ASSEMBLY WINTER GATHERING

This time last week we were excitedly shoving pallets of beer out of the way, sweeping floors and filling carafes of water. We were hanging festoon lights (not me, I left that to the experts) and arranging bunches of fresh herbs at place settings. We were setting the stage for another Assembly Gathering.

After our very first magical gathering in the Autumn the fear started to set in about how I would ever be able to host another event that would be as special and intimate as it was.  The first one is always special isn't it? Because it's new and a bit raw and fumbly and honest. The first time round I invited creative women that I knew or that I had built up a relationship with online because it was a pilot - a test I gave myself - to see if the idea was worth it to other people and so it felt safer to invite people I knew rather than to open it up to everyone. I didn't want to lose that honesty and intimacy the second time around. Isn't it funny how the things you worry most about end up being the most beautiful part of something?...

So I flung the doors open this time - welcoming anyone who felt like they needed some creative community in their life to come along. No creative criteria needed to qualify you to be there - just a 'come as you are' call-out. I had so many messages from people saying how they wanted to come but didn't feel 'creative' enough. They were reassured that they didn't need to be 'professional' creatives to come - just a knowing in the bones that creativity was important to them. And so they did. 40 of us in fact - almost double the last gathering.

The scene of our evening together was Boundary Brewery Tap Room - a small, bright industrial unit in an old trade centre in the heart of East Belfast. Boundary is a cooperative brewery, owned by 1100 shareholders (of which we are one) and run by Matthew, Michael and a bunch of other passionate dreamers. We are big fans of what Boundary are doing - pursuing their passion, creating, experimenting, collaborating, and putting Northern Ireland on the map for amazing craft beer. It seemed like the perfect place to bring people together again. And so we did.

After our very first magical gathering in the Autumn the fear started to set in about how I would ever be able to host another event that would be as special and intimate as it was.  The first one is always special isn't it? Because it's new and a bit raw and fumbly and honest. The first time round I invited creative women that I knew or that I had built up a relationship with online because it was a pilot - a test I gave myself - to see if the idea was worth it to other people and so it felt safer to invite people I knew rather than to open it up to everyone. I didn't want to lose that honesty and intimacy the second time around. Isn't it funny how the things you worry most about end up being the most beautiful part of something?...

So I flung the doors open this time - welcoming anyone who felt like they needed some creative community in their life to come along. No creative criteria needed to qualify you to be there - just a 'come as you are' call-out. I had so many messages from people saying how they wanted to come but didn't feel 'creative' enough. They were reassured that they didn't need to be 'professional' creatives to come - just a knowing in the bones that creativity was important to them. And so they did. 40 of us in fact - almost double the last gathering.

The scene of our evening together was Boundary Brewery Tap Room - a small, bright industrial unit in an old trade centre in the heart of East Belfast. Boundary is a cooperative brewery, owned by 1100 shareholders (of which we are one) and run by Matthew, Michael and a bunch of other passionate dreamers. We are big fans of what Boundary are doing - pursuing their passion, creating, experimenting, collaborating, and putting Northern Ireland on the map for amazing craft beer. It seemed like the perfect place to bring people together again. And so we did.

As you can see I was joined by the most incredible team again. Grace Campbell from Grace & Saviour turned a lads-pad brewery into an earthy, charming, feminine haven. I'm so grateful for Grace's eye for detail and work ethic - she is a pleasure. See how she transformed the space...

Right? Clever girl. 

As people nervously arrived (and - full disclosure - I was putting make up on in my car - the glamour), we mingled, chatted and eventually split into two groups to flex our creative muscles. One group circled around the temporary bar to listen to Sheena (Matthew's wife, beer connoisseur and all-around beautiful person) tell the story of Boundary and talk through beer tasting etiquette - including the right way to pour, the brewing process, flavours and glassware importance. Who knew?! Even the most adamant, reluctant non beer-drinkers were swayed around by the beautifully citrusy Boundary ales. Combo that with some incredible crudites and wild garlic dip to keep our bellies from rumbling and it was hea-ven.

The other workshop brought Christine from Colour & Cloth in to show us how to naturally dye fabric using basic kitchen and foraged ingredients. We got to huddle around bubbling pots of blackberries, tea, tumeric and onion skins and watch Christine as she manipulated fabric around elastic bands and clothes pegs and dipped it in the pots of natural dye to create the most incredible patterns. Christine is a natural teacher and a talented maker (she worked on the costumes for Game of Thrones!) and I would highly recommend going along to any of her workshops. We were then each given a beautiful piece of natural silk to make our own mark on and take home as a scarf. It was such a good leveller to be able to chat as we went about folding and pegging our scarves, submerging them into the various dyes and hanging them all around the brewery to dry.

Once we had all sampled and tasted and dyed we were ready to sit down and feast. And feast we did. Sarah from Little Pink Kitchen put on the most incredible menu for us. We started with probably the best soup I have ever had - some kind of indian spiced parsnip and apple mouth party, with a little onion bahji on top. Then onto a plate full of mango chicken and paneer skewers, chopped seedy salads, coconut, sweet potato and pomegranate rice, dips to die for and a tangy blood orange cake for dessert.  So much yum. Sarah bossed it and everyone was raving about the flavours in the food - even the vegans! 

I don't remember what we're laughing about here but I was probably telling Sarah that she is a bonkers genius for making and delivering 40 lunches, going to OX for lunch herself and then making dinner for 40 people in THE ONE DAY. BY HERSELF. 

I'm just so gushingly grateful for all the incredible women who came out and braved their own self-doubt and nerves (not to mention our other gal pal, Storm Doris!) to be together. Not wanting to force conversation, but to gently encourage discussion directed towards our mutual love of creativity, I had laid out some quotes and questions on the table that could be talked about together. I loved stopping through dinner to look around and listen to all the buzz of conversation and connection as quotes were hashed out and questions were raised. It was so fun to see people meeting for the first time in real life - artists meeting customers and stockists of their work, designers meeting photographers, others wearing accessories designed by someone else in the room, not to mention so many moments of "Oh! You're ________! I've been dying to meet you! I love your work!"  This is what Assembly is all about. The connecting, the championing.

I'm already looking forward to planning for our Spring gathering - ideas are swirling! I really hope that if you have wanted to be a part of Assembly that you know that you can and you should- there is no hierarchy of creativity here. 

If you are interested in sponsoring Assembly Gatherings or would be interested in leading one of our workshops, please do get in touch - I would love to hear how we can work together.

Here's to making the time, honouring our creative sides and being part of a community in bloom.

* All of the photography you see here is from the insanely talented Grace from Adam & Grace Photography. We are so grateful for how beautifully she has captured the evening. *

Assembly Autumn Gathering

A fortnight ago, in the twilight of a mild October evening, 20 creative women gathered to share food, conversation and a little creativity. The idea of what is now Assembly Gatherings is something that mulled around my head for quite some time.  I love the creative community that social media, particularly Instagram has provided me with, but for me there is nothing like properly meeting people in the flesh, and hearing their voices and stories.  I hoped that I wasn't alone in that desire, in needing that creative community to be propelled into real life so I thought it might be good to trial getting a small gathering of people together for an evening of simple pleasures like eating, making and chatting.

Thankfully everyone I talked to was excited by the idea and I got the sense that it was something we were all craving - that tangible experience outside of phones and laptop screens and working solo to bring our creative lives to the fore.  Looking back, I'm so grateful for these ladies who came, taking a chance on this event, signing up and coming out knowing very little about what they were coming to.  It was brave of them and I'm so glad they did.

It's funny to use the term 'creative' as a criteria for those attending, as I know many of them wouldn't necessarily prescribe to that title - but to me being a creative person is so open, so wide.  There were people there in various professions - some in full-time creative work (photographers, musicians, artists, designers) and some working hard in other important roles who also need the intentional nourishment of creativity community because it's in their bones to make and create.

I had my heart set on an outdoor event - dinner and a workshop in an orchard in the Autumn.  Assembly is intentionally a seasonal gathering.  I feel like it helps keep us connected to certain rhythms in our year and is a nice way to give a nod to nature and the changes going on around us - maybe even inspire us differently in some way when we stop to notice these seasons change.  In some senses, an outdoor event setting keeps things really relaxed and informal but in another way it can be intimidating - no walls to lean against, corners to hide in etc.  Just all of us, outside, under the big sky and the heaving apple trees.

Our venue was in the most beautiful orchard, owned by the McKeever family where they run a local business producing cider here in Portadown.  We were welcomed by them with such incredible hospitality and warmth and I am so grateful to Pat, Peter and the family for going out of their way to accommodate us and take a risk on my idea.

Everyone arrived, trickling into the orchard for hot cider - a little anticipation in the air about what the night would hold.  It was lovely to see people meet each other in real life that had long been friends online and to listen to conversations begin and people start to connect.

To be honest, I am a novice when it comes to making something like this happen.  I love ideas, concepts and visions for things but I knew that I needed some help in bringing these ideas to life.  Thankfully the totally amazing Grace from Grace & Saviour came on board to help execute the feel of the event and we were on the same page from the very beginning about it all.  We shared ideas over pinterest boards and spreadsheets and I think it's safe to say that Grace's expert styling touches really made the whole evening magical.  It was exactly how I imagined it would be.

Once everyone had arrived and was warmed by the cider, we dug into a bit of making.  I met Elizabeth through Instagram and love how creative she is with flowers and photography so I asked her if she would host a little bit of a workshop to help ease everyone into the gathering.  Making is such a leveller, eh?  There is something so distracting and wondrous about putting things together with your hands that can really get conversation going and loosen us up (that and the cider).  Elizabeth gorgeously arranged some making stations where everyone could have a go at putting together their own smudge sticks - tied bunches of flowers and herbs that can be hung and dried and then burned in the home to offer a relaxing and cleansing fragrance.  Everyone got stuck in and I think it helped us all relax into the evening.

After the making, we all gradually moved to the table - now laden with bread, oils and crudites.  The night had fallen and so we sat in the middle of the orchard and feasted by the light of candles and festoon lights hung from the apple trees.

I was so glad to enlist the wonderful Sarah from Little Pink Kitchen to take care of the food for the gathering.  I have long admired Sarah's work, her journey to launching the business she loves and she has such a brilliant creative way with food.  We invited attendees to bring their favourite bread for sharing and Sarah took care of the rest.  From crudites, oils, stews and homemade cinnamon madelines, Sarah made sure all the food was locally sourced and she put such a delicious spin on the menu that it can only be described as cozy autumnal heaven in your tummy. We were all blown away by how incredible the grub was and Sarah was so relaxed about it all - basically catering in the dark for most of the evening!

I was unnecessarily worried about conversation flowing beforehand so I prepared some questions and thoughts to get everyone chatting - totally unnecessary!  It was really amazing to see the honesty flowing around the table - sharing about what it means to 'have it all', the struggles to maintain priorities and creativity amidst our busy lives.  I'm still relishing in some of those conversations had and those overheard as we sat together, dipping breads, drinking cider and sharing.

After dinner we moved back to finish the evening gathered around the fire, drinking hot chocolate, devouring Sarah's homemade cinnamon madelines and toasting marshmallows.  We brought blankets but the night was mild and I spent a bit of time reading from Liz Gilbert's 'Big Magic' on how we are born creative - it was a passage that came as a relief to me when I first read it so I thought I would share it with everyone.

From that we went around and each shared our journey and what our creative pursuits look like.  It was such an encouragement to listen to each other and find space to be vulnerable about where life has taken us.

We finished the night lighting sparklers, promising to stay in touch and exchanging contact details with new friends.  Yes, it was a bit like Girl Guide camp, but with less spider bites and crying for your parents to come and pick you up. Such an inspiring group of talented people; an honour to be around and learn from.

Sigh!  I want to do it all again right. now.  Plans are swirling around for the Winter Gathering and ways to develop this idea of meeting together for simple pleasures and creating community around our mutual love of creative things.  I know there is such a deep pool of creative and inspiring people doing amazing things here in Northern Ireland and our numbers for the first one could have been huge.  I hope to open this out for others seeking the same space and will be releasing information over the next number of weeks and months ahead of the next one to my newsletter subscribers.  I'm sending out my November newsletter this weekend which will have some extra info about what we discussed at Assembly, including our manifesto - so if you want in on the action, please do sign up at the bottom here.

