Danuta Raine

Becoming Whole: Creativity Beyond Specialisation “You’ll Never make it unless you specialise.” But originality depends on synthesis, and synthesis flourishes where there’s breadth and depth.

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Beyond Resolution: You are the Bow and the Arrow “You will Never be enough unless you improve.” But a meaningful life is more about aligning your shots than declaring resolutions.

Happy New Year, friends!
If New Year is the time when you reflect and direct your year ahead, my latest Beyond the Nevers essay looks at my take on moving beyond resolutions.

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Blue flowers in an Australian garden.

Choosing what matters doesn’t need to be becoming the best, being a billionaire, or “making it”—whatever it is

It can be hugging your daughter, having a cuppa with your bestie, or living a low impact life

What matters most to you?

We each have a unique voice that deserves to be heard. This holiday season, create safe spaces for unusual voices and hear the stories that people need to share. This week’s Beyond the Nevers essay explores what it means to belong during the holidays.

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writerbeware.blog/2025/12/19/w...

One would hope we can recover. If we can’t, then we are truly lost.
I stand against antisemitism and terrorism with the victims and their families and communities. My deepest sorrow for your personal loss.

Introverts Holiday Differently, Not Less. “Your community will Never accept you unless you join the crowd.” But science says communities do better when they embrace difference.

The holidays can be great for all your kith and kin … all you gotta do is put your mind to it.

Designing supportive holiday environments is something we all can do. Explore some ways to do in this week’s Beyond the Nevers essay.

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Imposters, Beginners and Creative Communities “You’ll Never succeed without talent.” But we all start out as beginners.

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Creative communities encourage you to try things you might not have done otherwise.
I never thought of myself as a perfumier, but here is my first big batch.
Must admit, I felt a bit decadent using 35 drops of Herboristerie Firadous Rose oil.

But courage comes from company.

Creative Communities are the Bees’ Knees The Never says: “You have to compete to succeed creatively.” But science says that successful creativity is all about community.

Creative Communities are the Bees Knees is this weeks Substack essay. In it, I wax lyrical about why communities are it. Why do we thrive together? What is the key to successful communities?
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Constantly wrestling with the artificial interrogators. It’s making me a little … I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll tell me.

Creativity Thrives in Community The Never says: If you didn’t do it alone, it isn’t really yours. But creativity has always thrived in community, from ancient storytellers to modern researchers.

Community and creativity has always been intertwined. Creativity thrives in community, and community is designed by our evolving creativity.

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So we aren’t thinking about literary theorists?

Failure is Fodder for Your Next Attempt “You’ll Never recover from failure.” “You’re only as good as your last project.” These are lies designed to make us give up. So, don’t give up.

“You’ll Never recover from failure.” “You’re only as good as your last project.” These are lies designed to make us give up. So, don’t give up. Make failure the fodder for your next attempt.
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Female Neurodivergence, It’s Really Not the Same Neurodivergent women often live at the intersection of misunderstood biology and under-researched neurology.

Two words: Bleeding Brilliant.
If you are swimming in the ocean that is neurospicy womanhood, this is freaky good. Read it.

open.substack.com/pub/unmaskin...

Creativity Calms the Chaos “You’ll Never be creative when your life is a mess.” Well, that’s not what science says.

I am so excited to release this new essay on Substack. If you ever thought that creativity was something you did to reward yourself, think again. The science suggests that creativity is essential—that it is the calm that clears our chaos.

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Creativity vs The Nevers Why I'm Here

I have started a Substack about creativity and going beyond the Nevers.

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Double jeopardy-pregnancy and birth during a catastrophic bushfire event followed by a pandemic lockdown, a natural experiment From November 2019 to January 2020, eastern Australia experienced the worst bushfires in recorded history. Two months later, Sydney and surrounds were…

There were notable health issues after the 2020 fires in Australia, as seen in increased risks for pregnancies and births. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Being hopeful during the current changes in the world. It is like your best friend has had an accident and they are no longer who they once were. Instead of having your back, they are sharpening a stick to poke into it. Everyone is trying to gently help out while getting out of range of the stick.

She is a riot! So funny.

Happy Solstice. Beyond the religious holidays, the earth does what it does. May it do well by you in the coming season, and I hope you do well by it.

YouTube video by Padrobus Hallelujah (shrek song) Best version!

The best version of Hallelujah, in my opinion. I just wish that it was a high def, high end, recording.

Do you know of any that can compete?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt2F...

#Music #Musicsky

So pretty.

👍 prepared!

Rewatching Babylon 5. I know it is from the last century, but it offers so many insights into how to construct long-arc fiction series. Molari's transformation; how Straczynski seeds his flaws in the Pilot episode and then drips things in through the first series—Golden.
#Babylon5 #Writing

YouTube video by SearchlightPictures MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE: Official HD Trailer

Watched Martha Marcy Mae Marlene after listening to a q&a podcast on cults. Been interested in cults since my ex-husband got us caught up in 'Christian' one. It took 3 years to pull away because I wanted to bring him out of it, but his mind has never recovered.
youtu.be/ERREgOobLOs?...
#cults

@tfburkeauthor.bsky.social what do I do to join the Apex starter pack or group or what not?

Most excellent. I have been slow on the uptake. :)