Are You Going The Wrong Way ?

 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.

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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?

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 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.

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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.

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Explore My Colourful World

Nicky Bourke / Waikanae Paper Artist 

https://www.zazzle.co.nz/store/thepapercraftstudio

If you’d like to surround yourself with creativity too, I’ve designed a range of colourful products available online:

• Greeting Cards – Shop Cards on Zazzle »

• Wrapping Papers – Browse Gift Wrap »

• Postcards & Napkins – See the Collection »

• Children’s Gifts & Notebooks – Shop Now »

Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Soup

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

1. Place beef bones in slow cooker. Add veggies, garlic, and onion.

2. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, stock, and seasoning.

3. Cook on low 8–10 hrs (or high 5–6).

4. Skim fat, remove bones, shred meat, return to soup.

5. Serve with thick buttered bread.

Tip: Tastes even better the next day!

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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

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