Creativity Found: Finding Creativity Later in Life

'I was unaware that it wasn't normal to fall asleep when you're sat still.' This episode was first released in April 2023. Ruth Chipperfield, a goldsmith and jewellery designer, had always experienced excessive tiredness, but didn’t think anything more of it until a chat with a friend at uni revealed to her that not everyone struggled to stay awake at their desk in the same way she did. With the advice of her great uncle in Australia – where the condition was more recognised – Ruth was ...

Discovering and sharing the healing power of art. What happens when a distinguished physician with over 150 published papers walks away from a 40-year medical career? For Dr Vasu Tolia, an unexpected artistic awakening filled the void. Dr Tolia's story begins in Calcutta, where she grew up in an academically-driven household with little exposure to the arts. Her path to medicine was serendipitous, influenced by a friend who convinced her to take biology despite her inclination toward humanit...

What happens when a satellite engineer's hands stop working, and how can creativity emerge from constraint? For Florrie de Havilland, a period of debilitating ill health meant reimagining her entire career and discovering unexpected joy in the delicate art of calligraphy and the mechanical precision of letterpress printing. Having had a successful career in mechanical engineering, including testing satellites for space missions, Florrie's neurological condition – affecting her hands and...

Cruise ships, corporate climbing and a creative philosophy From a young age, Tricia Duffy was immersed in the arts, singing and writing poetry. Leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, Tricia found a way to fulfill her dream of going to America by working on cruise ships, where her passion for entertainment blossomed. On returning to the UK Tricia transitioned into the television industry, where she faced the challenge of working in a male-dominated environment that often sidelined ...

Turning trauma into art when the ocean closed. First released in December 2021 Leanne’s father took her snorkelling when she was young, and she fell in love with the ocean then. As a teenager that culture became something she pulled away from because of its associations with a traumatic experience, the details of which her brain blocked out to protect her. Even though she was drawn to the ocean, she didn’t go in, and didn’t understand why. Eventually Leanne decided to try surfing just once, w...

Replacing the rigidity of council architecture with the vibrancy of bespoke hat design. Janice Charles is the CEO of House of Charles, a bespoke hat-design business that thrives on making the seemingly impossibe, possible. Janice's father instilled in her a belief that she could achieve anything she set her mind to, an ethos illustrated by the unique, architectural headwear she now designs for her clients and that is featured internationally in couture magazines. Before she got to this point,...

Connecting creativity with personal healing. Samantha Mackay felt the pressure of conforming to traditional art forms in school, and much later in life found her voice in abstract painting. In this episode Samantha and I discuss how the pressures of societal expectations can stifle artistic expression, as she shares her journey from a legal career to rediscovering her creative passions. Samantha opens up about the struggles she faced while living in London, grappling with de...