The Creative Couch | Episode 20 | Trusting Yourself Again, New Studios & Creative Interruptions

In this episode of The Creative Couch, I share a recent Loving Lately recommendation and respond to three thoughtful creative dilemmas sent in by listeners. 📚 Loving Lately This week I'm recommending the novel The Daffodil Years by Helen Bain. It's a fictional account of the final years of Sylvia Plath's life in rural Devon, but what I loved most about it was the way it gently strips away some of the mythology surrounding Plath and allows her to emerge as a mother, a writer, a neighbour and an artist trying to balance creativity with the ordinary realities of daily life. It's beautifully written, atmospheric and deeply human. ✨ "How do I reconnect with my creativity after months of living in survival mode?" Grace wrote in after her seven-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes earlier this year. After months of hospital appointments, sleepless nights and constant vigilance, she has found herself returning to the studio feeling like a different person. A large woodcut she began before the diagnosis no longer feels as though it belongs to her, and she finds herself questioning her instincts and worrying more about what other people think of her work. We explore what happens when the mindset of monitoring and control follows us into the studio, the difference between play and curiosity, and whether creativity sometimes needs shelter before it needs an audience. ✨ "How do I build a studio that reflects the artist I've become rather than the artist I used to be?" Mary Lou is preparing to move back to Canada after several years living and making work in Belgium. Alongside shipping containers, boxes and studio equipment, she'll also be reunited with years of older work and materials waiting in storage. We talk about how to approach setting up a new creative space without becoming overwhelmed, how old work can act as research rather than clutter, and why a move like this offers a rare opportunity to build a studio deliberately rather than accidentally. ✨ "How do I keep hold of my creativity when my body keeps interrupting it?" Kelly lives with a chronic pain condition affecting her hand, meaning periods of painting and making are often interrupted by flare-ups and surgery. She finds herself repeatedly losing momentum and struggling to find her way back into projects after time away from the studio. We discuss the difference between a creative practice built around consistency and one built to survive interruption, the idea of grieving momentum, and how to leave a breadcrumb trail back into your work for future versions of yourself. As always, I explore both the emotional layer behind each dilemma and the practical steps that might help you move forward in your creative life. If you have a creative dilemma you'd like me to discuss in a future episode, you're always welcome to send it in to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). If you're feeling stuck in your own creative practice and would like support, you can find out more about my creative coaching, workshops and artwork at: www.sammarshallart.com You can find me on Instagram at @sammarshallart