Receiving the Creativitys UK Award for July 2024 feels surreal and humbling simultaneously. When the notification arrived while I was finishing Omnichannel Hearts, I initially thought it was spam — awards for writers still seem like things that happen to other people, not to someone painting nails and collecting secrets in a London studio.
The recognition celebrates “outstanding contribution to contemporary literature through innovative storytelling and multicultural perspective.” Reading those words made me realize how far I’ve traveled from those first nervous paragraphs typed on Maldives beaches in 2021.
What moves me most is that this acknowledges not just individual achievement, but the validity of hybrid creative careers. You can be a nail artist and a novelist. You can write from multiple cultural perspectives without choosing sides. You can find profound stories in seemingly superficial interactions.
The award also recognizes the community that makes creative work possible — readers who’ve followed this journey from Polished Edges through Omnichannel Hearts, clients who trust me with their vulnerabilities, educators from Beijing to Glasgow who shaped my perspective.
This moment arrives perfectly timed with summer reflections and family visits, reminding me that recognition feels sweetest when you know who you were before it arrived. The girl who once doubted whether her multicultural observations mattered would be amazed to see where curiosity and persistence lead.
Posted from London, where unexpected recognition illuminates how far creativity can travel.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
