Imagination Education

Lucy Stuteley

5.0 (1)
ARTS

Imagination Education - The Podcast! Mother and daughter duo, Lucy and Sarah talk about the importance of developing creativity to encourage innovation, self-belief and wellbeing. Sarah and Lucy welcome guests with a variety of creative passions and careers; discussing their personal journeys and the importance of feeding your "Imagination Education".

4 FEB · BONUS

LUCY’S LIBRARY...

My name is Lucy Stuteley, I am an illustrator and writer seeking an agent to collaborate with on my quest to get my books onto bookshelves. For years I kept my stories in my head, in treasured sketchbooks hidden on the very tip-toe top cupboard shelf and underneath my bed, hoping that somehow the world would be able to army crawl past the lost socks and forgotten paperwork to find the bowing cardboard box bursting at the seams with my sketchbooks and manuscripts. Alas, this was not the case, and I soon realised the only way I was going to become a published children’s book author and illustrator was to share my work online, in the post and in person in the hope of finding an audience who are as fond of my characters as I am. I believe my stories are ready to be seen by an agent and taken to the next level. I have a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, and I have always illustrated and written my own stories alongside my creative jobs. It has been my ambition to publish my tales since as far back as I can remember. I grew up listening to cassette tapes at bedtime that seeped into my dreams. I poured over picture books, learning from their life lessons from childhood and into adulthood. Stories help us learn so much about ourselves and the world around us. Humans have always shared stories to pass on their knowledge and experiences. A good story, whether it be told in words and/or pictures, encompasses teaching in all aspects of living such as relationships, morals, history and education. Personally, I particularly embrace the parallels from alternate worlds that ring true in ours. The amount I have learnt from big friendly giants, small brown mice or bears with a perchance for honey is phenomenal.Characters like these have taught me so much about kindness, empathy, self-acceptance, courage, perspective, wellbeing and of course some less frequently used principles such as how to trick a ‘Gruffalo’ into not devouring you. I now document every ‘germ’ (of an idea) - ‘in the business’ they call them ‘roughs’ and I have started to use social media in the same way I use my sketchbook. I no longer worry about perfection before posting, I share my raggedy ‘roughs’ with you all. Seeing the scenes drawn out in doodle form allows my brain to ruminate on the words and pictures and ultimately begin to develop them further. I share my imPERFECT ‘roughs’ and ideas with you as I believe in doing this, I can build a community of people who like what I do and thus, my stories will be one step closer to finding their way onto your bookshelves. Since becoming a full-time artist and running ‘Imagination Education’, - one year in! - I am feeding my creativity every day. It is as if I have finally opened that bulging cardboard box under my bed and all my characters have flown, crawled and leapt out of their dark, cosy home and onto me. They now perch on my shoulder, snooze in the crook of my arm or snuggle down behind my ears ready for me to take them onto the next leg of their journey. Their destination is your bookshelf where they can settle in and make a home. There they will be ready to play out their tale whenever you wish open the book. This next step towards book form requires me to forge a partnership with an awesome agent and ultimately, a pioneering publisher. So, if you happen to be an agent or in the publishing world, here I am - brain buzzing - vampire on my shoulder, elf in my pocket, dragon tucked under my arm and witches flying about my head saying: “Hello, my name is Lucy Stuteley, these are my stories, would you like to represent and work with me to publish my picture books?” If so, please contact me via my website www.lucystuteley.com I am so looking forward to hearing from you! You have been reading “LUCY’S LIBRARY” a ‘Musing Monologue’ by Lucy Stuteley.

4 min
11/11/2025 · BONUS

Wicked, witches and the silver threads of sisterhood.

