It’s all over!

I’ve been thinking for a long time about how to conclude my time with Starcatchers. After loads of draft posts, none of which did this placement any justice, I have decided that it’s simply impossible to conclude. I started this module with 3 questions I had hoped to answer:

– What is the importance of storytelling to children and young people?

– In what ways can adults (Both parents and staff teams) support storytelling in a regular way?

– How can creative activities be used to explore books in a more interactive way?

How naive was I?!

It is impossible for me to even begin answering these questions. It’s not that I’m unable, it’s that I don’t want to. Even when working with Geraldine on Story Pages, These weren’t the questions I was trying to answer. What was most relevant for me, was the experience had by the young people. I wasn’t seeking approval from the Storytelling god, I wanted everyone to have fun, to be creative…And the work that I was part of on throughout this placement, constantly achieved that goal.
That word – Creative – As most of my peers are constantly reminded of, is my new ‘thing’. I am obsessed with it. Everything I have done, heard, read about is now being seen through this new creative lens – How is this achieving full creative potential? Luckily for me, The work of Starcatchers is so advanced in it’s knowledge and application of inspiring creativity in early years, all of the projects that I have taken part in, have allowed me to see the direct benefits on both early years, and their grown ups. Looking back on my previous blog posts, The amount of engagement and stimulation that I have had on this term really is overwhelming. From workshops, to lectures, processes, to performances, research to building, I really have had such a rich experience.
The journey that I have undergone on this (far too brief) term has played a strong part in me really, finally understanding what it is that I am aiming to do with my life after the CPP course. I will always love performing, and will never pass up an opportunity to engage in creative processes, However what has really stood out to me, is the importance that all this has. Surprisingly finding myself being drawn to a more theoretical foundation, I am keen to further my (already substantial) knowledge on why creative opportuntities are important to encourage. My lecture demonstration was the first step in trying to find my own voice within this area of work, but I feel like with the amazing contacts that I have already made, I am well on my way to exploring this passion even more. My next task is my dissertation but with the continuing help of the Starcatchers team, what once seemed like an impossible task, is now a really exciting challenge for me to explore. My connections with Starcatchers and the artists I have worked with are something that I aim to continue after this term and into my professional career, taking any opporunities to learn new information that can help better my understanding of the exciting work that is being created in Scotland right now.

I would really like to thank Rhona and Catherine at Starcatchers, and Geraldine, Jen and Matt for facilitating me and making me find a welcome place within all of your busy processes. The nurseries, staff, young people and other artists that I have worked with have made this experience more valuable than words could describe.

To end on quite possibly the cheesiest line in the world and probably souring everything I have written so far…
This really does feel like the beginning.
x

Final Day

So today was my final official day on placement with Starcatchers. I was really lucky to be given the opportunity to work with Matt Addicott (And his placementee Emily Magorrian) on his reserch and development on new Starcatchers project ‘The News and Weather’. It was nice to be back in a nursery again, We spent the day observing the young people and engaging with them in whatever way they wanted us to. Having the opportunity to listen to young people’s ideas and really hear what interested them was a really benefitial opportunity for me, and a really exciting way to end my placement. I was playing with toy cars, making up tv programmes, drawing snowmen, being superheros and playing with a (real life) dog. I’m excited to see how the rest of this project goes, I have seen some of Matt’s work before and really connect with the way in which he works. The relationships that Starcatchers have with nurseries (Specifically for me, in the Glasgow area) provides really exciting and rich opportunities for engagement in creative opportunities. Something which I also found really valuable was the opportunity to speak to new people about my passions and interests. The knowledge that there are other people with similar interests to me, and putting them into practice, is great encouragement for me to persue this now that this term is over.

Intensive senses!

