The Portrait Show

Put all your energy into your next creation and not worry about the creation you are going to do after that. Be present. Let that creation inform the next one

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Today I am sharing my journey with six colour portraits

That is how I’ve done it. Started by connecting with my own truth

4 years later that truth has built a community and an income. Two things that were not planned from the beginning

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁

I had just moved to Brighton in 2021. I wanted to create a portrait like I did as a kid. I picked up the same 6 colours I used to use. I painted a self-portrait. Feeling it said more than I could say with words

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𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀

Few weeks later it was the Euros. England got to the final. Saka & Sancho & Rashford missed their penalties and got racially abused. Labelled as ‘black’ that made no sense

I created a portrait of them using the same 6 colours and there was no ‘black’

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𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀

I spoke to Fora Sports a shop in Brighton. A friend nudged me. They commissioned me to paint six football legends. Pelé. Maradona. Gazza. Ronaldo. Mbappé. Haaland. Each from a different decade

The message was born. We are all made from the same 6 colours blended differently

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𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀

I picked the paintbrush back up in 2023 at the time I was part of a men’s group. The founder shared their story. I created a portrait to reflect back to them the impact they had had on me and the other men within that group

The journey continued into painting portraits of my family. my ba. my mum. my brother. Connecting back to my origins getting to know their stories through creating their portraits

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄

I started painting portraits of people I had met in Brighton. I picked six men and six women as a way to give back

Now it wasn’t just me and a paintbrush there was an entire community forming around these six colours

Within the process of creating a portrait I go deep into feeling that person and what they mean to me. I write that down and channel it back building a meaningful connection with each person I paint

A friend within that group encouraged me to do a show

He told me "Even if no one comes. I’ll be there."

I invited people. Sixty Six came

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𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴

After the show I had the belief of the value. I launched a paid version of the portraits

The initial run of commissions covered living costs for three months

From a single portrait to making a living as an artist

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𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗔𝗺 𝗡𝗼𝘄

Today my business has evolved beyond portraits but grown with the same message. Helping people bridge the gap between inside truth and outside expression because we are all made from the same colours and owe it to share our unique gifts

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What are you going to create next?

Terry Bower is an amazing person and storyteller

We met two weeks ago at a workshop ran by Terry atBusiness & IP Centre Sussex alongsideMike Monk

From the moment we started talking we instantly connected. We both share a similar mission helping people uncover their true essence through their stories

Terry is the co-founder ofInside Stories going into the depth of stories with words. I bring stories to life visually

So we had an idea. What if we combine our worlds?

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𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

We are crafting an offer that brings our expertise together. Helping businesses shape and visually share their stories. Today’s podcast episode is the first step in that journey

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𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀?

Terry explains Inside Stories craft stories for businesses. The story of what you do. How you do it. Why you do it. They make your story clear and memorable so when someone asks 'What do you do?' You can tell them a story that helps them remember you

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𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 '𝗝𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲'

The process is about uncovering your purpose. How you want your audience to feel & think & know & what you want them to do. Ultimately what is the thing that sets you apart?

Take two oranges for example. They look exactly the same on the surface. What is the thing that makes you go 'I want that one'. Same for a business. What is the thing that makes someone say I want to work with you?

That is the thing we are capturing

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𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 ‘𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹’...

Terry did his 2 Hour Pitch & Purpose session with me literally just before recording this episode

As someone who also helps people tell their story. Terry did that for me. There is a reason why I’ve arrived at doing storytelling and Terry went deep within that and pulled out specific threads to help me see my own 'what' 'how' and 'why' clearly with me talking and Terry capturing in words

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𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 & 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀

Terry and I tell stories differently but our approaches complement each other perfectly. Terry goes deep into the details with words and I simplify and bring it to life visually

We did a visual experiment. Terry is a happy optimistic loyal person and a sunflower is one thing that encapsulate them all. Thank you for sharing your words to create the cover picture

Together we craft business stories in words and pictures

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𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿

We are crafting a new offering at an accessible price...

