Category Archives: Living Creatively

Writer as Maker

On making things and putting them into the world If a tree falls and no one hears it, does it make a sound? If a person writes a book and no one reads it, does it exist? For most creatives, you are free to make what you like and then what you have made exists. ContinueContinue reading “Writer as Maker”

Miners

Hello! It has been a long time since I’ve posted here and some changes are happening! I’m self-publishing my YA dystopian novel later this year and am so relieved that it will finally be out in the world. I’ve also started blogging over at Substack. Miners is a newsletter for tired creatives. Check it outContinueContinue reading “Miners”

One thing at a time.. July / August Update

I feel like this summer is running away with me. The children are talking all the time, all at once and it feels like there isn’t the time to think. We aren’t doing very much as the ‘pingdemic’ is terrifying me and we are counting down the days until we have a week away. Meanwhile,ContinueContinue reading “One thing at a time.. July / August Update”

May News

So, now that May has just been ticked off the calendar, I thought I’d do some May news! (Always late…) I kind of feel like May didn’t really happen this year because it was so stormy, rainy and cold, and normally May is my absolute favourite month of the year. I was waiting all monthContinueContinue reading “May News”

What’s the worst that can happen? (Getting over my fear of public speaking!)

I’ve dreaded public speaking since I was a child, but reading Quiet by Susan Cain gave me the revelation that sometimes it is worth more to actually just get over yourself and talk about what is on your heart. And for me, it is weighing up these two things – what do I have toContinueContinue reading “What’s the worst that can happen? (Getting over my fear of public speaking!)”

WriteMentor Summer Programme – I got accepted! (Cue happy tears)

On Friday, I was nervously doing a jigsaw with my littlest as my other children played outside and my husband made pizzas. I felt sick, and I was thinking about how I would justify to myself the rejection of not making it on to the writementor programme. And then five o’clock came around and IContinueContinue reading “WriteMentor Summer Programme – I got accepted! (Cue happy tears)”

April news

Hello April! This month I have been working on some Lent poems along with some other creatives based on creative lent prompts. You can read them all here. My latest notes from IWED are also out this month. The Sacred Everyday was written last year during lockdown with homeschool going on so I had absolutelyContinueContinue reading “April news”

Gratitude #15

Gratitude #15 all about sunlight and home. #gratitude #gratitudepoem https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mnuUqHajZ/?igshid=dobhxp50ubwm EDIT: This poem is featured in Voice at the Window: One hundred poems written during lockdown which was published thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.  You can get it here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/870191768/voice-at-the-window-one-hundred?ref=shop_home_active_9&frs=1 

Gratitude #11

#11 #gratitude #thankful #peace #poem #gratitudepoem https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ckQN4n5ML/?igshid=jlekho570d50 EDIT: This poem is featured in Voice at the Window: One hundred poems written during lockdown which was published thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.  You can get it here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/870191768/voice-at-the-window-one-hundred?ref=shop_home_active_9&frs=1 

Lesson from the Lawley – do the thing that is in front of you!

I felt there was something profound in this view as I was walking along our favourite hill top last Sunday so I took this picture, and since, I can’t remember the quote I was thinking of but it may have been Frederick Buechner.. ‘but then once in a while there is the suggestion of plot,ContinueContinue reading “Lesson from the Lawley – do the thing that is in front of you!”

New blog post! Creativity is a gift from God – here’s how to cultivate it.

Great to have this blog up on Premier Christianity magazine all about how I think we are all born with the potential for creativity! If you like what you see the book is available from my Etsy shop. #writer #creativity #cultivatecreativity Onwards and Upwards Christian Publishers Creativity is a gift from God, here’s how toContinueContinue reading “New blog post! Creativity is a gift from God – here’s how to cultivate it.”

You are the only one – FREE digital print!

I still have a few of these A5 handlettered prints left over from the book launch (frame not included) so will send one out with any order of the book ORDERED FROM THE ETSY SHOP ONLY up until 00.00am GMT on Tuesday 28th May! After that they will be added to my Etsy shop. http://etsy.me/2P9XwybContinueContinue reading “You are the only one – FREE digital print!”

Circles book launch!

✨💫Thank you so much everyone who came and supported the book launch today! It was a wonderful party for this book that has been so long in the making. I felt blessed honoured and loved so thank you! ✨💕🙌🏻✨ if you still haven’t got it, you can find it here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/681250504/circles-nurture-and-grow-your-creative?ref=shop_home_recs_5&pro=1&frs=1 #shrewsbury #lovebooks #booklaunch #circlesContinueContinue reading “Circles book launch!”

Circles by Elisabeth Pike: OUT NOW!

