Creative Colleagues - March 2025

MARCH 2025

CREATIVE COLLEAGUES Creative Lives’ in-house magazine

SEONAID MEETS THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND!

Or should that be the President of Ireland meets Seonaid . . . ?

In recognition of all the amazing work Seonaid has been doing in Edenderry over the past few years, she was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin, the official residence of the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.

Seonaid and other members of the creative sector attended a St Patrick’s Day reception entitled ‘Imagination and The Nation: Celebrating the Contribution of Community Arts to Inclusion and Creativity’. Seonaid described President Higgins’ speech as “magnificent” - and you can watch it here.

Congratulations to Seonaid, and fingers crossed our current application to the Arts Council of Ireland, to continue our work in Edenderry for two more years, is successful.

THE QUICK CATCH-UP ESSEX REPORT LAUNCHED Well done to Jess, Damian and Natasha for producing the Mapping Creative Health in Essex report, commissioned by Essex County Council, which is now up on our website.

The report was launched at an in-person event in Chelmsford on 21 March, with 75 people in attendance. The Council used words like “thrilled” and “delighted” in its feedback about the event - so congratulations to everyone involved!

NEW CRAFTING REPORT & TOOLKIT Earlier this month, Alana McPake, our PhD intern funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities, came to the end of her time with us (but you can still find out all about her in our backpage Q&A).

Alana hosted a Creative Network session to introduce her findings about sustainability in local craft groups, and we launched her report, Crafting Sustainable Communities and handy toolkit, A Beginners’ Guide to Mindful Crafting.

We’ve already had some lovely feedback, with one craft group calling the toolkit “a brilliant way to encourage people to think differently.”

SO LONG, FAREWELL . . .

It’s with sadness but appreciation that we say goodbye to two of our On Air producers, Rachel New and Grace Stubbings.

Rachel has been capturing the creative life of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, while Grace has been busy working with the community in Hartlepool. We’ll miss them both, and hope to work with them again in the future.

POLICY TEAM HOSTS ICH EVENT On 3 March, the Policy team hosted an online event for anyone with a vested interest in Intangible Cultural Heritage - and in particular, umbrella bodies that focus on dance, music, craft etc.

We welcomed guests from DCMS, who are compiling an inventory of which cultural traditions and practices to safeguard, and were joined by representatives from Making Music, Heritage Crafts and Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland for a lively discussion.

ON THE HORIZON GLASGOW GROUPS OFFERED TOP TIPS As part of their work in Glasgow Southside and Canal wards, the Place team is hosting an online event to offer creative groups advice on attracting new members, social media, applying for funding and more.

We’ll be joined by creative consultant Jennifer McGlone (pictured), who runs a local craft club in Glasgow. You can read about the event here.

NETWORKING EVENTS FOR TENDRING & ROTHERHAM Two online networking events are in the calendar this month. On 28 March, Natasha will be hosting a session for people in Tendring to discuss good examples of creative participation in Essex.

Then on 31 March, Carlota is bringing together the recipients in Rotherham of our Children’s Capital of Culture micro-grants.

SUCCESS FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS UK FUNDING BID Our planned partnership project with Disability Rights UK, ‘Make It Together: creative connections for inclusion’ has been awarded National Lottery Project Grants funding by Arts Council England.

Focusing on everyday creativity, the project will develop and test a model of ‘Creativity Connectors’ based in local disabled people’s organisations. The Connectors will make bring together local everyday creative groups and disabled everyday creative people in three pilots areas: Barking & Dagenham, Manchester and Wiltshire. As part of the project, Creative Lives will set up an online Disabled Everyday Creatives Network.

NEW INTERN TO EXPLORE SOCIAL MEDIA We’re looking forward to welcoming Nicola Wilson-Torch to Creative Lives during the first week in April. A student at the University of Stirling, Nicola will be joining us as a PhD intern funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities.

During the six months she’ll spend with us (part-time), Nicola will explore the latest and upcoming trends in social media, and how local creative groups can make best use of these platforms.

GETTING TO KNOW...

ALANA MCPAKE, RESEARCH INTERN What’s your first memory of being creative?

My sister and I had an encyclopedia where each letter was a new arts or crafts project. I remember battling with paper, scissors and glitter gel pen to complete page two – ‘B’ for ‘Bookmark’.

If you could click your fingers and be proficient at any art/craft form, what would it be?

Printmaking. I’ve never been able to get my head around it but I love the style of linocuts and woodcuts. Japanese woodblock printing (ukiyo-e) is particularly beautiful.

Which do you prefer: river walk, beachside stroll or hill climb?

I love the seaside but living in the city means a river walk’s more likely. In both settings it’s the steady noise of moving water I like most, especially when it’s peppered with birdsong.

You’re planning a day of live music and can book any 5 artists – who’s on the bill?

Hozier, Sam Cooke, Rosalía, Charli xcx, and something symphonic for good measure – the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

What inanimate object in your home most sums you up? Probably (and sadly?) my Lord of the Rings-themed doormat. It’s the ‘No admittance except on party business’ sign from Bilbo Baggins’ front gate. Tells you all you need to know.

What’s your favourite quality in a person? Curiosity and openness.

Which do you prefer – chocolate bar, slice of cake or biscuit?

They say man cannot live on bread alone but I reckon I could have a good go at living off biscuits.

If you could choose any work of art to hang in your home, what would it be?

Anything by the Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson. My favourite is “Les Eus” because every dancer painted has a strong, solid body, regardless of sex.

Which country have you never visited but would love to? I’ve not travelled much outside of Europe so there’s plenty of places to choose from. I’d like to go somewhere that has terrain I’ve never seen before, like a desert or rainforest.

Tell us one thing your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you I love learning new languages. My undergraduate degree was in History and Spanish, but I also studied French and Portuguese at university. My favourite experience, though, was taking some sign language classes a few years ago. I’d like to work towards a qualification in BSL some day.

PHOTO FINISH Each month, we ask a colleague to capture an aspect of their life, at home, or out and about.

"This is the mini library at the foot of our garden. It is very rooted in everyday creativity: volunteers from a local Men’s Shed kindly upcycled the old tool cabinet into shelves, I made the bespoke weatherproofing (a baking tray and rock), neighbours provided the pallets, and many passersby have swapped books.

It has an eclectic mix of titles including, at the moment, Hairy Maclary, Ali Smith and a growing number of Mills and Boon. Quite rightly, no one bothers with my polite request to update the visitor log! There is the occasional bit of rain damage but, overall, it has been good for community mixing and I like that oyster shells and tree rings keep time with the pages." Jemma Neville