Creativity for Community

It’s been almost a year and a half since I started my new creative business in Hobart. So many incredible artistic projects and performances have flowed into my life, I feel lucky and grateful.

I’ve been particularly inspired meeting people who are using art for the benefit of our communities to bring more health and happiness in places where it is really needed. This has shifted my personal focus from being the performer on stage into new roles where I help produce and assist art project that have beautiful outcomes.

The biggest project that has come into my life is producing ‘The Musiq Garden’, working with Kickstart Arts out at St John’s Park in New Town that is being transformed into a Creative Living Park, supporting creativity, sustainability, culture & community.

As part of this vision ‘The Musiq Garden’ was launched in November last year with events running every Friday till December the 15^th.

We had an abundance of fabulous local musicians grace our stage. Professional songwriter’s and bands, as well as emerging artists and a live visual artist capturing the vibe each week.

Collaborating with our neighbours Hobart City Farm, someone would win a veggie box at each event, we had delicious Ethiopian curries, the BBQ was popular with the kids and it was a joy to see people relaxing on a beanbag or up dancing to the groovy rhythms of the music.

 I’m busy now getting everything organised to re-launch ‘The Musiq Garden’ again this year!

Another wonderful opportunity I’ve had is working with ‘Inscape’ doing pop-up performances at The Royal Hobart Hospital. Singing harmonies as a duo with Tiff Norchick who plays Celtic harp and me on acoustic guitar. The amount of smiles and compliments we had, truly rewarding experiences and connections when the music touched someone.

It was indeed a year of new experiences…I wrote my first ever grant application that was accepted, waaaahhh!! Enabling me to put on ‘PyroRhythm’ a fire and drumming event held in August last year. I’ll let these gorgeous pictures tell the story!

Mid Winter Festival was another amazing, creative collaboration and ceremony with fire dancers, contact dancers, stilt walkers, live musicians, actors & a story teller, plus all the costumes, props, lighting and lanterns that our director pulled together…it was epic!

 Crankit Theatre is currently exploring, devising and creating work about climate change. Our intention is to stimulate a conversation around this huge issue, which often seems so overwhelming that it gets pushed under the carpet. We are not trying to come up with answers but rather explore some of our own emotional responses that is developing into a series of comedic clown - based characters and a roving performance piece.

I continue to be part of the Tarkine in Motion (TiM) campaign with the Bob Brown Foundation. It’s uplifting to be around so many like minded artists and environmentalists, collaborating together to protect this stunning wild place. The exhibition launches this Friday 16^th Feburary, 6pm at Long Gallery – Salamanca Arts Centre.

FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/173894229892987/

Oh and this is the song I wrote in TiM 2016 ‘Old World’: https://shells2.bandcamp.com/releases

There were so many other special performances and creativity I was part of over this last 16 months but I’ll leave it there for now. I’m so excited to be doing what I love in this world and feel thankful to all the people who help me live this dream. May this work bring health and happiness into our communities and land.

Love Shells xoxox