WoW just WoW

on stage at WOW, photo by Peter McDonald

It’s been a huge two weeks, in the best way possible :)

On Friday 22^nd September, I finished up my 6 week creative writing programme with Featherston School as part of the Wairarapa Project. Hopefully some of the kids I spent time with are writing stories with good beginnings, interesting middles and fine endings with a host of interesting characters.

My own interesting character, graced the stage at the World of WearableArts Award show that very night. I had on some shiny silver shoes with no particular expectation of doing anything but dancing in them at the after party. So, when my name was called as the first place winner in the Weta Workshop Other Worlds Section, I nearly fell off them. I did in fact scream.

Contrary to popular belief, I have never won a section at WOW in all the 22 years I have competed. I’ve had a couple of seconds and thirds over my 24 finalist garments and I was pretty over the moon about those. But this year, well, WOW!  I went on stage to get my trophy and hug Richard Taylor. I may have left mascara stains on his lapel; him being very tall and me being very short, and, well, I was crying at the time.

me, stunned with a trophy

In addition to the first trophy I have ever had in my life (including school), I won a money prize and am still deciding what I should buy. I’m thinking, because my old Samsung tablet is dying and my laptop kicked the bucket years ago, that to be more portable I might get a Microsoft SurfacePro. I may be a creative but that does not mean I am an Apple gal. Macs and me only get a long if that is the lipstick brand. Of course if anyone with any influence is reading this, I am happy to be given these products to unbox, use and social media about. Isn’t that what happens when you finally get famous? You get given everything you couldn’t afford before? :D 

The other part of my prize is to be flown to Weta Workshop to complete a 4 week internship. It’ll be a very short flight on the Flyer bus, as I live 5 minutes away as the crow flies. I’m very much looking forward to spending time there and having a go at a variety of disciplines!

My garment, The Organ Farmer was modelled just superbly on the WOW stage and I couldn’t have been happier. My rationale for this fairly nightmarish piece (I didn’t show the pics to my mum in case she thought I’d lost my mind) is as follows in this article and video clip on Stuff.

Cybernetic regeneration of vital tissues       

In 3446 the Cyborgs come to a realisation that humanity might have a purpose. Their experimentation however, produces unexpected results. In a heartbeat, this lowly host experiences strange new feelings previously unknown, opening up a world of sensation as the fleshy graft takes hold.

My process is on facebook- click through to see how I did it. Don’t forget to like and follow my page; it makes me feel wanted!

Photos of my final piece by Werner Kaffl who was an absolute pleasure to work with.

The organ Farmer. Photos by Werner Kaffl

I finished up the amazing week that was, by flying to Queenstown, and doing a week long tour of Southland schools with Storylines, along with Des Hunt, Scott Tulloch and Barbara Else. We visited and talked to 3 schools at day for 5 days from Queenstown to Invercargill. The weather was awesome, the kids bright eyed and bushy tailed and we had a wonderful time passing on what it is to be writers and illustrators, and in my case a costume designer too.

looking at Torty and the Soldier

I round off the next week with a free wearable art workshop at Te Papa on Wednesday for kids, and the Storylines National Children’s Writers and Illustrators Hui where I’m presenting a workshop on presenting. It’s what I love, and find fun but others find terrifying. I will help people get over their fear. After that, I can collapse. Oh hang on…I have a giant owl to paint for The Big Hoot!

Woo hoo!

xxx Fifi

Your 8 year old self

I was going to write a blog post about the amazing Storylines Festival that I've been part of and touring with for the last week. It was going to be about all the schools we visited and the fabulous kids I dressed up in costumes from my book and the two festival days and how it was a blast (and it was) but then, someone posted this thing on facebook:

I thought back to when I was 8 years old, writing, drawing and making stuff- which is what I do now and I adore my adult life's work. When I was eight, I idolised the likes of Valerie Singleton from the BBC's BluePeter, and Vision On with Tony Hart. These were art heros for me and I never thought back then, that I'd end up as all the arty things I am. I would have, back then, look at me now and say 'I want to be you!' 

It's useful to do that, look at yourself from a kids point of view, especially when the creative industry is full of unfulfilled expectations and bitter disappointments. These mostly arise from a need to be acknowledged and recognised (and paid) and it's like a drug. The more you get, the more you need until you can't see what you've done that was so good anymore. All you can see is what you failed to be (in your head!).

I immediately loved this idea of a young self perspective, and reposted it on my public page, which drew a wistful verging on regretful response. I wasn't quite prepared for that. I realised then that the my post wouldn't actually make anyone happy and might highlight where they thought they had dropped the 8 ball and 'damn that chipper flippin' Fifi for pointing that out. Thanks a lot!' (and lose a few hard won followers).

So let's get real here.

When you were 8, what was life like? This is how it was for me. 

I was in transition from Pom to Kiwi. We had moved- a family of 5 with a father who had his career pulled out from underneath him and no tangible means of supporting us all. We ran away. We were migrants but mercifully not stuck in a container crate and left to die whilst politicians postured and ignored us. We stayed with the only people we knew in New Zealand for the whole of the summer until we were all sick of each other. My parents found a tiny flat. Dad found a job on Christmas Eve and our mother worked for the first time since she had got married at 21 (yes, women mostly gave up their jobs back then and got pregnant on their wedding night). 

We spoke funny, I didn't know what togs and lollies were. I may as well have spoken Greek. I came home from school by myself and wondered if I'd ever fit in. My school report said:

"She is a cooperative pupil and is generally accepted by the other children. She has a sensible outlook but is sometimes disturbed by apparently trivial incidents."

We could re read that to say what was really going on:

"She does what she is told and behind my back the other students ridicule her and when the chance arises do her physical harm. She is terribly lonely and has no clue what to do here."

So, at 8, all I wanted was not to be a roaring success in the art world, all I wanted was acceptance and a friend. At 55 I have it. I have worked hard to get there and when I annoy or upset people and realise it, I try hard to put that right. I don't always succeed, and this is why I don't engage in any kind of way other than very peripherally with Twitter. That's a place that's very hard to put things right once it's out of your mouth- and I have a big mouth!

Child me would be amazed that I have not one community but several- in publishing, wearable art, illustration, craft, walking, old high school friends and of course my family. I love them all. She would be very happy that I had got there (and had she known would have spent less time being miserable and crying into her pillow).

So, look not at what you are doing for a job, but who you are being in the world to the people in your life. And if you are being an asshat (my fav new American expression!) then stop it. Make your 8 year old self proud.

Oh, and Storylines is awesome- I get to meet a lot of kids who I once was.

Photo Credit- Clare Scott

Storylines Festival!

some of the crafts we are making!

It's Storylines Season! We have the Wellington Storylines Family Day happening on Sunday 19th at The Michael Fowler Centre from 10am-3pm. Come and meet authors and illustrators, be captivated by storytellers and make some awesome crafts (designed by moi, the Queen of  Crafts!) Did I mention it is FREE? Grab a kid or three and come along for a fantastically fun day in the wild world of children's books!