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Louise Sommer
Exploring Creative Intelligence, Leadership, and Learning across Cultures & History.
Welcome to my free learning space
Exploring the Art of Learning, Leadership & Culture
This blog explores how art, communication, and creative intelligence shape the way we learn, lead, and understand culture. Blending research with reflection, each post offers a thoughtful pause. A moment to reconnect with meaning, imagination, and the human experience across time and place.
Here, you’ll find reflective essays on learning, leadership, creativity, and cultural storytelling written to inspire deeper thinking and more human-centred ways of teaching, creating, and leading.
May each entry spark insight for your own learning journey.
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Communication Is Curriculum: Why How You Teach Is What You Teach
In a time where technology is reshaping education, leadership, and even identity, I believe we need a deeper conversation about the emotional, relational, and creative layers of learning. Whether you’re an educator, researcher, leader, or creative thinker, my aim is to offer ideas that support your voice, your presence, and your impact. Many of the ideas in this article are rooted in my real-world experience from working with researchers and thought leaders.
Louise Sommer
Aug 64 min read
Thought Leadership starts with a different kind of question
Once upon a time, blogging conjured images of travel diaries, food journals, or the early internet’s version of an open letter. But today? The landscape has changed. Blogging has evolved into something far more layered, strategic, and powerful. Yet strangely, the word stayed stuck in the past. What we used to call a “blog” is now a very specific form of professional communication; one that builds credibility, sharpens your voice, and attracts the right clients, collaborations
Louise Sommer
Jul 143 min read
The Words That Shaped Me: How a Teacher Can Open a Life, or Shut It Down
Everyone carries a story behind their eyes. A moment that closed something down. Or moment that made something possible. A memory of feeling stupid, or a memory of feeling seen. These stories are not always visible. But they’re present; in how we speak, how we learn, how we show up. And that means teaching is never just about content. It’s about creating the conditions where someone can unfold again.
Louise Sommer
Jun 304 min read
How standing in front of a multicultural class shaped my approach to education, empathy, and creative intelligence
I remember the moment clearly. I was standing in front of my very first class in Australia. In front of me sat a group of adults from six different countries and vastly different cultural backgrounds. There were 20-year-old backpackers from France and South America, published authors and artists from all over Australia, emerging entrepreneurs, and even two senior scholars who wanted to learn how to communicate their field to 'outsiders.' No pressure, right?
Louise Sommer
Jun 233 min read
Thought Leadership in the Digital Age of Education
Why Creative Intelligence and Visionary Thinking Matter More Than Ever. In the 21st century, education is no longer defined by the four walls of a classroom, or even by static curricula. It is shaped by visionaries who can navigate complexity, inspire innovation, and re-imagine what learning can be. At the heart of this transformation lies a powerful concept: thought leadership in digital education. Thought leadership is more than expertise. It is the ability to influence, in
Louise Sommer
Jun 93 min read
How Culture Shapes the Way We Communicate
At its best, communication is not efficiency. It is empathy, creativity, and culture in motion. Culture is a powerful lens through which we view the world. It shapes our language, values, traditions, even how we communicate and understand other people. It’s not just about the food we eat or the festivals we celebrate; it’s the stories we tell, the symbols we recognize, and the ways we express ourselves. But here’s the kicker: most people underestimate how much culture affects
Louise Sommer
Jan 264 min read
Culture, Collective Memory, Epigenetics & Identity
When I speak about culture, I refer to this collective experience that defines, influences, and enriches us all. We are not isolated beings.
Louise Sommer
Jan 206 min read
Living Creatively: Lessons from Julie & Julia on Inner Leadership and Authentic Living
The film Julie & Julia, directed by Nora Ephron, is more than a culinary tale. It is a wonderful portrait of creative courage, cultural discovery, and the quiet evolution of inner leadership. It reminds us that creativity isn’t only about what we make, but who we become in the process of making it. Across two timelines, we encounter the real stories of Julie Powell and Julia Child, two women who, in different cultures and eras, found their way to authenticity through curiosit
Louise Sommer
Nov 14, 20244 min read
Exploring the Living Narrative of Human Existence
We’ve been taught to think of culture as something externa; a set of shared behaviors, beliefs, or traditions that belong to a particular group. But culture is so much more than that. It’s not just something we observe or participate in; it’s something we carry deep within us. Culture is the living narrative of human existence itself, and this is what I refer to every time I use this term. Think of all the lives that have come before us. Every generation leaves its mark.
Louise Sommer
Oct 12, 20243 min read
Frida Kahlo, Gabriel García Márquez & Creativity
Creativity transcends surface-level understanding and invites us to dive into a deep, personal exploration of who we are, how we relate...
Louise Sommer
Jul 18, 20245 min read
Remedios Varo: The Myth of the Muses and the Magical Vision of a Catalan artist
Remedios Varo was a Catalonian-born surrealist painter who found refuge, and creative liberation, in Mexico after fleeing Europe during WWII. Varo was a visionary artist with a background in science, mysticism, alchemy, and metaphysics, and she created otherworldly paintings that feel like dream maps. Varo wasn’t just painting from imagination: she was painting from a mythic state of consciousness. She lived in tune with the muse.
Louise Sommer
Jun 5, 20244 min read
Gertrude Bell: Explorer, Diplomat, Visionary. A Legacy Beyond the Desert
Gertrude Bell’s story goes far beyond exploration. Discover the real diplomat, visionary, and cultural bridge-builder who shaped the modern Middle East. Learn how her creative intelligence and cross-cultural empathy offer timeless lessons for today. Written by artist and storyteller Louise Sommer. Explore creativity, history, and cultural myths at louisesommer.co. #GertrudeBell #CreativeIntelligence
Louise Sommer
May 31, 20213 min read
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