Your Business Story in Words & Picture crafted for your business

This will be something you could share on social media on your website or with potential clients as a true reflection of 'Who you are' 'What you do' and 'Why you do it'

We are looking for business owners who want to be bold and tell their story in a way that feels uniquely them

Does that sounds like you? Stay tuned

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Keep squeezing out your juice & we will be in touch with more soon

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." — Edgar Degas

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Are you wanting to earn a living creating your art? This episode is for you

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Michael Cheetham is a Photographer based in Brighton

We had a conversation about being an Artist earning a living doing what you love

Spotlighting Michael’s services we talked through the journey of fulfilling people’s needs doing what you love whilst remaining authentic promoting yourself without undervaluing yourself

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𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 → 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻

From being the kid always with a camera to growing into offering services nationally and internationally. Michael has packaged up his artistry in a way that is accessible. We go into 'how' he has done that

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𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 ‘𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲’

Photography is less than 20% of the business. The delivered product is photographs but it is about the journey Michael takes people on. We explore Michael's method further

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𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 → 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴

Within a service ‘capturing life’ Michael shares it’s not just a camera and a few photos it’s an entire lifestyle. Like many art forms where your entire life is an embodiment of what you offer choose networking over emailing allows people to get a feel for who you are

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𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 ‘𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲’ → 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀

In the moments when the business hasn’t formed yet but you can see it could in the future. How can you feel progress? Collect case studies!

Create artefacts practicing your own creative process that you can share. Just like Michael did in the early days trying different experiences building him a broad portfolio. Gaining the ability to say ‘for that I have done this and my approach was this…’

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𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 = 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Something done is better than perfect. Practice putting yourself in the arena practice creating for people getting to know how you operate

One case study is a piece of your work squeezing the juice of your artistry into in digestible form like an orange segment

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𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 → 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 & 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀

Keep creating for you. That will keep the spark alive. Then when you want to turn it into a business move into solving problems for other people with your artistry

People always ask how have you done this in the past?

“I didn’t just get a job with Giorgio Armani did the 400 jobs before” — Michael Cheetham

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Give yourself 1 hour this week...

What is one piece of your art you can create? Who would you love to show?

1 step is 1 case study. Keep taking the next step and watch your collection grow

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Learn More about Michael Cheetham

→ Amity Weddings (www.amityweddings.com)

→ Photography Service (www.michaelcheethamphotography.com)

Podcast Episode → Origin story of UnitedUs with Jan Rust

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We met to have a conversation about brand storytelling and Jan shared the origin story of UnitedUs

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Jan is one of the creators of UnitedUs a Brighton based brand agency

I first met Jan in 2022. I was in awe of the high quality brand identities UnitedUs had created and reached out

We explored the art of brand storytelling within larger companies flowing into the story of UnitedUs and the importance of relationships within creating authentic brands

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𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗨𝘀 → 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Founded in 2012. UnitedUs started out as a partnership between Jan and Luke Taylor

Started with a spontaneous coffee. Spiralled into them talking about print & digital. Jan more digital and Luke more print they started collaborating on projects. Turning it into a company born as PixaDot. Evolving into a more strategic brand agency rebranding as UnitedUs

Now helping clients uncover their unique visual identities by first unpacking the story they want to tell aligning it with their business goals

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𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹’ 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴

Over the years people have come and gone but UnitedUs has maintained it's core. Jan shares how they have kept the culture authentic and not forced

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𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Jan shares how each client is different but the fundamental process stays the same. Asking who are they? What makes them tick? Why do they exist? understanding what will make them different. Taking note then amplifying it through creative ways such visual identity or written word etc

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‘𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆’ 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗨𝘀

We go into the strong sense of family at UnitedUs. The studio feeling like family home. Clients feeling like in-laws. Jan shares how they navigate together towards a shared purpose with similar values

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𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

Jan shares how they facilitate giving everyone a voice when working on a wider company level brand project then weave it together to create a ‘hook’

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𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲

Jan shares how creativity is not just all out expression. The team having a level of confidence & maturity knowing they are paid to create value for clients. Deadlines creating guard rails helping to focus. Creativity thriving unlocking challenges together 

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𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

Beyond branding Jan shares how they are leaning into the role as a socially conscious agency and working with students navigating challenges like getting into the industry with the rise of AI

Ultimately with the mission to be a good influence and a force for good

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Thank you Jan for sharing the story of UnitedUs and how you create brands for larger companies that authentically connect with their audience

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Check out UnitedUs → unitedus.co.uk

One of the core messages in Solomon’s work is ‘Loving Yourself’ connecting to a message in my work ‘Squeeze Your Juice Out’

Both of us help people own and express their authentic self

As a Coach (Solomon) and Artist (Me) this is the story of how we did that for each other

