MELODY VAUGHAN
MORE ABOUT ME
BIOGRAPHY
About Melody
Melody Vaughan (they/them) is concerned with prioritising the experience and needs of the humans at the centre of creative practices. They take a trauma-informed, holistic, person-centred approach to their mentoring practice. Melody’s work is conducted with an awareness of how everything we do within our creative practices is situated within the wider context of our lives and the world. They help people develop creative practices with care at the foundation, in service to you and the life you want to lead, responsive to your needs, adaptable to your existing priorities whilst also acknowledging your responsibilities to other people and the planet
Biography
Melody is a curator and writer who facilitates encounters between people, objects and craft makers. Through acts of gathering people together they create spaces for sharing experiences of making and questioning contemporary craft practices, with a focus on sustainable/ethical making practices.
They work mostly in a 1:1 setting with craft makers, offering a space for closer enquiry and reflection into their creative practices. Melody is particularly excited to work with people who are looking to make significant shifts within their practice or who would like to develop an ongoing practice of exploration into the why behind their work.
Melody has a background in archaeology, Museum Education and as a contemporary craft maker (ceramics & metal). These experiences fuel their passion for the objects we create and use, as well as for engaging people with these objects, and translate into the dedicated support of craft makers and their creative practices within these times of polycrisis.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
MPhil, Royal College of Art (not completed) 2015-16
BA (Hons) Decorative Arts, 1st, Nottingham Trent University 2014
Foundation Diploma Art & Design, Distinction, Oxford Brookes University 2011
MA Museum Studies, Merit, Newcastle University 2004
MA (Hons) Ancient Civilisations of the Mediterranean and Middle East, 2:1, University of Edinburgh 2002
PAST EXPERIENCE
Melody (they/them) has a background in Museum Education, working for many years as an Education officer in the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and the Corinium Museum. They have a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Edinburgh, an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Newcastle, and graduated in 2014 from Nottingham Trent University, with a First class honours degree in Decorative Arts. There they specialised in ceramics and metal, experimented with all sorts of wonderful materials; glass, wood, plastics, textiles, paper etc, and found their love of making.
As a maker, Melody exhibited their ceramic work nationally, worked on commissions in the UK and the Netherlands, and delivered design projects involving the public. While working on a research degree at the Royal College of Art, they realised that writing was a key part of their practice, and that making is the language they use within their writing.
These experiences fuelled their passion for the objects we create and use, as well as for engaging people with these objects:
“As an education officer, I was facilitating an understanding, enabling people to ‘read’ the objects and to learn from them. My role was to help find some common ground between people and the objects, so that they might be open to looking and discovering some meaning in them for themselves.
What is lovely about working with craft makers is that we can find out about the objects directly from the people who made them. We don’t have to imagine how things were made, or what they’re used for – we can see the processes, we can hear the stories and build them into our own narratives. It’s a very special relationship we can have with the makers and their objects.”
WORK IN THE CRAFT SECTOR
1:1 Creative Mentoring
March 2020 – today
Under 25 Maker Mentoring Programme in partnership with New Brewery Arts & funded by Arts Council England
Group mentoring programme facilitator & mentor
December 2024 – March 2025
‘Easing your way into a reflective practice’
Interactive workshop for academic researchers
Birmingham City University (Jewellery & Fashion)
July 2024
Chair – Sustainability & Ethical practice Group
Design Nation
January 2021 – April 2024
Early Career Maker Mentoring Programme in partnership with New Brewery Arts & funded by the Radcliffe Trust
January – March 2024
Mentor for Emerging Makers Residency at New Brewery Arts
funded by the Radcliffe Trust
August 2022 – July 2023
Member of coaching/mentoring support group
with Ruth Singer & Sharon Adams
April 2021 – February 2024
Coordinator: artists’ peer group
March 2021 – January 2023
Chair – Sustainable Craft in Practice panel discussion
part of Green Maker Initiative online event hosted by MAKESouthWest
May 2022
Communicating Your Values
talk given for Design-Nation members
November 2021
Chair – Making It Green – panel discussion on making work sustainably hosted by Cultivator Cornwall & Design Nation
July 2021
Visiting Lecturer – online Writing series
3rd year students BA Decorative Arts
Nottingham Trent University
May 2021
Mentor for Artists in Residence
Cluster Crafts
May – August 2021
Creating Sustainable & Ethical Making Practices
talk given for Design-Nation members
11 November 2020
Portfolio Review sessions
Cluster Crafts
5 & 7 November 2020
Trustee
New Brewery Arts, Cirencester
February 2018 – September 2020
Visiting Lecturer – Writing seminar series
3rd year students BA Decorative Arts
Nottingham Trent University
May 2020
Mentor
funded by a-n Artist Bursary
April – October 2020
Sustainability Workshop & Artists Mentoring
Clayhill Arts, Somerset
18 & 19 February 2020
Visiting Lecturer – Lecture & seminar series
3rd year students BA Decorative Arts
Nottingham Trent University
January 2020
Makers’ Elevenses with Beth Alden
drop-in support sessions for makers
New Brewery Arts, Cirencester
2017 – 2019
Crafting a Sustainable Career
talk given for Cluster Crafts
London
8 November 2019
Mentor
funded by a Jerwood Bursary
Northern Ireland
June – December 2019
Project Coordinator/curator
Arts Council England funded
Makers & Tools project
January – July 2019
Visiting Lecturer – Writing workshop
3rd year students BA Furniture Design and Make
Rycotewood Furniture, Oxford
17 May 2019
Visiting Lecturer – Lecture & seminar series
3rd year students BA Decorative Arts
Nottingham Trent University
March 2019
Find your Voice – successful writing for Creatives
talk delivered to The Creative Duck, Marlow
26 November 2018
Making Connections – SW networking event, co-hosted with Clayhill Arts, Somerset
20 November 2018
Visiting Lecturer – 4 half day writing workshops
MA Jewellery and Related Products
Birmingham City University School of Jewellery
May 2018
Visiting Lecturer – Lecture & seminar series
3rd year students BA Decorative Arts
Nottingham Trent University
March 2018
Write Great Applications
Business Club webinar, The Design Trust
20 February 2018
Find your Voice – successful writing for Creatives
talk delivered to The Creative Duck, Henley on Thames
20 November 2017
Ambiguous Implements Symposium – Panel discussion Chair
Vittoria Street Gallery, Birmingham
29 November 2017
Project Coordinator Makers & Tools Project – pilot
Supported by Clayhill Arts
Makers & Tools project
January – October 2017
LEARNING/CPD
The Art of Grief Tending
online training programme led by Nici Harrison
May – Sep 2025
Marketing for Weirdos
Anti capitalist marketing course led by Bear Hebert
Nov- Dec 2024
Introduction to Permaculture for Artists & Creatives
Training led by Liz Postlethwaite of Small Things Creative Projects
Oct – Nov 2024
Exploring Economies for ReEnchantment
Facilitated by Keri Jarvis
Oct 2024 – Jun 2025
Meeting the Moment
Liberatory Leadership programme with Andrea Ranae Johnson
Sept – Dec 2024
Decolonial Shadow Work
Jun – Aug 2024
Grief Through the Elements
With Nici Harrison of The Grief Space
Apr – Jun 2024
Trauma Informed Foundations
online training course led by Jess Jackson at Soft Path Healing
January – February 2024
Study Groups
Facilitated by Keri Jarvis
Oct 2024- Mar 2025
Grief Care professional programme
online training course with Megan Devine at Refuge in Grief
September 2023 – February 2024
Feedback: Make it Feminist
online workshop led by coach Keri Jarvis
July 2023
From Content Creation to Client Generation
online training led by coach Tamu Thomas (Live Three Sixty)
4- 7 July 2023
Anchored – Trauma Informed Coach & Entrepreneur
online training course led by coach Claire Diane
November 2022 – May 2023
Mending and Making Conference
Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP)
January 2022
Inclusion in the Industry: What it means to be LGBTQIA+ within the Jewellery Profession
online discussion hosted by Fair Luxury
January 2023
Review The Year: But Make it Actually Mean Something
online workshop led by coach Keri Jarvis
December 2022
Net Zero
carbon literacy training led by Katie Treggiden
November – December 2022
The Copy Prescription
online course led by Suzy Darke
November 2022
Design For Planet
online festival organised by the Design Council
November 2022
1:1 coaching (Courage & Clarity session)
with Suzy Darke
November 2022
Write a Better Bio
