Work in Progress: The Personal Productivity Science Insights Podcast · Life Management Science Labs

Vicky Soar, Art Psychotherapist: Unlocking Creativity for Productivity | Work in Progress #63

·1 hr·2 clips

We are champions of life management science, providing structured insights informed by science and inspired by practice.

The episode begins with a land acknowledgement and Joanna's welcome to Work in Progress, the personal productivity science insights podcast produced by LMSL. Joanna frames the show around science-informed, practical insights and introduces the day's topic: unlocking the creative mind and ways to boost personal productivity. Vicky Saw joins as an art psychotherapist working in England and Australia. Joanna introduces her as the founder of Saw Art Therapy and a senior clinician at Play Therapy Melbourne. The conversation stays conversational as it moves through the main ideas. From there, Joanna asks how creative thinking connects to productivity in real life. Vicky describes creative thinking as something people can use when they feel stuck and says it can help bring the underlying unconscious feeling of being unable to move forward into view. She links that process to meditation, awareness, and using convergent and divergent focus. In her view, those shifts help the body regulate and stop the stress response tied to survival mode. The discussion also moves into visualizing a future, such as a successful business, and asking what that would feel like. By shifting attention away from the problem and toward a possible solution, a person can generate those emotions for themselves and make a conscious choice not to repeat the old pattern. Joanna then asks where to begin with creative thinking. Vicky suggests starting by closing your eyes and listening to what the thoughts are doing. If the thoughts feel positive and happy, she connects that to having access to dopamine and using that state to try something new, like exploring new restaurants or food in line with a goal. If the thoughts are negative and carry a tone of failure or self doubt, that tells the person they are not in a creative state yet. The episode ends on a calm, practical idea: creative thinking can help people notice mental habits, regulate stress, and choose a more useful next step.

As heard by us

A reflective look at creativity as a practical way to reset attention and move toward action.

The episode treats creativity as part of getting work done, not as a soft extra. Joanna and Vicky Saw link attention, meditation, convergent and divergent focus, and simple self-observation to getting out of the "I can't do this" loop and toward something more useful.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a calmer way to get unstuck with your work.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Work in Progress: The Personal Productivity Science Insights Podcast