So this has been the final intensive week of my time on placement with Starcatchers, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work with Jen again on her ‘The Playground’ residency at Calderside Nursery. I wasn’t told much about what I’d be doing other than helping out in the lead-up to the unveiling of Jen’s new SENSORY ROOM.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty hectic, Almost as soon as I arrived in the nursery I was handed a paintbrush and began painting and oiling big wooden structures for the children to play in. I was told of Jen’s ideas but had to imagine a lot of what we were planning to do, the big opening was to be had on Wednesday morning and there was still a lot to be done. Coming into the project in it’s final stages of  development were so much fun, it was really refreshing to tackle new tasks that I would never have been given the opportunity to otherwise. Over the two days I was sewing, hammering, drilling, painting and a handfull of other jobs that quite frankly, could give Bob the Builder a run for his money. Jen’s ideas were so brilliant that it was easy for me to invest in the work that I was doing, There was to be LED lights, a light box, fur, fairy lights, bubble machine, mattress, pillows, blankets, mirrors, chandeliers, oil burner, projections and a constantly changing soundscape that filled the small room (Previously used as a storage cupboard). Jen’s positive energy was always so helpful in motivating everyone and made (what could have been a stressed environment), a really relaxed one.

It was really interesting for me to work on some more behind-the-scenes work on projects like this, especially since it was still in a nursery and completely grounded in the work that Starcatchers does. Hearing Jen’s vision from the start and playing a part in helping the team made me feel extremely valued and that I held the trust of these professional artists that were allowing me to work with them. The nursery staff were extremely helpful and friendly, constantly popping their heads in the door to see how we were getting on and to see if they could be any help. The pupils were curious, constantly asking what was happening in their cupboard and refusing to let go that ‘it was a surprise’.

Wednesday came and everything came together so perfectly before the room’s opening. Jen had provided snacks and drinks for the pupils and parents, and it was just a case of adding the finishing touches to the room. I was so excited to see the reaction from the pupils and staff at the nursery,the room had undergone a complete transformation and even in the last few minutes, had come together perfectly. Taking a seat at the back of the group, covered in paint and sawdust, I watched Jen thank everyone for their efforts in making the room a success and cut the red ribbon – Something I’m sure she had been dying to do for a long time. Everyone loved it, I walked into the room to see a baby playing with LED lights, a young girl clapping in front of the light board, children stroking the fur under the tables and rolling around on the bed. The parents that came were extremely grateful and very complimentary about the room and the staff were smiling from ear to ear. It was so nice to see all of Jen’s hard work paid off and that the room was a success, I was so lucky to be given the opportunity to work on this project with her and the new skills that I have learned are something that I think will benefit me throughout my life. It was such a brilliant start to my final week of placement and I am so grateful to Jen, Roy and Scott for their company over the last few days. The opportunity to work on a completely different project from normal is something so valuable that I would encourage anyone that is in a similar situation, to not let the moment pass by and give it a shot because the results are overwhelmingly positive.

 

Time to relax…Kind of.

Having done my Lecture Demonstration on Thursday, I’m (after a few days break) looking forward to officially beginning my dissertation. Rhona from Starcatchers was so lovely to come and support me at the presentation and has really encouraged the rest of the work that I will be doing. I need to focus my research topic in and, In order to focus more on the brilliant work of Starcatchers, Will now be writing about encouraging creativity in 0-4 year olds. I’m really excited by how much my dissertation and placement have crossed over and the support that I’m getting from everyone. This community of artists and practitioners are so inspiring to me and even as a 20 year old student brand new to everything, I feel completely included and like I’m being so massively supported in terms of when I graduate and the opportunities/People I will already be exposed to. This is my favourite quote from my lecture demonstration, Taken from Starcatchers’ research report ‘See Theatre:Play Theatre’, I feel like it really encompasses all of my research before now and ties in the work of Starcatchers so brilliantly that I really feel like I’m on the right track here.

‘Creativity, imagination and the arts are at the core of a dynamic, diverse and inclusive cultural Scotland. They have potential to be life changing, inspirational and engaging, belonging to us all. Creativity has high currency as an aspect of contemporary life. It is becoming an essential feature of lifelong learning as education and is called upon to prepare people for a world that is changing more rapidly now than ever before. The arts, in a unique and particular way, and as perhaps the most obvious and universal expression of creativity, have an important role to play in that educational objective.’ 
Arts Education – A Lifelong Learning Strategy (2004), Scottish Arts Council.

