The Great Escape

Getting up on a Monday morning is always quite a challenge, but getting through a week of demanding deadlines, multiple chores, responsibilities, lists and crises, whilst dealing with an increasingly hostile climate of political and economic uncertainty, is enough to leave one feeling completely exhausted. It’s hardly surprising that so many people are stressed, confused, lost and wondering where their sanity has gone. Lets face it, the world is pretty chaotic right now, so it’s very difficult to be normal in a society where the word ‘normal’ is under attack.

So, what can I do about it? Well, for starters I can offer you a place to escape, even just for a few quiet hours, to give you a chance to recover, reflect, play and laugh a little…or a lot! My mission in this life is to spread some positivity, to help one gain some perspective by entering the realm of the creative. And creative is what I saw in the workshop I held in my Grahamstown studio a few weeks ago. I also saw relief, love, laughter, generosity and kindness. I saw women doing what comes naturally when taken out of their stressful environments. They were absorbed, happy and relaxed. They were connecting to a part of themselves that has been calling out for attention…their spirit and their soul.

If you click on the images below, you will get a glimpse into the experience…

Participants of the workshop getting their ideas together

Dawn helping Belinda with a sewing machine glitch

Sue and Mandisa

Gill’s spontaneous and intuitive way of working was a pleasure to watch

Jill, lost in the magic of machine embroidery

Belinda and Sue enjoy a tea break

Dawn and Gill chatting in the tranquility of my garden

A very happy Mandisa Hani, who was so quick to learn techniques she had never encountered before

Belinda Tudge assembling her bag

Abundance …participants enjoy a bring and share lunch

Jill shows off her magical garden, which forms the front of her bag.

Belinda’s bag is almost complete

Jill Otto

Sue Wentworth

Dawn Long, who provided us with the most delicious array of cakes!

Mandisa was the first to complete her beautiful bag

Ready for church…a very happy Mandisa

So, if you feel you could do with one of these great escapes, I have another two-day workshop starting this coming Saturday 12th and 19th November and there is just one space left! If this is something you would like to do next year, please contact me to put your name on the mailing list. In my next post, I hope to bring you some images of the bags that were created in the 2016 workshops.

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Bohemian Bag Workshop

I will be holding a two-day creative sewing workshop in my Grahamstown art studio on Saturday 15th/22nd October 2016.

This workshop brings together my interest in fashion, design, sewing, beading, embroidery, applique and fabric manipulation, and combines it with my interest in people, their life stories and my belief that creativity can heal.

It is guaranteed to be a fun workshop, where you can make a bag or purse that can be as funky and over-the-top as you wish. It may be any size or shape and you can use whatever materials you wish. You can go crazy with embellishments and I will be there to teach you all the skills you need for the process.

With fashion trends currently being inspired by the 1960’s and 70’s hippie era, this is the perfect time to make yourself or someone else a trendy fashion accessory.

Time: 9.00am – 4.00pm

Cost: R680.00

Space will be limited, so sign up today for a workshop you will enjoy! I look forward to seeing you there.

Images of the Self

When I set out in my career all those years ago, I had no idea that one day I would have the privilege of working with so many creatively talented young people, whose zest for life and willingness to tackle the various challenges I give them, is truly inspirational. I reflect on this as I watch this year’s group of Drama Masters students from Rhodes University exploring issues surrounding their image and identity. They take it seriously, they do what I ask and they do it well, and in the process they learn a lot, both about themselves and each other. What more could a teacher ask for? It is a perfect way for this new group, who will be working together for the next two years, to bond, understand and respect one another. (Click to enlarge the images)

Kamagelo

Frankie

Lexi

Maipelo

Ester

Levern

The group are young, enthusiastic and have clearly done their homework, for the discussion that arises from the text I have asked them to read reveals that they have gone far below the surface. This is a good place to start, for this workshop requires that superficiality be left at the door. As the process begins, I watch the anxiety diminishing, as each of the students settles into their space and confronts the tasks before them. As always, the air of fun camaraderie permeates the room, ensuring that the rest will be plain sailing.

Connecting

Planning and designing

Cutting patterns

Making the components

Thinking and visualising

Creating the elements

Discovering the sewing machine

Launching into new territory

Creating soul

Connecting to soul

Checking progress

Thinking, whilst enjoying tea and cake

Dressing up in a tattered, velvet dress, found in the scrap box

Learning the art of machine embroidery

Enjoying the quiet of the garden

Selecting embellishments

Taking time to think and reflect

A quick canine cuddle

Having a break from work for social interaction

By the final day, with the work now finished, the students introduce and share their creations. It is a time of wonder as the others in the group get to hear the stories that surround the making of the shoes and have a chance to inspect them. It is clear that the soles that emerge from the workshop, are an accurate portrayal of the souls who conceived and produced them.

The top of Lexi’s shoes

The underside of Lexi’s shoes

Levern’s shoes

Frankie’s shoes, view one

Frankie’s shoes, folded back

Maipelo’s shoes

Ester’s shoes

Kamagelo wears his shoes

Ester models her shoes

Magical discoveries

Lexi explores Frankie’s shoes

Kamagelo shares his inspiration

Ester explains

Maipelo

Lexi presents her soles

Lavern in action

The wonder of it all

Once again, I am awed by the magic of creativity, in its ability to overtake a situation in ways that I could never have predicted. The group arrives, they are a little anxious for they have no idea what will be expected of them. The space, ambient and supportive is ready for them, as am I, although I too have no idea what will come from our meeting. But I have faith in these bright young souls before me and trust that the creative process will take them to the place where they need to be. This workshop never fails to surprise me. It just keeps getting better and stronger and more determined to touch the lives of young people who are on the brink of launching out into the world. It will help them, it will guide them and it will help them to know themselves. I can never predict what course the workshop will take, for each time it is different, depending upon the way the group unknowingly takes it. Like all good creative projects, it is an intangible force that carries us all along for the ride and leaves us in a better place than we were before the journey started.