Liz Ramsay

MEET THE MAKER

Hello, I’m Liz Ramsay, a latecomer to weaving after a career elsewhere. Fabrics have been “in my blood” since childhood, but it took a complete change of direction and an MA in Woven Textiles (2016) to bring me to here.

My work is eclectic and changes from collection to collection. I gather my ideas over weeks, months and years, weaving what speaks to me from life and experience. The visceral, intimate nature of laying thread on thread draws me close, and the slowness of the craft holds me tight to my work as I weave my stories.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEEDBACKS?

The programme has helped me interrogate my ways of working. I always knew that the work I create takes time – but now I know there is nothing I can do to change that if I want to weave the work I love. And I do… So my ideas about my art as a business have therefore had to change instead, and I am at last beginning to put this new direction into practice.

The strangeness of being part of the programme over the Covid-19 lockdown has made it a very different programme to the one I expected. I have missed the sociability and bonding of face-to-face meetings, workshops and training and regret missing out on the empathetic networking moments which occur informally at coffee breaks or over a meal. However, I have learned how dedicated the development team at the Crafts Council are, how knowledgeable and supportive, and I am relieved and grateful that I can call on them for advice in future.

In spite of unprecedented challenges, taking this  journey with other creatives has given me valuable insights into other ways of working, created a group of diverse makers who will offer help, constructive criticism and practical advice, and formed creative friendships with people who may challenge me but will still be willing me to succeed.

FIVE THINGS YOU’LL BRING WITH YOU FROM THE EXPERIENCE:

• Record time accurately. ALL the time, not just the time weaving! Without knowing how long you spend on preparation, sourcing, research and so on, you are lost.
• However lovely my work is, however much joy it brings, it has to be out there. I want people to be curious about it, to love it, to see it as something special, and ultimately to buy it. I am actively involved in changing direction regarding getting my work seen.
• Set business goals. It sounds dry and dull but small goals are achievable and drive me forward. Long-term goals give me hope and affirmation.
• Trust Yourself. I have gained confidence in myself and my work. I can see myself more clearly now and through new connections, I have a new creative family. I am a part of the wider maker experience. I feel connected.