It is OK to retreat, seek solace and regeneration: Sonya Philip

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Artist and sewing pattern maker Sonya Philip, from San Francisco in the United States, said she is equal parts stressed and relaxed at this time of global pandemic.

‘’I have always had homebody tendencies so it is not a struggle to stay home but on the other hand, I miss not having coffee with friends. There is also sadness seeing visits and plans, and teaching being cancelled and crossed off the calendar.“

‘’We are making do with what we have, being thankful for what we do have, rather than always thinking we need to have everything at our fingertips.” Click on the arrow to listen to our conversation. Read the notes below, or visit Sonya’s 100 Acts of Sewing website for more information. See other ARISING from Distruption stories here

What Sonya Philip said:

“I’m equal parts stressed and relaxed. The news (about coronavirus) and the lack of response in the US is stressful. I have always had homebody tendencies so it is not a struggle to stay home but on the other hand, I miss not having coffee with friends. There is also sadness seeing visits and plans, and teaching being cancelled and crossed off the calendar.“

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Don’t compare yourself to anyone else: Rachel Smith

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Rachel Smith is a consultant, change-maker and author of Under$pent who says this is an important time for leaders to share the information and knowledge to inspire community members and ignite the fuse for change. ‘’We have been given a gift of time and we shouldn’t waste the opportunity to stop, and reflect and reset our own lives, our communities, our government services and infrastructure, and almost start again.‘’ This conversation is #8 of Jane Milburn’s Virtual Churchill series ARISING from Disruption – stories of adaptation, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency. Rachel’s best piece of advice is   do not compare yourself to anyone else. ”It is really easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others, what they might have bought, what you think they’ve got, what you think they might earn. I think that is a really big issue at the moment. ”

Read notes from this conversation below, or read more about Rachel and Under$pent here.

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Staying at home no hardship for introverts: Lindsey @lindzeanne

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As an introvert who loves stitching and mark-making on preloved textiles, Lindsey @lindzeanne on Instagram is in her element during this coronoavirus lockdown with lots of time on her hands. In this ARISING from Disruption #7 conversation, Jane Milburn chats to Lindsey, whom she was scheduled to meet as part of her Churchill Fellowship study tour. They will meet in real life, when travel becomes possible again. Notes from the conversation are below. See Lindsey’s beautiful stitching here


What Lindsey said:

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Simple things in life bring joy: Helen Barry

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ARISING from Disruption #6 Helen Barry, War on Waste Weekly, says we are resilient, we can adapt and change with the needs of the times. She’s trusting her instincts. lowering her expectations and  knitting at night. Helen reckons as a result of this pandemic disruption, companies will be more agile and processes will be overhauled to make things more cost effective and efficient. Maybe more people than ever will continue to work from home or be self employed. Notes from this conversation are below.

What Helen Barry said:

So far we are going OK during the pandemic lockdown. Our life has changed a lot, the kids are off school and childcare, I’m now working from home with family here and my husband’s business in hibernation. We are adapting and trying to look at the positives.

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Rethink our values and how we want to live: Rob Pekin

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ARISING from Disruption #5 with Rob Pekin, Food Connect, Salisbury, Queensland, Australia
Despite the hurt, pain and suffering of many, Rob Pekin believes this is an opportunity for society to take stock and rethink our values. It is a chance to realign with what is important to people, to be empowered in how they want to live their lives and unfold a new future for themselves. See notes from this conversation below.

Rob says it is an interesting but disrupted time for the Food Connect community at this time of lockdown and physical distancing due to coronavirus pandemic.
There are differing impacts on the three operations Rob and his partner Emma-Kate oversee: demand for the Food Connect local food box distribution system has quadrupled; the community owned Food Connect shed houses 27 social enterprise food business tenants adjusting to changes; and Food Connect Foundation community connection and culture events are indefinitely cancelled.

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Now is the time to just do it: Clementine Sandner

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Clementine Sandner is a textile upcycler based in Kyoto, Japan, repurposing kimonos and obis. Jane Milburn was scheduled to meet Clementine in person during her Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour, now deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this ARISING from Disruption virtual Churchill conversation series, Clementine said sustainable techniques in industry was a trend before, but now there is more genuine interest. Notes of the conversation are below.


What Clementine said:

At the beginning of this crisis a lot of projects were cancelled so my first reaction was to be down, but I am coping better now and positive things are happening.

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It is the gift of time: Angela Foong

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Arising from Disruption #3 – conversations about adaptation, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency.

High Tea with Mrs Woo is an Australian-made, small-run clothing label based at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It’s a collaboration of three sisters designing eloquent, timeful clothing and accessories with natural fibre fabrics.  One sisters is Angela Foong who said despite the losses and pain, this pandemic is the reset button the world needs because we are all forced to stop and think about the way we want to live. See more in the notes below.


Find out more about Australian-made, small-run, natural-fibre clothing label High Tea with Mrs Woo here or follow them on Instagram.

What Angela said:

Feeling overwhelmed but also lucky we are in Australia, with great health and welfare systems, and knowing we will get through this challenging time by working together.

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Find your purpose: Kerrie Richards

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This is #2 in our ARISING from Disruption conversations about adaptation, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency at this time of global pandemic. 2019 Churchill Fellow Jane Milburn is chatting to Kerrie Richards from Merino Country, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who said the business is pivoting to focus on face mask production and ”using what we have, to make things happen”.  More notes below.  

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Be victor not victim: Julie Hillier

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It is not what happens, it how you repond that makes the difference. This ARISING from Disruption series has emerged as a Virtual Churchill, because Jane Milburn’s realtime Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour was deferred due ot the global pandemic. Jane chats online to makers, creaters and entrepreneurial people who are adapting, being resourceful and self-sufficient at this time of global crisis. Chat #1 is with Julie Hillier from Ministry of Handmade. Below are summary notes of what Julie said in this conversation.

What Julie Hillier said: Continue Reading →

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Adapting and ARISING

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It is not what happens, it is how you respond that makes the difference.
As public health authorities and governments scramble to manage the coronavirus pandemic, we humans are sheltering in place, being called upon to stay home, be responsible, resourceful and resilient.  The pandemic is profoundly changing the way we live and work, how we consume resources and entertain ourselves – and having dramatic economic, social and cultural impacts. I hope you’re keep safe, at home, in place, grateful to those on the frontline doing battle with this threat.
My ARISING from Disruption series has emerged as a Virtual Churchill, because my realtime Winston Churchill Fellowship study tour was deferred because of the global pandemic. I was due to leave Australia this weekend to travel for eight weeks to Japan, the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe. Since overseas travel is not possible at this time, I will now be chatting online to makers, creaters and entrepreneurial people who are adapting, being resourceful and self-reliant at this time of crisis.
I am beginning this video series with Australians I know, talking about how they are responding, and will intersperse these with creative and regenerative practitioners globally about hands-on actions (gardening, making, creating, upcycling, stitching, mending), adaptations and innovations.
ARISING from Disruption is an evolving series of conversations with entrepreneurial people about self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and adaptation at this time of transformative change. I hope you find some seeds of inspiration and hope from their stories.
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