‍Donna Matthews is an improviser, artist, and worship leader. In the 1990s she wrote songs and played lead guitar in Elastica and later devised and facilitated creative workshops for people in recovery from addiction. She is currently completing a practice-based PhD in Music at the University of Glasgow. Her work explores poetic intuition, inspiration, improvisation, and speaking in tongues, looking at the intersections between gifted states, flow, attentiveness, and worship, and their significance in both artistic and ecclesial practice.

The Significance of Gifted States in Artistic and Ecclesial Practice - Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual practice, Donna’s presentation explores the dynamics of flow—its benefits, outcomes, and transformative potential. She considers how improvisatory practices and speaking in tongues can open pathways into flow, and how such states can reshape artmaking into an act of worship, surrender, and service.

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