The Creatives' Table with Tommy Ludgate

I talk to Poonam Dhuffer about the healing force of a spiritual and creative practice. I needed this conversation the day we had it. I’ve enjoyed coming back to it and I think you will get nourishment from it too. My main takeaway was Poonam’s idea of the gathering journal, which I’ve also encouraged my son to do. Listen through to the end to enjoy a guided meditation from Poonam. Guest Info: Poonam Dhuffer is a Somatic coach, artist, and creative facilitator. She is celebrated for the wholesome, calming, compassionate and healing spaces she holds. Poonam’s prayer is to gather and guide people to feel into the wisdom of their body and cultivate practices that deepen their connection to the Divine Force. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here The Creatives’ Table monthly coaching group is open for the upcoming season: more info here Learn more about today's guest Poonam Dhuffer: YSM8 Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer

Today I am talking to creative designer Amy Walker about grief. Amy lost her Dad and her experience of that, and how it effected her creativity, was something she wanted to share. I am really appreciative to Amy for her openness on this subject. Grief shows up in many situations and so we can’t escape that we have to ride alongside it when it comes to our creativity. This episode, we also hear music from Frida Touray. Guest Info: Amy Walker is a creative designer and visual strategist. After working in house for a number of global brands, Amy set up her freelance design business, Ace & Ping, and now works from her home studio in Devon. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here The Creatives’ Table monthly coaching group is open for the upcoming season: more info here Learn more about today's guest Amy Walker: Ace & Ping Creative Hear more of Frida Touray’s music: Edition Records Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer

Today I am talking with Alex Cooper about the impact of ignoring your creative calling. Spoiler, don’t do it! For Alex, this looked like him quitting his job on the spot after he realised just how important it was for him to follow his creativity. Performance from Jazz vocalist Emma Smith, and a letter from a listener on finding your creative focus when ife distractions have pulled you off track. Guest Info: Alex is a screenwriter, director and comedian who’s in training to be a shamanic healer. He writes for the Metro, and has appeared on BBC Sounds Hooked to talk about addiction, mental health and creativity. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here The Creatives’ Table monthly coaching group is open for the upcoming season: more info here Join Tommy’s next Vision Board-along! Learn more about today's guest Alex Cooper: Alex on LinkedIn Hear more of Emma Smith and see her live dates: emmasmithmusic.co.uk Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer

Today we celebrate using play as a way to access our creativity. Steph from Collage Club LDN joins me, and we have music from Stefan Mahendra, as well as the first letter from a listener! In today’s episode we celebrate the art of play. Using play as a way to access our creativity, but also our thoughts and our subconscious mind. I talk with Steph Hartman who leads incredible collage workshops! We discuss how collage is a playful way to tap into our creative thinking, how this playfulness can so easily get lost, and why playing in different mediums can lead us to our next best ideas. Guest Info: Steph Hartman is a collage artist and the founder of Collage Club LDN. Steph leads popular workshops celebrating the art of cutting and sticking. Her first book, ‘You Will Be Able to Collage by the End of This Book’ is out now. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here The Creatives’ Table monthly coaching group is open for the upcoming season: more info here Join Tommy’s next Vision Board-along! Learn more about today's guest Steph Hartman from Collage Club LDN: collageclubldn.com / Buy Steph’s book Hear more of Stefan Mahendra: stefanmahendra.com Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer

Today's guest is Ali McDowall - creative mentor and co-creator of award winning wellbeing journal, The Positive Planner. Ali shares her experience of postnatal depression and how it sparked the most creative phase of her career and she now co-owns a design led stationery business that ships products all over the world. Creativity, to her, is a way of life and she is passionate about helping others find theirs as a gateway to positive mental wellbeing.  We also get to enjoy a moving performance from vocalist, Jazz Morley. Her song ‘Nobody Knows’ is about how our hearts always seem to follow love, even when it’s the path of most resistance. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here Learn more about today's guest Ali McDowall and The Positive Planner: alimcdowallcoaching.com / thepositiveplanners.com Hear more of Jazz Morley: jazzmorley.com Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer

In today's episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Anthony Anaxagorou, a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, and the artistic director of Out-Spoken. Join us as we delve into the essence of shaping your creative voice, drawing insights from Anthony's rich experience in poetry and the arts. Anthony also reads his poem, ‘On The Orphanage We Found Nothing’. Guest Info: My guest, Anthony Anaxagorou, is winner of the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2023 for his third collection, Heritage Aesthetics, Anthony is also the artistic director of Out-Spoken, a dynamic poetry and music night at London’s Southbank Centre. He's the publisher of Out-Spoken Press and a newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Notes: Join The Creatives’ Table community on Substack to be part of the conversation here Learn more about today's guest, Anthony Anaxagorou: anthonyanaxagorou.com Music composed by James Stelling: jamesstelling.co.uk/composer