Week Twenty-Six: Spring Equinox Reflections

The Spring Equinox marked the half way point in my DYCP year of research and development. Over the last six months I’ve completed courses in a variety of subjects including natural art materials, arts in health, social and therapeutic horticulture, cyanotype animation and botanical toning. My priority has been studying and most of my spare time has been dedicated to this project, meaning that simple tasks and daily chores are becoming increasingly hard to complete. It feels good to stop and take stock, find some balance and figure out how a creative practice will sit alongside the other facets of my life in the future. Patience is key and I have to remember that this year of development is only the beginning. That I can continue to keep practicing the new techniques that I’ve learnt.

Botanical Inks

I am continuing to work full time and I don’t have a studio. My flat is my creative space and I’ve found this increasingly difficult. I need a change of scenery, a journey to and from the studio, and the opportunity to engage with other creative beings. I’m craving the chance to get away from studying at my laptop and I notice a real shift in mood when I am engaging with people in person.

I’ve been back at the allotment this weekend, moving lots of broken glass so that I have a walkway through the plot. These milestones are bringing me more confidence each week and I’m starting to feel ready to get stuck in with clearing the site. I’ve started to meet some of the other allotment holders and it’s helping me to settle in and connect with the land. The dandelions are popping up all over the plot and today I noticed a lot of spiders crawling in the grass.

Week Twenty-Five: Volunteering

This week I have started volunteering at Leicester Print Workshop, helping to deliver a monoprinting activity for children and families as part of the Cultural Quarter Earlies. Participants painted with Akua intaglio inks onto CAD foil flower templates before putting them through the printing press. I’ve often turned to volunteering as a way of building my confidence, learning something new, and meeting new people who have similar interests. Over the last year I have also volunteered with Modern Painters New Decorators in Loughborough with the family workshops which has helped me to familiarise myself again with working in a gallery environment - something that I’ve not done for almost four years.

Monoprinting at Leicester Print Workshop

Returning to this type of work is helping me to figure out my next steps. What kind of workshops do I want to deliver in the future? In what contexts? I’m also finding that I’m starting to question what creative health might look like for children and young people. Up until now my focus has been on adults. I’m thinking about the sensory joy of getting messy and reflecting on what it means to have permission to experiment creatively and to express ourselves. I’m questioning what might be both healing and empowering to a child as well as an adult.

Dandelions

I’ve started to visit the allotment on a weekly basis to clear the space. I now have an entrance onto the plot that was previously a mountain of wood pieces and rubble. I’m starting to grow in confidence. It’s definitely been a process of settling in over the last month. I’ve been finding my feet and figuring out where to start. I’m beginning to realise that the upkeep of an allotment is a much about DIY as it is about gardening. I’m starting to notice signs of life on the allotment - dandelions, nettles and a Japanese honeysuckle. I’m interested in the symbolism of plants and have found the following:

Dandelions are symbols of resilience, hope, transformation and joy. They represent the ability to thrive in harsh conditions, and they symbolise strength and tenacity. Their transition from yellow flowers to white seed heads represent personal growth and change. The act of blowing dandelions symbolise the sending of wishes and dreams out into the world.

Nettles are symbols of protection, boundaries, healing and resilience.

Japanese honeysuckle symbolizes everlasting bonds and devotion.

The symbolism of plants brings me comfort. I will continue to explore what plants are growing on the plot and I will create a herbarium to document this.

Week Twenty-Four: Why Women Grow

Today I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival by Alice Vincent. I’ve been reflecting on my own journey into horticulture and the reasons why I’ve turned to the land and to soil. Sowing seeds have felt like setting intentions and bring a sense of wonder and hope for the future. This has helped me to refocus my mind onto the present moment and helps to prevent any ruminating thoughts about the past. This takes practice, and the more time that I spend tending to plants then the more my mind has a break from the times that have challenged me. As I am starting to clear my allotment to make way for Slow Colour Yard, I am reflecting on my experiences of community gardening and what they have taught me.

Community Gardening 2025

Gardening reminds me of what is beautiful in life. The sensory elements of soil and water remind me of the times I have stuck my hands into clay. Gardening is about creativity and care. It has brought a sense of safety, comfort, and freedom. It has ignited a sense of drive and ambition, bringing back aspects of my personality that had been lost for a while. A want to learn more, to try something new, to connect to the earth. Gardening is about trial and error. Purchasing plants feels like cheating to me. I like to grow my plants from seed and I am comfortable with the fact that some way work out and some may not.

As I am completing training in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture, I am reflecting on some of the soft skills that can be developed through community gardening. I am thinking about the experience of taking ownership of a raised bed to grow plants of my own choosing and how this contributed to the wider community of a garden. A place to feel grounded, to take the lead, and to make mistakes without worry. I only hope that this time next year I will be hosting seed sowing sessions for women at Slow Colour Yard, holding space for women to set their own intentions for the future.