To read 'Wicked, witches and the silver threads of sisterhood.' instead of listening to the audio, please visit my Patreon page. You can find this on: www.lucystuteley.com

6 min
19/08/2025 · BONUS

Birthday banquets and creature cakes. - MUSING MONOLOGUE

To read 'Birthday banquets and creature cakes' instead of listening to the audio, please visit my Patreon page. You can find this on: www.lucystuteley.com

8 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Comfortably Uncomfortable - MUSING MONOLOGUE

Let’s see where being comfortably uncomfortable takes us… “Oxymoron." - A word which springs to mind that perfectly encapsulates the moment I am living in now, a moment of change. As I sit here grasping my steaming hot cup of tea which is rapidly evaporating from my 5th favourite mug, my legs are crossed, and I am comfortable. The lamps are glowing, and the dulcet tones of classical music are tickling my ears. I am ready to write... As you can tell from the way the scene is set, I take the importance of comfort for creativity, very seriously. To counter that comfort there is a bubbling energy within my body travelling up from my toes that is making my fingers tingle and my brain fizz. Comfort is necessary to coax the imagination-dragon out from its lair, allowing space in the open air for the sizzling fire to rise from its ENORMOUS stomach to its throat and cascade out of its mouth in a burst of ENERGY ! An illustration of flames represents a freedom to release the passion that burns from within. I have so much to say and show you all, this is a beginning, an immersion into one of this heart’s desires and an indulgence in what I would consider to be my natural talent. Here comes the oxymoron, to balance the necessity for physical comfort in order to create, one must also take uncomfortable steps to make room for creativity... For me, this involves leaving my corporate design career and devoting my working hours to pursuing my dreams of becoming an artist. Introducing, writer and illustrator Lucy Stuteley. The fear of failure must be set aside, and I must remember that the way forward is to simply. just. begin. One step at a time. Over the past month as I have tied up my work commitments, I have been planning, attending exhibitions, watching musicals, ordering equipment, and enjoying soaking up festive moments with family and friends. This has filled my heart and fueled my creative passion with buckets of inspiration. I am writing this on New Years Eve and as the new year dawns, a new chapter of my career has started, the excitement of freedom mixed with fear make up the fizzing bubbles in my stomach as the hunger of my passion is poised and ready to pounce. Here I am buckling up my metaphorical hand glider ready to leap off a cliff of safety and security to bounce on the clouds and dance with the wind. Are you ready to unlock your imagination with me? What I am trying to say in this muddle of metaphors is that I have made a big decision. I have decided to pursue my dream to become a full-time artist. I am beyond grateful, excited, fearful and in awe of this opportunity. To write stories, to illustrate, to teach, to learn, to be surrounded by paints and pens that all end up on my face by the end of the day and to spark ideas that I can take from conception to consumption. This is my dream, and this is what I intend to build with it: One of my aspirations is to eventually see one of my books nestled on your bookshelf, worn and creased from being read and cherished alongside the works of Rowling, Dahl, and Blake. I will be co-hosting the "Imagination Education Podcast" with the incredibly talented artist and remarkable human being, Sarah Stuteley. Imagination Education Workshops will play a significant role in my new venture, as I will be visiting schools and communities to discuss and foster creativity, which in turn will promote innovation, self-confidence, and wellbeing. I will be of course vlogging and blogging my way through this adventure. I will also be selling products such as prints and starting a book club! I have always nurtured my imagination but I have kept it at bay during working hours and as time melts away weekend projects have been stuffed under bed frames and stored half-finished on hard drives, now it is time to see if my imagination can lead me to an authentic creative career. I do hope you join me on this adventure. Let’s see where being comfortably uncomfortable takes us…

5 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Imaginary Friends - MUSING MONOLOGUE

I have many imaginary friends. They live in my head, on bookshelves, and in my memories. When we read or listen to stories our brain conjures up intricate and vivid impressions of characters and scenarios. We identify these visions as a magnificent machine called: "The Imagination.” The imagination is formed from electrical currents bouncing around the melting pots of our individual brains when we read, dream, listen, watch or remember. It stiches previous perceptions together to create a visual representation inside our minds eye, of whichever story our physical eyes and ears are digesting at that particular moment. If you connect to the story and the vision is strong enough, fictional characters will stay with you far beyond their written endings. Some become faithful companions that you can lean upon for comfort or encouragement. For example, I often hear 'Professor Dumbledore’s' voice in my head when it is time to make a life altering decision. To quote J.K. Rowlings character 'Dumbledore' from the book series “Harry Potter”: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” You can gleam some fantastic morals and advice from stories. Calling characters from fictional stories ‘Imaginary friends’ is not totally far-fetched, as children’s books are filled with morals that stand you in good stead throughout your life. So it is simply my moral compass mascaraing as beloved characters from heart-warming stories in a fantastical way. What a wonderous mechanism our brains have; they can cloak an important life lesson within an imaginary literary being. The characters of course originate from the writer of the story, and they respectfully have full copyright, but your version of them is brought to life by your unique brain. And therefore there is a version of them that belongs to you and your imagination alone. Personally, I think they seep from the brain into the soul through the imagination. By that I mean, if you like attributes of the character, you will subconsciously add their characteristics or wisdom to the current version of you. As well as your own learned experiences, the ‘you of today’ Is made up of building blocks of attributes that you have collected from many art forms. You are the main character of your own story after all! Children’s book characters seem to have made a home in my brain. More so than adult fictional characters, they tend to only stay until I have finished the book. Then they pack up their story, beginning to end, into a suitcase and go; I presume through my ear canal, leaving only the gist of their tale behind like a ghost. Whereas children’s book characters tend to build a nest in my imagination. They take on a full form far beyond their initial narrative. They then become comforting masks for morals and pearls of wisdom that I can apply to daily life. Can you imagine the two infamous bears, 'Pooh' and 'Paddington', sitting on a tree branch licking sticky honey and marmalade from their paws ready to weigh in whenever you ask yourself a question? Such as ‘Should I buy the red wellington boots or the more sensible dark green ones that perhaps wouldn’t show the mud?.’ The imagination ignites and MY inner version of Winnie the Pooh suggests buying the ones the colour of honey, as the sunshine yellow makes me smile before I shove my foot into them. Whilst Paddington might utter something profound such as, ‘Well, the yellow may make you more visible when walking in bad weather.’ This magic all happens in the brain, which does, I suppose, make them imaginary friends of some kind. So within our vivid imaginations, every time you read or listen to a children’s book, just know that you are potentially building a new village of imaginary friends for your brain, who, with their incredibly sturdy moral compasses, will be able to guide you through life and far beyond the page.

6 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Small Business, Big Ambitions - MUSING MONOLOGUE

Selling Cards! To see my illustrations printed in a format that I can: A) Physically hold in my hands B) Will serve a purpose by being used, shared and interacted with; is such a pleasure. I have chosen to sell cards because I believe that receiving an illustrated card with handwritten words from a loved one is a cherishable gift and a ritual that should be encouraged. It is always the words in a card that stay with you long after the flowers have passed their best or the remote-control car birthday present, has run out of batteries. In a ‘Musing’ to come, I will tell you more about the stories behind the products as well as my love of handwritten cards and their historical homage to letter writing. For now though, I want to talk to you about yesterday: Yesterday afternoon, was the crème de la crème of afternoons since pivoting from working for a company as a Graphic Designer to working for myself, as a Full-Time Artist. It was one of many highlights so far... ...I shall set the scene for you, my Marvellous Mum came to the new studio, we had two bowls; one with prawn cocktail flavoured crisps in and the other with viennese sandwich biscuits. We each had a cup of tea and sat opposite one another at the newly refurbished wooden table with our packing stations set up. There was upbeat background music boasting a mixture of the classics and some new jams as well as puppy snores from Bea who was settled in her bed or rather, nest, beside us. We chatted and packaged up the first products to start selling for my SHOP. We both get giddy over stationery and art supplies, so this really was magic for us. Hanging out with one of my favourite humans whilst playing "SHOPS", like we did during my childhood and singing to some of the best songs at the top of our lungs, was absolutely dreamy. - to read the rest please visit my Patreon page

14 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Alumni Assemblies and Old School Memories - MUSING MONOLOGUE

