The Creative Catalyst

Building Creative Practice Through Routine

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:45:16 -0700

With over 300 posts on The Creative Catalyst website blog, it may seem a little daunting to know where to start to understand the intersection of creativity and science. These blog posts cover many of the themes explored in the Creative Advantage book series. I’ve also merged two separate blog sites into one for ease of access.

So to help you explore these further I’ve curated these posts into daily life themes to assist to review your approach to creativity as it intersects in all aspects of life. These posts will cover what you can action today including practical tools in your pursuit of enhancing your creativity and problem solving skills.

Happy Reading !

Let’s start with one of the key themes explored in The Creative Advantage on how we can build a creative practice through routine. The following posts assist in reflecting on how to establish creative routines to build your creative muscle.

This theme focuses on embedding creativity into your standard daily schedule to naturally boost cognitive flexibility through actively engaging in habit formation.

You’ve probably tried to establish a new habit, to start making the edits to your life that will give you a new perspective. At that time you felt motivated and the reason to change made perfect sense. But after a short time, you start to feel your will power declining, the slow multitasking has returned to just multitasking, the procrastination has turned into time wasting and then… the self admonishment for a lack of self control starts.

Here’s where we’re reminded that we humans are creatures of habit. It’s thought that ninety- five percent of our behaviour occurs out of habit, either consciously or unconsciously, or in reaction to external demands.

The posts also focus on detailing physical routines that spark thought, such as how daily walking alters brain chemistry to...Read More

Your Brain On Art: How the arts transforms us

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 22:21:47 -0700

What can reduce your cortisol, extend your life span by 10 years and has the healing potential to provide accessible solutions for mental and physical health, helping with loneliness, trauma, dementia, and physical rehabilitation?

Just finished reading Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, written by Susan Magsamen, a neuroscientist, and Ivy Ross, a Google hardware designer.

I first became interested in the intersection of the arts and neuroscience when I was researching my book The Creative Advantage. The research was still developing at that time and this book updates on how far the evidence has come.

Through neuroarts, the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic measurably change the body, brain and behaviour experiences, they detail how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and wellbeing.

It also introduced me to a new term - the field of neuroaesthetics- The study of how the arts and physical aesthetics alter our neurological and biological systems.

I really liked the methodical evidence based approach based on numerous case studies and the ease at which they are able to demonstrate how specific arts-based interventions are becoming integrated into medicine.

They stressed key health benefits:

Stress Reduction: Just 45 minutes of creative activity lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Neurotransmitter Release: Engaging with art triggers dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, to reduce anxiety and boost emotional well-being.
Neuroplasticity: Sensory interactions build new neural pathways that aid in memory, learning, and physical healing from trauma or chronic illness.

They point to numerous examples in the arts that have a direct healing...Read More

Max Dupain and Ansel Adams

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 21:38:45 -0700

I'm constantly impressed with the variety and depth of exhibitions offered from regional galleries and the current exhibition at the Bayside Gallery is no exception.
Max Dupain (Australia, 1911–1992) and Ansel Adams (USA, 1902–1984) shaped the visual imagination of their nations through the lens of modernist photography and this exhibition explores the parallels between these influential photographers.
Edited from Curators Notes:
Though working on opposite sides of the Pacific, they shared a profound commitment to formal clarity, tonal precision and the expressive potential of light.
Dupain established his career in 1930s developing a modernist language influenced by photographers from Europe and the US. Later his focused his attention on architectural photography and the pieces provide an exceptional incite into homes by Harry Seidler, the modernist architect.
Adams's photographs of the American West are among the most recognised images ever made, emblematic of a powerful but complicated story of pioneering ambition. He played an important role in the conservation movement and was recognised for his efforts to preserve wild and scenic areas.
Both sort to define national identity through image making, both committed to working in black and white and prioritising structure, balance and control.
Check out the exhibition at Bayside Gallery
Max Dupain and Ansel Adams: In search of perfection is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition presented as part of the Bowness Family Foundation Photography Touring Program.
Curator: Anne O'Hehir, Curator, Photography.
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The Practice of Forest Bathing