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Solomon is Mental Fitness Coach who has developed a skills-based approach to mindfulness treating it like going to the gym

Solomon became one of the first people to commission me to create his portrait in 2023

Towards the end of 2024 I enrolled onto Solomon’s 6-week ‘Mental Fitness’ programme and Solomon hired me to create the ‘Book’ to go alongside his ‘Portrait’ to help him get clarity on his business narrative

We finished working together exactly one year on since I created the portrait for Solomon marking a full circle moment

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𝗪𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻’𝘀 ‘𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀’

We go into ‘Loving Yourself’ and learning to treat ourselves like we would our best mate

Solomon goes into his early meditation experiences which revealed his critical inner-chatter challenge. How boredom and frustration during those early meditations sparked curiosity reframing them as opportunities for exploration. Growing into creating ‘Mental Fitness’ a practical approach to mindfulness like physical fitness

Sol shares how he helps his clients reframe the sabotaging voices within them uncovering the 'gold' beneath them. Stripping away unhelpful layers to connect people back with their ‘essential self.’

I share my own experience of being guided by Solomon. Sharing insight into experiencing the ‘Mental Fitness’ framework turning my own sabotaging voices into strengths over 6-weeks

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𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ‘𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁 & 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸’ 𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻

Solomon shares how having a tangible book from his internal thoughts distilled into a concise narrative has given him the ease and flow to present who he is and what he does

Solomon talks about the value of turning complex ideas into something tangible acting as an anchor for him growing forward

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𝗪𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 '𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀'

How we both create space for people within our work where exploration can happen freely without judgement

The delicate art of holding creative expression and structuring it to make sense being a co-explorer rather than a guru balancing vulnerability with guidance

Viewing life as a game helping people become the main character of their own story. Breaking free from societal structures to create their own path

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𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

Loving Yourself → Treat yourself like your best mate. Notice when a critical thought appears catch it and flip it

Squeeze Your Juice Out → Create something daily for 1 minute (scribble, write, paint, express you) do it for 100 days and see what grows

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Learn more about Solomon Mehta-Slade → Website

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Your origin story is powerful connecting you all the way back to why you began doing what you do today in the first place

Whether you’re starting a new business or simply getting to know someone sharing your story creates depth making you easier to trust and connect with

I help people people tell their story. Being a role model of that myself this is me sharing my childhood love for characters and how it informs my work today

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𝗠𝘂𝗺 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

As a kid my Mum used to read me children’s books sparking my imagination and planting seeds of creativity from an early age

I became obsessed with Mr Blobby. When my Mum took me to Mr Blobby Land I was blown away being inside his world built purely from imagination

Looney Tunes and taken to DisneyWorld as well. Being inside worlds that isn’t this one completely stretched my imagination. It felt like anything was possible within them

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𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

At school I was drawn toward art. In Year 7 my form tutor noticed my obsession with drawing characters and suggested “Asis why don’t you create a character for everyone in the class?"

I created caricatures of all my classmates. Becoming a thread of what I became to do later in life capturing the essence of people and showing it back to them

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𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 & 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲

Curiosity led me to Leeds Art College. I designed smoothie bottles. Exploring the idea of putting skin around feelings turning abstract emotions into physical forms

Moving me into university studying Design for Industry at. One project I’m proud of was designing bird feeders I sketched them and then made them real. They didn’t exist before I imagined them. Realising through drawing you can create life and bring ideas into the world

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𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

In my final year I faced something deeply personal. My stammer. I created a product called SpeechBubble an app that helps people reflect on speaking situations. Generating characters

Characters born from exploring my own vulnerability turning a challenge into something healing

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𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Today the thread of storytelling character creation and helping people express themselves continues in the six colour portraits I create each connecting to the six chakras with the seventh being your ultimate essence

Growing into now helping people turn their streams of consciousness into illustrated books unpacking their origin stories turning their thoughts and feelings into something tangible that they can carry forward

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𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

From the very beginning to where you are now. There is a thread in your past that has led you to this moment. This is my origin story I would love to hear yours. Feel empowered to share

Would you like to explore your origin story? send me a message

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Inspiration

Art & Courage Comic Book

& Thank you Mum for fuelling me with creativity from Day Zero

The message I want to share today is get to know your loved ones whilst they are here

This weekend was significant because it was one year on since I had my last cup of chai with Ba my grandma who passed away unexpectedly at the end of last January at age 88

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The Origin

I recorded this episode on January 3rd after finishing within Rosanna Cooper’s workshop called Write From The Guts.