Next week I will be on my intensive placement week every day, So far I know that I will be working with Jen Edgar again on her project as part of ‘The Playground’, I can’t wait to get back working with her again and seeing how everything has developed since I last saw the team.  

It’s all coming together perfectly!

So in these past few weeks, My time on placement has been directly linked to my dissertation and lecture demonstration planning. I’m really excited that I can use this opportunity to draw new comparisons to everything I have done so far. All the time I have spent researching and reflecting is linking directly into the writing of my dissertation which is such a relief. I feel so lucky that everything I have done has linked together as now, as I am starting to form a real structure and plan, It is all making sense and falling into place. Next week I carry out my lecture demonstration, a half hour presentation where I am to discuss and reflect on my dissertation process. This feels like a natural progression after the research that Starcatchers has helped me to facilitate, and a rich opportunity for me to introduce the work of Starcatchers to my peers. I am still in the development process and feeling really stressed with the small amount of time that I have to actually do the work but with the support from the Starcatchers team and my classmates, I am now really enthusiastic about getting started and sharing all of the exciting information that I have been so passionate about – My main problem is not getting too carried away and saying everything concisely and not get too enthusiastic. When I have a better understanding of what I will be doing then I will share the information on here as an archive for myself which will hopefully be able to project me into future work in this field in the future.

 

Listening to sticks

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to meet with Jen Edgar (Current Starcatchers artist in residence) and to get involved in her process of making a show for 0-3’s alongside her project with The Playground. I had read her blog and heard roughly what she was working on but wasn’t sure what to expect of the day. I met at the Albert Drive Studios with Actor Laurie, Illustrator Iain, Musician Scott and Jen to see what they were working on. The first thing that surprised me was the immersive and creative environment they had created, Being struck at the door by a strong infusion of Eucalyptus and Pine then seeing their collection of found sticks and branches, decorating the space from top to toe. It was an instantly positive environment, Everyone was friendly and open to a (less experienced) student coming into their already established process.

We spent time checking-in with each other and physically warming up before Laurie and I were asked to go into the garden and find 3 sticks that we liked, We took them back inside and were asked to paint them, an opportunity that I hadn’t been offered since a very young age. We spoke of similar interests, Mutual friends and Creative ideas as we worked which gave me a sense of ownership and belonging that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Having only recently created solo work, being part of a collaboration with different artistic minds made me think about my enquiry and investigation into why I was interested in working this way. The space to create and explore creative ideas with already established artists helped to not only teach me new methods of generating work, but somewhat more importantly, It inspired a new confidence in my own imagination which I feel had been lessened by a challenging performance term before Christmas.

In Ken Robinson’s book ‘Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative’, He says
‘Creativity (The process of having original ideas of value) comes about through the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things’.
The experience to engage in different artistic practices was incredibly valuable to my learning at this stage of my education; Watching a live illustrator create beautiful paintings of forrest landscapes using only ink and tree branches, then changing my focus to a musician experimenting with a variety of instruments to create a dreamlike forrest soundscape, while a trained actor floats around the room to find inspiration from our multi-sensory outdoor playground, It was impossible not to feel creatively stimulated.

I had met Jen through Starcatchers events before but had never had the experience to work with her, It’s such an incredible feeling to work alongside someone in a process like this who’s energy and creative, positive attitude completely involves every  part of your mind. It felt like such a different process to my time working on Story Pages as, rather than workshops, we knew the end goal here was to generate a show that could engage 0-3 year olds and physically be able to tour. Jen and the team had already made massive progress with the show after only a few days, I hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to engage in this process again  and see how the show develops before it’s first performance in June.

Story Pages video

I’m so excited to be able to share the final video of footage from the Story Pages project I took part in before Christmas. I had so much fun and learned so much more than I ever thought I could. I miss everyone at Glenbrae and am sure I will return with my Adventurer pals in the future to check in on how all the Newest Adventurers are getting on. Massive thanks to Geraldine for the video and for being my Adventurer mentor the whole way.

