Thank you to Ottilie Hainsworth for these ideas.
- Have a think about (you could do some freewriting or draw a mind map) the different roles we play in our lives, for example family roles, gender roles, job-related roles etc.
- Write a list of the different roles you have played in your life.
- Choose one or two you would like to explore further, and write for five minutes about each of them, exploring the edges and boundaries of these roles. Prompts: Was it a role you chose or were born into? was/is it comfortable for you? What physical or emotional tools do you need for the role?
- Look at pages from the graphic novel “Biscuits-Assorted” by Jenny Robinson for inspiration.
- Make your own cookie cutter template, cut out of cardboard, to represent the role you’ve chosen to explore.
- Draw round your template several times across a sequence of sketchbook pages.
- Experiment with different media, mark making and pattern to draw yourself inside the cookie cutters, finding ways to express your thoughts and feelings on that role. (Suggestions: Try fitting the body into the shape and then filling in the details, or allowing her to climb out of the cookie cutter shape, use your left hand to create a fantastically scribbly self, and practice drawing emotions through cartoon facial expressions.)
When you’ve practised, try representing your lockdown story of gender-based violence in this way and if you’d like to add it to our research, click on the button below or email lockdowngbvstories@brighton.ac.uk.