Hello! I’m Susannah.

I’m a photographer and author, and I lead creative courses online that help you reconnect to your true self. My first book, This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart, hit bookshelves in June 2012, and I’ve also co-authored another, Instant Love: How to Make Magic & Memories with Polaroids. I’m a born-again Londoner, a confident introvert and a very proud auntie to Noah.

Qualificationly-speaking, I hold an HND in fine art photography and a first-class degree in journalism, and spent many years in the capital working as a fashion editor and freelance journalist. So that’s the boring career stuff out of the way.

What got me started on this current path?

My life, as I now know it, began in the spring of 2005 when the man I loved died very suddenly from a heart attack. My grief was absolute and devastating, and I left the city to heal by the sea, cosseting myself away so I could try to make sense of what had happened (I couldn’t — you never can).

Thirteen months into my bereavement I started writing a blog called Ink on my fingers. Blogging was (and continues to be) a way to share my heart and was incredibly healing, reopening the door to my creativity while connecting me to other souls around the world.

A trip to the USA in November 2006 rekindled my passion for photography. Surrounded by so many new sights, the camera focussed my attention on the present, taking me out of my grief and allowing me to connect with how I was feeling in the moment. It was a revelation, bringing me full circle to my years at art school when I lived & breathed photography — my camera has been in my hand ever since.

As I moved through the stages of grief I unravelled layer after layer of my self, a painful yet ultimately healing process. It was therapy, the ocean and my renewed passion for photography that stitched me back together again, with a profoundly changed view of the world and my place in it.

Why Unravelling?

Unravelling is the word I used to describe my healing process after the death of my partner — I was peeling away the layers of myself to find out what was underneath and get back to the real me. In this context unravelling is not a negative thing but rather a letting go and a simplifying, a way to look at our lives and stories and uncover the real beauty.

In 2008 I moved to a new city and was given the opportunity to teach a photography class at a local adult education centre. As they already had a technical photography class I decided to create something more meaningful drawing on everything I had learned through my bereavement and healing. After the success of that first evening class I decided to offer Unravelling online in January 2009 and the rest, as they say, is history.

I now have four creative courses I run throughout the year:

– Unravelling: Ways of Seeing My Self reconnects you to your true self using photo assignments and writing prompts – 8 weeks, women-only

– Journal Your Life is for anyone who wants to dive deep into their journalling…. and heal their life in the process – 6 weeks

– Photo Meditations is all about creating images infused with soul using any camera (including smart phones!) – 5 weeks

– Blogging from the Heart teaches you how to express yourself creatively online and build community – 6 weeks

Thousands of women from around the world have joined together to unravel and heal their lives, dive deeper into their photography practice and learn how to share their hearts online. It’s such an honour to be able to do this work.

The books

My first book, This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart, was published in June 2012 by SKIRT! Books. I’ve also co-authored another book, Instant Love: How to Make Magic and Memories with Polaroids (Chronicle Books).

You can read more about the evolution of This I Know over here.

About this site

The healing path is one that never ends and it’s my hope that by chronicling what I’ve learned I can help others reconnect to their own true selves, using creativity as the key to unlock the door. I share my thoughts and realisations on my blog, alongside the occasional confessional (from me) and interview (with others who inspire me). I try to be as honest as I can, revealing the light and dark of my life in the hope that it will inspire others to do the same. It’s by sharing our stories that we feel less alone.

I’m so glad you’re here. xo