It was such an honour to return to my first school as an alumni to read my Children’s book and host an assembly on the topic of ‘Creativity’ and “Imagination Education”. South Lee School always felt like a home from home. It was splendid to see that it remains as warm and comforting a place as I remember it being, due to the kind nature of the staff and pupils, as well as the charming familiarity of the building itself. It was an absolute joy to meet the wonderful students. To be around such bright and inquisitive minds was a delight. Their questions were exceptional, and they were so polite. I have found meeting them all very inspiring. I cannot wait to spend time working on my new books in the hope of answering some of the students questions such as: “Can you write me a book?” and “Please write one about Witches!” (As it happens I am illustrating one about witches at the moment!) I shall endeavour in the coming months and years, to have created many books that feature on their bookshelves for them to read and enjoy. As an alumni, I can certainly add today to the stack of fond memories I have of South Lee School. To return and read my Children’s book and host an assembly on the importance of feeding your imagination + creativity was a dream come true and a full circle moment in my life. To spot my face along with many family members in the old school line up photos in the stairwell was a real joy as well! I also managed to find a few South Lee school photos of 'little Lucy' which I found very amusing. (see below) It is so fulfilling to know that as I am pursuing my dream career as an artist, I also have the opportunity to pass on the spark of inspiration to feed the imagination of students in their formative years. As a result, I am pleased to report that big toothy grin of mine that you can see in those school photos, is still a permanent feature on my giddy, giddy face. You have been reading “Alumni Assemblies and Old School Memories” a ‘Musing’ by Lucy Stuteley.

2 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

My Children's Books - MUSING MONOLOGUE

A year ago I was in "deadline mode" on a long standing project: Adapting my first children’s book into a free YouTube video, in the hopes that it would find its way into your homes and eventually this would mean I could get published. I had been living in a hurricane of paint brushes, computers and thought bubbles for months. If my memory serves accurately, which it often doesn’t, I recall at the time I only had about three strands of hair left after twirling them around my fingers in frenzied thinking mode which caused them to drift off my head like the leaves leave the trees in autumn. I had the pleasure of saying "Good Morning" to the birds as they started singing in chorus at around 2am most weekday evenings. All so I could finally say: PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT IS COMPLETE! I had been writing and illustrating for many years, however, last year I decided it was time. Time to nudge my books out into the world - it is very scary showing your artwork to strangers, the characters that were solely yours, become someone’s else’s. You keep your version of them but suddenly they mean different things to different people. My children’s book characters have been following me around whenever I go. My, ‘Dracula Tarquin Bob the Seventh’ has nodded alongside me in coffee shops when I bounce my head up and down agreeing with my friend that this was in fact, THE. BEST. HOT CHOCOLATE. EVER. My three witches have been sat in the back seat of my car with their fingers in their ears as I belt out the latest addictive show-tune at the top of my lungs. And my little elf has sat on my knee frowning as we both analyse the plate of burnt roast potatoes in front of us. Trying to work out how despite following yet another recipe, the result didn’t look anything like the pictures in the cookbook. Of course, these characters are all visions, faded and invisible to anybody who is not living inside my head. Their stories have been gathering dust in jumbled piles on the top shelf of many different cupboards, in many different houses over many different years. They have been living in my soul and brain and now it is time to set them free from captivity and watch them stumble into the wild whilst I gaze from behind a tree with binoculars to see who may read, see or listen to their story and crucially, what happens next. I am sure I will have to intervene if they forget to eat or perhaps build them a nest or two along the way as, of course, one must work really hard to help dreams thrive. but hopefully they will all find their place onto a bookshelf eventually. I decided to let my nearest and dearest into my paper worlds about a year or so ago and; putting aside their kind and supportive natures, I asked for feedback. It appeared to go very well apart from the fact that I am a writer who cannot spell. Luckily, they pointed out my spelling and grammar errors, gave them a loving stamp of approval and encouraged me to follow my heart to become a published author / illustrator. So here we are! I started by completing the very first children's book I wrote, and now I am finalising the rest as I get ready to find representation to move them forward to the next stage. My first book is on YouTube now, to be enjoyed, for free. This particular book has been about ten years in the making as I started writing it whilst I was at university. I am now over a decade beyond that stage of life and finally I have dedicated my time to competing and finessing every illustration to move this story from my head to the page. It was a delightful process and, as with any creative endeavour, I was then utterly exhausted and due a long nap at the end of it. But now, a year on, I am here refuelled and ready to make my life’s work past, present and future, accessible to you, if you wish to take a peek.... To read the full text go to my Patreon

6 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Your Style Spectacles - MUSING MONOLOGUE

At school we would draw a fruit bowl and dream we were Leonardo Da Vinci. Only, when I tried to draw an apple realistically, it came out warped and wonky on the paper. I later learned that this ‘wonky’ look relentlessly tarnishing all of my drawings, was called a ‘style’. A style is when you interpret something that has been passed through the concoction of all that is you via your mind, and is regurgitated for others to see, using the body, in this case your hand controlling a pencil. When people see a few of your creations in succession they can recognise your "Signature Style". It is not isolated to one of your pieces, it comes from repetition, so you must keep creating to find it. It will illuminate itself with continued practice. When a person sees one wonky apple they think, “they can’t draw apples very well, why on earth did they frame that...” But when they see ten wonky apples in ten different frames, the consistency of the wonkiness comes together as a ‘signature style’. Thus branding you an innovator and maybe even, the founder of a new movement. The onlooker then changes their response saying; “Gosh, what a profound new artist, is this an art revolution!?” A style is another way of saying: “You see the world differently to me. It would be fascinating to wear your spectacles for a moment and have a look around.” Through illustration you can convey feeling, atmosphere and character. When you see a monkey at the zoo, you watch, hear and smell him going about his business. You get a sense of the thickness of his shaggy brown coat, or the speed that he moves along the branches with his long curling toes. Having observed him you then decide to draw him. He does not lay on a couch for two hours posing perfectly still for you to capture how the light hits his leathery fingertips. You won’t be able to draw every single one of his hairs that you saw blowing about in the wind. However, you could perhaps capture his cheeky and playful nature which you witnessed in action when he rugby tackled the other monkey to the floor, and stole his banana. You could do this through drawing the jagged angles of his arms and the twinkle in his eye. Even if you took a photograph and drew from that, it would never be a complete duplication of the photograph itself. How you draw is unique to you and allows you to share a window into how you see the world, not how the world actually is. - That's what photographs are for. Nobody’s vision is the same, Because nobody shares their eyes or their brain. Whatever the thing is that you love to do, if someone tells you you’re not good at it, ignore them and continue until your signature style is revealed. Never get put off by the opinions of others on your creations. There is a place for all art. Just as there is space for each person here on Earth. So in my case, the goal is to draw something with a sense of childlike freedom to make someone smile, not, to accurately depict the ‘origin of all creation’ on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Both styles can be admired in equal measure, not pitted against each other. Of course there are always tantalising exceptions to every rule; Picasso being one of them. He could draw the most accurate of apples just as he could draw the most abstract wonky one. We all have more than one talent, two of his just happened to be in the department of artistic style. The spectacles in which you view life are unique to you. And that is the crux of why you, my friend, are so interesting. How brilliant it is to have an insight into somebody else’s brain through what they create and what a wonder a style is to be able to express and enjoy our uniqueness. You have been reading “Your Style Spectacles...” a ‘Musing’, by Lucy Stuteley

5 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Bea's Book Club - MUSING MONOLOGUE

