What is the Juggling Practice session about? 

This Factory Lunch Hour is an open and frank discussion about the quest for balance between creative practice, home and everything else life throws at us. Artist Karen Henry, and BCB’s Studio and Community Manager Joanne Mills will reflect on their own experiences of juggling their artistic practices, self-employment, working as part of an organisation and having a family. They will also reflect on why this ‘juggle’ matters to them and share their long-term, holistic view of their creative practice.

What will this session cover? 

• Making creative practice work in real life  
• The challenges and rewards of seeking a balance 
• Why being creative matters 
• Flexibility and taking a long-term view  
• How a good support network can help 

Who is the session for? 

• People who have a creative practice and caring commitments
• People who are looking to make connections and create a network of creative, working, carers/ parents
• People who want to share their own experiences of juggling commitments
• Students or people early in their career and want a sustainable practice when their responsibilities change.

Who is delivering? 

Karen Henry is a ceramic artist and designer; she is self-employed and does part-time administration support for a local artist and woodturner. She juggles her work responsibilities with being a mother to three young adults, caring for her son who is on the Autistic Spectrum and recently becoming a carer for her partner who fell ill in 2021. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and a Master of Arts in Ceramic Design. Karen’s ceramic art promotes the female form and the importance of knowing our own bodies and boundaries. Her techniques demonstrate that art and clay can be essential for your well-being, encouraging the sensory benefits of creating with clay and finding ways to keep your practice fresh and vital within a forever-changing world.
Find out more about Karen’s work.

Joanne Mills is BCB’s Studio and Community Programme Manager, where she works part-time. In this role, she is focusing on how clay and creativity can positively impact people’s lives, health, well-being, and relationships with others. She is a ceramic artist, who has worked on several socially engaged projects in Stoke-on-Trent in recent years. Alongside that role, she is a mother to two young children and is interested in the different ways that creativity manifests itself over a lifetime.  

Where does it take place?

Factory Lunch Hour – Juggling Practice takes place online via Zoom. The link will be emailed to you once you’ve registered.

How to book?

Book your free ticket via the individual event pages on the BCB website. Visit our What’s On page to see what other events are happening.

Online Access:

• In advance of each event, we aim to share an overview of the event. This may include preparation tasks for the participant.
• We will enable captions for anyone to access during the event and download them after
• We will record each online event so you can re-watch it
• We will share a resource pack after the event. This will include summary notes, relevant links shared during the event, the event transcript and the event recording

If there is anything we can do to support your participation in the event, please email rhiannon@britishceramicsbiennial.com to discuss what we can put in place for you.

What is Factory?

This workshop is proudly run as part of the creative business support Factory, which is a partnership between Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, Staffordshire University, British Ceramics Biennial and ACAVA. The programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Visit our main Factory page for more information about other opportunities and workshops run through Factory.