Desire Lines

In this episode, we continue our conversations with Dr. Tamara Russell. Tamara is a clinical psychologist, neuroscientist, martial artist and mindfulness trainer. She works as an academic and clinician, exploring the use of embodied mindfulness in the work of transformation and self-development.

Our second conversation focuses in on neurodivergence and wayfinding, exploring the importance of environment in our quality of attention. We creatively try to navigate the tricky terrain of diagnosis, whilst coming up with some suggestions for valuing neurodivergent experience with more kindness.

Jo Hazell Watkins is a trauma-informed strength trainer and co-founder of The Soma Space in Oswestry, UK. In a previous career, Jo worked as a textiles designer before significant life events and a period of ill health re-orientated her towards the use of the body for healing.

In this episode, Emily and Jo talk about women's strength as a desire line, unpicking narratives around strength and our conditioning as women. We encourage listeners of all genders to tune into this conversation, as the themes are wide -ranging and pertinent to co-creating kinder futures.

Scott Roe (aka Boohai) is the the creator of a pioneering micro-nation, a deep ecologist, musician and visual artist living off-grid in the wild Welsh hills. Music has been part of his life since an early age, and in the past he ran an independent record label and PR company for creative projects. In his ecology work, Scott is founder of a woodland rewilding nature reserve and volunteer program, blending creativity with hands-on environmental action.  Tune in for a conversation about creative citizenship, and artful ways to rethink borders and belonging.

The music featured in this episode is the track "I Know You Know" by Boohai.

In this episode, Emily talks with Gabriela Blandy. Gabriela is an award-winning writer, life coach and shamanic practitioner, and the founder of the Wild Muse nature writing prize, which celebrates writing born from deep encounters with the natural world. Her research and coaching focuses on the idea of ‘safe creativity’, which supports writers and artists to move beyond trauma and conditioning and create from the wild intelligence within.

Walkspace (walkspace.uk) is a West Midlands-based co-operative of artists, writers, psychogeographers, photographers, creative practitioners and walkers. Walkspace exists to bring together artists and creative practitioners in the region who use walking as part of their practice. We aim to create a community of mutual support and collaboration, working as a co-operative collective to support the creation of new work.

In this episode, Emily speaks with fellow Walkspace members Rachel Henaghan and Andy Howlett on the theme of walking as storytelling.

Links

...kruse is a neurodivergent, autistic creative based in Herefordshire UK, who makes work exploring relationships to landscape, the natural world and to each other. They explore what is unseen, the ephemeral, transient and ever changing. Kruse write about the solitaries, the hermits and wanderers and those who see the world sideways. They also work as a mentor for neurodivergent artists.

Tanya Raabe Webber is a visual artist and self-defined disabled creative. She is a disability arts activist and artistic director for UK charity Sense. In this episode, Tanya and Emily talk access, landscape and sensory practice.

 Ruth is a shamanic practitioner and soul guide working with nature, spirits, metaphor, and healing. She is very interested in these changing times we are living in, and evolving trauma-based narratives into positive futures. In this episode, Emily and Ruth talk grounded spiritual practice, land, creativity, gender expression, ancestry and languaging a new earth.

In this episode, Emily speaks with Aaron Lelito about interdisciplinary space, multisensory creative practice and cultivating simplicity.

Aaron is an editor, writer, and visual artist from Buffalo, New York, US. He founded the art and literature publication Wild Roof Journal in 2020 and serves as Editor in Chief. His poetry chapbook, The Half Turn, was published in 2023, and he released a collaborative notebook/art collection titled If We: Connections Through Creative Process in 2024. His work has also appeared in Stonecoast Review, Barzakh, Eavesdrop Magazine, SPECTRA Poets, Peach Mag, and Santa Fe Review. He is a freelance editor, certified meditation teacher, and English educator. 

Jonathon Stalls (he, his) is a Multidisciplinary Walking Artist with Intrinsic Paths. In 2010, he walked for 242 days across the U.S. and has continued to move alongside a wide variety of people and landscapes ever since. His creative work involves ink drawing, creative writing, the Pedestrian Dignity project, walk leader training with Walk2Connect (a program of America Walks), facilitating mindfulness practices, and more. He is the author of WALK - Slow Down, Wake Up & Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour (North Atlantic Books, Aug 2022). He attended the Living School for Action and Contemplation from 2015-2017 and resides in Poncha Springs, Colorado with his husband, Ben.

Jamila is a multidisciplinary visual artist based inShropshire, UK. Jamila creates bodies of work which raise questions about her role in the world, as an artist, woman, and more. Jamila's passions lie within narrative and layers. Her practice uses found objects and demonstrates afascination with minutiae of the everyday. As an experienced arts facilitator, Jamila often works in community settings, museums, galleries and arts for health.

In this episode, Emily and Jamila talk about creative practice, shifting from the UK midlands to the Welsh-English borderlands, rural/urban contrasts, mobility, belonging in the landscape and more.

Links & references

Instagram @jamila_artist

Steve Thorp is a psychotherapist, writer and editor ofUnpsychology Magazine. He is also author of music publication Ziggy's Lament, as well as essays and poems in various publications including Dark Mountain and the recent Climate, Psychology, and Change edited by Steffi Bednarak. He has edited and contributed to several books on race equality and education before training in psychotherapy and working with school staff and student wellbeing for manyyears.

Steve is author of several books published by Raw MixturePublishing including Soul Manifestos and Pieces of Joy (2014); Soul Meditations (2016) Blue Marble (2017) and Lifesongs (2021) with illustrator, Ruth Thorp, and his PoetryMix series (2019) with Mary Thorp. He also has had a number ofpoetry pamphlets and collaborations with other illustrators including Mary Thorp and Kim Major-George. Steve has taken part in a number of exhibitions including at the Dark Mountain Gathering and St Davids Cathedral, with artist Kim Major-George, and at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids.

In this episode Emily and Steve talk about self publishingas a desire line, building communities through writing, indie zine culture, psychology, punk and more. Also included are poetic interludes where listeners can enjoy spoken word by Steve. The ending piece features music by Patrick Carpenter, and was created for Unpsychology issue 9.1.

Jo Jukes is an artist, creativity tutor, nature writer, poet and musician. Her self published books Finding Home and A Year of Beauty tell stories of connection with her local landscape in Shropshire. Jo has also released two albums of music with musician Rick Wilson.

In this episode, Emily and Jo talk about walking practice, interdisciplinary creativity, living in tune with the seasons, ancestry and speaking up.

The Landing Project is a two-year ACE funded project based in Shropshire that unites artists, farmers, environmental practitioners, schools and local communities through on-farm artist residencies and a programme of workshops, public events and exhibitions. It explores how creative activities can offer alternative pathways to communicate about how we farm the UK, and constructive ways to imagine positive futures for our farmland. Led by artists Molly Brown and Andrew Howe, the project is a creative exploration of rural labour, the evolution of farming practices and future relationships between people and land.

James Aldridge is a visual artist based in Wiltshire, UK who works with people and places. James' practice explores the place of visual arts processes within learning and wellbeing, at a time of climate and ecological crisis, and particularly the importance of including queer and neurodivergent voices/experiences within this work.

In this episode, Emily and James talk neuroqueering, nature and neurodivergence whilst comparing their practices as walking creatives.