C O M I N G T O M O R R O W! Tomorrow’s the big day! I’ve just listed this baby on Etsy so you can place an order now and it will be shipped out tomorrow: Etsy listing is here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/681250504/circles-nurture-and-grow-your-creative?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1 Last blog post is now up as well- all about faithContinueContinue reading “Circles by Elisabeth Pike: OUT NOW!”

Dedication from Circles which is OUT TODAY!

Dedication. Much love 💕 Out today! Thankful 💕 Get it here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/681250504/circles-nurture-and-grow-your-creative?ref=shop_home_feat_1&frs=1 #dedication #writersofinstagram #newbook #author #creativelife #creativewalk #faithwriting #thankful https://www.instagram.com/p/BvtRn2Dns6e/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cylhzhkmn4hb

Imposter Syndrome – we’ve all been there!

In the creative bustle, it sometimes feels like everyone else has got it going on and you’re not quite there yet.. let’s just do some myth busting on that! I fully believe that most people are blagging it (!😂) and that everyone can suffer from imposter syndrome. When I started running writing workshops, a littleContinueContinue reading “Imposter Syndrome – we’ve all been there!”

Faith and Mystery

  Because I am a writer, I believe in magic.  Because I have a faith, I believe in what cannot be explained.  I believe that life is a story, at times hilarious, sad and uncanny, that the strangest things happen all of the time.  For me, living with a Christian faith is about accepting theContinueContinue reading “Faith and Mystery”

Circles: Out on Monday!

Circles is out on Monday! You can order it from my Etsy shop, any bookshop, or Amazon. Digital versions are available here: UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PSHNDZC US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PSHNDZC Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07PSHNDZC Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07PSHNDZC KOBO Kobo eBook: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/circles-35 From April 1st, ePub and PDF editions will also be available from: https://www.onwardsandupwards.org/product/circles @oupublishers #newbook #circles #writersofinstagram #author #happyfriday #writer #orderyoursContinueContinue reading “Circles: Out on Monday!”

Letting Go (An excerpt from Circles)

The following extract from my new book Circles: Nurture and Grow your Creative Gift is about that action of releasing what we have made into the world and the feeling of vulnerability that comes with that.  Also the fact that our works are not extensions of us, but they are their own thing somehow, setContinueContinue reading “Letting Go (An excerpt from Circles)”

Laundry, a poem for World Poetry Day

Thought I’d share a poem for #worldpoetryday. This is one that I wrote a few years ago about the way that we sometimes find ourselves living in close proximity to neighbours that we hardly know. This was when we lived down south in a tiny terrace with our two children. I had formed a collectionContinueContinue reading “Laundry, a poem for World Poetry Day”

Are we all creative?

This is a question I have often pondered and I think that we are all creative to a degree but there is always a choice. The creative path is presented to us, but it doesn’t force itself on us. For it to take root in us, we have to say yes, come and turn myContinueContinue reading “Are we all creative?”

Unboxing Circles!

Happy Friday post! 😃😃😃Look what’s just arrived! @oupublishers 😍😍😍 #happyfriday #circles #newbook #author #writersofinstagram #creativecall #creativity #writer https://www.instagram.com/p/BvB3g56nltF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e4es4knt9x0s

About me and why I wrote Circles..

My forthcoming book, Circles: Nurture and Grow your Creative Gift was born out of a collection of writings from a crazy time in my life when I had two very young children and a third on the way.  I was longing to create but felt that all my creative energy was being sapped by parenthood.ContinueContinue reading “About me and why I wrote Circles..”

‘The Gift that is not used will be lost while the one that is passed along remains abundant’ Lewis Hyde, The Gift

I love this quote from ‘The Gift’ by Lewis Hyde. The economy of creativity is so different to what we’re used to. The more we give away, the more we have left to give. Are you too scared to let your creations see the light of day? Be bold and start to share.. you neverContinueContinue reading “‘The Gift that is not used will be lost while the one that is passed along remains abundant’ Lewis Hyde, The Gift”

The proof for Circles has arrived!

Look what was delivered the other day! An actual book with my name on the cover!! This is the first proof and the book will be coming out at Easter time. Before then I will be sharing a little more about what is inside.. but for starters.. it’s a story of my journey with creativity,ContinueContinue reading “The proof for Circles has arrived!”

