7 minute read
Children’s Writing Competition
Lila and the Secret Rain
By Isobel Raynham, aged 7 Illustration Jules Marriner
Dear Diary, I woke up, the sun was boiling hot. The village was waking up. I got dressed and rushed into the kitchen. I loved the smell of pancakes being made. I sat down at the table and Mama brought the pancakes. The pancakes tasted amazing and yummy. After breakfast I helped Mama carry a bucket of fresh, clean water home. Then I milked the cow and made lunch. Then Mama said that the well was drying out. I stood near the door and listened. Mama said to her friends about the big, dry well that was drying out and that without any water there would be no life. I went to my old Grandad and asked him what to do. He told me to go to the highest mountain I could find. So at dawn I started my journey to find the highest mountain I could. Finally I found what I was looking for. I climbed and climbed until I reached the top. Then I told the mountain the saddest things I knew. Then it started to rain. I ran down the mountain as fast as I could. When I got home the village was celebrating. Then Grandad gave me a knowing smile. The rain lasted a month. Then we had plenty of water to last. Finally the rain stopped.
Meet the Winner
Isobel Baynham was living on the Island and attending Nettlestone Primary School when she wrote this story. As part of her home-schooling during lockdown, Isobel and her classmates were asked to read Lila and the Secret Rain by David Conway and Jude Daly, and to rewrite the story, to make it a diary entry in the first person and in the past tense. “Both her teacher and ourselves thought she did a great job so we submitted it to the Style of Wight Children’s Story Competition,” says her mum Hayley. Isobel had previously entered one of her poems into the Poetry Safari competition through her school, and had it published in the Poetry Safari compilation by Youngwriters. Isobel says she would like to enter more competitions with her stories and poems. Isobel enjoys reading and drawing, especially animals and dragons. She loves to swim and can often be found out in nature looking for squirrels and creepy crawlies.
IW Creative Network – Development Programme
By Georgia Newman
The Solent LEP has recently announced that “the creative industries are the fastest growing part of the UK economy, growing at 5 times the rate of the UK economy as a whole and employing more than 2 million people” and here, on our little Island, around 30% of people work in the creative industries. 30%! This astonishing fact is also peppered with the realisation that freelance Art Workers have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Over the past two years I have been gathering information from Isle of Wight Artists and Creatives to find out what they need in order to help sustain their creative practice, and to find out how best to provide a Creative Development Programme to support those living on the IW working in the Arts and Creative Industries. Well, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that Arts Council England and the IW Council are funding the IW Creative Network Development Programme! Launching in mid-February this year, it will support so many creatives on the Island, whatever stage they’re at, background, or discipline and allow for a real opportunity for creatives to thrive, by offering learning and networking opportunities, resources and visiting new spaces. The programme will include online creative sessions via Zoom throughout the year by professional creatives, mentors and artists. Speakers will provide talks on building your business through social media, motivation & productivity and goal mapping. Experts in arts fundraising will discuss their stories on navigating arts funding, and there will also be talks on artist collectives, DIY initiatives, utilising your practice to create workshops, community projects and creative projects linked to the Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status. Those joining the network will be able to apply for further opportunities such as: 1-2-1 creative business mentoring sessions; 1-2-1 creative portfolio advice; photo shoots of their work, as well as bursary grants to help develop their creative practice. A new website will launch later in the year, profiling individual members. This creative directory will also include profiles of exhibition spaces, studios and coworking spaces, cultural venues and creative facilities on the Island. It will be your one-stop, creative shop featuring news and opportunities, as well as a resource area and an extra membersonly area with all of the recorded creative Zoom sessions - so members can access them at anytime. And that’s not all! To ensure there are some in-real-life opportunities, networking events at cultural venues will be arranged throughout the year, as well as away days and site visits to other creative networks and studio spaces in Southampton and Portsmouth, with free ferry travel provided by Wightlink and Red Funnel. With no creative professional development programme existing on the IW for over 15 years, this pilot programme will bring artists, makers and creative professionals together and help develop their business and creative skills. You might be an artist working as a school teacher but not sure which way to take your own creative practice, or you might be creating new work but don’t know how to photograph it. Or maybe you’re making work but lacking a bit of confidence in closing down sales or approaching clients, or you might want to connect with other creatives and find out what else is going on culturally on the Island and across the Solent.
Whatever stage you’re at, there will be something for you to help develop your talent, grow your creative business and refine your artistic voice! So what are you waiting for? To become a member, just sign-up to the development programme by midMarch via the website.
Join now – visit iwcreativenetwork.com or search for ‘IW Creative Network’ on Facebook and Instagram.
Embracing unique
Laura Holme, a professional photographer for over 20 years, is embracing her uniqueness to help others do the same.
Amother of three boys aged between ten and 17, it wasn’t until Laura hit 40 that she began her own journey.
“My turning point was when I hit 40. I thought, “I’m 40 and I’m going to live my life!” I wasn’t just a wife, a mother, I was a woman who wanted to do things,” explains Laura. “It was an opportunity for me to find out who I was, and once I had, I wanted to help other people to feel the same. “Working as a photographer I would often hear the phrase, “I hate having my photo taken.” “Television, magazines, media all portray the perfect image, and the pressures of everyday life for women mean that they don’t appreciate who they really are, including me.” Embarking on her own personal discovery of herself, she found Burlesque after covering a burlesque event as a photographer “seeing girls of all shapes and sizes, and loving life whilst dancing was inspirational,” she explains. “When you’re in that space, with other women, embracing their figures, it’s very empowering, and is an integral part of my body confidence journey.” Going to classes, and becoming more confident, has culminated in her becoming a burlesque instructor with Steph (her partner) for Starlesque UK. Her classes, ‘Teasers’, train in Ryde and Havenstreet. Inspired by seeing others grow in themselves and going on to train as a Body Confidence and wellness coach, Laura could empathise with why women especially didn’t love the skin they were in and knew that with the right approach she could really make a difference. And Embracing Unique was created. Specialising in creating natural images of mainly women, Laura has an inspiring and caring personality and takes the time to listen and help clients to see themselves in a more positive way. “For me it’s not just about taking photos, I’m passionate about giving my clients an experience, it’s part of a journey to loving who they are. It’s about accepting, and being, the person you are, and celebrating that.” “I help women embrace and love their uniqueness through the power of photography, so that they feel confident and happy in their own skin.
Clients say...
“During the shoot Laura soon put me at ease, I actually enjoyed myself, the time went really quickly. When I got the photos, I loved them. My body wasn’t as awful as I thought it was. I felt really good about myself, I would definitely recommend a body confidence shoot to anyone especially if you hate your body.” - Katherine x
“Until Laura took photographs of me, I was convinced that no matter what I wore or how much make up I applied, I would simply look awful in every image.” - Steph xx
“ I actually felt beautiful today, the first time in a very long time” – Jade x
To start your journey to becoming more confident, contact Laura on 07811 289526 or visit embracingunique.co.uk.
