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Observations

The Importance of Reflection: Navigating Life’s Transitions

Henry Moore’s sculptures don’t have an obvious purpose or meaning. I found myself thinking at the recent exhibition of his monumental work at Kew Gardens, where I went to celebrate my partner’s birthday. We had just made it through the hottest May on record in the UK, but the weather was now colder and threatening…

hypnotherapy

A Note on my Clinical Hypnotheraphy Practice

For the past five years, I’ve been running a hypnotherapy practice alongside my work in teaching, coaching, and reflective practice. I wanted to share a little more about it here, for those of you who might be curious or wondering whether this kind of work might help you. Clinical hypnotherapy is a calm, focused process…

writing

Why Journaling Matters for Creatives (After 25 Years of Doing It)

For over twenty-five years now, I’ve kept some form of journal. There were periods where I wrote every day, and periods where months passed between entries. Certain journals are full of ideas for books and lectures; others read more like field reports from difficult years of my life. Somehow, through every change in identity, work,…

Observations

Embracing Uncertainty in Creativity

We underestimate how much creativity depends on tolerating not-knowing. One of the more radical ideas in creativity research comes from the psychoanalytic tradition, particularly from Wilfred Bion’s notion of “negative capability” (itself borrowed from John Keats). The capacity, as Keats originally put it, to remain with uncertainty without ‘irritable reaching after fact and reason.’ In…

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About Me

Hi, I’m Allan. I’m a professor, coach, and meditation teacher interested in how we can live and think more creatively in a complex world. My work bridges mindful living with the craft of scholarship, bringing together literature, philosophy, and contemplative practice.

Alongside my academic writing, I share reflections here on the art of academic practice, slow living in a fast city, and the small rituals that make daily life meaningful. This blog serves as a library and archive for my wider projects across Substack, YouTube, and beyond.

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