Jen Farrant

Between the Tides festival, my reflections

Through the magic of social media, I found out about the ‘Between The Tides’ swim-lit festival happening in Whitstable. It was a swimming literary festival, I had to go! 

Between the Tides logo

This festival helped me to put into words what I have been feeling about swimming for a while now and why I have made it a focus for my year. 

All of my experiences of outdoor swimming (aside…

40 swims for 40 years

I turned 40 mid June this year. I am very much seeing it as a cause for celebration, and my friends and family, especially my husband, have helped me a great deal in that.  Recently I have been getting into open water swimming, I have always loved swimming and it has been instrumental to me geting my physical strength back after I got so sick I ended up in a wheelchair for a couple of years. I…

Returning to Paid Employment

Very recently I’ve made a big and scary step to going back to paid employment, rather than being a full time freelancer.

There is a lot of rhetoric out there that being self employed is the only way to be happy, the only way to have control over your life. I absolutely believed this, but I haven’t been happy as an arts consultant for quite some time now, not least because there is just not as…

Capturing the creativity of schools

At the end of last term I was utterly privileged to be commissioned by the Royal Opera House Bridge to capture the creative essence of schools who are going to be featured in their book of best arts practice within a variety of schools. It was wonderful to go and see nine different schools from across Essex and North Kent, to understand how they implement the arts within their context.

This was…

Save Elm Road Open Space

  My local park is under threat of being sold off to make way for a 900 student secondary school. This is in the middle of a warren of tiny residential streets, it is the only open space for quite a way and it is incredibly well used.

I am spearheading an apolitical campaign to stop this from happening, it is vital that we protect all green spaces, especially in built up areas.

Please join us on

About six months ago I started to code. Or, more to the point, code again. I learnt to build websites over 15 years ago, well before WordPress or even any ‘what you see is what you get’ editors, it was in raw HTML code. I stopped when changed jobs and I no longer needed to maintain the website. I watched the launch of the Raspberry Pi with jealousy…and never bought one because what use would I…

Having your own space

I am one of the few consultants in my field (arts & culture/not for profit), who has their own website.

I have love affairs with social media and then stop. I invest lots of time Tweeting and sharing links. I post lots of photos. And then stop.  I’ve had a lot of thoughts about Instagram, especially I love photography.  I used to post to Instagram very regularly. Then I did a course from a very…

7 x 24 = 168

7 days a week 24 hours a day 168 hours in a week

On my war-board which sits behind and to the left of my desk, the centre currently reads

168 ?

It’s there to remind me, every single moment I glance up and to the left (which is where I tend to look when I am thinking) that we all have 168 hours in a week.

What am I going to do in that time?

1) There is only 168 hours in a week – I…

Amanda Palmer makes me deeply uncomfortable

Amanda Palmer is a musician, writer and all round artist. Her relationship with her fans is legendary and intimate- she will sofa surf at her fan’s place and she was one of the first artists to fund an album via Kickstarter. Just do a quick Google search to see how contentious she is – she does tend to divide opinion. She is an avid user of Patreon and for a while I supported her through that,…

I’ve always had lots of things on the go and I am always attracted to learning something new. I’ve finally realised that it is ok for me to try things out and see if I like them, and I love doing ‘taster’ sessions of new skills and crafts. I may take them up for a little while and let them go after a period.

Many crafts that I have done fall into that category and I’ve enjoyed making the ‘thing’…

The joy of ukulele

The ukulele is such a joyful instrument, it gives me a huge amount of pleasure. It always sounds uplifting. I took it up four years ago now and I’m very happy I did.

I’m glad that there are whole classes in schools across the country learning to play it, I suspect they all sound a lot better together than a bunch of squeaky recorders. Don’t get me wrong, I love the recorder and I seem to recall…

At the end of last year I passed my grade 6 flute, which I am very proud of. When I joined my band I was grade three, and January marked the start of my fourth year in the band. In the exams I do – ABRSM – you have to take Grade 5 theory before you are allowed to do grade 6. I honestly think this was the hardest thing I have done, much harder than my MA. My friends on Facebook were treated to a…

This weekend the Thurrock Parkrun celebrated its 100th run, just a few weeks before its two year anniversary. I was invited along to photograph the run, as well as Griffin Estate agents presenting a cheque for the Community First Responders for them to buy an Automatic External Defibrillator – which are popping up across high streets.

These are just my favourite images, not least because of the…

Soul of a nation

Visiting the Tate’s Soul of a Nation exhibition reminded me how important art is, how it has the power to show others how things are, highlighting what is happening, both positive and negative.

Image from Tate.org Carolyn Mims Lawrence Black Children Keep your Spirits Free

This is an extremely well curated show, with the first rooms shocking in their intensity and the outright hatred and violence…

These days I am doing quite well physically, I haven’t used my wheelchair since February, and I am gradually pushing myself to do a little more and more over time. It is paying off and I am now able to go and do all day photography shoots, run workshops etc. It is wonderful.

None the less, my confidence has been knocked considerably by getting so ill. My body betrayed me, it literally refused to…

As part of the Thurrock Art Trail I curated and compered a poetry night at St Mary’s church in Grays. There is still time to see art work and events across Thurrock until Sunday -including my exhibition! More information here 

I also read my poems too, but I couldn’t take photos of myself.

Phil Smith

Barbara

Anthony Hicks

Tim Harold

Steve Lawes

Phil Smith & Tim Harold