid Imagination!

"Are you listening to me? Are you?"

I used to let myself be put on mute instantly—shrinking like an unwelcome tiny mouse, crawling back under the rug of expectation. Hiding behind the mismatch of blurred ‘80s curtains, buried under the lingering, dehydrated mashed potato and sweaty, khaki-green petit pois of shame.

Everything is suburbanly suffocating me. I want to rewind this film in my mind, speed up the back-out-of-the-door with my friend under the blue skies and little fluffy clouds, and feel the glowing warm sunshine on my bright red and fed-up skin. I want to run to the upturned tree roots—except now, they’re pushing their luck against the concrete.

What’s wrong with me?

I’m screeching, dancing, laughing, leaping—wild feet and limbs moving to the powerful words of Neneh Cherry. And then, in the next breath, Somebody by Depeche Mode drifts into the darkness of my bedroom, over the empty pile of junk I never once put away. Soft pastel rainbows on the walls, saccharine pink stained with dark grey clouds.

two

The Storm and the Studio

I raise my voice, just a little, to be heard over the wild thrashing storm outside. Paynes grey pounding pellets drum against the windows. Inside, we laugh—this is the film-opening backdrop to my oasis of calm, the place people have paid to find peace.

The scent of lavender lingers. Peaceful piano music drifts through the space. On the table: muted colour palettes, freshly almost-sharp pencils poised, a glass half-full, ready for anyone who needs it.

The doorbell rings, late.

A muddy brown puddle spreads in the hallway. A stranger, soaked and shivering, stands there apologizing. I hand her warm clothes and a soft fluffy towel. She takes the last empty spot at the back of the studio. I pass her the half-full glass of water. She smiles.

We begin—eyes closed, colour in hand.

I watch her sink into the earth. I feel her arrive back home.

"Harriet showed me big magic can happen in five minutes."

The storm vanishes into thin air as quickly as it arrived—until next time.

three

Permission-Given Sweet Shop

I pull on my orange fake fur teenage coat, big DMs, bright purple tights, and a flowery charity shop dress. A cool pink bunny sits in my hair. The nightclub bouncers laugh at me—I laugh back.

We step into the wide-awake morning, into little clouds drifting through the blue skies of wonder.

We fling open slightly unhinged doors of possibility. A patchwork of self-expression, where nothing quite fits—except in the way that re-invention does, when it’s touched by brutally honest human hands.

On the cold concrete floor, there’s an artwork by a fifteen-year-old. It’s about the day her dad left—shrouded in bandages, a solid white plaster cast of a toddler’s pair of shoes.

I am transported to that moment. To the silence of not knowing. The haunting rejection. The whispering voice tugging at the precious tiny hand of all-those-who-know.

And yet—I feel like I’ve finally arrived. Amongst the soulful shoes that just fit.

I’m a kid in a giant, permission-given sweet shop. Peeling back the wrappers of whatever we desire. Delighting in the naturally sweet taste of bold and brave. Crawling into the nooks and crannies of I-never-knew-that-about-you-and-I-feel-it-too.

Basking in the golden sunlight of all the inner fearless toddlers running off to play.

The Principal is smiling, “Just loving it all, H!”

But I can’t receive this. My mind is too loud, looping that relentless admin email, muting the sounds of creative souls transforming in front of me.

At this moment, I have a choice.

I choose to stand with the tiny cast feet, asking awkward questions of being human.

I close my eyes. My foot finds the upturned roots of the earth, pulling me back home—into my vivid imagination.

I’m there. Wondering. Wandering.

And finally, I BREATHE.

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Ready to Unlock Your Creativity?

Whether you want to shake up a team event with a fresh, playful approach or bring more creativity into your everyday life, I help people reignite their creative spark—through art, storytelling, and creative problem-solving.

Creativity isn’t just for artists—it’s for leaders, teams, educators, and anyone who wants to learn to think differently, to solve their complex challenges, or feel they can finally create and live their own vision of work and life.

If you’re curious, let’s talk. Send me a message, and let’s create something brilliant together.