PODCAST · arts
Making Meaning
by Ruth Singer
Making Meaning is a podcast exploring the meaning behind what we make. Artist Ruth Singer talks to creative people about why they make and create. Ruth loves finding out how artists, writers, coaches, researchers and others use challenging and complex stories within their work. She is interested in what matters to them and why they choose to create what they do. Ruth Singer has been making textile art professionally for 18 years and before that worked in the museum sector and has wide ranging interests in all kinds of creative practice. Words are really important to her; she writes books, shares a lot of her work online and loves talking about creative practice to other people who get it. Ruth also works as a mentor to artists and creative businesses and is always learning about what drives creative people to make interesting and complex things.
Episodes
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#68: Material Histories, Making in the Home with Deborah McGuire
In this episode we are talking about what it means to work from the home, to work alongside domestic life and how that worked for women makers in the past. We both share our very different experiences of home / work life and how our domestic environment impacts the creative choices we make. Buy...
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#67: Tangled - Textile Stories of Care & Connection
In August I launched my new self-published book Tangled. It's been a long journey from idea in 2018 to finally having the books in my hands in 2026. In this episode I'll read extracts from the book, explain how it came about and respond to some questions asked in my online and in-person book...
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#66: Material Histories, Showing and Sharing Textiles
This episode is the second of the occasional mini series Material Histories with Deb McGuire. In this one we have a wonderful wide-ranging conversation starting with what we look for in quilt shows but covers far more than that. We talk about the power of connecting through making and about…
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#65: 21 Years
This week I reflect on 21 years working as an artist and writer. (Oops, I realised after I recorded this that I talk about it being episode 64, when in fact it's episode 65!) Tangled is available for pre-order now: Tangled: Textile Stories of Care & Connection Maker Membership: Maker Membership...
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#64: Where Do I Get My Ideas From?
I have been asked about my ideas and where they come from more than anything else in my 21 year career (although "How long did it take to make?" must be a close second). It's really hard for me to define where each idea came from but I've given it a go in this podcast. Tangled is available for...
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#63: Introducing Material Histories with Deb McGuire
Making Histories is a new mini-series of Making Meaning Podcast with special guest co-host Deb McGuire. Deb is a brilliant historian, specialising in emotional histories of quilting, but she's incredibly knowledgable about all kinds of things. We have so many overlapping interests and things we...
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#62: Reading & Writing
A few weeks ago someone told me that she didn't know I had written several books, so I realised I don't talk enough about my writing! The podcast is about the writing of those books; three with traditional publishers and three self-published books about my work. The third self-published book is...
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#61: Accomplishments and Imagined Mementoes
This week's episode is about the new body of work I made for Mary Linwood; Art, Stitch & Lift exhibition. Alongside researching, curating and writing the first exhibition of Mary Linwood's work in 75 year, I also created seven new artworks reflecting elements of Mary Linwood's life and legacy....
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#60: Reflections on Mary Linwood
Making Meaning is back with a new series. It's almost five years since I started making this podcast and this is series 6. In this episode I'm solo, talking about what I've learned from the Mary Linwood Rediscovered project, from studying Mary Linwood and from sharing her story with the world.…
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#59: Making Meaning with Rachel Whitworth
In this episode I'm talking to Rachel Whitworth, the curator of Fashion and Textiles at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. Find out about the Mary Linwood project and events programme Find out more about the Stitch Weekend, 22nd - 23rd Nov, Leicester Guildhall Find out more about my Maker...
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#58: Making Meaning with Emily Jo Gibbs
I'm so pleased to share this conversation with Emily Jo Gibbs, a fantastic textile maker who I have admired for many years. It won't surprise you that I love Emily's work and we had a really interesting, broad-ranging conversation about the why behind the work. Emily's website and online course...
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#57: Making Meaning with Jayne Emerson
In this episode I'm talking to the brilliant creative textile designer Jayne Emerson, known to many of you as the creator of the No Rules Textile Society - a membership group full of inspiration and creative play. Jayne is also a textile designer for fashion and interiors, she's written six craft...
