Welcome to Week 48 of 52 of my studio notes, four and half weeks left to the year. I write these notes without the use of AI. This weekly commitment to Studio Notes began as a way to improve my writing, establish a consistency of reflection and gleam some insights from my work. The structure is reflection, insights, a question for you, resources and a view to the week ahead.
I’m glad you’re here, let’s jump in.
Reflection
Last week was a piece of graphic design, administration, meeting of different sorts: local, international and some adventuring.
Monday was spent designing a workshop template for an associates facilitation. I really enjoyed making it and it turned out well. I spoke about it last week.
These worksheets are designed to support and capture smaller group discussions during large group facilitations. This is part of my ways of working as a workshop designer and facilitator. A way to empower people, ensure more voices are heard and as an artefact that drops out of the workshop to support post event synthesis. I’ve also used these artefact as reports when funding does not support a written output. Let me know if you’d like more i for action on them.
A raft of invoices got caught up on. Along with bookkeeping and follow up emails.
The rewritten research report was sent to the client. Other emails got attended to and some not yet.
Peppered through the week were meetings of various shapes and sizes ~ a group with a first nations Chief, local Wexford Public Participation Network, our village tidy towns, the NWC femnist community for climate justice creatives working group and a story tellers salon. That’s quite a mix none of it business, some of it community at different scales but all of it nourishing and refilling my cup.
Among the days was a call from a poet exploring if I’d be interested in joining a small group meeting to give Lady’s Island Lake a voice. We meet on Saturday. This will be interesting to see how our expression develops. A group of mainly writers, poets, song writers and musicians. I think I am the only visual creative included. One of the poets described herself as a ‘poet of the land’. Deep quiet is required there to listen and give voice to the lagoon. After 40 years of being poisoned the water at Lady’s Island is almost dead and in dire need of restoration.
The storytellers exclusive salon was such a joyful delight to participate in. Clare Murphy has such an extraordinary gift and enraptures those who are lucky to be in her company. She generously shares back connecting people through her salon. I knew two others there and it was a delightful experience. One of the speakers was Indiana Stones, David Keohan. Recently feature in a great RTE documentary on the revived culture of Stone Lifting, Made of Stone.
It reminded me deeply of experimental digital spaces during Covid. I meet people across the globe that I would never normally have gotten to be in rooms with. A group of us formed to test digital software and I came across Wonder.me which was a great space for dynamic facilitation and more cafe/pub like environments. I looked for Wonder but it closed in 2023. It’s made me curious about different kinds of software again – teams, zoom and google meet do the basics but as humans we often need more than basics.
On Friday I went to Cork excited to see The Mapping Climate Change Exhibition featuring the Knitting Map and Tempestry Project. I was a week to early for UCC’s Climate Science and Arts Practice: Arts & Sustainability in Cork City. Amazingly Jools Gibson the artist was about and I got to meet her and chat to her further about the project. I first came across Jools work when she presented at the Fibershed AGM last year. I was struck by her multidisciplinary practice and her ability as a dancer and to weave science, community, making and wool together.
Insights
An emerging theme this year has been to support other especially creatives. In supporting others I also attend and support my own practices.
I’m definitely in a phase of wintering, decompressing and rest. Being self employed or working on a contract I’d not normally have downtime or the space between projects to rest. Until now.
I’m taking my cue from nature and the celtic calendar this year, respecting I cannot be highly productive all the time.
On Saturday I found myself explaining the word fluttering that process of meandering looking. I explain it in this instagram post:
One of the artists mentioned ‘attentive gaze’ and spoke of Goethe’s work. I am sure there are deep philosophical and spiritual practices that equate to what I describe as fluttering. This is what I have learnt in our rewilded garden. Responding in that moment and being present to the land.
I was trying to do something locally like a meet and mend workshop but it does not look like it’s going to happen. Perhaps that’s a next year project.
I still draw every day nearly 3 years now, I occasionally post them to instagram under the hashtag soarlíníocht which is a loose translation of free line.
A question for you
Do you rest easily? Do you take time to not do anything in particular?
Resources
This article by Naomi O’Leary is rather poignant full of zeitgeist about the Irish language and land and ancestry – The best Irish stories are often about death. My grandfather stole his own funeral. A beautiful read.
Enniscorthy Allotments presented at the PPN meeting and have a great community engagement model, inclusion and diversity are themes that have emerged it their work. Very inspiring.
Indy Johar on writing.
A view to the week ahead
I’m mostly away from my desk with 3 days in Dublin this week.
Looking forward to attending an unconference Monday.
I have capacity for work across strategic design, facilitation, communication and the human side of change, let me know if you’d like to book an exploratory conversation.
I am open to opportunities.
Have a great week.
Roisin Markham 
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