It’s a tricky thing to describe, and quite impossible to quantify.

It’s intangible, after all. And almost entirely subjective.

But at the same time, it’s borderline universal. Experienced by so many – sometimes heard, sometimes felt, sometimes ignored until it turns into a full-body scream. But acted upon by very few.

I’m talking about that tug, that itch, that inner voice, to pay more attention to a certain part of yourself.

It might be a part that wants to *finally* start that antique jewellery side hustle, or find a new job, or leap into full-time self-employment (been there).

But it might also be something much less dramatic. Perhaps to meditate more, start going to salsa classes, try your hand (literally) at life drawing, or simply carve out more time for – and to – yourself (all much easier said than done, in many cases).

You might not even know what it is, exactly, but you’re curious to find out.

While the specifics look different for everyone, I believe these tugs – these itches – are branches from the same root need – for more creativity, more fulfilment, more true-to-you time – in your everyday life.

But sometimes knowing how to nourish that need – or water that plant, you might say – can feel overwhelming.

So overwhelming that we neglect the whole thing entirely, and find ourselves in *exactly* the same place one year later – marvelling at the flight of time, and a bit ashamed that we seem to be stuck in a holding pattern of dissatisfaction and habits that aren’t serving us. Especially when making at least small changes should be so easy, right?

Our progress-driven culture would have us believe that achievement = fulfilment, but as many people who’ve achieved a big, long-pursued goal only to feel a bit… meh… will tell you – fulfilment driven by an external outcome tends to be fairly short-lived.

So, where does that leave us?

What if instead of fixating on an end point, we treated it all as an experiment? A chance to play, test, explore, tweak – without the pressure of getting it ‘right’ or achieving on the first run?

Enter: The Living Lab. A home for creativity, connection, and figuring things out along the way.

Not another course. Not another ‘here’s the exact roadmap’ framework. Just a hub to experiment with what works for you, so you can start moving toward what feels good and right for you – whether that’s in your career, relationships, health, creative pursuits, or simply how you show up in your life.

Conventional sales and marketing wisdom says I should promise you some kind of outcome, but I’m not going to do that. The internet has plenty of outcome-driven spaces as it is.

Instead, what I’ll promise is a safe space where you can perhaps fall back in love with the process – or at the very least, gain a bit of clarity on what that process could be for you. Everyone’s process is different after all, and they’re almost always non-linear.Well hello, fellow human.

But wait, who am I?

I’m Lizzie — a writer, brand strategist & coach for creative freelancers — and I’m so glad you’re here. Rudy is too — he told me, just now.

I suppose this is the part where I should woo you (in case my glorious canine somehow failed to?), so here goes.

I’ve been writing professionally for over a decade throughout Australia, Europe, the UK and the US. In that time, I’ve been fortunate enough to write for the likes of HuffPost, Marie Claire, Time Out, Refinery29, Body+Soul, Cosmopolitan, Australian Traveller, Mamamia & more, and work on global brands like Red Bull, Afterpay, the UN Foundation, Viktoria&Woods, Intrepid Travel, Johnnie Walker, Dove and Magnum.

Since leaving my job to become a ‘full-time freelance writer’ in 2020, I’ve built a multi-six figure business while rarely working more than 20 - 30 hours per week.

Feeling wooed?

While that may sound mildly impressive (or not?), I can assure you my path has been anything but linear. I’ve made a lot (and I mean, a lot) of mistakes along the way — and remain, undoubtedly, very much a work in progress (aren’t we all?).

Over the last few years, I’ve had the privilege of working with creatives from all over the world who want to carve space for more freedom and fulfilment in their lives. And I’ve come to learn many of us are challenged by the same things — clarity on what we want (or don’t want), confidence to explore it, and tools to do so without succumbing to overwhelm.

I created The Living Lab to document my learnings, musings, experiments, and experiences—in the hope they’ll help you figure it out, too. Whatever ‘it’ may be.

Here’s what you can expect from The Living Lab:

• A Monday bulletin to bring the ~vibes~ to your inbox and start the week right.

• A deeper-dive newsletter later in the week that may come in the form of a thought piece, expert interview, personal anecdote or topic worth experimenting with to help you live more fully — however that looks for you.

  
  You can take a quick guided tour of The Living Lab right here. Once again, I’m so glad you’re here — and I do hope you’ll stick around.

  There’s always more to explore, after all.
  
  Chat soon,
  Lizzie (and Rudy) xoxo
  

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