How does being a woman and mother affect your work in the arts?
This is a question that many women in the arts are armed with an answer to, although it’s not one I actually get asked that much. My collaboration with dancer and filmmaker Sioda Adams began through the Facebook group Mothers Who Make.Our closely aligned artistic values drew us to each other, each of us seeking to express our relationship with the world and with the arts as women and mothers. I saw myself in her work, and I was delighted when she agreed to make the music video for my debut single: Swords. Working together allowed us to explore more deeply the concepts that interested us both, finding ways to combine all of our artistic means to express an abstract put poignant story – the story of the weight that women, especially mothers, carry in silence.
I asked Sioda to tell me more about her work, and I was curious to hear if she experienced barriers in the arts industry, to do with gender or parenting.
Tell me about your work. .
“I am an artist working with a mix of disciplines. My formal training was in dance at NSCD and I went on to work with the likes of Motionhouse, Ace Dance & Music and 2Faced dance. I worked as a collaborator, movement director and rehearsal director before launching my own company Earth-bound. I have developed my skills in theatre, comedy and film making through CPD courses at The Actors Space, BCN and National Film & TV School, with funding from Dancers’ Careers Development Service and BFI. I am currently in a phase of transition to reframe my practice as theatre and film direction. All of my work begins with a piece of writing, either a script or a poem and then I take the words to find different forms of communication through movement and sound.
My series of films ‘Give Me A minute’ are a good example of these. These films were shot at home and the rural area where I live in Warwickshire, during the pandemic. They are a window into the mind and heart of an introverted woman and mother, surviving the noise of the world.
I plan to develop this same project into a solo show next year, which will include pieces of writing from pre and post pandemic times and will aim to represent the voices of those who often feel unheard. The piece titled ’Shut Up And Listen’ will be driven by a feminine energy that addresses this male dominated world of extroversion, greed and power. It will be bold, authentic and edgy, highlighting just how noisy the world has become and how important it is that we all listen.
Image from Sioda' solo films Give Me A Minute
All of my work is informed by my experiences and challenges as a woman and mother working in the arts. My work aims to present an alternative angle on a subject that might usually be perceived in a particular way, aiming to provoke compassion and empathy in the viewer whether it’s through live performance or film. I care about human and nature connections and telling authentic, socially & environmentally driven stories.”
What are you working on at the moment?
“My biggest project this year has been the creation of outdoor performance ‘For The Love Of Stuff” after securing an Arts Council project grant to create the show and carry out an extensive outreach programme with marginalised groups. ‘For The Love Of Stuff' tells a story of a fantastical future world where what we own has become more important than what we feel. Through physical theatre, live music, puppetry and aerial arts, it moves and excites audiences, leaving them with a sense of hope and willingness to work together to make the world a better place for all of us.
The cast and collaborators are predominantly female, four of whom are mothers, including myself. It has been important to me to find a way of working that can accommodate freelance lives and advocate for women and mothers working in the arts, also for the cast to be representative of ‘real’ women from a range of backgrounds. The work also integrates BSL and there has been significant investment into making the work as inclusive as we can through touch tour and audio description training and working with experts in making inclusive theatre.”
Photo by Elly Welford Photography
Have you faced barriers in your career in the arts?
“Surviving in the arts has been challenging for me, as it is for many, but particularly as a woman from the working class town of Barnsley. I have usually felt a little left behind and unable to keep up with the demands of the arts as an industry. There are fewer opportunities for women, particularly in leadership roles and a lack of understanding for those who wish to progress their careers whilst juggling parenting responsibilities. It feels that there is an expectation for women to give up on their career when they choose to have a family and there is almost no support available for those who wish to continue a career in the arts. I think for me, being in that situation, it also highlights the lack of value that the sector and society have for freelance artists. When you have a family you face more financial pressure, therefore being asked to work for free, being paid late and being expected to go to meetings at your own expense, all have a larger impact on your life. I believe that's why many give up at this stage. Also the big applications for funding, to enable us to do our actual work, take us away from family and any paid work. I feel this is hugely unrecognised in the industry and needs to change. Independent artists are expected to invest too much of themselves into making any work happen, all unpaid time and energy, and this is ten times harder for women and parents working in the sector. The other challenge I have found as a mother is that it’s extremely difficult to network and do what is necessary to sell your work and yourself, in order to get the support you need. Events are at unsociable hours and often during dinner and bedtimes for children. My partner works in the evenings, so because we don’t have childcare I am unable to leave the house in the evening. It would be really great if there could be more events scheduled in the daytime and with a small fee to help with expenses and acknowledge the time and energy an independent person is giving. Anyone on a salary is usually being paid to attend these events. It sometimes feels impossible to survive in the arts.”
Photo at 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space.
I resonate with Sioda’s words. I worked through both of my maternity leaves, not at my day job but on funding applications, on creating artistic products while I had an excuse not to be following the normal rhythms of working life. Now with two young children, it is hard enough to go out and experience the arts, let alone create them. And yet being a parent is such a life-changing and profoundly intense experience, that it feels entirely necessary, as a creative person, to express this through an artistic voice. One of the main reasons I turned to music production was the possibility of creating during the night-time hours, on my terms, rather than committing to the relentless cycle of practising, performing, teaching, always being absent from my home and my family. Writing this blog, at 10.30pm on a Sunday night, with a video baby monitor in my peripheral vision, fuelled by chocolate brownies baked with the kids earlier, is just another day in the life of an artistic parent.
You can see Sioda’s work here: