Something Unexpected is Comming to Midfest!

Expect the unexpected as Angelpixielove and Ingingerness bring you a storm of talent from across Midlothian as part of Midfest 2015!

Our idea was to bring together interesting and unusual artists from Midlothian and breath life into the Dalkeith Arts Centre. We are excited to be on the verge of launching Unexpected Art and look forward to welcoming the community for a week long series of events.

The Arts Centre will be filled with workshops every day, as well as evening events. We are re-opening the café during the week with home made cake and drinks made with foraged fruits from local parks and forests. There will also be a shop where people can buy unique products from Midlothian artists. Local businesses have donated goods to be auctioned off at our closing party with the proceeds going to local charity.

All of this is being done with no budget or funding. We have been lucky enough to receive lots of help from local businesses, artists and people who are getting behind the idea. Midlothian Council gave us use of the Dalkeith Arts Centre and it has taken off from there. It just shows how much you can do when people come together and you are given a space to use.

Please have a look through the list of events that you can sign up for. We hope to see you there!

RSVP for events and to book workshops get in contact through our Facebook page or email unexpectedartexhibition@gmail.com

Custom Made Superheroes for Kids

I believe that a lack of confidence and self esteem can be the biggest things that hold you back in life. My custom made super heroes for kids are designed so children can see themselves as strong individuals. 

We are surrounded by superhero characters, I think its time that kids, instead of imagining being someone else, can creative positive self images based on themselves.

When a child receives their character they need to use their imagination to think about what powers they might have and what their strong points are. I think seeing themselves as a superhero helps them to internalise their sense of courage and power. Planting seeds that foster confidence.

Several new characters have joined the league of super kids. Personalisation can be done with a simple form at the checkout and you can change the skin and hair color as well as leave me a note of any other changes you might like. You can choose any phrase you like to be printed underneath your superhero as well, some people prefer just their name or a special phrase. Please feel free to browse my website to find your perfect superhero to customise. I print them on wallets,messenger bags, gym bags, t-shirts, wall hangings and mugs. Children love receiving them as gifts and customers often tell me how much kids enjoy them. 

Here is some feedback from my customers on Facebook.

“Our kids love their wallets and gym bags and we don’t have to faff around labeling them, also they have never gone missing which says a lot about things that go to school!”

— www.facebook.com/Ingingerness

“I love the dragon and the powerful looking princess. I echo what Renae says. It’s great having stuff for school that is very clearly the property of one child.”

— www.facebook.com/Ingingerness

Midlothian's next generation of artists

What talented young people we have here in Midlothian. Budding new artists and designers showed their skills at the Ingingerness workshops. With support from Midfest and the primary schools involved (St Davids, Mayfield, St Margarets and Cuiken) children were able to design their own gym bags, t-shirts, photo panels and mugs. The designs are based on the children's good qualities, their strengths and the things they like about themselves. I loved seeing the big smiles and excitement when they see their designs as a finished product. Midlothian is oozing with talent, so what's next?

How do we harness that talent? When you're young, you're told that you might be something when you grow up. With technology and a bunch of clued up young people I don't think they have to wait. Young people are quite capable of designing now and with some support they could even sell their designs. 

What I would love to see is a design group for young people. Facilitated by practicing designers and artist so that the young people could benefit from their real life experience. Developing young people's artistic skills and taking it to the next level. This way they learn about working in a team, budgeting, business, fundraising, networking, writing, computers, and of course design. Seeing a project through and having something to show at the end gives young people a real sense of achievement. This helps them to have the confidence and skills to try new and more ambitious things. 

So what do you think? Should we start something like this up in Midlothian? Can we support young people to take part in festivals such as Midfest in a meaningful way? Your ideas and feedback are much appreciated. Please leave comments and any ideas you have. If you know people with children in Lothian please share this blog on your social media pages so I can get lots of feedback before planning something. Feedback from young people is very much encouraged.

Lastly I'd like to say a special thanks to all the children involved who were so welcoming, polite and a joy to work with.

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P6 children at St Davids Primary School

Midfest 2014 Design Workshops in Midlothian Schools

Midfest 2014, is a new and fast growing arts festival in Midlothian and by art I mean the whole shebang. There is dance, music, visual arts and crafts, writing, comedy and lots more. The programme is massive and cudos to Midlothian Council who are working with creative folk to put on events in the local community. There's even going to be the first ever music festival called Grown in Scotland at Dalkeith Country Park headlining the View!

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As part of Midfest Ingingerness (that's me) will be going into Midlothian schools and running design workshops with a confidence building twist.

Part of the reason I set up Ingingerness was to help the next generation of gingers feel proud of their roots. I want to expand on that and help all children build on their resilience and strengths. The workshops will focus on drawing out the positive qualities of the children who will then make their own design that represents this. These designs will be printed on mugs, t-shirts, gym bags or puzzles for them to keep. It will be free for the kids involved, thanks to support from Midfest and the Schools involved (Cuiken Primary School, St Davids Primary School, St Margarets Primary School and Mayfield Primary School). Keep an eye on the ingingerness website for updates on the workshops. I hope to display some of the work.

If you fancy coming and seeing the Ingingerness gang in person come on down to the Midfest Family Fun Day on the 7th of September at Dalkieth Country Park. It's free!

Midfest runs from the 6th - 14th of September. To find out all the wonderful things that are happening check out the Midfest page on Midlothian Council's website.

What is Scottish Ginger Pride?

Ginger is a word used in Scotland to describe someone with red hair. It is often used as an insult, especially in childhood and adolescence. Many people have been teased and bullied in Scotland about the color of their hair. We want to make sure that this doesn't happen to the next generation. 

Ginger Pride is very new to the UK and especially in Scotland. It was only in August 2013 that we had our first ginger pride walk in Edinburgh. We now have our very own day called Red Head Day UK on the 7th of June. Ginger pride is a movement that is sweeping the world, it means different things to different people. For many people it is about enjoying being a red head and reclaiming the the word Ginger as a positive thing. For others it is about overcoming the trauma they experienced from bullying. For me it is about making sure that we equip the next generation with key qualities to combat any kind of discrimination or adversities in life. That is why I have named my Ingingerness characters after the qualities of strength, pride, mischief, resilience and tenacity. 

There are a few people in the UK, apart from Ingingerness, that focus on ginger pride. A great place to start is Everything for Red Heads, a website that sell a range of products for red heads and a great place to find out more about the ginger pride movement in the UK. 

Ginger pride is only just emerging as a movement in Scotland. Subscribe to Ingingerness so we can come together to support it. If you have or are going to buy an ingingerness product wear it with pride.

You can find a range of great ginger gifts at the online Ingingerness shop.