That is exactly what it is a monthly space where Rosanna guides people to write from deep within themselves

I help other people share their origin stories. If I help other people do that I want to be a role model doing that myself

The workshop gave me the courage I needed to share this with you

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Ba’s Story

January 5th 2024 was the last time I had chai with Ba

Sharing today on January 6th 2025 it’s officially one year on

Sharing to celebrate the life of Ba and the importance of hearing the stories of our loved ones whilst they are here

My grandma was close to my heart. Without her I wouldn’t be here

Feeling the fragility of time not knowing how long we had left I felt the need to record Ba and capture her share her story within her own voice

Ba shared her amazing story growing up in India. Born in Devadh in 1935. Coming to the UK moving to Luton in the 1950’s moving to Otley in 1980’s where I came along in the 90’s

We sat together navigating through her story. I sat and listened. Recording her sharing & celebrating back to her

I created a portrait of Ba in the same six colours I always use connecting us together across generations

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Message For You

Get to know your loved ones whilst they are here

That could be your older family members. Get to know their stories

Ask them. What was it like in childhood? What was the journey to get to here?

It was amazing to do that with my grandma. I was able to see what was inside of her and feel her amazing story

By going through the journey together I now have a connection back to where I come from and how I arrived to be here

I heard her story in her own words. We now have a time capsule

Whenever I want to I can hear her and feel her presence with Ba's portrait smiling

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Where I Come In

It is not always easy to see yourself. It is not always easy to know what to share. It is not always easy to see your own value

That is where I come in

As someone who helps people uncover and share their stories I can guide you in capturing these moments in your life

Together we can create a space to explore and honour the stories within your family or even your own life

The experience I had with my grandma was lifechanging

If it wasn’t for me initiating and listening to Ba’s story I would never have heard it

It has given me a sense of connection to my roots and to her as a person she is now part of me and her story lives on

I want to help you experience that same connection with your loved ones and with your own story

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Your story is your superpower that guided you to now

Whether it’s the journey of a loved one or your own

Send me a message and let’s unravel those stories into a time capsule together to live on and travel with you into the future

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It can be painful to carry stories with limiting messages about who we are and what we’re capable of. Often shaped in childhood and reinforced throughout life. These stories can become barriers to our creativity and expression leaving us feeling unseen and unworthy of sharing our unique essence with the world. This is where the oranges comes in

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Rosanna is an Art Psychotherapist. Rosanna gets to know what is going on inside of individuals helping them realise and see themselves resonating with the work I do helping people craft their narrative

We are both passionate about helping people realise the beauty within themselves empowering them to believe that they have something unique to offer into the world that can sometimes be hidden beneath layers of shame and doubt

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How We Met

We met in September 2023 at ‘Into the Heart’ an ecstatic dance in Brighton. I had decided to stop drinking and was looking for new ways to connect with people. I was drawn to the free spirited nature of ecstatic dance with the invitation to move authentically to the music with no right or wrong way to dance

The thing that drew me to Rosanna was her creativeness and her light hearted humour. She was really expressive just being herself moving to the music. We connected and through conversation it turned out we shared similar values

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Our Work

I had the opportunity to create a portrait for Rosanna reflecting Rosanna’s unique essence back to her to see herself outside of herself. Relating to the work Rosanna does through her Art Psychotherapy practice helping people unravel and unlock themselves so they can be who they truly are

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Our Orange Stories

Something that is central to both of our journeys is the symbol of an orange. Symbolising the unique creative juice within each person and having the courage to express it. We both share our orange stories

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Whilst eating oranges we unpack…

🍊 - Shame and Vulnerability

How the orange peel symbolises the protective layers we carry. The shame that keeps us hidden. Vulnerability is the act of peeling away those layers and allowing yourself to express your truth into the world

💦 - Creativity and Connection

How creativity is an act of connection. Sharing unedited expressions of ourselves creates bridges of connection inviting the next person to do the same

🌊 - The Shared ‘Juice’

How sharing our creativity is actually generous. How it is a way of including ourselves into the world following our longing for belonging by saying I am going to open myself up here and bring myself in. If you hide away you are hoarding all your gifts being ‘alone’. Where is the fun in that?

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The Message

The more you express the more you let yourself out the more people see you and the more people connect with you creating a healthier world healing together through our expressed creations

Allow yourself to express and squeeze out your 'juice'

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Learn more about Rosanna Cooper

How would you talk if you couldn't talk?