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#56: Making Meaning with Heidi Strobel
Dr Heidi Strobel is my guest in episode 56 about Mary Linwood. Heidi joined me from The University of North Texas, USA where she is is Professor of Art History. She is also the author of Mary Linwood: Embroidery, Installation, and Entrepreneurship in Britain 1787-1845 which has been invaluable…
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#54: Making Meaning with Dr Isabella Rosner
This episode is more of the summer of stitch series, this time with the brilliant Dr Isabella Rosner, Royal School of Needlework curator, podcaster and all round historic embroidery enthusiast. She has been part of the Mary Linwood fan club for years and we had a wonderful time talking about all...
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#54: Making Meaning with Claire-Louise Hardie / The Thrifty Stitcher
Today's episode is more in the summer of stitch series, this time with a very different kind of maker. Claire-Louise Hardie is a costumier and sewing teacher, expert in making clothes and understanding how clothes work and how they make us feel. This is a really fun conversation exploring very...
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#53: Making Meaning with Jennifer Collier
Continuing with the summer of stitch theme, in this podcast episode I am talking to the brilliant maker Jennifer Collier, who makes amazing objects in paper using textile techniques. I've known Jennifer for years and we've worked together and supported each other plenty but still needed to twist...
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#52: Making Meaning with Wendy Ward
Wendy Ward - researcher, maker and campaigner around clothes, sustainability and emotional connection to the things we wear. Wendy is a PhD researcher at Sheffield Hallam University investigating product attachment, craft and broken-ness in fashion. Prior to her PhD she taught sewing to adults…
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#51: Making Meaning - Project books and sharing research
This episode is a reflection on how I chose to create Cultures of Care Gathering and the sessions, talks and workshops it involves. I also explore the idea of project books, my way of collecting inspiration and ideas into sketchbooks. I'll be sharing a number of project books at the Gathering,...
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#50: Making Meaning - Cultures of Care Gathering
It's episode FIFTY! and the podcast's 4th birthday this week. This is just a mini solo one, sharing some of the story of the Cultures of Care project and how I've brought it all together to create Cultures of Care Gathering 19-20 July. Find out about Cultures of Care Gathering Join Ruth's email...
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#49: Making Meaning with Deb McGuire - Part 2
Deb McGuire is back! We recording a long conversation and I've split it into two episodes, of which this is the second. I suggest you start with Episode 48 first, as that's where Deb introduces herself and her work. This is a continuation of our chat which focusses more on Mary Linwood and my...
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#48: Making Meaning with Deb McGuire
In this series I'm exploring textile making and the many complex meanings around textile making practice. This episode is the first of a two-parter with quilt maker and historian Deb McGuire, because we had so much to talk about that we made two episodes! There's such a lot of overlap in our...
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#47: Making Meaning with Jayne Childs
It's been a while, but Making Meaning is back! This series will be full of conversations about textile making and meaning. This episode is with Jayne Childs. We talk about lace and heritage and the passion to innovate and create as well as the history of materials and methods. We talk about...
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#46: Making Meaning - Textiles and Care
Series Five of Making Meaning is here. A lot of this series will be focussing on textiles, although there will be some other stories, conversations and solo episodes coming up too. This week I am starting by sharing two of my talks from the Cultures of Care Group from the end of 2024. Cultures of...
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#45: Making Meaning - Mary Linwood and Me
This short episode is a brief introduction to my research project about 18th century embroidery artist Mary Linwood. The episode includes a very short history about her, and then details of the community projects I'm running over the next few months, that you can take part in too. You can find…
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#44: Making Meaning - Productivity and care
This podcast is again from my Cultures of Care Group and in a change to the usual, it includes the group discussion as well as my talk, which is my reflections on productivity as an artist and what that means to me now as a research-based artist more than a maker of things. I talk about making…
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#43: Making Meaning - Nature and Care
My Cultures of Care project wasn't intentionally all about nature and landscape connection, yet that is what a lot of it has turned out to be. This podcast episode is my exploration of how nature, outdoors and landscape in its widest sense have influenced my work. I talk about projects on…
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#42: Making Meaning - Co-creation
In my nearly 20 years of creative work, I've developed a real passion for creating artwork with the input of others, either in group making or through contributions of stories. This podcast explores what I mean by co-creation and what benefits it brings to me and those who contribute. Find out…
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#41: Making Meaning - Reflective Practice
I find being reflective in my creative work incredibly useful and have done for many years. In this essay / podcast I share how I came to reflective writing or journalling and some of the other ways I am reflective about my work with others. This was part of my Cultures of Care Group in May 2024....
