Mentoring & Puppets with Proud and Loud Arts

Here at Proud and Loud Arts we’ve been working hard to connect with people online, keeping up with our regular sessions and stating new projects. 

Something we’ve been keeping in our back pocket is our work connecting individuals with professionals in their field for one-to-one mentoring advice.

During lockdown we’ve been connecting artists together and watching them flourish!

Meet Jamie Marks and Aisling Leyne!

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Jamie is a up and coming puppet maker and Aisling is a performer and puppeteer. Both have worked with Proud and Loud Arts before; Aisling animating the cheeky cat in Christmas with the Cratchits which was designed and built by Jamie!

At the time of writing Jamie and Aisling have had four sessions working together, getting to know each other and putting together a plan of action. 

“Jamie is puppet maker and I’m a puppeteer so it’s all about finding connections and guiding Jamie to help him plan.”

– Aisling Leyne

Mentoring is essentially about helping people to develop more effectively. It is a relationship designed to build confidence and support a person to build their own ways of working and ideas.

When it’s done well it also works both ways, often you find the mentor learning things from the mentee too!

“Mentoring Jamie has been quite eye opening. It’s not about be fixing anything or telling them what to do, it’s about helping him discover what’s the next step and plan for himself.”

– Aisling Leyne

“Mentoring with Aisling is really interesting and it’s good to talk to another person and get their opinions”

– Jamie Marks 

We had a quick catch up with Jamie to discover some of what they’ve been up to. 

Part of the sessions involved a lot fo researching around puppet makers and shakers in around the North-West and Jamie told of about some of his favourite discoveries:

1. Puppetuity – “ like the weird and wonderful creatures” – Jamie Marks 

2. Headstrong Puppets – “I like puppets that are supernatural creatures” – Jamie Marks 

3. VIP Puppets – “I like Dolly the Giraffe which Aisling worked on. What’s not to like about a giant giraffe?” – Jamie Marks 

“I find fantastical creatures more interesting than standard human puppets.”

– Jamie Marks 

In addition to researching, planning and making new connections the pair have been watching work online and Jamie’s been thinking hard about what he enjoyed about Beastie Baby by Theatre Rites –

Jamie told us that it had a lot of receptiveness and they honestly thought the baby was going to turn onto a bear.

Jamie liked the fact that the baby puppet was able to be performed seamlessly without rods.

We’re looking forward to working with the pair again, catching up on their sessions and hopefully telling you all about their future plans!