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Creativity and innovation is something leaders and organisations often want to foster, but are we creating the conditions for this to grow, and do we truly understand it's value?

In this episode I’m joined by Gemma Donnellan, founder of Art for Today, a visual artist and curator who creates high-bohemian creative gatherings where women connect, paint, reflect, and remember who they are beneath the noise. Gemma shares her path from corporate and architecture into professional art, including the fear, the money questions, and the identity shift that comes when you tell the world “I’m an artist.”

We dig into creativity as more than a hobby. Gemma explains why making art can quiet the inner critic, loosen self judgement, and help emotions move through the body instead of getting stored as stress. We talk about the power of intentionally making time to create, the courage it takes to show your work, and why trying to please everyone flattens the very edge that makes art meaningful. Along the way, she shares how nature and the senses shape her spaces, from flowers and rosemary to music and mini meditations that help people ground fast.

There’s also a leadership thread running underneath it all: organisations say they want innovation, but creativity needs space and psychological safety. Gemma offers two simple, memorable prompts that cut through overthinking: “Does this make me feel good?” and “What’s in your joy in this moment?” If you’ve been feeling stuck, burned out, or disconnected from what lights you up, this conversation is a practical nudge back to what's possible when you get out of your comfort zone.

Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share this with a friend who needs a creative reset, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What’s one small creative act you can make time for this week?


Connect with Gemma at
https://www.artfortoday.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/gemmadonnellan.artist/

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I am a Confidence and Impact Coach for leaders, Organisational Development Consultant and independent Leadership Circle Profile® Certified Practitioner. Information shared about this tool is courtesy of Leadership Circle®, all rights reserved. www.leadershipcircle.com