Melody Vaughan has been posting on Instagram this week about Coaching and Mentoring in Craft. In her work as a creative consultant, Melody brings a depth of experience to this field. She enjoys relationships with ‘makers and their objects’ and supports the work of contemporary craft makers in many ways.

On her blog today, Melody highlights the importance of ‘mutual understanding and appreciation for craft making, objects and communicating about creative work’. She draws attention to the value of working with someone who understands the craft sector as both a creative practice and a business. Her post includes responses from Ruth Singer and myself how we approach our work supporting artist and makers.

I have first-hand experience of working with Melody. In 2019 a Jerwood Bursary supported a practice review when I was about 7 years into my practice. This was a great time to ask myself if the direction the work was heading was what I wanted. The process really highlighted the value of creating a thinking space within the work. Conversations then sparked a shift that’s still ongoing now. 

Be sure to check out Melody’s insightful resources for makers which I highly recommend.

And if you’re curious about how I describe coaching and mentoring in craft practice, I’ve written more on this here.