Categories
Projects Women I've Shot

Commercial Commission
For Soil For Life (NGO)

I shot the 2018 campaign for NGO Soil For Life which was founded by my (amazing) mother Pat Featherstone. Although the campaign included many male gardeners I’ve just included the projects which originated with women (for the sake of this all-female blog).

Soil For Life run workshops and courses both at their headquarter gardens in Constantia and around the poorer areas in Cape Town where they train both young and old how to grow their own food.

The images shown here are a representation of gardens in Lavender Hill, Delft and Phillipi.

From their website:

We believe EVERYONE has the potential to grow nutritious food, with whatever resources they have available.

Since we started in 2002 we have helped thousands of people in resource poor communities to develop productive and sustainable home food gardens.

We have also shared valuable information about health and nutrition and provided them with the knowledge and tools to live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.

Growing People

We believe in growing people and endeavour to provide employment and further training opportunities. Several of our ‘graduates’ have become Soil for Life trainers and field workers.

Our Train the Trainer programme started in 2012 to extend our reach and impact. This two year course broadens the knowledge and skills of our most outstanding home gardeners, enabling them to become assistant trainers and support other gardeners in their communities.

Growing Income

We’ve seen over the years how some people become very interested in specific aspects of food gardening, such as growing seedlings, making compost or growing vegetables.

We provide mentoring, training and support as needed so they can explore these areas on a deeper level and potentially generate income. We have a flexible process to enable home gardeners to further develop their skills in areas that interest them, or where they have identified a gap in the market.

Categories
Projects Women I've Shot

A (mini) body of work
Daughter of Oceanum, Diani Beach, Kenya

I travelled to Diani Beach, an hour South of Mombasa, Kenya in December 2018 for a mini-sabbatical and break with multiple cameras. Of course.

I shot this series of water portraits of a beautiful artist friend Barbara Wildenboer who was at the time working on a body of work strongly influenced by Greek mythology.

I shot the whole series on a Holga camera on analogue/ medium format roll film. A favourite creative medium to work with.

I shot two projects, this one, and this one- link here and started a new project which I’m yet to continue (it’ll eventually and organically happen I think).

From Daughter of Oceanus all but one are double exposures and shot while I was chest deep in the 23 degree water. It was a stunning experience, the moon was already high and it was full.

Categories
Found & Female Interviews & Conversations Projects

A Conversation with Martinette of Hannah Pad

I found out about Hannah Pads after writing up a short article on reusable sanitary towels that were being produced by a small NGO in Tanzania. I was browsing around other makers of similar products and came up with the Hannah Pad website and Instagram feed.

I made contact with Martinette who founded Hannah Pad five years ago and asked if we could do an interview for the blog about her knowledge around menstruation.

Below is a conversation with Martinette and in-between are photographs of her brilliant, reusable, non-toxic and organic products:

You spoke a lot about your own experiences and those of others with endometriosis, hormonal issues, PCOS and fertility. How do you think menstruation plays into these things?

Our menstruation is our monthly health report card, and sadly one that we do not get taught to pay attention to. It has recently been classified as the fifth vital sign for females, and that is how important it is. When we educate ourselves about what is deemed as normal, in terms of flow, colour, and associated symptoms ( i.e. pain, bloatedness, cravings,  mood swings etc.), we can find the reasons why we are experiencing these symptoms. When we know WHY, we can do something about it, rather than just either accepting it as our lot as women, or by treating the symptom. There are fabulous women to follow on blogs and social media, who bring such amazing information and research to the table. I will mention a few names that have meant a lot to me: Lara Briden ( The Period repair Manual); Lisa Hendrickson-Jack ( The Fifth Vital Sign); Anna Cabecca ( The Hormone Fix); Lucy Pearce ( Moon Time) and our local mom and Daughter duo… Hormonal Harmony teaching women to practice FAM ( Fertility Awareness Method).

Menstruation can be a lonely walk for women: monthly pain, mood changes and other physical symptoms. What are your thoughts on menstrual wellbeing? How can we make it better?

By creating an awareness of what is deemed as normal, we also flag something as a problem when it does occur. And by more and more women seeking for answers, more and more women will start telling their friends and family members. We do not have to accept pain and heavy bleeding as our lot in life. There are ways to cure the causes.

What, in your experience dealing with menstruation through your business, have you learned about women’s experiences with menstruation?

We are all so different. Some bleed very lightly, some very heavily, some only for 3 days, some for 7 days. For some bleeding is a relief every month, for others, it’s yet another month where they did not conceive. I share their pain, I know that pain… I was there. That is what inspires me to keep on going, as we need more and more people to know that there are solutions when we find the real cause.

The above image shows the discreet packaging that Hannah Pads has available for convenient storage.

I was super interested in what you said about retrograde bleeding, can you tell me more?

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2004. At that stage there was little information available online in terms of the causes of the condition, and apart from surgery, the treatment for it as well. One cause that has still not been proven was Retrograde Bleeding.

Retrograde menstruation:

In retrograde menstruation, menstrual blood containing endometrial cells flows back through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity instead of out of the body. These endometrial cells stick to the pelvic walls and surfaces of pelvic organs, where they grow and continue to thicken and bleed over the course of each menstrual cycle. This is what convinced me not to use the menstrual cup when sleeping at night, even though this has not been a proven fact yet.

You spoke about enabling women, enabling your own daughters. What would you pass on to others as a means of support. I love how through generations support can be passed down.

Yes, that is my passion, to share what I have learned, sometimes the hard way. My daughters ( ages 13, 9 and 7) are involved in my business Hannahpad. They help fold pads, I of course pay them. But as we fold, we talk about female matters. I have put together a moon kit for my oldest daughter, to bless her when her first cycle starts, and welcome her into womanhood. She has read the book by Lucy Pearce “Reaching for the Moon” written for teens to understand the changes in their bodies and moods, and to work with their flow.

Vaginal steaming is an ancient practice which enables women to clean out every month, to ensure that you are properly clean after your cycle, as there often is blood that remains entrapped, and can cause chronic female problems. So yes, I want to learn this practice, and teach it to my daughters, and whoever else would like to learn. This is also a treatment modality that is used with great success for painful  and heavy periods, even for PCOS and endometriosis, and you can do this in the privacy of your home every month. Another aspect that I want to teach my daughters is FAM… Fertility Awareness Method. This does not only teach you when you are fertile (so as a contraceptive method, or a method to conceive), but it teaches you about your body, about what  YOUR normal is.

More about vaginal steaming / Yoni steaming here.

What have you learned about the tie between synthetic and natural menstruation products?

When I was diagnosed in 2004 with endometriosis, I started doing research into the causes. One that I found was  retrograde bleeding, and the other was the chemicals in the commercial disposable sanitary products on our markets worldwide. These include chlorine ( bleach), plasticizing chemicals like BPA and BPS, Phthalates, crude oil plastics, fragrances, odour neutralisers etc, I go into great depth into this on my website, see here.

According to a draft report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dioxin (Chlorine) is a serious public health threat that has no “safe” level of exposure!  The FDA’s official stance regarding trace amounts of dioxins is that there are no expected health risks associated with trace amounts of dioxins in tampons… Naturally Savvy notes that 10 years ago, House Representative Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation that would have required research into the potential health risks of any ingredient used in feminine hygiene products, including endometriosis, cervical, ovary and breast cancers. Unfortunately, the legislation did not pass, and it does not appear that any such research has been done.

You spoke about Toxic Shock Syndrome and how it is still actually affecting women. What have you heard?

Have you read the story of the model Lauren Wasser who lost both her legs due to TSS ( Toxic Shock Syndrome)? She now dedicates her life to educate and prevent this terrible disease. Read her story here.

According to Dr Mercola it’s important to remember that tampons can create a favourable environment for bacteria growth. Micro tears in the vaginal wall from tampons allow bacteria to enter and accumulate. One recognized risk from tampon use is Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), which may be caused by poisonous toxins from either Staphylococcus aureus (staph) or group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria. TSS can be a life-threatening condition, so it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms. Should any of the following symptoms arise while using tampons during your period, make sure you seek medical help:

  • Sudden high fever
  • Low blood pressure
  • Muscle aches
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Diarrhea
  • Redness of your eyes, mouth and/or throat
  • Rash on palms or soles of feet

Categories
Projects Women I've Shot

Women Who Create
This is Anna-Tina Schaal

Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives and see what motivates them and find out what is behind there work.

Swiss-born Anna-Tina, a creator deluxe, moved to Paris after school to study fashion design and ended up living and working in the French capital for 7 years. She met her now husband in Key West, Florida, whilst on holiday and never left Africa again after she visited him in his home country Namibia the following year. With their two children, aged 5 and 8, they live in Woodstock, Cape Town now. We are dear friends.

There is never a dull moment in our lives: juggling the demands of kids, our home, my business and our social life; it keeps us rather entertained.

Anna-Tina loves making things with her hands and what started out as a hobby of hand-made gifts for her friends, has turned into a small business. She makes big high-quality handmade blankets, cot blankets and ladies clutch bags.

Every piece is an original, unique in its colour, textures and fabric combination.

Besides selling online via Instagram and Facebook I’ve also participated in Kamersvol.com in Cape Town and in Johannesburg over the last years. The best thing about my business is that my hobby and passion became my work and I feel privileged for that. Juggling the business with my family’s activities and everyday errands and still trying to find time for myself is the biggest challenge.

I’d describe Anna-Tina as passionate, a perfectionist, a highly creative being and a real “do-er”. Not just does she make each of her products to the best quality and with the highest of standards but she also somehow finds the time to make things like pasta from scratch and cook bread with her kids on a daily basis.

She’s a wonder women.

You can find her website “Anna-Tina Original” right here.

And you can find Anna-Tina’s Instagram feed here for all her latest makes and inspiration.

Now for a Q&A:

Why do you create?

I create because I have to, to be a happy person…

Do you have pet peeves?

It drives me mad if people don’t do things properly and with care.

Your worst trait?

I guess I drive people crazy because I expect them to do things with great care, attention to detail and to the absolute best of their abilities.

What is/are your greatest extravagance/s?

To sneak out for a morning in the ocean

What do you think is overrated?

Ugly expensive things…

On what occasion do you lie?

When I have to deal with authorities I don’t trust. So often their rules don’t make any sense to me!

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Why?

When and where are/where you happiest?

Somewhere warm by the ocean.

What is your most treasured possession?

My children (even if they are not a possession really).

What do you do to help put you into your optimal creative space?

I start doing and that brings me there.

What does your (physical) creative space look like?

Currently and mostly an organised mess.

What do you get huge satisfaction out of doing apart from your primary creative outlet?

To be in the ocean to clean my head and then to clean up the mess (in my house):  to create order and a beautiful space.

When creating what is your biggest frustration?

Having to deal with admin that is attached to most creative processes.

When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the experience?

Peace and happiness.

The above is a new range of super handy up-cycled zipper ‘pouches’, they’re similar to her clutch bags except these are much more low-key and great to stash things away in an organisational manner in your cluttered handbag. They’re all made with 100% off-cuts from her blanket making business, so cool!