In all, I think its good and important to take time out to do what brings you to life, what keeps your spark alive and helps you connect with people that understand you.

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Big thanks again to Ben from Angel & Anchor for the Assembly branding, to Grace from Adam & Grace Photography for capturing the gathering in these beautiful images, Grace & Saviour for styling, Elizabeth for hosting the workshop, Sarah from Little Pink Kitchen for her mad cooking skills and the McKeevers for allowing us to take over their orchard during the busy harvest season.  AND - my awesome parents for helping with the set up, washing dishes, lighting fires and taking care of the baby while I hosted.  What a team! 

Creativity & Caring About the World - Can We Do Both?

While we were away on holidays I got to listen to some podcasts.  Having a baby that feeds 2 hourly through the night will give you that kind of time. I was really excited to see that Liz Gilbert had started Season Two of the Magic Lessons podcast - you may remember me talking about how it blew my mind last year here.  This season includes more of the same - readers give Liz their creative dilemma, she (and some of her expert friends) pep talk them through it and help them unpack and move ahead in their creative pursuits.  It's a really valuable listen, at least it has been for me.  I caught up with the first episode in this series and it really struck a chord - I'll explain why in a bit.

You may know that most of my working life has been spent tackling issues of injustice and exclusion:  various roles have seen me bringing diverse cultures together in contentious communities, raising awareness of human trafficking and exploitation, supporting homeless women, finding diversionary activities for young people that society has written off, making sure people get the right coffee in the right sized cup in speedy time.  OK, so that drive-thru Tim Horton's job in High School might not have been a strategic career move towards humanitarian work, but I did get to make people happy by giving them donuts, so yeah.  Small things are important too.

That's me up there giving all the serious chat at an anti-slavery exhibition.  Serious Mel.  MBE Mel.  Down with all the terrible things in the world Mel.

Anyway, you can see that much of my life gravitates to the big issues; to playing a small part in changing things from the front line and I count it a huge privilege to do what I do - I freaking LOVE my job.  I grew up in a house full of compassion and was exposed to lots of ways we could help others so it is pretty natural for me to end up here where I am, doing what I do.

Being on the front line of any kind of work like this can be consuming - it can make you serious and heavy hearted and feisty and strong.  It can also make you question just about everything, picking things apart, digging deep to find the roots of the problems; wanting to desperately scratch away all the red tape and distortions and misconceptions in order to see problems and issues for what they really are so you can begin to properly help.  It can be exhausting.

This is me.  And yet - this is not all of me.  There is also a part of me that craves frivolous creativity - and that's where things get interesting.  It's the part of me that loves mid-century interiors, fashion and whittling away the last moments of the day by the light of pinterest on my phone in bed; the part of me that loves music and singing and harmonising around the piano til the wee hours of the morning; that buys too many ceramic mugs because they speak to me from the depths of stinky charity shops; that loves to set a table all pretty, to make recipes that will nourish and comfort, to find the perfect light for a picture, to source the perfect fig scented candle, to hoard magazines and stationary just because they are beautiful to look at, to swoon over tiles and colour combinations and textures of fabrics.  All of these things are part of me too.  And so I struggled.

Up there, that's frivolous creative Mel.  Getting the right shot for a nice instagram pic Mel.  Pinterest Mel.  Beautiful stationary Mel.

For quite some time, and even sometimes still, I struggle to marry these two areas of my life.  Surely someone so serious about the darkest issues facing humanity cannot also care about beni ourain rugs?  Surely you can not get excited about setting a beautiful table for dinner and also be tuned into the turmoil of millions of our fellow humans being sold, displaced or exploited?  Surely the matters concerning the world right now are more important, more pertinent than any frivolity mentioned above?