The Spottypop Ladies in Action

Here are just a few pictures of the Spottypop ladies from our Silly Moments day in Glenrothes, Big thanks to Geraldine, Emily and Hazel for making it so much fun!

Meet the Spottypop Ladies!

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work with Suzanne Zeedyk and Starcatchers on their ‘Silly Moments’ project in Glenrothes last week. To celebrate Global Belly Laugh day, and the launch of Suzanne’s new dvd’s, different performance installations were carried out in shopping centres across Scotland to help promote laughter and silliness for all ages. Emily, Hazel and Geraldine and I were transformed into the Spottypop Ladies, Hopping our way up the charts and jumping from record to record around the Kingdom shopping centre. We decided to give the whole experience a 60’s theme, complete with spotty dresses and a constant 60’s playlist keeping everyone entertained (Pictures to follow). It was really exciting to play with passing children and inviting people to come and play with us. The young people that did engage with us had a great time, We were making trails to follow, Jumping up and down, Throwing the records as high as we could and dancing together to our 60’s soundtrack. The day provided such a good opportunity to introduce parents and children to the work of Starcatchers and Suzanne Zeedyk, while having lots of fun in the process. However, the day did make me think a lot about the nature of performance when there is little/no audience watching… As we were installed in the space for 3 hours, there ware longs periods of time where nobody engaged with us or watched what we were doing. I thought back to the symposium at Into The New (Same year, New passion) and the discussion about audience; What does the performance become when there is nobody watching? At first, I was slightly disheartened by the lack of people that were interested in the work, However when I thought about it more, I realised that was one of the main reasons we were there… We took the performance to them, they could engage if they wanted to, or they could just watch us with amusement but at least we were exposing them to work that they might not see otherwise. We gave out leaflets and free CD’s for people that were interested and had fun with a number of young people that might not have engaged in this type of play had we not been there. Being given the opportunity to play in a safe but completely open environment was so rewarding, for both us and our young audience. Creating work with the Spottypop ladies made me find the joy in performance again and reminded me that there doesn’t always have to be an audience to appreciate work as long as we are having fun. I am a big fan of Suzanne Zeedyk and the work that she carries out to research connecting babies, The opportunity to represent her while generating work for Starcatchers and being silly with young people at the same time, Is an extremely exciting platform for me as a student when considering options for professional development outwith my course. I am meeting with the Starcatchers team next week to discuss future projects that I can be involved in during my 2nd term of 3rd year. 

New Year, Same Passion

I’m so glad to get back into a routine again of class and placement, I have spent lots of time over the Christmas break reading and researching, Getting myself more and more excited about Creative Development in early years, and the work that Starcatchers is doing to support that. As part of the Into The New festival at the Arches this year, I attended a symposium called ‘Audience: The innocent bystander?’, An exploration into the different perceptions of what ‘audience’ is. As well as hearing an interesting provocation called ‘Audiences should be seen and not heard: tyranny in theatre for the very young’ by Ben Fletcher-Watson, Some of the other provocations raised some important and very relevant points that got me thinking…Thinking, and sometimes quite frustrated. Something that I felt very passionate about was the discussion had over the suggestion that performance should ‘Change the World’. This, I strongly disagreed with. After a whole evening of thinking, questioning, and sometimes arguing, I feel it necessary to document my opinion on this statement while it’s fresh in my mind.

I, personally, Don’t believe that performances have to change the world, I don’t believe they have to change anything. For me, When both making and watching performance, The most important characteristic I look for is to be happy; to enjoy, to laugh, to smile. For me, If a performance I make manages to make at least one person happy, then it is a success. When I am an audience member, I don’t expect to learn anything or be changed in any way, I just want to enjoy. If a performance is successful in doing this, The audience will inherently be changed in some way, even if it is just for the afternoon. 

I completely respect the opinions of those that approach devising or observing from such an extreme creative place, there is nothing wrong with wanting to change the world.
But if I can make people happy, even just a few, then that’s enough for me. 

 

I’m excited for this passion to drive me through this year and the rest of my time with Starcatchers.