Before Fun-A-Day 2021 begins, we thought that it would be great to introduce this year’s team.  These are the people behind the social media posts, graphics, emails, blogs and all the creative planning and facilitation that makes Fun-A-Day the wonderful and exciting project that it is. 

Today we have Hannah Wingfield, who’s work, you may know, is beautifully bright and easy to recognise with its wonderful array of rainbow colours. Hannah is here to tell us a bit about what she does and why she got involved with Fun-A-Day Dundee. You can also follow her here on Instagram.

1.  Please tell us your name and what role you play as part of the FADD team?

I’m Hannah, and I’m an Assistant Coordinator for the FADD team. The project is planned as a team where we all contribute ideas to keep it running smoothly and growing each year. Within that I focus on Instagram-related tasks (creating and sharing posts, and engaging with our community). I also do some “behind the scenes” admin and team communication associated with this and the project in general (which I don’t mind as I get a geeky enjoyment of being organised!) This year I’ve started writing posts for our blog which has been a lot of fun, especially collecting participant stories.

2.  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your own creative practice/work? 

I engage in various creative and crafty practices which all have bright colours in common and are often inspired by nature (though perhaps not in obvious ways). The craft I spend the most time on is crochet, and I enjoy both designing my own patterns and putting my own twist on others. I also draw and paint, sew and am keen to spend more time exploring weaving and polymer clay sculpture too. I work around the school day as I have two young sons, and always seem to have many more ideas than there is time to carry them out.

3.  What have your own FADD projects looked like in previous years?

In 2018 I made a freeform crochet piece. I had never tried freeform crochet before but threw myself into it, making a piece most days and joining them together wherever I felt inspired to.

In 2019 I made 25 crochet mandalas. This project gave me a lot of scope to play with pattern and colour and I loved seeing photos of people in front of the display at the exhibition (above is a photo of me with it!)

In 2020 I decided to give myself free rein to try different things and worked under the title “Astonishing Splashes of Colour” (also the title of one of my favourite books). Crochet was again a large part of it but I also played with polymer clay and did some drawing and painting.

4.  What inspired you to not only take part in FAD, but also to become part of the organising team?  

I heard about FADD in 2017 just as it had finished and was raring to go in 2018! I thought it would be a great opportunity to try something new, make some new connections and get back into the habit of regularly creating (and it was). Fun A Day has been a big boost to me in terms of rediscovering my creativity after having children and making new friends as a person in my own right (ie not just as “so and so’s mum”!) so I liked the idea of being able to give something back to the community and to help keep it going for future participants.

5.  What is it that you love most about FADD?

Variety! I believe everyone is creative (yes, even you, potential person reading this who thinks they’re not!) and no two people will ever make something exactly the same. Looking around the exhibition or through our social media at the end of January and seeing loads of amazing projects that perhaps only exist because of FADD is an awesome feeling. I also appreciate the friends and connections I have made through the project, and love that it is open to everyone and has such a variety of participants. 

6. Do you have any other hobbies, interests or fun facts that you could tell us about yourself?

I spend most of my time creating or with my children (as well as working on FADD of course!) but I am also a big reader and read a book or two every week. I also get through a fair bit of Netflix as the background noise to my crafting (love documentaries, dark comedy and a bit of drama). At the weekends my family and I often go for walks in the countryside. Other random things I like are cups of tea, vegan marshmallows, pens (I am forever searching for the perfect one), exploring different parts of the UK with my family, camping and board/card games.