Making Meaning

Artist Support Recipes is a group of artists interested in artist support and development. In this podcast we reflect on our learning during a year of research and discussion about what artists need to thrive. The group members are Ruth Singer, Sharon Adams, Gillian McFarland, Collette Rayner and Liz Nilsson. Find out more https://ruthsinger.com/2024/02/17/making-meaning-podcast-episode-39-artist-support-recipes/ and at artistsupportrecipes.wordpress.com

This week I'm talking to artist Claire Morris-Wright, an artist in neighbouring Northamptonshire, who I've known for a few years and always enjoy talking too. We talk about looking closely and thinking deeply, about slow processing of ideas and about sharing and connecting as a fundamental part of both our practices. Read more:  Membership and Mentoring are all here: https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Keep in touch by joining my email list ruthsinger.com/email Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal ruthsinger.com/journal Find more episodes at ruthsinger.com/podcast

In this end of 2023 episode, I'm talking to Amy Twigger Holroyd, who is Associate Professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Nottingham School of Art & Design, and in her previous life was a knitwear designer and innovator. We go back quite a long way to my early days as a designer maker and the retail markets world that we both used to work in. What connected us in those early days was a belief in the need for textiles practices to be sustainable and for making to be recognised as a vital life skill. We could both talk about these for ever, but we tried to keep it short and focus on Amy’s project Fashion Fictions and where our fascinations and ways of working and sharing cross over.   Read more: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/12/13/making-meaning-podcast-episode-37-with-amy-twigger-holroyd/ Find Your Focus course, Membership and Mentoring are all here: https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Keep in touch by joining my email list ruthsinger.com/email Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal ruthsinger.com/journal Find more episodes at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Bridget is a maker and researcher who uses ideas around repair to reanimate discarded objects and to tell new stories about our relationship to everyday things. In this conversation we talk about where our interests in object histories and museums converge and about how sharing our research interests in various ways fuels our ongoing curiosity about people and the things they value. This podcast is part of my Cultures of Care project which is a research and making project looking at how artist practice can contribute to a culture of care. I am interested in how Bridget’s work fits into this overall theme of care and how we as artists can express, give and accept care of our own work too.  Read more https://ruthsinger.com/2023/12/13/making-meaning-podcast-episode-36-with-bridget-harvey/  Find Your Focus course, Membership and Mentoring are all here: https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Keep in touch by joining my email list ruthsinger.com/email Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal ruthsinger.com/journal Find more episodes at ruthsinger.com/podcast

This time I'm talking with artist Lisa Solomon. Lisa lives in Oakland, California, where I was very lucky to visit her a couple of times pre-pandemic, after being online friends for about 15 years. Lisa works in mixed media and across genres from intimate self portraits to huge installations, often directly addressing issues around identity and personal histories. She also teaches at university level and has written a number of books too. We had a wonderful long chat, which I hope you will enjoy listening in on! Read more https://ruthsinger.com/2023/11/30/making-meaning-podcast-episode-35-with-lisa-solomon/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Keep in touch by joining my email list: ruthsinger.com/email Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: ruthsinger.com/journal Find more episodes at: ruthsinger.com/podcast Find Your Focus course, Membership and Mentoring are all here: https://ruthsinger.podia.com/

In this episode you'll hear an edited version of a live Q&A recorded last month on Zoom. The audience were invited to ask questions about my practice in general, or specific current or past projects. You'll hear me talk about topics including care practices within organisations, caring for others and its impact on practice, and working with funders. This is the first time I've tried doing a live recording, and I didn't know the questions in advance, so it's absolutely live and real responses. I'm joined by my Cultures of Care project and podcast producer, Meghan, who you'll hear at various points in the recording, and by a wonderfully enthusiastic and engaged audience who had lots of interesting questions. Find out more here: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/11/19/making-meaning-podcast-episode-34-qa-with-ruth-singer/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Buy a copy of my Criminal Quilts book: https://ruthsinger.com/writing/criminal-quilts-book Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Find Your Focus course (and other things): https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email

I’m joined today by historian and writer Barbara Burman who has just published a wonderful new book called The Point of The Needle, Why Sewing Matters which celebrates and explores the cultural and social importance of plain stitching, using historical sources and also the voices of people sewing today. I was asked to read a proof copy of the book earlier in the year and very much enjoyed it, and of course wanted to talk to Barbara more. In this conversation we talk a lot about the similarities between historian and artist and the power of sharing hidden or unseen stories.  Find out more here: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/11/05/making-meaning-podcast-episode-33-with-barbara-burman/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Buy a copy of my Criminal Quilts book: https://ruthsinger.com/writing/criminal-quilts-book Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Find Your Focus course (and other things): https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email

Episode 32 of Making Meaning is with designer and all-round creative powerhouse Zoe Murphy. Zoe works with colourful screen prints to transform old furniture into amazing, meaningful pieces. We talk about her multi-faceted creative life, about connecting and sharing creative joy and about how storytelling and research are fundamental to how she works. Find out more here: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/10/20/making-meaning-podcast-episode-32-with-zoe-murphy/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Find Your Focus course (and other things): https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email

This is an extra bonus episode. Rather than the usual conversation, today’s episode is a recording of my recent Cultures of Care online talk, explaining my new major project, what’s led to it and what I’m working on now and in the next couple of years. The images referred to can be found in the blog post linked below. Find out more here: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/10/13/making-meaning-podcast-episode-31-cultures-of-care/ Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Find Your Focus course (and other things): https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email