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As a kid I had a stammer

I struggled to say words that started with certain letters

I struggled to say D words

I struggled to say B words

I used to avoid saying them

There were other words and sounds I struggled to say. I avoided saying them. Blocking me from connecting with people as my full self

I dreamed about being able to speak fluently

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The Journey

In 2013 during the final year of my university degree at Northumbria for the first time I confronted my stammer head on creating an app which was born out of me exploring the inner dynamics of a stammer in my final major project

Coming through the other side of that and living life post university I reached a point where I needed to confront it further walking into the therapy room for the first time in June 2019

On November 6th 2024 I shared my story of reaching fluency at Sound Affects hosted by Jak Hutchcraft sharing the journey I have been on to find my voice going into parts that I don’t always feel comfortable to open and share spreading the message let the juice in you → out

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The Song

On the other side of the talk I connected with Ken of Rooftop Studios

He said the things I shared in the talk are things that people don’t always talk about

Leading to Ken inviting me into his studio to produce a song

That evening I went home and got my guitar out and I sang a song as a way to encapsulate that night

One month later we produced that song in Rooftop Studio. I played it. Ken recorded it. Alex mixed and mastered it

In 2 hours

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From having a stammer and struggling to talk to being on the other side of it being able to share and say what I’ve got to say fluently. I feel proud

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The Message

I want to share is…

You can share your voice too

You’ve got something amazing to say inside of you we all do

Allow yourself to express it

Don’t let fear push you down

Allow yourself to push forward and express what you’ve got to say because it matters the world wants to and needs to hear you

Let that day be today and then tomorrow and the day after that

If I can

You can too

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Thank you Jak for the invitation to share a talk at Sound Affects

Thank you Rosanna & Keith & Jason & Tim & Cevat & Alex & Karl & Laurence & Simon for coming to see the talk

Thank you Ken x Alex of Rooftop Studios for producing the song together

Debbie is a Business Coach doing business coaching in a way that is regenerative staying true to the natural cycles of the earth

We first met at Summercamp by The Happy Startup School we really connected on the trip with shared values and our friendship has continued since growing into doing business for each others businesses

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What we created

I created a portrait & a song for Debbie to reflect Debbie’s business back to Debbie

Debbie helped me further frame the underneath business strategy for my business

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We had a reflective conversation sharing our creative business journey…

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We dive into Debbie’s business origins…

Debbie has always been a lover of the outdoors where she feels the most ‘alive’ drawing her to do a degree in earth sciences

Debbie went down a corporate path initially but always had the ‘niggly’ feeling something wasn’t quite right she left that path and started her own coaching practice coming across 'regenerative business' marrying business coaching with her earth science background

Now supporting people to act on the ‘spark’ of something

Helping people follow the ‘aliveness’ in their work

Debbie see’s her job as connecting people back to their essence of their business to the core of what they do and why they do it and why it is something important to bring into the world

Seeing the ‘thing’ people are creating and seeing the potential in it that they might not see and helping them get it out of them

Taking the time to get to know people and getting to know their strengths and what makes them tick where the aliveness appear for them and creating a structure around that

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How our businesses resonate

That is how we resonate there is a real overlap in work that we both do. Debbie’s work compliments the work I do helping people get to know themselves by getting to know the story that got them to this point by see the journey to get to where they are now to support them to move forward with clarity

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Doing business for each other

Finances aside something great has come from us doing business for one another opening doors for future opportunities

Debbie really saw my business. The structure process she has guided me through has been super valuable for me to go through making me really enquire about my business and how I structure it

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Debbie on receiving her portrait...

Riding on the edge of fear and excitement it felt like a surprisingly vulnerable process to go through and I felt really supported and held within that. The process of having it done and afterwards as well has felt like an unraveling in a good way. Working through the process has felt like such a powerful learning for me

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The power of reciprocal reflection

It is impossible to see all parts of ourselves in isolation sometimes we need another person to be the mirror for us to show. Sometimes we can't recognise our own superpowers but we can recognise them in other people. Being able to reflect back those shadow parts that are more challenging sometimes requires a well held space supportive safe space

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Bringing it back to the common root I often talk about in my work that we are all made from the same colours blended differently linking back to Debbie doing business in flow with the natural cycles of the earth

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Learn more about Debbie Lee → www.debbielee.co.uk