This has been an on-going battle for me - coming to terms with my own creativity and allowing it to unashamedly be part of who I am.  Does everything I do or put out there in the world have to lead to something meaningful?  I know I'm not alone in this because I have talked to others in the same position - people who work on the front line of some of the most difficult issues, afraid to move in a creative realm for fear of losing their credibility or edge.  Afraid to tether themselves to anything too lighthearted in case it is mistaken for being shallow.  Interestingly, some of the most creative people I know are people who spend their day jobs dealing with the dark stuff of the world.  I wonder if there's not something more to be said about that?

What I have learned and am continuing to learn is this:  creativity - whether it is writing or drawing, photography or dance - will not be controlled.  It does not like to be bottled or treated like the enemy.  In fact, the more I lean into this tension in my life, the more I realise is that creativity is actually the ally of life on the front line.  It is not only the pressure release valve, but a middle finger up to all of the mess in the world.  Being true to your own creativity amidst a chaotic world is a beautiful, honest, necessary thing.  Itis not a scramble to erase the dark stuff, but an opportunity to drown it out by adding to the beauty. And oh, how the world needs us to add more beauty.  

In the first episode of this season of Magic Lessons, Liz talks to Jo - a woman who from a really young age wanted to be a comedy writer - she wanted to make people laugh.  Somehow, Jo ended up doing a PhD in Holocaust Studies and became a feminist campaigner! Hilariously ironically the opposite of a comedic author.  It was so refreshing to listen in to their conversation as Jo explained how she had stifled this desire and how eventually, the stress and strain of her heavy work led to her being physically ill and hospitalised.  By denying her creativity, not allowing that part of her make-up to also shine, her own body was objecting.  How incredible.  Liz gently talked her through this process of how she needs to allow herself to be creative - not to push it down as frivolous but to see it as a gift to a hurting world.  I just love that.

I am finding my own way through this tension, saying yes to creative ventures, acknowledging that part of who I am.  I don't worry so much about how that part of me comes across anymore because I know that it's healthy.  I love that creativity and caring for the world don't have to be mutually exclusive ways of life.  They merge and blend and contribute to the fullness of a world that is desperate for both truth and beauty, for help and inspiration.

Maybe this is you too?  It would be great to hear what you think about this.  Are you being true to all the areas of your life that make you come alive?  How do you give yourself permission to be creative and light in a world that is heavy and dark?

10 Minute Gift Recipe: Christmas Crack

I'm spinning in for a quick recipe that I'm DEAD chuffed to have nailed.  This stuff has been a staple of our Canadian Christmases for as long as I can remember and this year I decided to stop pretending it could only be made in Canada and have a go myself. Some people call it Chex Mix, some call it Christmas Mix,  or Christmas Trail Mix.  I call it Christmas Crack because this stuff is so good it gets into your bones and you will not leave it alone.  It's the sweet and salty combination, I think.  It's just so moreish.

It's the perfect 10 minute make that you can bag up/tin up and give as a last minute gift - not that you would be frazzled one week before Christmas because you are having a mindful Christmas without over-buying, aren't you?!  Anyway, this is perfect for:

+ Teachers

+ Neighbours

+ Anyone with tastebuds

Here we go:

You Need:

+ 1 Cup of Cheerios

+ 1 Cup of small/mini pretzels or pretzel sticks

+ 3 Cups of Shreddies

+  1 Cup of Salted Peanuts

+  1 Cup of M&M's

+  300 grams of White Chocolate

Method:

+  Simply chuck all the ingredients, except for the M&M's and the chocolate into a big bowl and give it a good mix-up.

+  Break up your chocolate into smaller chunks and microwave in 15 second stints until it's fully melted.

+  Remove 2/3rds of the mix into another bowl and pour some melted chocolate into the bowl with the remaining 3rd, stirring until all the mix is covered.

+  Gradually add the other 2/3rd's, adding the melted chocolate as you go so that you get an even covering on the whole mix.

+  Give the mix a minute to cool and then add in the M&M's and stir again to give them a light coating as well (chocolate inside, chocolate shell and then MORE chocolate....WHAT?!).

+  Lay out some baking paper on a flat surface and spread the mix out to cool and harden.

+  Break it up and package it up whatever way your heart desires and try your best to give it away before you eat it all!

It actually took me twice as long to write this post because a tin of this stuff was sitting beside me.

You've been warned.

Enjoy!