online workshop with writing mentor Sophy Dale
October 2022
Freely- an Anticapitalist Guide to Pricing your Work
online course from Bear Herbert
May 2022
Good SEO
online workshop with Aime Cox-Tennant of Studio Cotton
April 2022
The Art of Online Facilitation
online workshop with creative coach Sarah Longfield
April 2022
Creative Dynamics – put your creativity to work
online workshop with RD1st
November 2021
The Heartwood Way
online workshop with Jo Hooper from Get Wildly Free
August 2021
Facilitation Masterclass
led by leadership coach Fiona Buckland
March 2021
Podcast workshop
led by Nicola Rae Wickham of A Life More Inspired
March 2021
A Hug and A Nudge
online course created by Jo Hooper from Get Wildly Free
January – February 2021
Design Your Own Branding
online course led by Liz Mosley
January – March 2021
Gentle Visibility: Grow your online audience with ease, joy and integrity
online course created by coach Suzy Darke
October – November 2020
Navigating Social Media for Therapists & Allied Professionals
online course created by Dr Ruth Allen
October 2020
Rise Up: Visionary Business for These Times
Live Sessions with Andrea Ranae Johnson
June – August 2020
Compass: discover your true nature
online course by Self-belief coach Sas Petherick
May 2020
The Curator’s Challenge – Reinterpreting and Reimagining Ceramic Collections, CoCA Symposium
30 January 2020
Reimagining Resilience
The Culture Capital Exchange
13 December 2019
Creative Collage short course
UAL Central St Martins, London
19 – 23 August 2019
Rachael Colley & Lynne Speake in Conversation
Clayhill Arts, Bridgwater
8 August 2019
Essentials in Fundraising Training Day with Arts fundraising & philanthropy
Exeter Library
24 January 2019
Reset: a cosmic tune up for your workday
online course created by Jocelyn K Glei
19 January – 16 February 2019
Knitting History Forum Conference
London
17 November 2018
Travel Writing Study Day
British Library, London
6 October 2018
Materials Research Kitchen: Cupboard Love, rethinking the pantry
Institute of Making, London
30 July 2018
Symposium: People, Power and Curating
Turner Contemporary, Margate
27 April 2018
How to grow your Instagram with Emily Quinton
Hotel Elephant, London
25 April 2018
Travel photography short course
UAL Central St Martins, London
April – May 2018
Weaving workshop
Christabel Balfour, London
18 March 2018
Idea to Reality
with Ben Keene, The Creative Duck, Henley
23 January 2018
Wooden spoon carving workshop
with Grain & Knot, Benk + Bo London
21 January 2018
How to use Email Marketing to boost your business
with Sinead Kohler, Hotel Elephant
16 January 2018
The funding & finance mix webinar
Creative United
15 January 2018
How to finance your social enterprise
Hatch Enterprise, London SE17
22 October 2017
Setting up a studio
UAL Careers Week, London
14 November 2017
Urban Writers retreat
London
22 October 2017
Making with Found Objects workshop
with Elaine Bolt
Brighton
26 August 2017
1:1 Mentoring with Rosalind Davis
July 2017
How can we support emerging artists for a sustainable creative future?
Zealous Meet Up
13 July 2017
From Metal Sheet to Hollow Form – Making Vessels and Containers
with Adi Toch
The Cass, London Metropolitan University
April – June 2017
Practical Branding & Storytelling 1 day workshop
with Patricia van den Akker, The Design Trust
20 April 2017
The Art of Shouting Quietly workshop
with Pete Mosley
studio of Gabriella Szulman
28 March 2017
Exhibition Design & Delivery
with Kirsten Cooke
Chelsea College of Art
4 March 2017
Staying Motivated as a Creative Entrepreneur
with Gemma McGrath
Hotel Elephant
21 February 2017
Raising your profile through Social Media
with Rosalind Davis
Hotel Elephant
7 February 2017
Fundraising for Artists and Creative Entrepreneurs
with Carolyn McDonald
Hotel Elephant
31 January 2017
Business development workshops & mentoring
Patricia van den Akker, The Design Trust
January – April 2017
How to be Confident
The School of Life
2 December 2016
Coaching skills for Leadership
Relational Dynamics 1st at the National Theatre
18 November 2016
Certificate in Personal Coaching: 2 day introduction
The Coaching Academy
8-9 November 2016
Innovative Business models in the arts
Conference
Creative Lenses Forum/UAL
13 October 2016
Social Media and Marketing masterclass with Rosalind Davis
Gallery Elena Shchukina
14 September 2016
Creative business planning & time management
Summer school
The Design Trust
11 – 14 July 2016
Arts Networking Conference
Oxford Brookes University
27 June 2016
Arts Management: Introduction with Rosalind Davis
Chelsea College of Art
14/21 May 2016
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