Grounded and Energetic; Leadership Qualities of Artists

Let's Create: Do We Know How To?

In this episode Naomi Alexander talks to Dr Sita Thomas about the quality of being Grounded and Energetic; how artists as leaders of co-created art embody this in their work. Sita reflects on how she generates energy in a room and how she channels energy by being grounded.

Sita reflects on how important it is to be grounded, to be calm and rooted in her practice so she can pick what kind of energy she would like to generate in a session. She also talks about the importance of self-care; enough sleep, good food and not putting all your energy into work. Alongside this she connects with the purpose of the work to generate energy even when she is exhausted.

Sita also talks about how to observe the different energetic states of people who are co-creating with you. How do artists see each individual's energy and let them know they are seen and accepted before shifting everyone into a collective energetic state. She talks about observing Jude Kelly in action and the way she shifted her energy to work with different groups of people; how grounded she was in doing this.

Naomi Alexander is the CEO and Artistic Director of Brighton People's Theatre. Her AHRC funded research Let's Create: Do we know how to? identified 20 qualities, skills and responsibilities that are important for artists leading co-creative practice. The report and illustrations are available here.
X: @Naomi_ontheatre

Insta: @Naomi.ontheatre

LinkedIn: @naomiontheatre

Dr Sita Thomas is the CEO and Artistic Director of Fio. You can find out more about Dr Sita Thomas on her website here.
X: @wearefio @SitaThomas5

Insta: @wearefio @sitathomas5
LinkedIn: @dr-sita-thomas-frsa-422b1795 @fiocardiff

#co-creation #theatre #leadership #arts #artist #grounded #energetic #letscreate #embodied