Assistingourtroops
Accounts of live sessions, workshops, and public talks — each one a record of ideas exchanged in real time with real audiences.
A public failure and the one habit that changed how I approach every creative task
A student project that failed publicly taught more about developing creativity than any classroom exercise ever did.
Read article
How confusing judgment with generation kept one student stuck for nearly a year
Eight months of creative paralysis taught one student exactly what blocks creative thinking and how to move past it practically.
Read article
What over-reliance on references costs you and when the damage becomes obvious
Relying on templates and reference work felt safe in first year — until it became a habit that actively prevented original thinking.
Read articleEach talk documented here grew from a specific question someone asked in a workshop, a problem that kept coming up, or a technique that deserved more than a quick mention.
The format varies — panel discussions, solo presentations, hands-on demonstrations — but the subject stays consistent.
Developing creativity is not a single skill. These records show how different audiences approached it differently, and what shifted as a result.
Talks delivered to groups ranging from 12 to several hundred participants across Ireland
A consistent record of public engagement built over nearly a decade of active practice
Each article captures what was taught, what worked, and what participants took away
Reading about a method and watching it applied in front of an audience are two different experiences. These sessions exist because some things only become clear when demonstrated.
The questions from the room always push the explanation further than any prepared script would.
That gap between theory and practice is where the most useful material tends to emerge.
Certain questions kept appearing regardless of audience background or event format.
Practical methods for getting unstuck when the usual approaches stop working
How to build a habit of improving work without losing the original impulse behind it
Identifying markers of growth that don't rely on external validation alone
What useful critique looks like and how to give it without discouraging further work
If you're organising an event or want to discuss a collaboration, get in touch directly.