Episode 47. Exploring the magic of weaving with Rosie-may Greenbank
The Creativity for All Podcast
Release Date: 10/31/2022
That's all, folks!
The Creativity for All Podcast
Season 3 of The Creativity for All Podcast has concluded with a fabulous conversation with inventor , and this feels like the right time for me to put an end to this fabulous - but - adventure, in order to focus on my . I've loved meeting such a wide range of guests and exploring creativity in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and , to name but a few of the topics discussed in the course of three seasons. And I've loved wrestling with topics, such as, (a very popular episode, interestingly), , , , , and , as well as discovering in my solo episodes. Never say never! I might be back later on with a...
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Episode 48. Exploring product design with Solveiga Pakštaite
The Creativity for All Podcast
The moment I came across an article about Solveiga Pakštaite, the inventor of a temperature-sensitive food label that shows when products really spoil to fight food waste and improve food safety, I knew I had to get in touch. Solveiga is also an entrepreneur with an industrial design background. She is the founder & director of Mimica and was named MIT Technology Review's Inventor of the Year. She also holds an honorary lectureship at UCL and consults on innovation projects for leading consumer and technology companies. In this episode, she shares her take on...
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Episode 47. Exploring the magic of weaving with Rosie-may Greenbank
The Creativity for All Podcast
In September 2022, a stall at the Ely market caught my attention, not just because every woven piece was beautiful, but because I saw at the far end of the table a small weaving loom, which made me think, quite rightly, that the creator of these lovely pieces was worth having a chat with. Rosie-may Greenbank is a traditional hand-weaver, cloth designer, maker, photographer, and web designer. Working with heritage skills to create artisan cloth, she uses traditional wooden looms, very much in the same way weavers have for hundreds of years. During the first lockdown she set up her business Mays...
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Episode 46. Exploring nature through creativity with Emma Stothard
The Creativity for All Podcast
Sculpture, and especially willow sculpture, has always fascinated me, so when I came across Emma Stothard's website, I knew I had to get in touch. Emma is a Yorkshire-based willow and wire sculptor. Inspired by the creatures of the North York Moors, where she lives, she creates sculptures of wild/domestic animals and birds. After receiving a BA Honours in Fine Art from Southampton Solent University, she briefly moved to the Somerset Levels to learn the process of growing, coppicing, bundling, and weaving willow. In 2001, thanks to a loan from The Prince's Trust, Emma started her sculpting...
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Episode 45. Challenging our beliefs creatively with Voula Tsoflias
The Creativity for All Podcast
Today's guest, Voula Tsoflias, is a writer of psychological fiction and non-fiction psychology, combining her two passions in life: fiction writing and psychology. Following a long and happy career as a corporate psychologist, she now devotes her time to writing and related activities. She's finishing her third novel, Halo. Her first novel, Honor’s Shadow, was published by Karnac in 2012. She’s a contributing author to the DK Psychology book and the co-founder of Resilience for Writers, with author Isabel Costello, supporting writers through the specific challenges of trying to get...
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Podcast News!
The Creativity for All Podcast
ABOUT THE CREATIVITY FOR ALL PODCAST A can be creative. So can a , a , and a . Not to mention a , a , or an ! Creativity is everywhere and I love nothing more than to explore it in , either by focusing on a theme – such as perfectionism, feeding your creative brain, or the pressure to be creative – in my solo episodes, or through my conversations with all manner of creative people. I want to challenge the perception of creativity and, in the process, debunk many myths attached to it: it's painful, for artists and the chosen few, etc. My guests and I are keen to zoom in and dissect the...
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Episode 43. Exploring the exponential power of kindness with Becca Reed
The Creativity for All Podcast
Kindness.org is on a mission to educate and inspire people to choose kindness and science is the foundation and heartbeat of their work, through their collaboration with researchers at Harvard University and educators, one of the many topics raised in my conversation with today's guest, Becca Reed. Over the last decade Becca’s worked with thousands of educators and students across the US, first as a classroom teacher, a program designer and trainer, and then as an education consultant. As the latter, she worked with change-making educators and organizations to build bridges between “what...
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Episode 42. Another creative exercise
The Creativity for All Podcast
Grab a pen and paper and join me for another short creative exercise – a follow-up to the ever so popular episode 34 – designed to get you thinking about your own take on, and relationship with, creativity. Ready? ABOUT THE CREATIVITY FOR ALL PODCAST A can be creative. So can a , a , and a . Not to mention a , a , or an ! Creativity is everywhere and I love nothing more than to explore it in , either by focusing on a theme – such as perfectionism, feeding your creative brain, or the pressure to be creative – in my solo episodes, or through my conversations with all manner of creative...
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Episode 41. Exploring our humanity with Ronni Abergel
The Creativity for All Podcast
Ten minutes is all it took between the moment I came across a post about The Human Library and the moment I sent an invitation to its founder, journalist and social change activist, Ronni Abergel, today’s guest. The Human Library is an international not-for-profit organisation, which started in Copenhagen, Denmark, 22 years ago, and is now available in 85 countries and 50 languages. Just as you borrow a printed book from your community’s library, you can borrow a human book from one of the many book depots The Human Library is running across the world. You choose a title – homeless,...
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Episode 40. Honing our observation skills
The Creativity for All Podcast
That observation is a key skill when it comes to any type of creative endeavour seems fairly obvious. That we all have observation skills, even more so. But to what extent are we aware of them, how often are we actively using them, and what can we do to hone them? ABOUT THE CREATIVITY FOR ALL PODCAST A can be creative. So can a , a , and a . Not to mention a , a , or an ! Creativity is everywhere and I love nothing more than to explore it in , either by focusing on a theme – such as perfectionism, feeding your creative brain, or the pressure to be creative – in my solo episodes, or...
info_outlineIn September 2022, a stall at the Ely market caught my attention, not just because every woven piece was beautiful, but because I saw at the far end of the table a small weaving loom, which made me think, quite rightly, that the creator of these lovely pieces was worth having a chat with.
Rosie-may Greenbank is a traditional hand-weaver, cloth designer, maker, photographer, and web designer. Working with heritage skills to create artisan cloth, she uses traditional wooden looms, very much in the same way weavers have for hundreds of years. During the first lockdown she set up her business Mays Wonderfully Woven with the help of the Prince’s Trust. She designs and weaves artisanal cloth, which is then hand-crafted into a variety of bespoke apparel, furnishings, and gifts.
In this episode, Rosie-may shares her take on creativity and her creative process, from having a specific inspiration point – a colour or yarn, a visit to Bletchley Park, or the sharp contours of a piece of metal or even paper – to drawing and creating a design based on a series of numbers in a grid system, which she translates into a piece of woven cloth.
To her, weave is a language. Her designs are meticulously planned, allowing her to have a flexible approach when creating her pieces, to experiment and immerse herself in the flow of weaving.
Rosie-may describes the magic of building fabric, effectively creating a piece out of nothing, how the tradition of weaving has been passed on through generations, the emotional connection she has with each piece she weaves and the pride she takes in not only carrying out such a tradition, but in making it accessible to others through her online tutorials.
Fabric, as she reminds us beautifully, is an integral part of our lives and each of her pieces has a unique story. This conversation made me want to grab a pencil and draw, so I hope you enjoy it and will feel equally inspired by it!
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ABOUT THE CREATIVITY FOR ALL PODCAST
A maths teacher can be creative. So can a financial adviser, a community builder, and a yoga teacher. Not to mention a speed painter, a potter, or an actor!
Creativity is everywhere and I love nothing more than to explore it in The Creativity for All Podcast, either by focusing on a theme – such as perfectionism, feeding your creative brain, or the pressure to be creative – in my solo episodes, or through my conversations with all manner of creative people.
I want to challenge the perception of creativity and, in the process, debunk many myths attached to it: it's painful, for artists and the chosen few, etc.
My guests and I are keen to zoom in and dissect the origin of an idea, the impulse that makes us engage with our own creativity, with the hope that it will inspire listeners to get creative too.
My podcast is designed for anyone who’s already being creative, or is tempted to use their creativity, in particular those of you who think they are not creative or can never be. I would love to change your mind!