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 22:11:25 -0700

Part 2- Doing it
The first blog aims to give you a sense of the science behind Forest Therapy, or Forest bathing. While many of the studies in Part 1 of this two part blog noted spending 3-4 days in nature, you can still experience the benefits of forest therapy if you're time poor.
Practicing forest therapy isn’t just about observing the natural world, it’s about getting gritty in it and basking in a forest ecosystem. There are profound benefits to be gained by bringing the mind and body into a state of relaxation while being fully aware of our surroundings and being able to experience the present moment with all our being.
So let’s explore how you can benefit from forest bathing as well as a guided forest therapy workshop.
It’s not about going for a walk while listening to a podcast or music, or being detached and thinking about your to do list.
Rather it about being intentional, enabling a sensory exploration. Begin by being open to specific sensory invitations rather than treating the walk like physical exercise. With all of these activities I encourage you to be guided by the rhythm of your movement and the curiosity that nature evokes.
Sit quietly in a spot and become aware of your surroundings, pay attention. Consider writing down or sketching what captures your attention.
Feel the trees and the textures of leaves, listen to the sounds of wind rustling through leaves, the birdsong and the crunching sound under foot. Experience the reality of ‘soft fascination’.
Breathe in. Research has shown that exposure to negative ions, like at the foot of a waterfall or in the mountains, can improve your physiological responses and affect the body’s circadian rhythm.
Smell organic compounds like phytoncides. These are molecules synthesised by plants and released into the air. They influence the surrounding plants and can impact the forest air....Read More

How Nature Unlocks Creativity

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:17:27 -0700

Part 1
The Science
The Creative Catalyst enables me to explore the latest research and tools that can enhance and enable our creativity. I’m currently undertaking study in Sylvotherapy, more commonly associated with Forest Therapy, Forest Bathing or Shinrin Yoku. ¹
I became interested in this topic when I was undertaking wide ranging research for The Creative Advantage book series. At that time I was reviewing evidence that supported restorative activities as a means to enhance creativity. I’ve returned to the science to explore what else has been discovered since my initial toe dip into the links between nature, via forest bathing and creativity.
Brain- Body Connection
There’s growing scientific consensus that an effective brain- body connection is integral to our higher order cognitive function and essential to maintain our ability to problem solve, stay motivated and explore more creative ways of being.
The research points to our capacity to undertake creative work being dependent on the key sources of energy that fuel us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually and how we manage this energy flow.
Appreciating nature and including time outdoors into our daily approaches to brain health, is associated with a restorative activity, and there’s a body of research showing that our fatigued brains feel restored and our mental performance can improve through being in nature.
Author of The Nature Fix, Florence Williams, wrote that nature works for us by lowering stress. Measurements of stress hormones, respiration, heart rate and sweating, all suggest that short doses of nature can calm people down and sharpen their...Read More

Pushing the Boundaries with Paper

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:03:26 -0700

I had the great fortune to participate in a workshop with Ray Besserdin, an internationally acclaimed paper sculpture artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
Ray shared his techniques and insights of sculpting three-dimensionally using only sheet-formed paper. A practice he has been developing since childhood, alongside a deep fascination with the natural world.
You can see how his work was inspired by the painters of the French Impressionist period, by achieving a similar emotional aesthetic using sculptured, torn paper in three dimensions. This approach, which he calls Impressionist Sculptured Paper, became his signature style.
During the workshop he cut, torn, glued, darted pieces of handmade cotton and mulberry papers, creating invisible skeletons that provide the stability of the 3D piece, while allowing the natural character of the paper itself to remain visible.
You can see his interest in biological sciences in particular etymology with beetles, butterflies, winged insects at the Pieces of Paper exhibition on at Burrinja Gallery.
I thank Ray for sharing his breadth of knowledge and inspiring me to think further about the creative possibilities of paper sculpture.
Ray's Sculptures from the
Pieces of Paper Exhibition
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Pieces of Paper Exhibition

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 23:15:04 -0700

This is an exceptional exhibition that features 2D and 3D assemblages that push the boundaries of what you thought possible with a simple sheet of paper.
On at the Burrinja Gallery, Upwey Victoria, this exhibition offers a unique look at how artists manipulate an everyday material into extraordinary creations. The pieces showcased various traditional and other techniques including folding, weaving, tearing, cutting, collage, bookbinding and pulp paper, displaying a strong sustainability theme.
A few highlights follow and congratulations to the artists, curator and the gallery for a really wonderful exhibition.
Barb Adams, My Paper Jacket
Barb Adams , Not Just Print
Gail Stiffe, Delectable.
Plants represented are mushrooms, zucchini, cucumber, banana peel, rhubarb, babaco, squash and carrot.
Joy Serwylo, We all live in glasshouses No 4
Gail Stiffe, Birrarung Journey
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Waterhouse: Combines Natural Science and Art

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:15:42 -0700

Fantastic exhibition at SA Museum - the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize
The exhibition brought together a rich and diverse series of works that map the intersection of nature, science, and art.
The exhibition explores the interplay between scientific research and the creative arts, with illustrators and sculptors who help to describe and depict specimens and contemporary artists who all invite us to think about our environment and our impact on the natural world.
Gallery of pieces can be viewed at Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize
This was an opportunity for artists to investigate the world around them and present their perspectives on natural science. It encouraged artists to make a statement about the scientific issues facing our planet and offers a valuable platform for them to contribute to the environmental debate.
Some of the pieces that struck me follow. Congrats to artists- Anne Bennett, Jasper Goldney, Isobel...Read More

Can Creativity Alleviate Anxiety?

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:48:45 -0700

When Autumn arrived, my favourite season, I noticed that I was feeling the impact of world events… it’s very hard not too, with the ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine and civil unrest is much of northern Africa, the rise of dictator like behaviour with our ‘closest allies’ and the worsening impacts of climate change.
When I say feeling it, let me name it, I mean low level to rising levels of anxiety.
Having worked within sectors that focused on environmental issues, climate change and more recently social impact, I had developed a number of coping mechanisms, like avoiding the hourly news updates in favour of podcasts or long form articles where I could be immersed in an issue to truly understand it. But alas that wasn’t working.
I’ve written widely on how to enhance our creative advantage by exploring the mental and physical health, psychological and cognitive benefits of incorporating creative activities into our lives. The evidence from neuroscience also shows that creative engagement may even have a ‘neuroprotective’ effect contributing to maintaining cognitive capacity. ¹
The research demonstrates that a focus on creative practices can enhance brain health and further an effective brain- body connection is integral to our higher order cognitive function and essential to maintain our ability to problem solve, stay motivated and explore more creative ways of being.
So I dived into my 2026 projects, research for a new book, large scale sculpture pieces for this year’s exhibiting, tending my garden plot and daily exercise. These have truly saved me.
So this got me wondering, could I reframe and consider if creativity can be used not just to feel good but as a tool to alleviate anxiety?
What is anxiety? “Anxiety” is a...Read More

The Art of Observation

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 19:48:47 -0800

In researching a new book I'm writing I came across a book I’d like to recommend for its approach to observation of the natural world, the beauty of the urban scape and exploring our surroundings with a renewed curiosity.
Kyo Maclear’s ‘Birds Art Life: a year of observation’ maps her year-long journey as she discovers bird watching in her city. She uses this lens to mediate on the relationship between art and life, and describes the beauty and awe found in her everyday sights.
The narrative unfolds as she intersects her family story and her upbringing as a child of immigrants, to connecting with a musician who mentors her and finds solace and joy in birding as he overcomes personal struggles.
As she travels through each season, learning about birds, she reflects on themes that point to a deeper understanding of the natural world. Her journey towards greater knowledge is highlighted by bird watching, but more as she explores her growing self-awareness of her creative process, and how she utilises her art practice to process life, its challenges and complexities.
The book was a gentle wander for me, and felt like I was walking through each month with her. I connected with her observational method to gain insight on art, creativity and slowing down to notice the beauty and awe of the every day.
Read More

The Creative Catalyst

Building Creative Practice Through Routine

Your Brain On Art: How the arts transforms us

Max Dupain and Ansel Adams

Check out the exhibition at Bayside Gallery

The Practice of Forest Bathing

Part 2- Doing it

How Nature Unlocks Creativity

Brain- Body Connection

Pushing the Boundaries with Paper

Ray's Sculptures from thePieces of Paper Exhibition

Pieces of Paper Exhibition

Waterhouse: Combines Natural Science and Art

Can Creativity Alleviate Anxiety?

The Art of Observation

Ray's Sculptures from the
Pieces of Paper Exhibition