During a photography walk with a wellbeing group, a lady in her sixties said she felt physically sick when I mentioned the word 'acceptance'. She was struggling to forgive and let go of old stories preventing her from writing new ones. I understood her struggle intimately. For years, I held onto resentment from childhood trauma, hiding behind masks of addiction and victimhood. But through photography and writing, I began to see purpose emerging from my pain. With each shutter click and written word, acceptance grew. My wounds, exposed to light, began to heal. I learned to thank the demons that shaped me, transforming my narrative from things happening 'to' me to happening 'for' me. Only when we find acceptance can we free ourselves from the prison of anger and fear.

Pain is the great awakener—a catalyst for change that can become our most incredible gift if we find the courage to feel it deeply. Many of us believe we're fundamentally broken, wearing masks to hide our authentic emotions after being labelled as 'crazy' in our youth. I escaped into fantasy worlds to silence my soul's cries, running from pain until it caught up with me. But contained within our pain is an abundant source of energy—a beautifully potent force that, when harnessed through creativity, becomes fuel for great purpose. True freedom comes not from avoiding pain but from acknowledging it, accepting it, and transforming it into something beautiful. Will you dare to visit the source of your pain to awaken fully to the beauty of this wild and precious life?

Creativity is a gift given to those who've had their hearts broken but choose to remain open to love, stepping beyond safety into the unknown. It flows from a force greater than our thinking minds. Only when we relinquish control and transcend the ego do we become conduits for consciousness itself. The most creative souls are often the most fragile and wounded, creating impactful art from deep grieving. Perhaps it's because we who've experienced trauma have discovered greater innocence, opening once again to allow the infinite river of creativity to heal our broken hearts. Those with secure lives develop stronger, fixed worldviews that can close them off to new possibilities. Only when we find courage to cross from the known into the unknown do we access creativity's raw, potent power.