Let’s Create - Qualities - Grounded and energetic
Grounded and energetic
Many research participants talked about the significance of the energy that artists use when leading a co-creative practice.
This varied across art forms with people working in performing arts placing more emphasis on this than those working in visual arts. Artists talked about the need for energy to be both grounded and expansive. People are aware of the energy in the room and in their own bodies and the relationship between the two.
Quotes from the research
“The energy comes from my chest, a little bit from the eyes, that’s where I mobilise from in a workshop. It’s a very emotional feeling. It’s love. It’s definitely love. Yeah, like it’s from the heart. And there’s something about an invitation happening. Energetically in the body.”
“You need to be modelling the energy you want to see in the room. And creating that energy and making space for energy. You’re a superconductor, in so many ways. In both meanings of the word. Like your super conductive energy that you take it in and give it out, right, like you’re mercury. Like, you know, you can really absorb the heat in the room and hold it. Yeah. But you can also then disperse it. Yes, you can cool the room down and you can heat the room up. I think knowing when to dispense and take that energy is also really important because sometimes that room is giddy and you want it to be giddy, you know you really want that kind of giddiness. And other times that’s not helpful.”
“There’s something about being grounded in a space. You need to find that ground and be rooted in the present.”
“You’re deciding how much you lead because if you can cultivate and inspire leadership in everyone, then hopefully you can create a space where everyone feels their own agency to navigate that themselves. I think the energy moves through and with people rather than over them.”
“There’s a kind of animalistic, hyper aware, hyper alert kind of energy, where your radars are on in a really big way. And you’re just totally there and you’re totally in it.”
Podcast released 21st May
with Dr Sita Thomas
Dr Sita Thomas is a Welsh-Indian cultural leader and creator based in Cardiff. She is Artistic Director and CEO of Fio, a theatre company that focuses on creating work with Welsh Global Majority creatives and participants. She is Creative Associate at Wales Millennium Centre and Associate Artist at National Youth Theatre.
Sita holds a PhD from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Movement Direction from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, both funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council. She is a trustee of Emergency Exit Arts and Young Vic, and is part of the advisory groups for Refugee Week and Movement Directors’ Association. Sita is also a presenter of Channel 5’s milkshake!
