Memos

In Lesson #19 in my 20-part series, I share how I baked sustainability into my design practice – and how you can too, whatever the brief. It’s all about  small, repeatable choices that shrink your footprint (direct impact) and grow your brainprint (the change your work enables).

Some presents look nice on a shelf. Others actually change how a day feels. For Lesson 18 I’m thinking about the second kind – gifts that say “I see how hard you’re trying” and offer a way back to your own spark. That’s the hope behind The Creative Wellbeing Handbook too – a gift that refuels tired creatives with stories, space to think, and small steps they can actually use.

KIN magazine has run my article ‘How hustle culture is dimming your spark — and how to get it back’, where I unpack my burnout-and-back story. It leads into my new book, The Creative Wellbeing Handbook, and the Creative Ecosystem: Connection, Wonder, Pause, Movement and Joy – a simple way to keep your creativity alive.

Vacayou believes travel can change lives. It did for me. In this piece, Shelly Nyqvist talks to me about my year of “Inspiration Expedition” — or, more bluntly, my burnout recovery year.

For Lesson #17 in my 20-part series, I’m sharing what helps teams keep their creativity alive when things get hectic – from quick inspiration hours to walk-and-talk reviews.

A monthly magazine by Design Matters run an article about my new book. DeMagSign believes passionately in the power of creative inspiration, and by showcasing the most exciting and captivating work online and through their events programs, they open up this world to the widest possible audience.

If creativity is a delicate ecosystem, how do we keep things in balance? Emmi Salonen’s new book explores creative burnout. The designers radical model for creativity shifts the focus from output to input – focusing on all the things that feed into our creative process: “Connection, wonder, pause, movement, and joy.”

A sabbatical mostly spent in the Finnish archipelago helped me see what I’d been missing. Surrounded by forests and sea, I realised that creativity isn’t fuelled by hustle alone. It needs variety. Connection. Space. Joy. That experience became the starting point for my Creative Ecosystem model, a framework to help creatives stay inspired without burning out. Click for Lesson #16 of my 20-part series.

Burnout is changing. It’s less “I’m exhausted” and more “where did my curiosity go?” I spoke to Design Week about what I’m seeing: AI pressure, attention drain and approval cycles that stretch on.. My recommendation is to plan to 80%. Build in pause. Protect the inputs creativity runs on.

"Don't wait for inspiration. Schedule it: read, move, meet people, notice things and keep doing it when you're busy." Studio Emmi founder and creative director, Emmi Salonen invites us into her world of design, sharing how nature, time, and joy shape her approach to creating with purpose. Click through to read more.

Wellbeing in creative education isn’t optional. If we want the next generation of designers to thrive, we have to teach them how to sustain themselves, not just their work. If we want their ideas to change the world, we need to make sure they have the energy to create it. Lesson #15 in my 20-part series is about supporting students’ creative wellbeing.

When you run a solo practice you wear every hat. Designer, project manager, admin, marketer. It’s easy to pour everything into the work and hope the numbers sort themselves out. They don’t. Lesson #14 in my 20-part series is about looking after your financial wellbeing – and how a few small shifts can turn stress into sustained stability.

I joined Katie Treggiden on Brackish podcast and goodness, what a host she is! She’s one of the very few people who’ve read an early copy of my book, and her enthusiasm is so generous - and contagious! We cover how the The Creative Wellbeing Handbook came to be, click on the image to listen.

Creative Review ran an extract from my new book today! It’s a small window into the tools and stories behind The Creative Wellbeing Handbook. Follow the links in my bio to read the article and pre-order. Released in November (Europe) and April (rest of the planet Earth). Click to link to the article.

The Creative Wellbeing Handbook is for anyone who’s felt stuck, overwhelmed or in need of a spark - whether you’re a designer, writer, artist, or anyone trying to stay inspired while juggling life’s demands. Out this November (Europe) and April (everywhere else). Pre-order: https://www.creativeecosystem.org/book

We can’t sustain creative output unless we also take and make space for our own wellbeing. That means working in cycles, not sprints. Building in rest and reflection as part of the process, not as a guilty afterthought. If we’re too burnt out to enjoy creating, can the project ever be measured as a success?

As designers, we’ve all had those moments when feedback feels more confusing than helpful. But I’ve learned how to spot the value in all feedback – however vague, conflicting, or frustrating. In Lesson #12, I’m sharing how I approach feedback when presenting my work. From preparing for the presentation to listening between the lines, this one’s all about turning client reactions into stronger and smarter designs.

When Somerset House asked me to design the interpretation graphics for Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules, I had full permission to misbehave. The result was a riot of colour and comic play, all in service of great storytelling. For Lesson #11 of my 20-part series, I’m sharing what Beano Studios taught me about creative mischief and why breaking the rules isn’t just for kids with catapults – it’s also for professionals with purpose.

Not all design needs to make a grand entrance. Some of it works best behind the scenes, helping everything else shine. With that in mind, I created a bold yet minimal graphic system for Hidden Gallery, a visual identity designed to support some of the biggest names in art. For Insight #10 of my 20-part series, I’m sharing a lesson in quiet confidence.

Inspiration isn’t limited to a reference library. It’s about opening up to what might want to be found – and paying attention when it arrives. Some of my best ideas haven’t come from the obvious places. They’ve come from chance encounters, unexpected comments, or patterns that kept surfacing until I finally noticed. This kind of inspiration can’t exactly be planned for, but there are ways to invite it in. So for Insight #9 of my 20-part series, I’m sharing: How to stumble across your own inspiration.