Welcome to my studio

Me, Katie and Patricia update

a large square painting of three figures on a black background. The artist sits beside the canvas with half a smile. There is a photograph of the image behind them.

I have been working a bit more on my painting a bit more this week,

Me, Katie and Patricia

Charlie's canvas from last week, propped up on a cardboard box. She has added colour to the white outlines. All three people have pinky/beige skin, and hair in different shades of brown. The two figures on the right are wearing blue face masks.

The photo this canvas is based on was taken in 2020. This is me, Katie and Patricia. We were in Zoom meetings a lot back then as well! The meetings were not too bad, but we were glad when we could see each other in person. I love being together in the studio, painting all of us lot together. We really missed each other when we couldn’t see each other for that year.

Lightning – my leadership metaphor

A bare tree stands in the middle of the scene against a dark, cloudy sky. A fork of lightning is striking the tree, a single line of its bright light coming down from the top of the frame and forking out, following the branches of the tree.

I have chosen lightning as my leadership metaphor because it strikes suddenly, often when people are least expecting. It lights up the dark.

Leadership Styles

Listen:

“My leadership is lots of skills, i can do them all into one i can.” Charlotte Stephens

After a bit of discussion about the eight leadership styles, Charlotte identified that her leadership is brilliant!

Looking back on week 1

Charlotte, a white woman in her forties with glasses and browny/blondy hair down to her chin, is wearing a blue fluffy jumper and some purple trousers and sitting at a table. In front of her is a laptop, several cups of tea (some packets of biscuits too!) and the visual notes from the first session.

Charlotte in her studio

Listen:

Interview with Charlotte a few days after the first group session with Katie.

Recorded at Project Art Works – sorry about the building noise!

Katie (K): So Charlie, how did the first session go?

Charlotte (C): It went alright, I thought – I thought so anyway, though. It was a bit difficult to understand everything, I think at that first session. But that is why I’m here today, to help me out.

K: Nice, yeah. And we can do things in different ways, can’t we?

C: Yeah, yeah.

K: So that we can all…

C: So that we can all can understand it all.

K: Yeah. And how do you feel, Charlie, about people looking to you as a leader?

C: Okay, then. I feel… I do not know how I feel, like, at the moment. I mean, I’m not because… Because I’m… I’m… How do I say it, Katie?

K: It’s alright. Why don’t you just talk naturally and we can always edit this if you want to.

C: Alright, okay.

K: Yeah.

C: Yeah, yeah, okay. Um… Um, like… Um, like at my day care centre, yeah, up there they do not class me – or, that is, some people might class me as a leader up there now, like Steve Barnes, he does, but then other people wouldn’t class me as a leader up there now…like, other people wouldn’t class me as a leader up at my day care centre.

K: And what does Steve say to you?

C: He says to me that I could be a good leader one day he did, or he does, say that to me, he does.

K: And did you mention that he said that people look up to you?

C: Oh no, now, now people look up to me too, they do. Yes, yes, yes, ta, all of, or most of, the younger people look up to me there, they do, to find inspiration from me, they do.

K: And what are your hopes, Charlie, for the Sync Shorts programme?

C: Oh, my hopes? Well, it is… it is to maybe do a class at Parchment Trust, maybe. Maybe… Maybe do a painting class at Parchment Trust, maybe, and here.

Here, maybe I could do one here too. Painting class here, yeah too, Katie. Yes, so that is more of what I would like to get out of it. It really, really is. Thank you, bye!