Creative Practice and Embodied Narratives

Reviews / Votes

"This timely and much-needed academic book fills a critical gap in creative practice research. It offers a rare and compelling synthesis of method, theory, and lived inquiry, bringing together material, somatic, and symbolic dimensions of making. Through its integration of autoethnographic practice and theoretical insight, it demonstrates how meaning emerges through body, material, and context, as part of a dynamic system of knowing. Grounded in embodied arts, material thinking, and maker cultures, the book reclaims the symbolic and cultural depth of creative work. It positions creative practice not just as output, but as a rigorous mode of research and cultural intervention. Crucially, it responds to the pressing demands of our time-climate crisis, social complexity, and the need for relational, transformative knowledge. A significant contribution to transdisciplinary scholarship, this book offers creative practitioners and researchers a richly articulated framework for depth, relevance, and change." (Dr Suzanne Osmond, Head of Academic Development and Research, NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art)

"Walking with Barbara through these pages is fresh air in a world where scholarly depth, imaginative exploration, and the time to reflect feel increasingly under siege. Her work is a dance, where theory and creative practice interweave, each expanding and informing the other. At its heart is a search for expanded ways of attending to life, expressed through a fusion of material and immaterial experience. This is not just a book, but a living inquiry-attuned, embodied, and richly layered with mycelium-like threads that invite deeper connection to our lives. Through artful practice, Barbara draws us into what she calls a "polysymphonic movement with life." It is rigorous, generous, and ultimately hopeful. As a vital companion to the practical toolkit Creative Reboot, this book deepens the why behind the how, grounding creativity in theory, while opening new ways of seeing, making, and becoming in a world that urgently needs it." (Jon Adams, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Head (Research), School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney)

"We have been missing a structured dialogue between the practice of creative intelligence, research theory and the rest of the world. Too many people are afraid of their own creative practice. This book beckons the reader to value and catalyse the embodied cognition within, and allow it to be expressed in professional settings and the lived world more broadly. It is a lively interaction between the personal and trans-disciplinary professional domains, mineralised by deep research. This book will seed meaning-making in fields beyond traditional domains of creativity for years to come." (Cecila Warren, Company Director and Strategic Advisor in Creativity and Innovation, iMove Australia)

"Far too often we can find ourselves drifting into futures that are not of our choosing. The metrics we revere affirm rather than challenge the assumptions that underpin 'how things are'. This unquestioning attitude is not just lazy, it is dangerous. We have a responsibility to use all of the tools available to us, to do otherwise is to be wilfully ignorant. Barbara Doran shows us the art of living and demonstrates how pragmatic creativity can help us understand complexity and productively engage with the world. This is a book for the citizens of the world who want things to be better for all." (Rodger Watson, Research Fellow in Innovation Strategy and Design Futures Specialist, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, UK)