Let's Create: Do We Know How To?

In this episode Naomi talks to freelance artist Dan Thompson about the responsibility of knowing an appropriate amount about who you are working with.  Dan talks about the impact that the work can have on people who participate in it. At its most basic level we need to know their access needs. But at a deeper level we need to understand who they are and why they are participating in the project. ...

In this episode, Naomi has a conversation with her colleague at Brighton People's Theatre; Jack Parris, about the responsibility of creating a structure or purpose. He talks about the importance of this responsibility because without it, the work can feel uncontained and daunting. The structure creates limitations and gives a picture to everyone involved in the project of what the parameters are f...

In this episode Naomi talks to Jess Thorpe, Co-Artistic Director of the award-winning Scottish company Glass Performance. Jess talks about through the co-creative process, the artist is bringing the framework and tools and the non professional artist is bringing their lived experience. For her it is important to ensure that the non-professional artists understand the process they are going through...

In this episode Naomi talks to Ned Glasier, former CEO and Artistic Director of Company Three about the rights and ethics of making co-created work.  In this discussion about the rights and ethics of co-created work Ned talks about how important that it is given that we are dealing with people’s lives. Plus there is a complicated power dynamic with some people being paid and others not being paid...

In this episode Naomi talks to Sarah Blowers, Founder and former Artistic Director of Strike a Light in Gloucester.  Sarah talks about the complexities of accountability and how important it is to be accountable to the people we are working with. She talks about getting funding for co-created work without detailed activity plans as this is to be determined through the process. For her the accounta...

In this episode Naomi talks to Jason Camilleri about the responsibility of safeguarding.  Jason describes how safeguarding is at the forefront of how he approaches his work with young people aged 11-25 at the Wales Millennium Centre. He believes that without it you are at risk of turning young people away from the arts. One of their projects involves employing young people to run a radio station,...

In this episode Naomi talks to the freelance artist Kelly Green about the responsibility of safety.  Kelly talks about how important this is but is clear that it is not possible to create a completely safe space. She shares a poem called An Invitation to Brave Space, which is about acknowledging that we cannot create a safe space. Kelly has this poem up on the wall in every session she runs and re...

In this episode Naomi talks to the Artistic Director of Strike a Light, Sarah Blowers. Sarah talks about the importance of never underestimating what people want to do. She notices that people are often taking a risk by coming along and getting involved. For Sarah, facilitation skills are really important to try to ensure that people feel safe. It is a tightrope of showing leadership, seeing poten...

In this episode Naomi talks to Conrad Murray, Founder and Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre’s Beatbox Academy about the importance of leaders of co-creative practice having solid art form skills.  Conrad talks about how important it is for the young people who he works with to see him utilise his art form skills. He has been on his own journey with his art form, saying he used to be the w...

In this episode, London based theatre maker, Kane Husbands, discusses the leadership skill of inclusive language and its importance when leading co-creative practice. Naomi Alexander is the CEO and Artistic Director of Brighton People's Theatre . Her AHRC funded research Let's Create: Do we know how to? identified 20 qualities, skills and responsibilities that are important for artists leading co-...

In this episode Naomi talks to freelance artist Dan Thompson about the skill of listening and communicating when leading co-creative practice. Dan talks about the importance of listening first before making any artistic decisions, as he notes that a lot of participatory arts practice revolves around the artist's idea and getting people involved in bringing that idea to life. Deep listening when le...

In this episode, Naomi has a conversation with her colleague at Brighton People's Theatre; Jack Parris. Jack talks about how people can suffer if the energy levels in a room are too high or low. He believes managing energy levels is absolutely integral to the process, nurturing an energetic journey that ebbs and flows over a workshop or creative process. Jack talks about the importance of managing...

In this conversation Naomi talks to Theatre Director Tanushka Marah about how she olds space in the work that she co-creates with young people. Tanushka talks about this skill when co-creating as being like 'foraging in the dark'. She describes the moments of holding space when the energy is potent and not being afraid of emptiness and to hold questions and silence. She talks about the importance...

In this episode, London based theatre maker, Kane Husbands, discusses the quality of patience and its importance when leading co-creative practice. He talks about how embodying the quality of patience in his workshops is very different to the often high energy theatre and dance performances that he co-creates. He notices that it requires him to find stillness in the busyness and that often this qu...

In this episode, London based theatre-maker Conrad Murray talks about the importance of being true to himself. He asks himself, 'would my younger self like me right now? Would this be real to him?'. He wants to ensure that he hasn't changed himself to adapt to the dominant culture of arts buildings and the culture of the arts world. He wants to make art that appeals to the people he grew up with a...

In this episode Naomi talks to the freelance artist Kelly Green. Kelly reflects on how she is constantly being adaptable and flexible in her practice when co-creating. She talks about how she is in a state of high alert, observing and anticipating what is going on in a group. There is a discussion about how being adaptable and flexible shows up in the body; what happens when things go wrong and fe...

In this episode Naomi Alexander talks to Tashi Gore about the quality of Empathy and Care for Others; how artists as leaders of co-created art embody this in their work.  Tashi reflects on how she embodies care and empathy in the different contexts that she works in, whether working with 2 people or 100 people.  She discusses the importance of the context and people feeling heard within the group...

In this episode Naomi Alexander talks to Dr Sita Thomas about the quality of being Grounded and Energetic; how artists as leaders of co-created art embody this in their work. Sita reflects on how she generates energy in a room and how she channels energy by being grounded.  Sita reflects on how important it is to be grounded, to be calm and rooted in her practice so she can pick what kind of energ...

In this episode Naomi Alexander talks to Ned Glasier about the quality of being Open and Humble; how artists as leaders of co-created art embody this in their work. Ned reflects on how being open manifests in the room and in the body of the artist leading the room. They discuss how an artist's body is almost porous in order to receive and respond during the creative process. Ned reflects on how im...