What have I been up to?
Last year after a pandemic pregnancy I began to emerge as a freelancer for the first time in 12 years. Having worked in an organisation and also running a company with another creative, for the first time in a long time - I have been let loose on my own.
A huge period of thrilling, shit your pants, scary change: With no colleagues and a lot of solo work, I have been recently re-emerging from the pandemic and my entry to motherhood tentatively and with some disbelieving joy and luck. My projects are a smorgasbord of interests – what do I want to try, keep and put in the bin?
What have I been working on?
I am currently working on my first solo commission - Homegrown for Powered by CAN. A hugely personal account of my time being pregnant during covid. I thought the process would be cathartic and fun but (no surprises to the established writers out there) it has been riddled with self doubt, internal cringe and pure rage. I am really, really titsed about how women were treated during that time.
I have been speaking to other women who were pregnant during that time – it’s been refreshing to see their mouths to be honest. Hearing “did you find” and chatting to people about some dark and terrible times. I have also found the light and personally, a channel to my most self absorbed state – which is hilarious and stupid. It’s coming together and will be released soon.
I’ve been producing The Exchange Forum for Stoke Creates and meeting some truly amazing people working in Stoke and surroundings. I can’t believe it get to create events that bring such cool people together. It’s a lot of fun and I hope it will be useful for those wanting to make things happen in the arts.
I was guest Artists for the truly gorgeous, proper and thoughtful Filament Projects in libraries in Cheshire at the end of last year and met some great groups who shared their lockdown stories with us. Look out for their touring installation (Also called The Exchange!) to plug into peoples stories.
I am planning a some on off workshops including one for Stoke Libraries and Stoke Reads for World Book Day – my house has become a collectors delight ( i don’t have a shed(!) so practitioners “stuff” is piled up in domestic settings. Puppets, cloths, glitter and books decorate my kitchen and front room.
Developing a new musical for teenagers – it’s in the works!
Mentor for DYCP for a Youth Theatre in Shropshire called Moonstruck Astronaut. Helping with creative content, best practice, recruitment and more. It’s been a privilege to see the opportunities on offer and the group grow and flourish under the Direction of Hannah the AD.
I was lucky enough to be part of the Inspire Programme run by the absolute powerhouse Lily Einhorn. It couldn’t have come at a better time -a chance to connect with this amazing network of Women and NB practitioners working all over the country, but experiencing much of the same situations and circumstances.
Having had some conversations with other mothers who are doin’ art with a lot on their plate and experiencing it for myself I am doing a u-turn on some of my previous unconsidered comments and daft opinions “you’re so inspiring” “working and parenting at the same time looks amazing” …reader, its not. It’s shit.
You are bad at it all.
Necessity is the mother of invention, or to be more precise the mother is inventive because it is necessary or we would go broke. I am looking forward to the day I can get some more balance because working whenever my husband is in the house and tagging each other into childcare or taking my 18 month old to meetings. It isn’t fun (My daughter is really fun but sadly won’t follow agendas unless it involves snacks).
If you’re at it – trying to be creative, earn money, parent and keep going during these times. I see you, lets meet up and have some big chats (but it might have to be an ambient zoom with marauding children around).
I am looking forward to seeing more work, connecting with new people and learning new things over the next 12 months