Workshops
Art has the ability to empower, giving us a porthole into a space where we are all completely free to express ourselves, where there are no rights or wrongs.
I feel so passionately about creativity and its ability to help people express emotions, to grow in understanding and confidence to give an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement in creating a personal masterpiece, or its ability to bring cheer to an environment or individual.
Artforms SEN Active learning
Early in 2011, I was selected as one of 8 artists in Yorkshire to work on the Active Learning training project run by Artforms.
The project bought together teachers and artists to share and explore technical and theoretical knowledge of art and design, to deliver stimulating, inspiring and challenging creative education, developing a practical and specialised framework for pupils with special educational needs.
Textile Print Technician working with adults with learning disabilities
I spent a wonderful year working as a print and textiles technician at the Leeds College of Art and Design.
We worked weekly with a small group of adults with varying special educational needs, exploring different printing and textile techniques including screen printing, heat transfer printing and other simple print making techniques. The classes were wonderful; helping the participants to grow in confidence to learn new skills and to embody them with a sense of achievement and pride in their creative work was a privilege to be a part of.
Birthing from Within
During my pregnancy with my first Son, I felt a real sense of sadness and isolation at the lack of emotional support received through antenatal care, there felt like no way to express all the emotions I had and questions that filled my mind and no one to help guide myself and my partner through this. I discovered the fantastic book Birthing From Within that transformed our pregnancy and birthing journey.
Following the birth of my Son I went on to complete an online training in Birth Art Facilitation through Birthing from Within and led several workshops with pregnant women.
The workshops were fantastic and the feedback was really positive. The women I worked with were in their second pregnancy and had previously had a traumatic birth. Creating birth art helped them to explore some of the fears and concerns they had surrounding the birthing process and help them to feel a sense of clarity and positivity.