Mary Oliver on the creative call

This. 🙌🏻. This year, do you have a restlessness within you, a project lying unfinished? A far off dream not yet explored? Let this be the year, turn to it, pay attention to yourself, give yourself time. Quote from Upstream by Mary Oliver, one of my Christmas presents that was quickly devoured! #quotes #quotestoliveby #maryoliverContinueContinue reading “Mary Oliver on the creative call”

Burst; a poem by Elisabeth Pike

Burst The things that I see and touch consume me; the work that I must do, the dinner that I must cook, and the house that must be tidied fill up the space in my mind. And when I close my eyes, all I can see is the bustle of things, like a humming city,ContinueContinue reading “Burst; a poem by Elisabeth Pike”

Why I write about motherhood

I just want to put it out there that I’m not a self-certified expert on parenting by any means.  I run courses on writing motherhood because I write, I always have done; it’s how I process my feelings – my grief, my joys, my disappointments, and it’s how I can convey my wildly fluctuating feelingsContinueContinue reading “Why I write about motherhood”

On perfectionism, Anne Lamott

“Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground- you can still discover new treasure under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip. Tidiness suggests thatContinueContinue reading “On perfectionism, Anne Lamott”

Some Thoughts on Winter

Some thoughts on Winter I don’t know about you but I don’t think that I was made for winter. My feet can’t cope with the cold, my shoulders feel permanently hunched over. I feel like I can’t relax for half the year. I think January and February are hard for lots of reasons. Gone areContinueContinue reading “Some Thoughts on Winter”

How She Does It: Liz Pike | Studio Mothers: Life & Art

Great to have my work featured on this gorgeous US based blog Studio Mothers>> check it out! How She Does It: Liz Pike | Studio Mothers: Life & Art

What is it really all for anyway?

I was day-dreaming today as I made my way along a Shropshire lane on my way to teach creative writing to some excitable children.  What is this really all about I was asking myself, and what am I doing it for?  I was imagining that  I had achieved all the worldly goals: a house, financialContinueContinue reading “What is it really all for anyway?”

Store it up..

A kernel is sometimes all it takes.  A feeling, a word, an image that sums up how we are feeling, a verse from a song.  Store them up, write them down.   In those years of relentless parenting with three under fives, I often had a feeling, a desire to say something which would be snatchedContinueContinue reading “Store it up..”

Shine Like Stars

So much of my life as a writer has been about waiting.  It’s frustrating as a creative outlet in that for a lot of the time, your work has to be validated by someone else for it to appear in print. Even now, there are a few pieces of my work that have been published,ContinueContinue reading “Shine Like Stars”

Letting Go

Sending my novel out to agents feels a curious thing.  I have finished at last.  I breathe a sigh of relief.  I am proud of what I have achieved.  But I also find myself stepping back from it.  It is its own thing, launched into the inboxes of strangers.  I can’t imagine how is perceivedContinueContinue reading “Letting Go”

Uncle John

A very old poem and a kernel for the novel. The smell of the strawberry jam, the decay, the wildness.. The jam thick with whole strawberries  hadn’t seemed so wonderful to me at the time.   Only now, sitting in my room with morning toast do I feel the loss,   as I remember themContinueContinue reading “Uncle John”

Messy Desk…creative mind…

Believe it or not, this is the tidiest my desk has been in a long time..!😂 this is place I wrote and redrafted my novel which is now going out to agents 🤞🤞🤞 and also the place I design my hand lettered poems and also where I think up creative ways to teach creative writing.ContinueContinue reading “Messy Desk…creative mind…”

Pick Up Your Violin!

When I am reading to my children, I am half-asleep, I am not distracted, my defences are down, and for me that is sometimes the best time to hear God. The latest one is Patrick by Quentin Blake, a tale of wonder and music.  You can read the story here: https://archive.org/details/Patrick-Eng-QuentinBlake  The message in this amazingContinueContinue reading “Pick Up Your Violin!”

Marianne Williamson on being given permission to shine

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child ofContinueContinue reading “Marianne Williamson on being given permission to shine”

To Lavish

To lavish (def: bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities on). I love the fact that God’s ways are not our ways and that the eternal mysteries of God are something that we keep learning over and over.  They don’t naturally make sense to us, we can’t see them coming.  In the world, we sayContinueContinue reading “To Lavish”

Will Gompertz on the act of creating

YES! ‘The act of making and creating is deeply satisfying, life affirming and rewarding. Yes it can be infuriating and at times disheartening, but nothing else can make you feel as truly alive and connected to the physical world as bringing your ideas to life. It is, I suppose, the ultimate affirmation of our humanness’ContinueContinue reading “Will Gompertz on the act of creating”

#1

Wind wraps around me like a blanket. In a blustery playground my boy has fallen asleep. And there is space and time, of a sort, standing hands in pockets, brook rushing by behind me, I hear it’s eddies and ripples, see the winter light brimming, spilling over, winding through the trees. All alone like IContinueContinue reading “#1”

#38

Sometimes we don’t even have time to say a word to each other, Don’t look at each other before we must attend to this or that, The fight or the nappy change or the insulin. And then after they sleep we each have our uphill journey to continue with. Music, writing, these dreams, we pullContinueContinue reading “#38”