April Round-up
🌿 April Reflections + What’s Changing in May for the Creative Flock
If this is the first post you’re reading, welcome! At the end of each month, I gather up all the good things happening inside the membership and in my studio, and share them in a single post for all subscribers. It’s a little peek behind the scenes and a chance for you to explore member-only content through your free teaser post, or join the Flock as a full member if you’re ready.
It’s a lovely way to celebrate what we’ve created together and give you a glimpse of the creative energy that’s bubbling away in the membership.
April: All Hail the Hedgerows!
Hello Flock Friends!
This month in the membership, I took you on a journey with me to explore the rich habitat of hedgerows.
I shared some of the hedgerow facts I learned while reading Hedgelands and exploring the articles on Woodland Trust, PTES and Hedgelink and explored hedgerows in my local countryside, observing, documenting and sketching while I went.
Back in the studio, I explored mark-making using charcoal and graphite:
And later, using printmaking inks for some mono-print experiments:
I love the unpredictable textures you get with monoprinting; there’s no room for perfectionism, which makes it an incredibly freeing technique!
I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about focusing on hedgerows this month, I worried it might be too niche. But I’ve been so touched by your messages and comments saying how much you enjoyed it. It just goes to show, that when we lean into what we love, no matter how quirky or specific, it can often resonate with others ❤️
Sketches from our drawing session:
Our drawing session focused on hedgerow plants, trees, insects, and animals. It was a wonderfully soothing hour of creativity with Creative Flock members, a real tonic that helped ease the symptoms of my never-ending cold! 🤧
Members Gallery
Some of the artists who joined have kindly allowed me to share their work here:
You can connect with each artist on their Instagram or Substack accounts:
on Substack and Instagram here
One of the highlights of the month was sharing an interview with the hugely talented children’s book author, Skye McKenna. She spoke about her journey as a writer and how folklore and magic inspire her work. Long-time subscribers will know I’m a big fan of children’s literature, and stories like Skye’s Hedgewitch are a constant source of inspiration to me.
I had a guest spot on Beth Spencer’s art show, which was so much fun! We chatted about all sorts, including our food obsessions, reminisced about our IRL meet-up in Brighton last year, and discussed the perils of perfectionism.
Keeping with this month’s hedgerow theme, I sketched this blackbird in an ivy hedge, grabbing a bite to eat.
To round things off this month, we held our first Show & Share session, which was a great success. It was lovely to connect with you, hear about your creative projects, and offer support and encouragement. I’m excited to say that Show & Share will now be a regular feature at the end of each month
Studio struggles, seasonal shifts & what’s next for Creative Flock
This month has been a bit of a juggle behind the scenes. Between the two-week Easter school holidays, the 3-day FCBG conference in Wales, extra volunteering work for the charity, and working more in my other business (the one that pays the bills!), my studio time took a hit. I’ve also been managing a string of illnesses, so things have felt a bit slower than usual.
I'm grateful I managed to squeeze in any sketching time at all this month, considering what else I had going on, though I had hoped to finish at least one of the many half-completed projects that were part of my April plans.
That brings me to some upcoming changes to the Creative Flock offering, which I hope will help me carve out more time for creating new work, and tackling some of those bigger, unfinished projects.
One of the biggest shifts will be moving to longer, seasonal themes, likely spanning three months. One month never felt quite long enough to truly dive into a topic, and I know many of you also feel time-poor. I hope this spacious, slower pace will support you in deepening your practice and completing projects at a more natural rhythm.
I’ll share full details in my next post, coming very soon, but in the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming changes, feel free to drop me a DM.
Thank you, as always, for being part of this community 💕
Things that have caught my attention this month…
Art & Exhibitions
Beautiful artists’ book on display at the British Library - Ode to the moth
The ethereal beauty of ancient forests, captured by photographer,
This incredible handmade book by Shelley Aldrich. Thank you to
for sharing this with me!
Nature & Wildlife Conservation
As well as keeping an eye on the puffins on Skomer Island, I’ve been checking in on Peregrine falcon nests and these Osprey ones
I’ve been submitting to this citizen science project at Mammal Web, to help monitor wild mammals in the UK and Europe. Anyone can take part, it’s an enjoyable thing to dip in and out of, and beats doomscrolling, any day! https://www.mammalweb.org/en/
Podcasts:
From What if to What Next - The topics and discussion in this podcast series have been blowing my tiny mind! Endlessly thought-provoking, it’s the type of podcast you listen to, then immediately replay as there’s so much to take in.
Books
It was books galore at the FCBG annual conference! Not only books, but authors, illustrators and many inspiring, bookish people. Oh, and cake, LOTS of cake! 😆
I plan to put together a post all about the work I do with the Federation, but for now, here’s a few highlights from this year’s conference.
Also, thank you to
for sending me lots of book suggestions relating to the hedgerow theme! This month’s reading time was taken up with Hedgelands and books from the conference, but Emma’s recommendations have been added to my reading wishlist!
Nature highlights from my neck of the woods…
Aside from all the beautiful hedgerows I’ve been exploring, there’s so much to see outdoors! It is April, after all 😆
The garden has fully come to life, the resident blue tits are busy with their nest (out of sight, but I know it’s in my neighbours rose bush as I keep seeing them to and fro!). Blackbirds and wood pigeons are active too. There’s a constant hum of insects, and the house martins have returned to our area for the summer! I thought they were swifts at first, but on closer inspection, they have a white tummy, so definitely house martins.
Our little pond is full of newts, and today I spotted two small frogs on a rock, enjoying a bit of sunshine.
What’s been your nature highlights?
And that’s a wrap for April!
Despite it being a busy, germ-filled month, I’ve absolutely loved diving into the hedgerow theme with you. Exploring it together and inspiring others along the way has been a real joy. It lights me up to see how you've responded to the theme, and knowing that something from my practice supports yours makes it all feel so worthwhile.
As always, thank you for your support here.
What a ram packed April! Beautiful to see it all in one place.
Thank you Emma , I really enjoyed the hedgerows theme , as you can see from my drawing!
Thank you so much for sharing my artwork :)