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embroidery project and self-reflecting

20 August 2020

I have come to the end of my MA, a unique personal journey shaped by the communities that got me through it.

The principles of feminism have been at the core of all of my projects, and craftivism has hugely inspired me along the way. I have enjoyed using craftivism concepts as the foundation of my final project, and this has enabled opportunities to bring about positive change. I achieved empowerment from learning and acknowledging both my own experiences and the shared knowledge and experiences of other women. My research into empowerment helped me to improve my understanding of it and enabled me to continue supporting others in their development.

The last workshop in my final project, Power Over, gave me a chance to reflect on my own support network and relationships, and enabled me to realise that I needed to focus more energy on these moving forward, as I had neglected them during my studies. Initially I was anxious about having to adapt to working online but recognised that it was the only option at that time. And after some time, I have come to enjoy this experience. I discovered that delivering the workshops this way was a great success, and this enabled me to gain new skills and increase my confidence. Throughout this project I had to adapt and change very quickly, and I wasn’t always as prepared as I would have liked. The last two sessions were much better structured when I addressed this issue by adding more content and explaining what they were working towards. Despite the finished project not being how I had originally anticipated, I am very pleased with the outcome. I would like to further develop the embroidery projects and also include other art mediums.

My ‘pink quilt’ is a personal reflection of my experience during the COVID-19 lockdown, and of my journey through this final project. It is also symbolic of how I’ve been stitched up by COVID-19.

It illustrates the many things that kept me occupied and gave me comfort including my cats, baking, drawing, and embroidering; important movements such as Black Lives Matter; and the chain of events that were changing my life including the pandemic, redundancy, graduating, the connections I made with women and the community, and digital communication.

This finished piece will remind me of the importance of people coming together, and during a pandemic. It will remind me of the many things that have empowered me. The lasting benefits that I will take away from this project include:

developing confidence, self-esteem and structure in life

making friends and expanding their social network

making a difference - standing up for what you believe in can be an empowering experience

being involved in issues that I care about has led me to meet other people who share my interests and passions

better understanding the challenges that local people face and working to improve the quality of life through political and non-political processes and how citizens can together help address social problems

This might be the end of my MA, but this isn’t the end for my practice! I will continue to explore the world of craftivism and embroidery, and put more time into developing my art style and building my portfolio. You’ll find me on Instagram.

rounding up an illustrated quilt project

13 August 2020

Now that the project is completed, I wanted to reflect on the journey, from launch to the finished virtual quilt.

The project Empowerus Embroidery launched following extensive research exploring feminism, craftivism, and the benefits of textile participatory practices. I wanted to expand the depth of the social relationship by promoting ideas of empowerment among the participants, with the aim to empower and educate women and develop their sewing and embroidery skills, as well as their confidence. I also wanted to showcase the sensitivity and artistry in the communities’ work and enable them to develop their artistic freedom.

Prior to lockdown, I had prepared to invite the public to create pieces of textile art that depict something empowering, with an emphasis on body image, gender, identity, and feminism, and exhibit the artworks in a public space in July 2020. I had successfully arranged for a number of venues to host workshops targeted at BAME women and women in deprivation.

But then began lockdown in March 2020. At first it was difficult to develop the project, not knowing how long lockdown would last and if and it would be safe to deliver workshops in public spaces. I continued to embroider pieces while I reconsidered the project. It soon became evident in my local community that aspects of the pandemic were impacting mental health and health inequalities of many people, and for me it felt even more crucial to consider empowering and connecting people in the community. The idea for the project Empowerus Postcard came about during a conversation with my housemates whilst we were stitching pieces for the Empowerus Embroidery project. We spoke about the rainbows and slogans dotted about in the windows of houses and the positive impact that they was having on people. But on the flip side, many isolated and older people were not able to see them. During a previous project I had considered using postcards as a way of communicating ideas to others around empowerment, and this led to the idea of sharing hand-written illustrated postcards made by people in the community with those who are most vulnerable and isolated, to bring them some joy and positivity. Although this project was a great success, I realised that I was steering away from my embroidery project.

I thought about how I could overcome the issue of not being able to facilitate the workshops in the community. I made contact with those that had participated in previous projects and had shared interest in this new one to find out what they thought about the project taking place online. Some of the potential participants were finding the idea of accessing the workshops online out of their comfort zone, and some of them worried it would be too difficult. I took time to message them individually, describing the project and explaining how to access Zoom, which put them at ease. I also produced embroidery kits which were made available via Eventbrite for those who were unable to source the materials.

Through my online workshops, I wanted to create meaningful dialogue and use it as an opportunity to draw, journal, inspire self-reflection and creative growth. The participants were encouraged to reflect on the positive aspects of their lives with motivating and inspiring ideas to consider. This was inspired by my ‘Pink Quilt’ embroidery which began as a self-reflection at the start of lockdown. This featured things that were empowering and encouraging during the quarantine period. During my research on empowerment I came across an Oxfam report which breaks down women’s empowerment by presenting a framework of the specific characteristics and relevant indicators of empowerment. My embroidery designs then became responses to these indicators and are also reflections of the things that we discussed.

I tried to accommodate everyone’s learning style by demonstrating visual embroidery techniques via video and chat. I was very keen to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to discussions verbally and written. Prior to each session I would send emails outlining the criteria that we would be exploring that week in order for everyone to prepare beforehand and the prompts were shared during and following the session in order to recap the learning.

During the sessions I provided the participants with prompts themed around empowerment and self-reflection, for which they had the freedom to choose from their words and drawings to embroider. They were shown stitches like the French knot and Bullion knot and how to mix these techniques to compose the pattern.

The challenges throughout have made the final result so rewarding. The participants really enjoyed the workshops and having the chance to express themselves in their embroidery and connecting with women across the country and in Europe. Although it changed the project, doing this during lockdown was an advantage.

The result has enabled women to examine themselves and identify their empowerment.

“I will have my embroidery to remind me of a journey I have shared during the time of the pandemic.”

“That women together can be powerful, and tapestry has its own power”

“The project has reminded me how much I enjoy being creative and how being part of a group/community is important to me because it is empowering in and of itself; connecting via zoom also opens up a whole new world in terms of connecting with others. I learned about the book Craftivism from you Jessie and have been inspired by the idea(s). I learned about some different artists and about Banksy’s hotel in Palestine too! I learned about the other women in the group and have taken some time to reflect upon what is important to me and what gives my life meaning.”

The embroidery was secondary to the primary outcome which was greater self-awareness. The participants learned that embroidery has its power and can be used as a gentle but profound method of protest.

Click here to view the virtual quilt and the women’s responses.

an illustrated quilt: workshop five

25 July 2020

For the final session I wanted participants to think about the last criteria for Relational empowerment, Power Over. I opened with the icebreaker; if you could be a female fictional character, who would you be? I wanted participants to think about the cultural and aspirational elements of their chosen characters and how they were relevant to this empowerment criteria.

Following this, I encouraged participants to think about their involvement in decision making, the control they have over their time, the control over being able to distribute care responsibilities, and their ability to have more time for leisure.

Some of the questions prompts I asked included; How positive are your relationships? What is your support network like? Do you have someone who would step in if you needed to be in two places at once? How many people are in your support network? Do you think by having a big support network you will feel most empowered? Do you have the ability to delegate?

Is it the ability do have a choice with your time? Do you many demands with your time? How much space is in your life? And how do you empower yourself to regain that space? What about fitting in around other people with their time? Do you re-schedule things to fit around them?

The prompts discussed today were perhaps more sensitive and participants seemed to reflect more inwardly so there were periods of quiet. Despite this, I felt more confident continuing the conversation and sharing further prompts.

As the session drew to a close, I offered support to the participants in terms of finishing their pieces and communicating their feedback, reassuring them that they would receive a comprehensive email detailing the prompts from all of the sessions and explaining what they have to do next.

Things we discussed:

Ursula Buednia – 100 Hundred Years of Solitude

Welsh Legend - Saint Melangell

TV series Mad Men and Peggy Olson

Strong women in our families and circle of friends

Our support network - living independently and living with families, compromising, saving money, having space and time for yourself, providing clear boundaries

Redundancy and retirement - having time and space to relax, and also learning to not allow work to consume us and knowing when to put it aside when appropriate, and finding a balance between earning a living and looking after our wellbeing

Allowing enough time for significant relationships, neglecting relationships due to work and recognising the need to prioritise our time and end relationships that aren’t mutually beneficial

Reflected on our embroidery and empowerment journey

The potential to meet up for more sessions in the future

an illustrated quilt: workshop four

18 July 2020

While preparing for this session I thought about how I have gained confidence and become more comfortable in delivering the workshops and so decided to invite the participants to think about their comfort zones as the icebreaker for today’s session, asking them to name some of the things both inside and outside of their comfort zones. I shared the question prompts; is comfort zone the same as what makes you happy? Do we only think of what our comfort zone is unless we are asked to come out of it? Can we expand our comfort zones? Presumably, the more empowered we become, the bigger our comfort zones become. This led on to a conversation about feelings towards lockdown easing and using public transport and other services.

The sessions have now developed to focussing on Relational empowerment, particularly looking at the criteria Power With and what it is that we do with our empowerment. I encouraged the participants to think about their participation in community groups or social groups; How often are we organising things or waiting for people to organise things for us? Do we speak out if we want something to change in our community? How would we express it? Who would we express it to? - making a connection to the protests we spoke about in a previous workshop. What about if it was between peers? If you had differing political or religious beliefs?

I also prompted the participants to think about Voluntary work. What do you do to help others? And what would you like to do to help others? Do you go along to a public event or are you capable of leading that event or speaking at it?

There was a total of 7 participants today, less than in previous sessions. I found it to be much more relaxed and easier to engage the participants with a good flow of conversation. It’s clear that participants have built a positive rapport with one another.

Things that were discussed today:

What is in our comfort zone and how and when do we feel safe to step out of it

The things that make up our comfort zone such as a self-care kit, being creative, and the gathering and support network of women

The language of stitch, learning embroidery

The development of the sessions

Book: Me and white supremacy - How to empower and give a voice to people in a more vulnerable position

How art can reach out to people

Gentle protesting – craftivism

Banksy in Palestine, The Walled Off Hotel, Dismaland

Artist Joanna Vasconcelos household items like ceramic figures, tampon chandelier, Cinderella shoe made of stainless-steel pans and lids

The Great Wall of Vaginas – Jamie McCartney

James Turrell installation “Light and Space” at MoMa

Yayoi Kusama installation Infinity Mirror Rooms

Books make the best gifts

WASPI – Women Against State Pension Inequality – the change to the pension age, with some participants sharing that they felt women are still considered to be second-class citizens

TV shows: I May Destroy You, and Mrs America

an illustrated quilt: workshop three

11 July 2020

We began today’s session by playing an icebreaker, one random object. All participants shared something personal and sentimental to them in some way. These included, items they had crafted, tools used for making art, and items bought on holiday such as a keyring and a fridge magnet. This activity allowed participants to share information about themselves creatively.

One of the participants felt she needed more of an introduction to the project, even though that had been provided in writing. It may be in future that I arrange a phone conversation with new participants to check that they know what to expect.

Due to having had to develop and adapt this project frequently over the past few months during lockdown I hadn’t been very clear with what the outcome of the project would be. From the start of this project I had asked the participants to photograph and email me their work in progress and today I asked if they would be able to post me their finished embroidery. This was put in writing following today’s session. I am worrying that I might not get all the pieces back but at least I have photos of their work in progress.

Still focusing on Personal empowerment, the criteria for this session was Power To. I encouraged participants to think about individual capability and how we apply knowledge, and also about feeling safe and what support do they know is available?

Things we discussed included:

Advocacy

How we depend so much on Google or watch YouTube videos to learn about how to do things, particularly things around the house. How we take for granted how we just use our phone to find answers, yet our parents would have spent much longer finding resources. Reflecting on how we have a way to find sources.

Having conversation around menstruation with parents/children. The taboo that used to be around discussing it. Difficulty not being able to discuss with male relatives. Sex education - what were we taught in school then and what is taught in school now

Feeling safe – what would you do if you suspected someone was being abused. How to approach them. Making it clear you are a safe person to talk to. How women can find it difficult to connect with people outside of their home environment. Where can people can access the information? How easy is it to access the information? Knowing the information prior to being in that situation. Sometimes difficulty needing motivation to seek help. Spoke about attachment disorder.

How we apply knowledge – joining a book club that looks at current political and social issues. committing to giving ourselves time to learn and educate yourself in order to give other people a voice – making that high up in our priorities.

Creating a piece of social history by embroidering what we discuss

Online sessions can create a more personal connection with each other – an insight into each other’s’ lives at home. While also learning to remotely teach. How dynamics have changed via video. And learning how use video and apps on devices.

an illustrated quilt: workshop two

4 July 2020

I began the session with an icebreaker of fun questions and encouraged participants to share their answers either by entering them in the chat box, writing or illustrating them, or sharing out loud with the group. This offered an opportunity to help people with diverse learning styles to engage with the activity, and also to get participants interacting and sharing knowledge. After recapping the previous session, I explained the aim of the project including that the outcomes are not fixed but subjective, to help those who had asked what the outcome should be.

I wanted to focus on Personal empowerment in today’s session, and the criteria Power from within. While there were many interesting points that came up for discussion, participants were not as engaged as I’d hoped. There were times during the session that I struggled with articulating my thoughts out loud and found it challenging to carry on the discussion where participants were perhaps reluctant or uncomfortable with some of the issues raised, particularly when I spoke about protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. It made me think about how I could communicate more effectively.

There were the same number of participants as before, however, some who joined last week were unable to join today and a number of new participants joined. I felt this may have affected the way in which information was exchanged but I think also I should have encouraged the new participants to share their thoughts and experiences in response to the points raised.

Things that were mentioned and discussed:

The way in which media reports portray protests in ways that undermine social movement agendas. Sometimes there's not coverage for protests, so the public don’t feel listened to.

Retirement income - centuries of women being treated as 2nd class citizen and being dependant on men. Women not having the same financial security that men have built up for years. Retiring without a full pension. The system shuts us down.

Where did all the money come from when the economy went down. Did they print it? Is it borrowed from future generations?

The importance of school life and education within communities. Being able to talk about social issues, inequality, prejudice and having your own identity.

What should we be taught in school and how should information be transmitted? - cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English, colonialism, slavery.

Channel 4 documentary - The School that Tried to End Racism – students tested for unconscious racial bias. Educating the younger generation to be aware of the inequality that exists and to think about things differently.

Living more environmentally friendly requires time to learn and can be more expensive.

The importance of how we live. Being susceptible to pandemics because of deforestation and living so close to wildlife habitats and their viruses. COVID-19 has highlighted many environmental concerns, and, so much good to the environment came out of it. Why has government not addressed the positive affects this has had on the environment?

Learning how to live on very little during the pandemic

Changing your career and working for an organisation that really support and look after their employers.

an illustrated quilt: workshop one

27 June 2020

I started the session with an icebreaker, two truths and a lie. The idea of the icebreaker was to get participants thinking creatively as well as learning to use the chat box and the tools on Zoom. I felt that this was a good opportunity for the participants to get to know each other. It was interesting that participants were located all around the country - Northampton (the majority), Manchester, Nottingham, and Wales, and one in Portugal!

I spoke briefly about the project being part of my MA and the aim of the project. I then demonstrated some stitches and asked participants to practice stitching with me. This allowed them to ask questions which would ease them into feeling confident about responding to the more challenging questions and conversations later.

Participants were given the opportunity to share their thoughts and definitions of the word empowerment and share with the group something that has made them feel empowered. It was encouraging to see the interchange of views and experiences which for the most part was centered on empowerment.

Things that were mentioned and discussed:

Political – responsibility for welsh language and culture

Feeling comfortable talking about the workings of our bodies

The conflict between going to work or staying at home to look after children, as a man and a woman. What has more value? Are we as women are own harshest critics whichever choice we make?

Not financially depending on men – managing our own money and having our independence. And not being criticised for the choice that suits the family. Power is in the choice.

Women standing together and still having a voice as individuals.

Little opportunity to challenge or change things - the incompetence in our politics. Being told the peak is over and it is safe to go out, and knowing it is not safe and being able to make your own decision.

Going to events and having to access to people and resources, and self-reflecting on new experiences.

Tweet of the day that encapsulates what you feel empowers you for this day.

Appreciation and recognition towards those who have continued to work throughout lockdown other than the heroes we have clapped for; cleaners, delivery drivers, supermarket staff, postmen and women, etc.

major project proposal

21 June 2020

Early last week I emailed my revised project proposal to some local organisations, the mayor of Northampton, and posted on Facebook that I was reaching out to the BAME community. Today I have been in touch with Crafts Council and MotherShip Projects. Although I've been able to get contacts for a few people of interest in Northampton, I am prepared that I may not reach the desired number of workshop participants as the shops begin to re-open and people are looking to return to normal, whatever that may be. I am still looking forward to see how this project continues develop during the next two months.

Project Overview:

An Illustrated Quilt is a subproject as part of the ongoing community textile-based project Empowerus Embroidery that brings together groups of women to talk, draw and stitch. This is a five-part series exploring hand embroidery, women’s empowerment and social change. Participants will be supported to draw and stitch their responses to prompts and conversations and produce an ‘illustrated quilt’. This will be created by each individual embroidered square being virtually stitched together and will be shared on the Instagram account @empowerusembroidery

Participants will have the opportunity to purchase an embroidery kit at a cost of £5 including postage. The kit contains all the embroidery items needed to complete their piece.

Objectives:

• To bring communities of women together • To engage communities in the arts • To explore the creative possibilities of empowerment through embroidery • To introduce and develop sewing and embroidery skills • To share knowledge and raise awareness about matters of cultural and social relevance, including community development and women’s rights. When: The workshops will take place on Zoom on: Saturday, 27th June – 1PM-2:30PM Saturday, 4th July – 1PM-2:30PM Saturday, 11th July – 1PM-2:30PM Saturday, 18th July – 1PM-2:30PM Saturday, 25th July – 1PM-2:30PM

empowerus embroidery workshop: sewing by hand

14 June 2020

Yesterday I delivered the second development workshop. I began the session showing some of the most common stitches and how to get started. Some of the participants shared other embroidery they had created and the stitching styles they had used which developed into conversations about other styles of art and artists, sharing in the chat.

One of the participants showed us a section of her piece which she is filling in with all the creations she has made during lockdown. The participant mentioned that this motivated her to start a blog in which she shares her work in progress and enjoys referring back to it and this developed into a conversation about what is blogging and starting one up. I was pleased that it had naturally developed onto a subject I wanted to discuss in this workshop and was able to use this as an opportunity to share some blogs by women about self-care and relationships.

Participants were chattier and more open with one another and naturally the conversation continued to flow. There was, however, a period of time where participants were expressing frustration about the way some members of the community have responded to COVID-19. I found it difficult to intervene and steer the conversation for quite some time, but I was able to ask the group what self-care tips and saviours had helped them during lockdown to bring the conversation back to empowerment. The workshop ended with the participants discussing their embroidered pieces.

Participants’ finished embroidered pieces will be shared on Instagram.

developing the empowerus embroidery project

31 May 2020

I identified in yesterday’s workshop there was only one aspect of empowerment we explored: personal and self-empowerment. I think it is important that I consider other areas of empowerment, what it means and how to measure it, and how I can insert it into the next stage of the project.

I came across an OXFAM report, a measurement tool based on a composite index – the Women’s Empowerment Index. This builds on experience and tools from the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture. I really like how it breaks down women’s empowerment by presenting a framework of the specific characteristics and relevant indicators of empowerment. These approaches will help me towards measuring empowerment and prepare the content for each of the final workshops. This research can be found on my major project ideas blog.

I have modified the structure to the women local to Northampton. This process will be broken down into 5 stages/workshops as follows:

WEEK ONE: Empowered Women: Defining the characteristics What do you understand by empowerment?

WEEK TWO: Power from within Discussion Confidence to express an opinion. How does this make you feel?

WEEK THREE: Power to Discussion: Individual capability (apply knowledge)

WEEK FOUR: Power with Discussion: Participation in community groups or social groups and voluntary work

WEEK FIVE: Power over Discussion: Household decisions, contribution to household income, control over time, ability to delegate

empowerus embroidery workshop: draw + design

30 May 2020

Today I hosted the first of two workshops as part of the empowerus embroidery project. The lockdown as a result of COVID-19 has impacted the way I deliver workshops, so I wanted to start with two development workshops before I work on the final part of the project. This means I have the opportunity to test practice and get feedback from the participants so I can assess and improve the content and delivery of the workshops.

I created embroidery kits (taking inspiration from the consequences packs) using the majority of materials I had prepared for the workshops I was going to deliver in May before COVID-19. Many participants requested a kit which I delivered in prior to the workshop.

I started the workshop with a brief introduction about the project and shared some finished embroidered pieces as examples. I delivered the prompts much like Katy Genever had in the consequences workshop and shared them in the chat box as we went along. The prompts encouraged much of the conversations which naturally flowed throughout the workshop. We spoke mostly about technology and generations, body hair and body shapes, and we self-reflected on the challenges we’ve faced due to lockdown and how we’ve been overcoming them.

Prompts asked:

How do you feel right now?

What have you accomplished recently?

Three things that make you feel beautiful

What makes you feel confident?

If your body could talk it would say...

What couldn’t you imagine living without?

A poem or quote that makes you feel alive and empowered

Literature shared:

The Artist’s Way

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems – Caroline Kennedy

She Speaks: Women’s Speeches That Changed the World, from Pankhurst to Greta - Yvette Cooper

We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Sorry I Missed You (film)

rounding up empowerus postcard project

29 May 2020

Now that the postcards have been handed to Live at Home ready to be distributed to their members, it’s a good time to reflect on this project.

In the short time between launching the project on 2nd May and now, I committed to reaching out to the community through local groups on Facebook and delivering postcards to people across Northampton. I was asked to talk about the project on BBC Radio Northampton and was interviewed on Bernie Keith’s show on the 21st May. This is perhaps what encouraged the majority of postcards that arrived at the Live at Home Scheme’s location within the following week. Despite being very nervous, it felt good to talk about something the local community could easily partake in and could be beneficial to both the creators and receivers. We received over 200 postcards from people of all ages, and it has been worthwhile to receive so many heart-warming designs and messages.

I will continue to share the finished postcards on Facebook and will consider revisiting this project in the future.

online creative workshop: consequences

27 May 2020

I stumbled across the Consequences project by Metal Peterborough several weeks ago via their Instagram and was particularly intrigued by the activity sheets. As part of the project, Metal and artist Katy Genever created sample consequences activity sheets to post out to people’s houses. I really like the the drawing instructions and the hand-written and illustrated design.

Tonight I joined one of the consequences online workshops, 6pm-7.30pm, which took place on Zoom. I was greeted by artist Katy Genever, also the host and for about 15 minutes participants chatted amongst each other. Everyone had their audio and video on and it was clear that the participants had developed relationships with one another over the course of the project. Although I was new, I felt very quickly at ease by the natural flow of the conversation and the engagement between the participants and the tutor.

Katy had prompts written on coloured A6 cards. Participants selected a card from the pack and would then draw and doodle their responses. I liked that there was no set time to complete the drawings, and Katy would say in a moment of silence ‘when you’re ready to’ before sharing the next prompt and would also put it in the chat box. I also liked that prompts are shared on Metal’s Instagram account. In addition to the workshop, great communication was also demonstrated with emails I received both before and shortly after the workshop. These included clear instructions on how to access the workshop and a list of contacts to local and national support services and organisations.

In both this and the previous online workshop, participants appeared to be predominantly white.

online creative workshop: clitbait’s creative collective

21 May 2020

I participated in this workshop last night and this was the second week of their ongoing weekly sessions. I was interested to learn about the charitable cause the workshop donations was going toward, and also to know what intersectional feminist themed prompts they will be asking. The session began with the tutors, also the creators of Clitbait, introducing themselves before a team member from The Refugee Women’s Centre spoke for a few minutes about what TRWC do.

The tutors took it in turn to read out prompts themed around arousal, physical features and aspirations, and encouraged participants to create a poem, illustration, a song, or an angry rant in the given time. I liked the idea of giving prompts and illustrating my response, but I was disappointed that the questions were rather vague and not themed around intersectional feminism, and there was not an opportunity in the period of time following the prompts to open up any discussion on the topics. It would have felt more purposeful if a connection was made with the prompts to the cause they were raising money for.