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#40: Making Meaning - Research as a care practice
This new podcast episode, the first in a series of four, is a recording of my first Cultures of Care Group talks. For these sessions I write an essay to share on an aspect of care in creative practice. In this first session, April 2024, I chose to talk about research as a creative care practice....
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#39: Making Meaning - Artist Support Recipes
Artist Support Recipes is a group of artists interested in artist support and development. In this podcast we reflect on our learning during a year of research and discussion about what artists need to thrive. The group members are Ruth Singer, Sharon Adams, Gillian McFarland, Collette Rayner and...
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#38 - Making Meaning with Claire Morris-Wright
This week I'm talking to artist Claire Morris-Wright, an artist in neighbouring Northamptonshire, who I've known for a few years and always enjoy talking too. We talk about looking closely and thinking deeply, about slow processing of ideas and about sharing and connecting as a fundamental part…
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#43: Making Meaning - Nature & Care
My Cultures of Care project wasn't intentionally all about nature and landscape connection, yet that is what a lot of it has turned out to be. This podcast episode is my exploration of how nature, outdoors and landscape in its widest sense have influenced my work. I talk about projects on…
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#37 - Making Meaning with Amy Twigger Holroyd
In this end of 2023 episode, I'm talking to Amy Twigger Holroyd, who is Associate Professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Nottingham School of Art & Design, and in her previous life was a knitwear designer and innovator. We go back quite a long way to my early days as a designer maker and the...
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#36 - Making Meaning with Bridget Harvey
Bridget is a maker and researcher who uses ideas around repair to reanimate discarded objects and to tell new stories about our relationship to everyday things. In this conversation we talk about where our interests in object histories and museums converge and about how sharing our research...
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#35 - Making Meaning with Lisa Soloman
This time I'm talking with artist Lisa Solomon. Lisa lives in Oakland, California, where I was very lucky to visit her a couple of times pre-pandemic, after being online friends for about 15 years. Lisa works in mixed media and across genres from intimate self portraits to huge installations…
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#34 - Live Q&A with Ruth Singer
In this episode you'll hear an edited version of a live Q&A recorded last month on Zoom. The audience were invited to ask questions about my practice in general, or specific current or past projects. You'll hear me talk about topics including care practices within organisations, caring for others...
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#33 - Making Meaning with Barbara Burman
I'm joined today by historian and writer Barbara Burman who has just published a wonderful new book called The Point of The Needle, Why Sewing Matters which celebrates and explores the cultural and social importance of plain stitching, using historical sources and also the voices of people sewing...
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#32: Making Meaning - Zoe Murphy
Episode 32 of Making Meaning is with designer and all-round creative powerhouse Zoe Murphy. Zoe works with colourful screen prints to transform old furniture into amazing, meaningful pieces. We talk about her multi-faceted creative life, about connecting and sharing creative joy and about how...
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#31: Making Meaning - Cultures of Care
This is an extra bonus episode. Rather than the usual conversation, today's episode is a recording of my recent Cultures of Care online talk, explaining my new major project, what's led to it and what I'm working on now and in the next couple of years. The images referred to can be found in the...
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#30: Making Meaning with Jennie McCall
I'm talking today to ceramic artist Jennie McCall. I've known Jennie for quite a few years and have had the pleasure of seeing her work grow and develop as she finds her place, and supporting her through mentoring and one of my courses. We discuss reinvention, finding your place, understanding...
