Dr Pragya Argawal is an academic, designer, writer, business owner, and the busy mum of three girls. Born and raised in India, she moved to the UK as a young single mum to complete her Master’s Degree and PhD. Pragya is no-doubt a very accomplished woman, but things haven’t always been easy for her.

During her academic career, she suffered from stress and burnout, and more recently, after the premature birth of her twins, fought anxiety and depression. Severely sleep-deprived and under pressure with not one but two babies suffering from colic and reflux, Pragya fell back on to her safety net. Creativity.

During a break from her career, Pragya had turned her hobby of print-making into a business by setting up her own art studio Hedge and Hog Prints. And in 2017, inspired by her twins’ multiple allergies, she founded The Art Tiffin, a vegan and eco-friendly box of art material.

A family-run and ethical business, The Art Tiffin is the first social enterprise to actively campaign for cruelty-free art materials. Pragya is passionate about helping families find the most natural, toxic-free products, and fostering creativity in children from a young age, but she also knows how important it is to raise awareness about mental health and make a positive social impact by giving back to charities.

In this episode, Pragya walks you through the research and neuroscience behind creativity, something that she believes we can all find inside of ourselves. She explains how taking only a few minutes out of your busy days to do something creative can do wonders for your mental health and wellbeing. And if you think you’re not the creative type, hold on. Because you’ll find out exactly what being creative means and what you can do to express your own creativity.