LISA RISBEC

​​My approach

I’m a good listener and I encourage people to find their own creative voice by creating conditions for them to experiment, play, and be curious. I understand how to encourage creativity and playfulness in gentle ways, particularly when people are in unfamiliar territory or finding things difficult. I have extensive experience working with adults experiencing mental ill health and with neurodivergent people, and I try to bring empathy to that work rather than assumptions about what people need. I want everyone to feel in control of what they’re making, to feel supported, and to enjoy themselves.

I care about people and I’m always learning and trying to improve how I show up for others and how I hold my own privilege. My own experience as a neurodivergent artist with history of chronic illness has helped me to work with others compassionately, and opened my eyes to the barriers people can face.​

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What I’ve worked on

I worked as lead artist for Cartwheel Arts and as Studio Manager and Mentor for Pool Arts, as well as with other organisations such as ARC, Manchester Histories Festival, and Burnley Youth Theatre. I’ve run creative play and art technique sessions with adults managing mental health conditions, delivered CPD training for artists, teachers and organisations, and developed resources that are now in use nationally.​

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Facilitation

​I've worked across a wide range of contexts, arts and health programmes, community settings, schools, professional development for artists, and independent courses I've run myself. I've delivered one-off sessions and longer programmes, worked with organisations to develop resources for ongoing use, and trained other practitioners in creative facilitation methods as well as working with organisations on team building days.

The groups I've worked with have included adults experiencing mental ill health, newly arrived children, women returning to creative practice, new mums, and community groups with no arts background. I work across a lot of different materials and techniques, drawing, printmaking, collage, photography, bookmaking, stop-motion animation, textiles, and mixed media and I'm experienced in adapting what I'm offering to the needs of a particular group on a particular day.​

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Mentoring

I worked for Pool Arts, an artist-led charity for artists facing barriers to practice. The organisation was run by its members and through working with them I experienced they way that projects can be run when it's the person whom it’s designed for making decisions rather than someone else making assumptions on what might work. I’ve also learned extensively about issues surrounding the medical model of disability and mental health and around the barriers that some artists face to their practice.

 

I worked with the members to support them to look at and develop their practice, sometimes suggesting new working methods or opportunities and other times assisting with website creation and development or writing CVs or artists statements. I also worked on co-curating Pool Arts exhibitions; writing exhibition text, press releases and writing funding bids and project admin.

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Creative resource development​

Art for Induction

I co-developed a creative resource for newly arrived children in Rochdale schools, working alongside Artist Beth Morgan and Cartwheel Arts, using the design thinking method to ensure we kept the children’s needs at the forefront. We did extensive research and ran focus groups with children who had been newly arrived in the last few years, listening to their experiences and needs and designing the project around them. We also worked closely with a group of teachers and ESOL workers, ensuring that the resource also met their needs as facilitators. The project culminated in us creating a pack with 30 creative activities, plus extensive facilitation notes and a training day and is currently successfully being rolled out across 20 schools in Rochdale.

More about Art for Induction

 

Wellbeing Dominoes

I co-created this resource with Cartwheel Arts and Artist Jodie Silverman. It is a creative wellbeing game for adult groups. There are 28 cards split into 5 categories, helping participants to experiment, self reflect, connect, relax and notice. The game has been extremely well received and is used by many organisations across Rochdale and the UK and has recently been adapted and rolled out to Rochdale schools with great feedback.​

More about Wellbeing Dominoes

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Skills offered include;

Experimental drawing using paper, wire, clay, sculpture, printmaking - lino, screen, block and mono, textile work - banners & Wall hangings, idea generation and developing work from sketches, mark making, art journaling, photography, stop-motion animation, bookmaking, collage, creative experimentation and expression, professional skills for artists, digital skills and development, CPD training for artists and organisations, blogging, content creation, website management, budgeting and planning

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Please get in touch if you want to chat about future projects