Introducing the Makers’ Marathon peer group
I am both delighted and humbled to introduce the first Makers’ Marathon peer group.
We are a group of artists, musicians, writers, designers, filmmakers, gardeners, coders, entrepreneurs, students, teachers and researchers — united by a love of making.
Over the next 6 months, we’ll be collaborating and travelling together as we follow the threads of our Learning Questions, which explore human emotion, entering flow, freeing our animalistic nature, bridging our inner and outer worlds, developing a practice, finding your voice, creating a haven, healing, making from the heart and crafting a soulful life.
You can follow our journey on instagram. More on each maker below.
Ali Norrish
Ali wants to work in ‘economic experience design’, helping people redesign their economic relationships and their relationship to Economics.
She currently works in reframing and changing the relationship between Economics and the general public at Economy, where she’s developed a curriculum for economic literacy and researched people’s experience of economics communication in the public sphere.
She has participated in two learning marathons, exploring what Economics can learn from human-centred design and her own mental health. Ali is a big fan of manual labour — her all-time favourite activity is probably sweeping stuff.
Ali’s Learning Question is: ‘How can I write Rilke? What is my creative practice?’
Follow Ali on Twitter.
Bailey Kursar
Bailey is an Enrol Yourself alumni, startup founder and financial inclusion advocate. Before all of that she studied English at university and had dreams of being a writer, poet and musician. She’s keen to rekindle the magic of creativity for creativity’s sake as part of a new learning marathon.
Bailey’s Learning Question is: ‘Can writing new songs help me rediscover my voice?’
Corinne Slee
Corinne is a retired early years teacher. Her family and friends are massively important to her, she likes nothing better than to be surrounded by them, sharing a meal.
Corinne likes the theatre, galleries and live music. For 25 years, she has been a member of a book group, although she’s not the best at reading the books. One day, knees permitting, she would like to ski with her family again.
And yes, she is Makers’ Marathon Host Katie’s mum.
Corinne’s Learning Question is: ‘How can I use my creativity to develop my garden space to be a beautiful, productive haven for family and friends?’
Isla Leia-Wilde
Isla is a lover of ducks, sea otters and Paddington Bear.
She is taking part in the Makers’ Marathon because she craves a like-minded community of creative beings. She loves non-hierarchical learning groups and wants to become an active artist, one that sits down to create on a daily-ish basis.
In the past, Isla has expressed her creativing through song, sound, movement, paint, pencil, theatre, words, camera lens.
Isla’s Learning Question is: ‘What is healing?’
Jasper Lyons
Jasper has been a musician for 20 years, learning to play instruments, writing songs and playing them in-front of other people. It’s been a blast but you won’t find any of his music on Spotify because he has never released any of it. His aim is to release some music in the fine year of 2021. That’s why, after taking part in his first Learning Marathon in 2019, Jasper is re-enrolling: to challenge himself, help others and be held accountable.
Jasper’s Learning Question is ‘How do I make a place and a process for sharing my music?’
Katie Slee (Makers’ Marathon Host)
Katie is a self-taught designer, whose work bridges visual, experience and web design. She cut her teeth as co-founder and service designer of Settle, a social enterprise that supports homeless young people moving into their first flat. She works freelance and part time, trying to find the right balance between doing and being.
Having previously participated in two Learning Marathons, Katie is now hosting this six month, online journey that celebrates her favourite thing: making.
Katie’s Learning Question is: ‘What’s the relationship between making, understanding and taking action?’
Meera Rajan
Meera is a service designer and user researcher working for social purpose causes. Above all, she endeavours to be a good human.
Meera wants to use the Makers’ Marathon as a vehicle to use making as a way to express feelings and also bring a sense of play back to her creativity.
Her learning question is ‘How can I create from the heart and not just from a brief?’, but she is curious to find where the journey of the Makers Marathon will take her. She is also very much here to enjoy the ride.
Melise Bicep
Melise is a self-taught maker. She came to making through film photography which sparked her interest in exploratory processes and materiality.
Her work spans installations, 2D images and object making, usually using cheap and easily accessible materials. In her work, Melise wishes to explore how making can be a portal to mysticism, exploring concepts such as transpersonality, rewilding, and commoning.
Melise was born and raised in Guadeloupe and later moved to south of France where she studied Arts Management. She completed an Arts & Design Foundation Diploma, with Distinction in 2019 and now lives and works in London.
Melise’s Learning Question is ‘How might I craft my way into a Soul-full life?’
Follow Melise on Instagram.
Nour Al Ahmad
Nour is a fifth year architecture Student at the Royal College of Art and an aspiring Architect. She completed her undergraduate degree at The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, prior to working in product design, interior design and architecture practices in London. In her spare time, she is an avid hillwalker, loves to spend time outdoors and volunteers as an Assistant Cub Scouts Leader with her local Scouts Group.
Nour is interested in storytelling through making, and in exploring various tools and techniques of narration through physical as well as digital mediums.
Nour’s Learning Question is: ‘How can I explore human emotions through creativity and making?’
Follow Nour on Instagram.
Sophie Howarth
Sophie is an artist and writer, maker and mother, lover of trees and poetry.
Sophie designs objects and hosts gatherings that deepen connection to ourselves, one another and the wider web of life. She has been involved in founding numerous organisations including The School of Life, Department Store for the Mind, Year Here, Sister Stories and Active Hope London. Sophie is also the author or co-author of several books.
Sophie offers her creativity in service to all life on earth, and try to tread lightly and joyfully amid its wonders.
Sophie’s Learning Question is: ‘What might emerge from a regular studio practice?’
Tingyu Wang is a visual artist of multidisciplinary media. They are currently based in Jerusalem.
Tingyu’s Learning Question is: ‘How to free our animalistic nature in the language of art?’
Applications are OPEN to join the Learning Marathon online, all over the UK and beyond. You can find out more via the Enrol Yourself website.
Fancy a Learning Question of your own? Have a play with Enrol Yourself’s Learning Question Generator.
Want to connect to one of these awesome folk? Get in touch via hello@katieslee.co.uk
