Welcome to Breath & Ember studio
There will be no listicle posts here and no ai-written slop. I plan to write when there is something to say, rather than because a content calendar has impelled me to write. I may even add just sound, or some images, or show some handwritten snippets. I love writing by hand, which is possibly why I have found blog writing to be quite uninspiring up until now.
Today is Wednesday 1st July 2026 at 2.38pm. I have been finishing off part one of a music composition I am creating for my Arts Council Wales, Creative Steps project. I’m calling it The Opening Series – because the project is about expansive feeling states and how our gaze, movement through space, and sound all contribute to the feeling of expansion. I’m particularly looking at the pre-cognitive aspects of this feeling state rather than thoughts. This whole project has very much been about exploring the sensory aspects of feeling states, rather than thoughts and behaviours.
Some of the things I have discovered through this project are:
- Looking outward feels more spacious than looking upward
- Low, Mid & High frequencies are needed for expansion, not just high
- When composing for a feeling of expansion, it is important to have a grounding sound, an anchor, and then the mid-high frequencies with width and space. Not, as I had at first thought, just high frequencies and lots of energy. Expansion is a feeling of space in relation to where we are. It isn’t about drifting off into space and disappearing. We are grounded and located, and then looking outward and feeling out into the space. If I had to draw a quick diagram of what that feels like to me, it would be this:
The dotted lines represent the feeling of space flowing out from the centre of me, to either side of the space in front of me. I’m looking outwards, not upwards (although in this image my lack of drawing skills make it look like I am reaching upwards!). I’m a designer of emotional experiences and a composer of music, not an illustrator 😁.
Other work
Apart from my arts project work I am also working on my business creating therapeutic and wellbeing tools. I’ve completed a case formulation tool for CBT Therapists, and have nearly completed The Sunday Practice therapeutic writing web app. I’m quite excited about this one because I have combined sound, gaze, journaling and CBT strategies into one experience. It has been designed to help with Sunday night dread & anxiety. That feeling that we can have when we know we have to work on Monday, but our Sunday evening can be ruined by not being able to stop thinking about Monday. This is the feeling I have designed this experience around.
I will post the link as soon as it has been completed!