Children’s picture book reviews and studies. If you love children’s books as much as I do, then you are now invited to become a member of ‘Bea’s Book Club’. My name is Lucy Stuteley, I am a writer and illustrator and Bea is my puppy. Bea like all gorgeous creatures, loves being read to, so naturally the book club is named after her. Bea’s Book Club will explore my treasured collection of children’s books. This will be a space where we can appreciate and study some terrific books. The purpose of analysing these books is to feed your ‘Imagination Education’ with inspiration. I neither wrote nor illustrated these books, and I respect copyright laws. This is a virtual book club where we study the techniques the authors and illustrators use to create masterful picture books. It is a love letter to my favourite books as well as the skills and workmanship of the authors and illustrators who created them. You can find these books online however; I am sure they will mostly exist in your local library or in a local bookshop. (A trip to the library or a bookshop makes for an adventurous day out! - especially if it involves a hot drink and a slice of chocolate cake). Lucy + Bea

1 min
21/06/2025 · BONUS

Spectacular School Workshop! - MUSING MONOLOGUE

Recently I had the opportunity to conduct an all-day creative workshop at a school as part of ‘Imagination Education’. I had been working towards this for a few weeks and I am delighted to say that the workshop lesson plan was a success and the students left the classroom having learnt new illustrative skills and most importantly, feeling confident in their individual creative abilities. This was a joy to see, it also reinforced my passion for inspiring and encouraging others through creativity. The students were a delight to work with and they all had remarkable inspirational energy. Here is an overview of the day: After introducing myself and talking the students through how art can transform from a hobby into a career, we spoke about the benefits of having creative hobbies for wellbeing and self expression. Soon after discussing inspirations and styles we launched into some quick exercises that were designed to unlock their imagination and give the students a set of artistic techniques that they could build on throughout the day and beyond. We spoke about how - with practice - feeling confident in using these tools would help to discover and build on their own unique style of art. We concentrated on working with watercolours, pen and pencils. Once they felt confident with the medium and the illustration techniques I had taught them we discussed prose, poetry and further inspirations: books, films, quotes etc. We decided to focus on positivity and encouragement as the main topics in the afternoon project. I aimed to complete the first part of the workshop as soon as possible so that the students had ample time to begin and grow their individual projects for the rest of the day. We began each project with the theme of positive phrases, poetry, prose, accompanied by illustration. I continued to go from pupil to pupil and guide each student to help their individual projects grow in harmony with their own unique style. Along with their willingness to learn I was in awe of their artistic ideas, and it was wonderful to assist them in their ability to translate their thoughts, feelings and ideas onto the paper. Their individual characters shone through their artwork and they seemed very proud of their creations. The projects developed exceptionally well throughout the day and the students left the workshop feeling confident in expressing their uniqueness through writing, drawing and mark making. They produced work that will be made into ‘Positivity Postcards’ and used throughout the school going forward. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a day encouraging them with their self belief and confidence in illustrating and writing. My hope is that the students will have left the workshop with a set of techniques they can build on going forward and a level of confidence that will encourage them to continue to use words and pictures as a form of therapeutic relaxation, inspiration, ambition, creativity, fun and communication. I am VERY grateful for this opportunity! It was a magical day - Stay tuned for more wonderful workshop diaries from ‘Imagination Education’. You have been reading “Spectacular School Workshop!”, a ‘Musing’, by Lucy Stuteley

4 min
15/06/2024

IMAGINATION EDUCATION - The Podcast! Episode 1: "An Introduction"

Imagination Education - The Podcast! Developing creativity to encourage innovation, self-belief and wellbeing. Episode 1: "An Introduction" A higgledy piggledy introductory conversation between the two hosts, mother and daughter duo: Sarah and Lucy Stuteley, about the importance of growing your imagination education. Please like and subscribe for more! Sound effects are from “Pixabay”: “Magic Wand” and “Celestial Melody" www.pixabay.com

24 min

12 Episodes

Imagination Education - The Podcast! Mother and daughter duo, Lucy and Sarah talk about the importance of developing creativity to encourage innovation, self-belief and wellbeing. Sarah and Lucy welcome guests with a variety of creative passions and careers; discussing their personal journeys and the importance of feeding your "Imagination Education".

Creator

Lucy Stuteley
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

12
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Lucy Stuteley
Show Website

Imagination Education