The Firefly Creatrix Podcast

Happy Winter Solstice everyone, welcome to the darkest moments of the year and an invitation into deep hibernation.This bonus episode is a reflection over the past year, the incredible conversations, insights I've received and the wild creative growth the has occurred.I talk about...The Wild Creativity Retreat that I'm holding next October in Ithaki, Greece.My Etsy Shop and how my art practice and belief in myself as an ARTIST has evolved this year.My Instagram feed as a place to see me share my process on a day to day basis.The potential and intention to hold in person Ceremonial Creative spaces in Colchester in the New Year - watch this space!A promised update to my website which will be more reflective of the balance of work that I'm now doing.And much more...Happy festive break everyone, sending you Wild Creative Love.Please do get in touch with me with suggestions or comments, I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

In this episode I speak with Dr Helen Beckett Wilson and Dr Lindsey Metcalf McGrath from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) who have been studying the experiences of people who have been prescribed medical cannabis in the UK. Their project is called MedCan.Medical Cannabis has been legal to prescribe since 2018, but it’s estimated that under 5 people have received it though the NHS.The study we have gathered to talk about is called “It’s a big added stress on top of being so ill”, a direct quote from a participant.I have collaborated with them to create a short impactful video that shares an insight into the real life stories that they’ve uncovered, and now we’re here to discuss the backstory, how they did it, how the creative aspect fitted in and how it will be used.This conversation is such a beautiful revelation of how academic studies, that can sometimes be perceived as stuffy and highbrow, are intrinsically creative in their nature (particularly qualitative studies from a sociological point of view), and how through creative output we get to share their powerful findings with a wider audience. And that’s how we make change. If you find this one interesting, go back and listen to my conversation with Dr Sara Baumann as well, discussing the power of collaboration and embedding creativity into processes within an academic setting.To find out more about the MedCan project, follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medcanproject/ The film is launched on 3rd November 2023 and will be available to watch on YouTube. All links needed can be found in MedCan’s Linktree here: https://linktr.ee/medcanproject Please do get in touch with me with suggestions or comments, I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comFind me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

TW: there is mention of sexual assault in this episode, please take care of yourself and avoid this one if that is a not a topic you can hear about.It was through Nya’s determination and following her creative path that inadvertently introduced me to the Moon Phase Goddesses in 2020 (her relationship with them has been much longer - 7 years of research happened before she launched her deck in 2018) I’m so pleased to bring you this episode where we explore her experiences on this challenging and fulfilling adventure, and the creative life she has built.We discuss what brought her to the Moon Phase goddesses and her love of yoga.Nya tells us what happened when she told her parents that she wanted to be an artist and how that unfolded. We discuss the gritty aspects of life that perhaps draw us to explore and discover things that challenge the social constructs. The things that inspire us to ask questions.Nya talks openly about the balance of creative work that’s for financial stability and creative work that’s a heart call.She shares about the experience of menopause and how that has impacted her approach.It’s real, it’s raw and it was so inspiring to me so I hope it is for you too.References in conversation:Uma Dinsmore Tuli - https://www.instagram.com/umadinsmoretuli/ Laura Amazzone - https://www.lauraamazzone.com Books: Yogini: Unfolding the Goddess within - Shambhavi ChopraWomen who run with the Wolves - Clarissa Pinkola EstésYantra: The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity -Madhu KhannaGrace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair : Selected Poems to the Mother Goddess - Ramprasad SenNya says:I have some free Yoga Nidra Meditations on Insight Timer https://insighttimer.com/nyapatrinosI have a lot of videos on my YouTube Channel.https://www.youtube.com/user/nyapatrinosFollow the Moon Phase Goddess with me on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/MoonPhaseGoddess/Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtYogaFusionMy website is www.artyogafusion.com If you are interested in getting my newsletter sign up on my website on message me,For my set decoration work: https://www.nyapatrinos.com Please do get in touch with me with suggestions or comments, I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comFind me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

A short check-in with Sophie amid the sounds of waves lapping at the beach.Includes reflections on releasing of control and plans to find the magic right in front of us, the power of finding our own ways to prevent stagnancy (hopefully without using it as an avoidance tool) and a story about the goats who come and interrupt the conversation - so there was a special guest after all! AND a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT about the planning of a Wild Creativity retreat next year on the island of Ithaca, Greece.Stay tuned for two more powerful conversations within this series.Lots of love,SophieP.S. To register super super early interest in the retreat in October 2024 and make sure you're the first to hear anything, send me an email or a DM, There will only be 6 places and it's already shaping up to be pretty special.I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comFind me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

Take this as an extra little gift!!An extended excerpt from the conversation between Heather and Sophie previously unheard.Our conversation was so long and juicy when we originally recorded that I cut it down a little bit so it didn't exceed one and a half hours.This is Heather's extended answer to my question around how we can release our creative good girl and people pleasing tendencies. Slowly Slowly. There's so much goodness in there it deserves its own little space!There may not be a podcast with the Full Moon this week (29th September 2024) as the last two guests in the series are proving difficult to pin down! But it will come as soon as it's ready!Lots of loveFind Heather:@vulvaluvclub on InstagramWebsite:https://www.heatherloweena.comJoin her Patreon circle for as little as £1https://www.patreon.com/heatherloweenaPlease do get in touch with me with suggestions or comments, I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comFind me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

Join Sophie this Virgo New Moon as she talks to Heather Loweena, founder of Vulva Luv Club (among many other exciting ventures) about the pursuit of holistic pleasure as a form of activism and cultivating nourishing modern-day congregations.Heather Loweena (they/she) has two big passions: connection and pleasure seeking.She has been exploring the tools and resources available to us that can help to support and nurture our overall wellbeing. Her recovery journey began following a few bouts of burnout. The symptoms led me to discover the magic found in of our bodies through BODYWORKWhat’s important to Heather? Creating a trauma informed space with pleasure, comfort and wellbeing at the core. She is keen to hold space to indulge in our inner most divine selves, like sirens bathing in a rich caramel-like, golden waterfall. (Heather’s amazing words which we touch on in our conversation).We discuss our own journeys through trauma and burn out, that in different ways, guided us to pleasure. We discuss how we met and connected in person!!And weaving throughout this whole conversation is the theme of sitting in our own ‘filth’, our own story, our own conditionings - essentially being willing to meet and explore our trauma - as a portal to deepening connection and personal understanding of creativity AND pleasure - which are so deeply connected they may even be ONE.Enjoy it, we’d love to hear about how it touched you.Find Heather:@vulvaluvclub on InstagramWebsite:https://www.heatherloweena.comJoin her Patreon circle for as little as £1https://www.patreon.com/heatherloweenaPlease do get in touch with me with suggestions or comments, I’d love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.comFind me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com

This Full Moon we dive straight into our conversation with Dr Sara Baumann, who I have been working alongside in different capacities since 2020 - we talk about more in the conversation.This is the bio that I refer to at the beginning of the episode that had me like YES, this is why we are so aligned with our work, even though we come at it from different angles…“Sara Baumann is a global health, mixed methods researcher with primary research interests in 1) participatory, arts-based, and visual research methods, 2) women’s and adolescent reproductive health, and 3) mental health. She has over 13 years of experience conducting research and programming in health and development in South Asia, with a current focus on Nepal. Her research agenda embraces community-engaged methods and developing evidence-based approaches for improving social determinants of health.”Join us as we discuss Sara’s journey from film-maker to health researcher and back again, and how she’s created a wonderful purpose-driven happy medium with research projects that use the Collaborative Filmmaking method that she has developed to explore our relationships with health and emotions.We share how that actually translates in the world, particularly within the examples of work that we have done and are doing together. This is not just a theory!We celebrate the power of consistently giving the power back, of reflecting the value of those that we are working with, and hearing the voices of marginalised and socially shunted groups over prolonged periods of time… another key to sustainability and constant reassurance for the participant of their expertise. It really is an undoing of the old hierarchical ways!Find out more and download the handbook at http://www.collaborativefilmmaking.comFollow:https://www.instagram.com/collaborativefilmmaking/https://www.instagram.com/glowherpitt/We have both worked together on Dignity without Danger with Dr Sara Parker of LJMU, who we reference:https://www.instagram.com/dignitywithoutdanger/To see the Visualising Loss logo that we created last year for a current research project: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwfJvhysBIw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==More of the graphics and illustrations will be revealed for this project by Christmas!Do get in touch with either of us to continue this conversation or to discuss the potential of appearing in Sara’s Can Art Heal Module if that feels like you!Happy Full Moon everyone!

This Full Moon join Laura Edralin and I as we delve into the converging worlds of creativity, connection and mental health.Laura is a calligraphy artist, happiness facilitator and qualified wellbeing coach, based in West London with her husband and two young children.She started her business, Laura Letters Life, after the practice of calligraphy was an integral part of her recovery and reconnection after experiencing high levels of anxiety.In our conversation we discuss the fear and perceived obstacles of leaving the safety of a predictable career to pursue a more creative life, a life that seems to be calling us. We explore Laura’s letting go of expectations around how that creative business would ‘look’ and instead listening to the whispers of what feels good and inspiring… for her that was to facilitate creative spaces where she was able to share this joy.We touch on the creativity that is present in everyday lives; the creativity that it takes to build a life, and how having a creative practice can help to recognise that more deeply. We celebrate the juiciness of transition phases, even in their discomfort!We talk about family history and family life in the context of being a creative, and of raising children in a way that aims to encourage their autonomy and for them to see parents and caregivers are infallible humans rather than perfect creatures. And, almost inevitably, we come back time and time again to creativity as a guide and a metaphor for the experience of human life, and as a tool to find ourselves in amongst the hubbub.Watch the intro video about Laura here: https://youtu.be/kX5LdQ5pFwoLaura’s website: https://www.lauraletterslife.comLaura’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraletterslifePlease do get in touch with either of us with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.I'd love to hear from you at sophie@thefireflycreatrix.com with any thoughts, feedback or requests for content discussion!Find me on Instagram@sophiemaliphant@thefireflycreatrixVisit my website thefireflycreatrix.com