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#29: Making Meaning with Kate Unwin, The Moon & The Furrow
For the first time, Making Meaning has been recorded outdoors! I met up with Kate Unwin of The Moon and the Furrow at her woodland in Wales. Kate is an artist, maker, grower and one of my closest friends. She moved to Wales to live a more sustainable and nature-connected life and she runs a small...
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#28: Making Meaning with Lucie Bea Dutton
In this episode, Ruth talks to textile artist and researcher, Lucie Bea Dutton. For the last few years, Lucie has been exploring Hilary Mantel's Cromwell Trilogy though a large-scale sewing project inspired by Mantel's work. Lucie trained as a historian and she works extensively with archival...
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Making Meaning is coming back!
Hello friends, Making Meaning podcast is back! Or it's almost back, if I can fundraise enough to keep it going. In this episode I'll explain where I've been and what is coming up if we can make it happen, together. You can support a new series by donating at ruthsinger.com/podcastfundraiser You…
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#26: Making Meaning with Gillian Lee Smith
In this final conversation of the series, I am talking to Gillian Lee Smith, a Scottish painter based in Northumberland. Gillian and I first met as members of a designer-makers group in the English midlands but we reconnected over Zoom during the pandemic and have had some wonderful conversations...
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#25: Making Meaning with Mandeep Dhadialla
Mandeep is a printmaker and workshop leader who works under the brand The Laughing Cactus Print Studio. She's also local to me and we've been working together a lot over the last year or so on community projects and sharing thoughts on our respective creative practices. In this conversation we…
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#24: Making Meaning Live Gathering Highlights 3 with Maker Membership and Charlotte Bilby
Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event in July 2022 created by Ruth Singer. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event which I created and hosted in July 2022. The…
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#23: Making Meaning Live Gathering Highlights 2 with Amy Twigger Holroyd, Claire Wellesley-Smith, Lokesh Ghai and Charlie Birtles
Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event in July 2022 created by Ruth Singer. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. The next three episodes of the podcast are highlights of the programme - the bits that work…
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#22: Making Meaning Live Gathering Highlights 1 with Michaela McMillan, Wendy Ward and Kathryn Parsons
Making Meaning Live was a fantastic online event which Ruth Singer created and hosted in July 2022. The event brought together creative people to talk about the meaning behind what they make with a live audience. This episode includes Michaela McMillan, Wendy Ward and Kathryn Parsons and all...
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#21: Making Meaning with Michaela McMillan
Michaela McMillan's wonderful work often defies categorisation. It is craft or is it assemblage? Is it sculpture or is it textiles? It is meant to be serious or is it meant to be fun? Michaela's work is full of elements of her personality and her passions. She describes it perfectly as playfully...
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#20: Making Meaning with Ruth Singer on Research
Research and stories are fundamental to my work. Everything I make has some kind of message or meaning which I want to express through making artwork. I talk about research a lot, both in the podcast and in my Maker Membership but I know that it isn't always clear what I mean by research and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Making Meaning is a podcast exploring the meaning behind what we make. Artist Ruth Singer talks to creative people about why they make and create. Ruth loves finding out how artists, writers, coaches, researchers and others use challenging and complex stories within their work. She is interested in what matters to them and why they choose to create what they do. Ruth Singer has been making textile art professionally for 18 years and before that worked in the museum sector and has wide ranging interests in all kinds of creative practice. Words are really important to her; she writes books, shares a lot of her work online and loves talking about creative practice to other people who get it. Ruth also works as a mentor to artists and creative businesses and is always learning about what drives creative people to make interesting and complex things.
HOSTED BY
Ruth Singer
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Making Meaning have?
Making Meaning currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Making Meaning about?
Making Meaning is a podcast exploring the meaning behind what we make. Artist Ruth Singer talks to creative people about why they make and create. Ruth loves finding out how artists, writers, coaches, researchers and others use challenging and complex stories within their work. She is interested in...
How often does Making Meaning release new episodes?
Making Meaning has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Making Meaning on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Making Meaning?
Making Meaning is created and hosted by Ruth Singer.
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