I’m talking today to ceramic artist Jennie McCall. I’ve known Jennie for quite a few years and have had the pleasure of seeing her work grow and develop as she finds her place, and supporting her through mentoring and one of my courses. We discuss reinvention, finding your place, understanding ourselves and putting emotions into our creative work. Jennie talks about finding the freedom to be herself and to work with authenticity and curiosity. Please note: Jennie talks about childhood trauma in the first few minutes of the podcast, so do skip past this if you need to Find out more here: https://ruthsinger.com/2023/10/08/making-meaning-podcast-episode-30-with-jennie-mccall Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Find Your Focus course (and other things): https://ruthsinger.podia.com/ Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email  

For the first time, Making Meaning has been recorded outdoors! I met up with Kate Unwin of The Moon and the Furrow at her woodland in Wales. Kate is an artist, maker, grower and one of my closest friends. She moved to Wales to live a more sustainable and nature-connected life and she runs a small business that is very much aligned with her values and creative inspirations. We talk about nature, creativity and healing, about making conscious choices with a business, about living simply and about sharing wonderful things with other people. Find out more here https://ruthsinger.com/2023/09/19/making-meaning-podcast-episode-29-with-kate-unwin Support the podcast with a donation or subscription: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast-fundraiser Find more episodes at: http://ruthsinger.com/podcast Get a copy of Making Meaning Journal: http://ruthsinger.com/journal Join my creative community, Maker Membership: http://ruthsinger.com/membership Keep in touch by joining my email list: http://ruthsinger.com/email    

In this episode, Ruth talks to textile artist and researcher, Lucie Bea Dutton. For the last few years, Lucie has been exploring Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy though a large-scale sewing project inspired by Mantel’s work. Lucie trained as a historian and she works extensively with archival materials. In this episode, Ruth talks to Lucie about this project, as well as finding your place as an artist when it isn't your first career, the importance of a studio, how shifts in life influence how you want to work, creative process and how you don't need to be economically productive to be an artist. Find out more and see images of Lucie's work: https://ruthsinger.com/podcast/ Also find details of Ruth's podcast fundraiser here: https://ruthsinger.com/podcastfundraiser/

Hello friends, Making Meaning podcast is back! Or it's almost back, if I can fundraise enough to keep it going. In this episode I'll explain where I've been and what is coming up if we can make it happen, together. You can support a new series by donating at ruthsinger.com/podcastfundraiser You can also join my email list for updates at ruthsinger.com/email Previous episodes information and images can be found at ruthsinger.com/podcast 

In this final conversation of the series, I am talking to Gillian Lee Smith, a Scottish painter based in Northumberland. Gillian and I first met as members of a designer-makers group in the English midlands but we reconnected over Zoom during the pandemic and have had some wonderful conversations about our practices, our mentoring work and our creative ideas. In this conversation we focus on mentoring and talk about how both supporting others and being supported ourselves helps our practice. We talk about the zigzag journey of creative practice and how reflection and talking things through with others really helps to clarify things, to open new doors and to inspire. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Mandeep is a printmaker and workshop leader who works under the brand The Laughing Cactus Print Studio. She’s also local to me and we’ve been working together a lot over the last year or so on community projects and sharing thoughts on our respective creative practices. In this conversation we talk about the themes Mandeep is currently exploring around stillness and displacement, about belonging and moving between two countries. We talk about community practice and the impact it has on our work and the benefits of the collaborative work we are currently involved in. Find out more and see images of Mandeep's work at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event in July 2022 created by Ruth Singer. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event which I created and hosted in July 2022. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. This episode includes Ruth Singer in conversation with Maker Membership participants talking about their research and reflection process. The second part is a discussion between Ruth Singer and researcher Charlotte Bilby about working with women in the criminal justice system. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event in July 2022 created by Ruth Singer. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. The next three episodes of the podcast are highlights of the programme - the bits that work without images and video. This episode includes Amy Twigger Holroyd talking about Fashion Fictions with participants Wendy Ward, Ruhee Das Chowdhury and Kate Harper, a conversation between textile artists Claire Wellesley-Smith & Lokesh Ghai and artist-maker Charlie Birtles talking about thinking practice. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event which Ruth Singer created and hosted in July 2022. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. This episode includes Michaela McMillan, Wendy Ward and Kathryn Parsons and all involve interaction and activities which the participants really got into. You can take part in Wendy's activity and send your writing to her. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Michaela McMillan's wonderful work often defies categorisation. It is craft or is it assemblage? Is it sculpture or is it textiles? It is meant to be serious or is it meant to be fun? Michaela's work is full of elements of her personality and her passions. She describes it perfectly as playfully serious. In this podcast we reflect on how much of ourselves we reveal through our making practice, what rules and boundaries we use or choose to break to make our respective takes on non-functional craft objects! We also talk about writing as part of a creative practice and about using titles and words to add to the narrative of what we make. Find out more and see images of Michaela's work at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Research and stories are fundamental to my work. Everything I make has some kind of message or meaning which I want to express through making artwork. I talk about research a lot, both in the podcast and in my Maker Membership but I know that it isn't always clear what I mean by research and narrative textiles. The podcast episode focuses on what I understand by research, what I do and what it means to me. Building more research (of whatever kind) into your making is one of the cornerstones of my Maker Membership and it's something I love to explore with other creative people. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast