I went on Freya Bromley’s new podcast called Character Study and she asked me to read a favourite passage from my new book A Creative Compass which launches officially into the world on June 25th 2026. She is kindly letting me share this passage with you here too.
Someone described A Creative Compass as “Emma’s first creativity guide” in a review and I thought: first?! The implication that there will be many. I quite liked that.
But yes, this is my FIRST creativity guide. It is a book of essays and stories about creativity, my creative process, how and why I do it, all the inspiration I’ve gathered over the years.
I don’t want to be dramatic but I think, over the next decade or so as the world goes absolutely berserk: CREATIVITY and our CONNECTION TO IT— IS GOING TO BE A LIFELINE.
A Creative Compass is an empowering guide for artists, makers, writers and anyone seeking to live more creatively, with confidence, calm and joy.
We all possess creativity, whether it’s in the clothes we wear, the way we arrange flowers, or the patterns we choose for our bedroom walls. However, in today’s fast-paced world, many of us have lost touch with our innate creative abilities. By chasing trends, productivity hacks and protocols, we forget to trust ourselves… instead relying on algorithms to dictate what we like, what we make, and crucially, how we feel. Not anymore! We can take back control by rediscovering and prioritising our pure connection to our creative source.
I understand just how essential creativity is for survival. (If you’ve read A Year of Nothing you’ll know why). Through necessity I have had to forge my own creative compass to rekindle my spark when it’s running low.
*if you’re in the U.S. hang tight, a pre-order link coming for you too, soon.
Now, I need to talk about Freya Bromley. I have one of those creatively sparked connections to Freya. I read her memoir A Tidal Year during my burnout episode and mention it in A Year of Nothing. I think she’s a huge literary talent. I love her work, and it is so easy to champion it, and tell everyone to read it. She has written her debut novel called A Real Piece of Work and it is so clever and funny and introspective and sincere in the best possible way. It’s out on June 11th - go pre-order it.
Her brand new podcast, Character Study, has a brilliant premise: it is all about how writers, artists and performers shape their character online and offline. How we perform a character, and how we distinguish between our different selves. Fascinating topic. I am endlessly curious about how others make it work too—how we tiptoe between ‘public’ and ‘private’. Some people have a divide down the middle, and some people merge it all together. I can’t wait to listen to the other episodes — and I’m honoured to have been the first guest!
Each episode, I’ll be talking to creatives of every discipline about the delicate art of finding inspiration in the everyday. From memoir to standup via autofiction and Instagram, I want to know what happens when we blur the lines between fact and fiction. These conversations will explore how seeing yourself as a ‘character’ in your own story can unearth unexpected courage, compassion and curiosity. And maybe even a bit more self-reflection! This podcast isn’t just for writers, it’s for anyone trying to make sense of their own story. - Freya Bromley
Join Freya’s fabulous Substack:
Hope you enjoy this extract! I cannot wait to bring A Creative Compass to you.
A reminder that I am also running a creativity retreat focused on the prompts in the book, in Greece, in September. Details here.
