Creative Chat ‘n’ Blog – Leanne Moden

Listen to Leanne’s podcast episode here.

When lockdown came into force in March 2020, I lost all my freelance work overnight. As a performance poet, I do a lot of arts and music festivals, and the cancelation of these left a real hole in my calendar. I also run workshops in schools, and I had two large schools projects cancelled because of the pandemic. 

It was certainly a shock to begin with, but as a freelance artist, I’m fairly used to precarious working. Thankfully, since Spring 2020, I’ve been able to work with wonderful organisations like MarketPlace, and be part of innovative projects bringing creativity to communities in the digital space.  

As an educator, I was initially concerned that video conferencing would be complicated and sterile when compared to face-to-face facilitation. Luckily, the fantastic folk at Paper Cranes – the writing collective I run in Nottingham – were supportive and patient while we worked out how to switch to online sessions. Now, I relish the challenge of teaching groups online, and being able to continue to write with our collective has been a real boost to my mental health too! 

I also took the opportunity to do a number of live performances over Zoom, and I’ve really enjoyed ‘visiting’ events across the world. Being able to connect across borders and time zones has enabled collaboration on a scale I certainly never thought possible before!  

Over 2020, I’ve been intensely grateful to those organisations providing creative opportunities for artists and communities to work together. The MarketPlace Creative Conversations project in August 2020 was a wonderful example of this. The collaborative poem we produced is something that I am immensely proud of. 

Writing during a pandemic has been tricky at times, especially when the news seems so consistently overwhelming. But I have learnt how to ‘go with the flow’ a little more, and pounce on inspiration when it strikes. I’ve also learnt some brand-new skills, like video editing and production, which has allowed me to explore new ways of working and flexed my creative muscles. 

It’s been a hard year for the creative sector, but I’m grateful to have learnt new skills, participated in exciting projects and connected with so many lovely people. More importantly, I am grateful to all the key workers in the UK, who have ensured that our hospitals, care homes, supermarkets, post offices, healthcare, education services and other vital facilities continued to run through 2020. 

Thank you all.  

Written by poet, Leanne Moden.

Listen to Leanne’s podcast episode here.

Read about Leanne’s More Than Music project here.

Art of #CovidChat

Image reads "The Art of Covid Chat - Creative Conversations - Summer 2021". Behind the text is the image of coronavirus cells on a white background.
Image reads “The Art of Covid Chat – Creative Conversations – Summer 2021”. Behind the text is the image of coronavirus cells on a white background.

A new MarketPlace/ DMJ Imagery Ltd podcast series

For many creative practitioners, the Lockdown period during 2020 and 2021 was both a stressful challenge and a opportunity for experimentation and learning. Inevitably, this has raised questions about what we do, how we do it and most importantly, why we do what we do.

In the Art of #CovidChat, Chatteris based filmmaker and podcast producer, David Johnson (DMJ Imagery) had the idea of hosting ‘creative conversations’ with artists from our Inkling and Connect micro-commissions.

Pictured is a photo of David Johnson (DMJ Imagery) with his camera.

David wanted to explore how artists have coped with transferring their skills and practice to online workshops, digital technology and downloadable resources. He also wanted to discuss how they managed to continue the creative sharing process despite not being able to be in the same physical space as workshop participants.

The podcasts include a great line-up of artists discussing music, writing, digital technology, fine art and performance.

The creative conversations launched on podcast platforms early this summer. Listen to them below.


Listen to the podcast series below:

Episode 1

Read the transcript of Episode 1 here.

This episode David Johnson interviews artists Genevieve Rudd and Marian Savill. The topic for this episode is Mixed Media Arts. They discuss:-

  • Permission to be an artist
  • Cyanotype & anthotype
  • The changing of art materials and the impact of recycling

Read Genevieve’s blog post here.

Read Marian’s blog post here.


Episode 2

Read the transcript for Episode 2 here.

David Johnson interviews poet and writer Leanne Moden and writer Belona Greenwood. The topic for this episode is Poetry and Written Word. They discuss:-

  • Initial process to start writing
  • The effects of lockdown
  • Learning new skills during the last year

The challenge:

  • To write a short poem
  • Short story about a stone

Read Leanne’s blog post here.

Read Bel’s blog post here.


Episode 3

Read the transcript for Episode 3 here.

This episode, David Johnson interviews environmental artist Kaitlin Ferguson and publisher and illustrator Ric Savage. The topic for this episode is Use of Video in Art Projects. They discuss: –

  • How they learned to create videos
  • Their experiences of using videos in their work
  • Missing the audience engagement

The challenge:

  • Record the changes of nature using video
  • Capture something about you
  • Additional challenge – Film a one-minute elevator pitch

Read Kaitlin’s blog post here.

Read Ric’s blog post here.


Episode 4

Read the transcript for Episode 4 here.

This episode, David Johnson interviews singer/ music leader Sally Rose and artist Michelle Brace. The topic for this episode is Music and Technology. They discuss:-

  • What is VJ-ing?
  • Music and Mental Health
  • Folk music in the Fenland area

The challenge:

  • Go for a walk and listen to the rhythm of your feet as you move
  • Get two images – patterns/textures and digitally blend them or collage them.

Read Sally’s blog post here.

Read Michelle’s blog post here.

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