Rachel

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hi! I'm a 24 year old writer/artist from Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. Born and bred Geordie, just without the accent.

For me, travel is necessary to my art.
How can we write about the world if we have never seen it?
How can we speak to the human experience if we only acknowledge our own?
I want to meet people and experience different cultures. Sharing our lives and our time is, in itself, an act of resistance, an act of love.

I consider myself very friendly and personable but also very hardworking.
I love art in all it's forms: reading and writing, making and witnessing, singing, listening and dancing - though I am a terrible dancer.

My ideal workaway would be somewhere I can continue to write and create, where I could learn and develop skills, where art and stories are abundant and where freedom and responsibility meet and are friends.

Interests

Plant care

Self development

Sustainability

Farming

Movies & TV

Performing arts

Nature

Politics / Social justice

Writing

Music

History

Gardening

LGBTQ

Culture

Cycling

DIY & crafts

Drawing & painting

Cooking & food

Charity work

Books

Animals

Art & design

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: Beginner
Polish: Beginner

More details about my language interests
English is my first language. I know some German, having spent three months there last year and a little Polish - my grandparents were Polish, and I used to attend Harcerstwo (Polish girl guides). But I am very interested in language, and would be interested in learning any.

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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Charity Work

Art Projects

Languages

Being an elderly companion

Eco Projects

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Animal Care

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

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Some knowledge of:  

Hospitality/Tourism

More details about your skills

I'm a native English speaker and graduated from the University of East Anglia with a first in American Literature and Creative Writing.

Being an artist, I am naturally quite creative and good at problem solving. I am very driven and very eager for a challenge.
As well as completing commission and submissions for exhibitions and journals, I ran a month long workshop, involving over fifteen artists involving a video project and a collage project. The work was spontaneous and suited to the participants needs.

When I am not travelling, I work as a support worker for adults with learning difficulties and autism. The work is massively rewarding but requires a lot of responsibility and attention. I am first aid and conflict resolution trained.

Previously I have also worked in fine dining hospitality - passing my WSET Level 2 (a wine qualification) with a distinction. Wherever I am, I love to immerse myself in the wine culture of the region and will be sure to share it with those I am with.
And though I have no formal training in it, I am quite a good cook, and especially enjoy making meals from seasonal ingredients and produce - reducing food waste and sourcing locally and sustainably.

What I learnt from my first workaway, is that thrive when given new challenges. When I was asked to work in the garden, I soon found my way around the various tools, identifying what were weeds and what were not. When I was asked to help with domestic tasks, i used my initiative, doing what I could and helping to direct others.

I also have some experience looking after children, as a teaching assistant at a film school and as a leader in my Polish girl guides (Harcerstwo). My time in Polish girl guides was especially important to me as a second-generation Pole, not only to engage with my culture but to learn practical skills like fire building, putting up and taking down camp, dealing with bugs (always a nightmare), following instruction and working together to complete physically demanding manual labour tasks.

Age

24

What else ...

I love art in all it's forms: reading and writing, making and witnessing, singing, listening and dancing - though I am a terrible dancer.
I really love reading, I always have. My favourite authors/poets are Sylvia Plath, Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, any of the Brontë sisters, Leonard Cohen, Milan Kundera, Maggie Nelson, Anne Carson, Toni Morrison. I am also reading something new, feel free to ask what I am currently reading!

I'm also interest in current events, I feel a strong sense of justice and have worked in activism throughout my life.

And music, I listen to music whenever I can and endlessly in awe of musicians. Though I can't play any instruments (except the piano and violin - both very badly) I do write songs sometimes, and love to sing, especially with others.

Art too, is very important to me and I take every opportunity to see it. If there is a gallery near you, I will be sure to visit it! I'm especially interested in Pre-Raphaelites, Abstract Expressionism, Neo-classical and Land art.

My own art speciality is collage, using images from art books. If you have scissor and glue I will find a way to bring collage to you!

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements