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Creativity Found: finding creativity later in lifeAuthor: Claire Waite Brown
Real-life stories of finding or returning to creativity in adulthood.I'm Claire, and I re-found my creativity after a time of almost crippling anxiety. Now I want to share the stories of other people who have found or re-found their creativity as adults, and hopefully inspire many more grown-ups to get creative. I chat with my guests about their childhood experiences of creativity and the arts, how they came to the creative practices they now love, the barriers they had to overcome to start their creative re-awakening, and how what they do now benefits their whole lives.Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here Language: en-gb Genres: Crafts, Leisure, Personal Journals, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Florrie de Havilland: Satellites to Stationery
Episode 130
Sunday, 31 August, 2025
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 arms – forced her to eventually reconsider her career path and find a new way to balance her energy. During a two-year recovery period, Florrie had turned to watercolour painting and calligraphy, finding that these artistic pursuits offered something her illness had taken away: control. The conversation reveals fascinating parallels between Florrie's engineering background and her current creative practice. The same precision and problem-solving mindset that helped her test rocket thrusters and solar panels now informs her approach to calligraphy and her operation of "Penelope," a 1.25-ton vintage printing press from 1960 that dominates her studio.Today, Florrie creates bespoke wedding stationery that tells each couple's unique story, and beyond the commercial aspects of her business she finds profound fulfilment in volunteering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, creating materials for children's wish events.Perhaps most touching is Florrie's description of finding her tribe among fellow letterpress enthusiasts: "When you meet some letterpress friends it's fantastic because they're just as crazy as you are." Florrie's story reminds us that creativity isn't just about making beautiful things – it's about finding new paths forward when traditional ones become inaccessible, and discovering community in unexpected places.creativityfound.co.ukResearched, edited and produced by Claire Waite BrownMusic: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day TripsDownload Fire From the Earth from Liminal Coaching here. Reconnect with your creative energy. Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing claire@creativityfound.co.uk, or book a call here. I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfoundSupport the showWant to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout
