Making Meaning

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

Alice's practice is deeply embedded in land and place. She makes with found and natural materials using textile processes and others drawn from basketry and bookmaking. Alice and I met some years ago through exhibiting in the same places and having a shared understanding of making a living as an artist and in particular, writing books about our work. Alice is well-known in textiles for her book Natural Processes in Textile Art and her new book Wild Textiles comes out this September. In this podcast we talk about her journey to the materials and engagement with the land which guides her work and the many complexities of being a working professional artist who wears many hats. We share having textiles as a second career too and talk about the many positive aspects of this in the work we do now. This is a great conversation full of stories and details about Alice's life and work. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

Textiles in Lockdown was a wonderful project I worked on in 2020. Gawthorpe Textiles Collection commissioned me to research textile making practice during the 2020 lockdowns and to create a digital resource for their museum collection. I chose to make a podcast and ebook for them, sharing your stories of stitching and sewing during the first few months of the pandemic. It was such a wonderful project for me and I know it meant a lot to so many to have their work and story captured in this podcast and ebook. In this episode I introduce the podcast and afterwards talk to Gawthorpe Textiles Collection Director Charlotte Steels about the project and its impact. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast

I've been enormously lucky over the last 10 years or so to work with Louise at Llantarnam Grange on both group and solo exhibitions. In this conversation we talk about how she creates and curates exhibitions, finds artists to work with and shares stories through craft. We also talk about the importance of the artist-curator relationship, about my work with her and the gallery, and how important exhibitions are for both artist and visitor. This was recorded in person at the gallery in March 2022.

It's great to be back with a new series of Making Meaning. In this episode I'm talking to artist Helen Hallows about living a creative life with a deep connection with nature, about the challenges and joys of being a professional artists and about what it means to be embodying her philosophy of nurturing creativity within our lives.

Find out more: https://ruthsinger.com/podcast/

This is just a quickie, a tiny unscripted mini pod to remind you that the Crowdfunder closes this weekend Sunday 12th December and that your contribution will be very much appreciated! There's also a little bonus at the end with some reflection questions for you to ponder in relation to your own making with meaning. Links from the episode: Podcast: ruthsinger.com/podcast Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/making-meaning-podcast-series-two Email list: https://ruthsinger.com/studio-stories-email-sign-up/ Gentle Goal Setting: https://ruthsinger.podia.com/gentle-goal-setting-course

This end of series episode of Making Meaning is just me. I wanted to reflect on the series, to share my thoughts and feelings about the amazing conversations I've had. I also wanted to add a bit more context about my own work and share more about myself and some of the projects I have worked on in the past, present and future. The themes that come up again and again in this series are about connection and collaboration, about the creative impulse and the value of our ideas, about research, about materials and making and about change, movement and belonging. I also introduce some ideas for the new series of Making Meaning, including a live event and longer, even more in-depth conversations. To make this possible, I am still crowdfunding so please contribute if you can here. Find out more at ruthsinger.com/podcast