MY APPROACH TO LIFE AND MAKING

The more I get involved with my making, almost exclusively using materials from where I live, the more I think about the way I want to live and work. I try to have less of an impact on the environment each day – our home, EARTH, is struggling more to maintain equilibrium and we humans are often not helping.

Going forward, I am only going to use dyes made from plants in my garden or field. Some of these I grow and some grow naturally. I am also growing more and more fruit and vegetables for us to eat, trying to recycle and reuse things as much as possible, travelling by train or in my electric car (although I know they are not totally the answer) and more.

I will be having an exhibition with willow weaver Sue Kirk, in Birmingham* this autumn and we have been talking about our ways of working and living. We have found so many similar views and practices and decided to write them down. I hope you enjoy reading them below.

A Shared Approach to Life

• Live and work harmoniously with the land, improving biodiversity and living a low impact lifestyle.
• Continue to research how to improve the rich diversity on our land and continue experimenting with the materials harvested from our land in order to create new work.
• Enjoy the process of making. Record processes, experiments and techniques for future ideas. Compile research and samples to inform final work.
• We want to continue working harmoniously with nature and the seasons, developing our practice and natural processes, benefitting our work and the land we live on.
• We want to share this sustainable way of living and working and encourage more people to understand the benefits we can have on our environment and thus help to create a positive change.
• Working with natural materials largely grown and harvested on our land, or with materials grown sustainably in UK, rejecting plastics and chemicals within our working practice. Therefore, deepening the respect with our land and minimising our ecological footprint.