Participants had the option to have their video on and audio was muted until the end of the prompts. The tutors would ask the prompt, and then wait for participants created their response. When they had finished asking the prompts, participants were encouraged to share their creations with the rest of the group and the individual was unmuted as they fed back. Some participants shared so many poems whilst another had composed a song and performed it on the piano.

Although I was able to finish this workshop with artwork that responds to the given prompts, the experience enabled me to reflect on how I would have lead the workshop by encouraging participants through the creative process and giving them confidence to share what they created.

This took place on Zoom, with the link provided on facebook, lasted approx. 1 hour 45 minutes and a donation was recommended, paid via Paypal.

online creative workshop: Henri Matisse painting with scissors

17 May 2020

To help me better prepare for my workshops, I wanted to get a sense of how online creative workshops are being delivered, what platforms are being used, and how they engage and communicate with their participants.

Yesterday I joined this workshop, the second of two drawing classes where we were guided through Matisse’s playful approach to art making using scissors as an image making tool. I really enjoyed that upon joining the workshop participants were welcomed with the image above accompanied with the sound of relaxing jazz music.

The session began with a brief history into Matisse’s art life before the tutor shared figurative and still life images, prompting us to cut out the shape of the images within the given time. Although the participants’ video and audio remained off throughout the session, we were able to communicate through a chat box. I really liked how fast this session moved and how participants were kept engaged with each new image shared on screen.

This took place on Zoom, lasted approx. 1 hour and tickets were sold on Eventbrite as ‘Pay What You Can afford (£8 recommended donation)’.

empowerus embroidery event strategy

14 May 2020

I have developed an event strategy to help make the planning and execution easier and will deliver better results:

clarify your target audience and ideal social platform before the first post

generate buzz with hashtag – keep it consistent

reach out to your audience and influencers – explain who you are consider calling the posts you’ve most enjoyed

steady posting schedule – provide content that interests followers, excites them, occasionally markets to them

use social media to sell event tickets

send people reminders – on social media and via email post just before, (during the event?) and after the event.

I will be using Instagram as the social platform to share images of the development of the project and the art produced as an outcome of the workshops, but also as a space to share inspiration whether that be literature or art, anything that links to both embroidery and empowerment.

Instagram

rethinking the major project: health inequalities and deprivation

13 May 2020

I realised since launching the postcard project that I was moving away from my area of research and current practice. The postcard project feels like an important thing to do but I want to concentrate on encouraging a space where women can still get together and learn and develop embroidery skills, and researching further into the strategies that foster empowerment.

I thought about the community and the women I want to engage in this project. One of the challenges I have encountered with my all of my projects and events is reaching the wider community, particularly the women in deprivation and women of colour. I wanted to research the impact COVID-19 has so far had on women and their families and better understand the barriers I face in reaching this group of women during the current circumstances, and look at alternative approaches.

As a result of COVID-19 and lockdown, many families face uncertainty and hardship, with a toll on their long-term health and wellbeing. Recent analysis has revealed the extent of the link between deprivation and risk of dying with the virus: adjusting for age, deaths in the most deprived areas of England have been more than double those in the least deprived. The uneven impact of the virus is highlighting a further inequality in our society – that of race and ethnicity. Early data from intensive care units found a disproportionate number of patients with COVID-19 were black or from another minority ethnic background, and even when accounting for age and location, there have been more deaths per capita in all ethnic minority groups than among white British people. The governments response is also having economic consequences for those struggling with inequality. Those on low wages are seven times as likely as high earners to have worked in a sector that has been shut down. This insecurity can be expected to have immediate impact on the mental health of those affected. Headlines have also highlighted an increase in domestic violence since lockdown, as people are living in confined environments.

I want to build an online space for women to have a voice and to connect with one another. Via Whatsapp, I spoke to an embroidery community already connected, the group of women who came together during my Crafting for Change project and shared my project ideas. The majority liked the idea of a space where embroidering together can still happen. My next step is to look at how I create this space.

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