Creativity for Health

We are delighted to be running the first session for our Zine next week, an exciting new project which invites students to explore writing in all its wonderful forms; from poetry, songwriting and short stories to reviews, articles and artwork. Students will be free to choose their own topics and work with either fiction or non-fiction. We will also provide a number of fun and interactive prompts to facilitate the creation of novel words and ideas. The group will be small to begin with and if anyone is interested in joining us just speak to Ella or Charlotte to be added to the timetable. 

I thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce myself with view to how my background may help to support the Zine. My name is Sujatha (Su) and I’m a new part-time TA at LAMP, helping to support students across a variety of areas. A few months ago, Tim invited me to run a day of poetry workshops for the students which went very well.

He knew of my work through our music connection as our bands often gig together. I’ve been in the band Satsangi for over 20 years as a singer/songwriter and more recently also playing guitar. During the pandemic I began to focus more seriously on writing poetry at a time when we were unable to gather as a band. I ended up having my first book published (The Glass Puddle, Vole 2021) and since have gone on to publish 2 more. My latest collection (Microscopia, Pindrop Press, 2025) was the outcome of a 2-year poetry residency at the University of Warwick. Here, I was based in the School of Life Sciences where my role was to help promote women in science and engage the public with their amazing research. A poetry trail which showcases 13 of the poems is due to be permanently installed across campus next month and we are hoping to engage with a number of schools/colleges for some outdoor workshops and activities. 

In my previous life I completed my BA and MA in Fine Art but also trained in several wellbeing modalities after I graduated (yoga/meditation/boxing/swimming to name a few!). I have a very busy and creative brain and writing has been the one consistent thing in my life that has helped me organise my thoughts and get me through the creative lows as well as highs! In my professional life I have often combined my skills and training to offer workshops such as writing for wellbeing or using yoga/mindfulness as a preparation for writing and unleashing the creative brain. 

Thinking back to my younger self and growing up in an Indian household, I would have LOVED to have had the opportunity to explore my interests in art, music and writing in such a supported and nurturing environment as that which LAMP provides. Sadly, the arts were not valued very much in my community, and I pretty much had to forcefully go against the grain to pursue a career - not in science or medicine! I believe that as well as mental and physical health we can also attend to our ‘creative health’ whether that be in a meal we cook, a class we design, a piece of artwork or even just the way we can imaginatively reframe looking at the world. It used to bother me a great deal that I did so many different things – a Su of all trades! But now I just look at it as ONE thing, namely creativity being expressed in different ways.  

3 more sleeps to the Zine and I can’t wait! I was so inspired by teacher Ella and the creativity of the students at LAMP that I applied for a job! I believe that LAMP is not just important as a specialist provision but as a light that shines the torch for compassion and creative health in our community and well beyond. - Su