A Detour Into Creativity – Rebalancing Through Creative Living
When the World Feels Heavy: Rebalancing Through Creativity
Life doesn’t pause. The laundry piles up, meals need cooking, school pickups happen, bills arrive — all while we juggle work, relationships, and unexpected challenges.
Sometimes it feels like walking through Sniper Alley — pressure coming at you from every side. And yet, in the background, life insists on carrying on.
A Daughter’s Gentle Nudge
A few years ago, after a difficult interview, my daughter Sienna (13 at the time) and I sat in silence, driving home. My mind was racing with everything that had gone wrong.
Then, in the quiet, she softly asked:
“Mum, is now a good time to tell you… you’re going the wrong way?”
She was right — in that moment I had literally taken a wrong turn. But she was also right in a deeper sense. That phrase has stayed with me ever since: Am I still going where I want to go?
Creativity as My Compass
I realised I didn’t just want to survive the day-to-day. I wanted to feel alive in it.
So I painted, wrote, and crafted with paper. I lit candles, played music, repainted walls, cleared clutter, wandered in the garden, tried new recipes — and felt joy again in the doing. Sometimes stress creeps in not because we’re doing too much, but because we’re not doing enough for ourselves.
Those small acts became a soft return to my authentic self — a way to rebalance when life felt too heavy.
Winter Creativity in New Zealand
As winter settles here in Waikanae, I notice the rhythm of rain on the deck, the comfort of slow cooking, and the call of cosy creative habits.
Today my home is filled with the aroma of a hearty Beef & Vegetable Soup, simmering away in the slow cooker. And alongside it — I find satisfaction in the quiet rituals of painting, cutting, folding, and creating.
Explore My Colourful World
Nicky Bourke / Waikanae Paper Artist
If you’d like to surround yourself with creativity too, I’ve designed a range of colourful products available online:
Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Soup
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 8–10 hrs (Low)
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
-
1 kg beef soup bones
-
2 carrots, diced
-
1 kūmara (sweet potato), diced
-
2 parsnips, diced
-
1 onion, chopped
-
3 garlic cloves, minced
-
1 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)
-
6 cups beef stock (or water + stock cubes)
-
1 tsp dried thyme
-
Salt & pepper to taste
-
Optional: bay leaf, fresh parsley, dash Worcestershire
Instructions
-
Place beef bones in slow cooker. Add veggies, garlic, and onion.
-
Stir in tomato paste, thyme, stock, and seasoning.
-
Cook on low 8–10 hrs (or high 5–6).
-
Skim fat, remove bones, shred meat, return to soup.
-
Serve with thick buttered bread.
Tip: Tastes even better the next day!
Closing Thoughts
That day with my daughter reminded me: sometimes a wrong turn is really an invitation to pause, check in, and rediscover the way forward.
Keep creating. Keep noticing. Keep coming home to yourself.
With authenticity and colour,
Nicky x