Why I Blog: Creative Leadership, Emotional Intelligence & the Art of Learning

In the digital age, everyone is speaking. But not everyone is being heard.

When I started blogging in 2014, my focus was to explore cultural narratives around gender, intelligence, and leadership. My background in educational psychology and cultural storytelling gave me a lens through which I could understand, and write about, the invisible patterns behind how we learn, lead, and live.

For nearly a decade, this blog became a space for cultural research, history, identity, and transformation. But something shifted.

As I taught more workshops, designed more learning experiences, and supported adult learners and professionals, I began to notice that the blog, and I, were evolving. It was no longer just about history and research. It was about how we learn in real time. It was about what it feels like to teach, to be seen, to communicate, to change. And it was deeply emotional.

That’s when I realised something crucial: I wasn't just blogging as a researcher or educator. I was blogging as a creative professional, as an artist, and as someone who understands how fragile and powerful learning really is.

A Space to Reflect, Not Perform

There is so much performance in education today; teachers performing knowledge, students performing achievement, institutions performing innovation. But real learning is quiet, relational, and deeply human. My blog became a place where I could share what that looks like. Not for the sake of branding or self-promotion, but because I believe that reflective storytelling is essential for leadership.

I’ve written about the time I stood in front of my first multicultural adult classroom, and how I had just minutes to redesign my teaching strategy on the spot. I’ve shared the impact of two very different teachers on my life. One who crushed my dreams with a single sentence, and another who saw my voice before I did. These stories aren’t just anecdotes. They are blueprints. They show the emotional reality behind learning, and how we can make it better.

Creative Intelligence: The Core of It All

Much of my work revolves around what I call creative intelligence which is the ability to use imagination, empathy, intuition, and design-thinking to communicate and lead. This blog is where I explore that. It’s where I test ideas, where I reflect on conversations with students, clients, and peers, and where I bring my academic knowledge into dialogue with real-world learning moments.

Creative intelligence is often invisible. It’s the part of teaching that helps you sense when someone isn’t following. It’s the part of leadership that reads between the lines. It’s what allows a communicator to build trust without saying much. And it is, in my opinion, the most essential skill in the future of education.

Blogging as Thought Leadership (The Real Kind)

The term thought leadership is everywhere now. But true thought leadership doesn’t come from shouting louder. It comes from deep listening, from a capacity to synthesise knowledge across disciplines, and from the courage to say something meaningful even, if it’s not trendy.

This blog is where I try to do just that.

I write not because I have the answers, but because I want to ask better questions. How do we make adult learning more emotionally intelligent? What does trust look like in a classroom? How do we support educators who feel burned out, unseen, or unsure of their place in this new digital landscape?

Blogging, for me, is not a marketing strategy. It’s a leadership practice.

For Educators, Communicators, and Creatives

While my background is in educational psychology and communication, my blog speaks to a wide audience:

• educators who want to teach with more soul,

• professionals who want to communicate with clarity and empathy,

• creatives who are searching for meaning in how they share their voice.

You don’t need to be an academic to belong here. You just need to believe that learning, expression, and leadership should be more human.

And that’s who I write for.

Art, Identity & the Blog as Bridge

As an artist, I also see each blog post as a collage; fragments of story, insight, memory, and meaning woven together.

My art is a visual extension of what I write here. Sometimes my blog even becomes the story behind an artwork, like Traveling Toward the Light, which grew out of a powerful memory I wrote about in the post The Words That Shaped Me: How a Teacher Can Open a Life — or Shut It Down.

This is the kind of bridge I’m building: between art and education, between knowledge and emotion, between who we are and how we express it.

Where It’s Headed

I now write this blog as part of my professional offering. It supports my consulting, my mentoring work, and my educational design services. But more than anything, it’s a place to be honest, curious, and creative.

Whether you’re here as a collaborator, employer, or fellow educator, I invite you to explore these blog posts not just as writing samples, but as windows of curiosity, reflection, and insight into the multifaceted world of learning and education.

Share your thoughts here or reach out via LinkedIn if you’d like to continue exploring this beautifully fascinating world of learning together.

Thanks for being here.

— Louise Sommer

Louise Sommer is an Educational Psychologist, artist, graphic designer, and creative learning consultant. With over 20 years of international experience, she works at the intersection of adult education, emotional intelligence, and cultural storytelling. Louise helps institutions, professionals, and purpose-driven educators transform complex knowledge into meaningful, human-centred communication.

She offers 1:1 online mentoring for educators and professionals seeking to strengthen their voice, presence, and communication impact — and designs tailored workshops for workgroups and learning teams.

She’s passionate about helping others feel seen, empowered, and ready to lead from within.

📬 Connect on LinkedIn @louisesommer