MEET THE SPEAKER: ROSEMARY CUNNINGHAM

As 2020 rockets on, how is it almost March already, we took a little time to invest in getting to know our next speaker a little better.

Rosemary Cunningham, a Glasgow based free-range illustrationist and professional enthusiast. You may know her from her iconic maps and products, as well as the 100 DAYS OF HERSTORY project she created. She’ll be talking about investing in her creative pursuits and what that has meant for her business. As she prepares to take to the stage we sat down for a quick fire round of ‘Meet the Speark’ chat.

1. 2020 is all about creatives achieving their goals. What are some of the creative goals you have set for yourself?

To learn to lead and stain glass. Yup. Not anything to do with illustration per se, but I’ve been meaning to do a workshop for actual years, to learn how to create shape and line in another medium and I think glass is the one. I also hope to complete the two or three projects I’ve said I will! There are two children’s books waiting to be illustrated so I really want to go back to pencil and inks and make those something special. 

2. There’s probably a lot of people wondering like are, but what does a typical day look like for you?

Becoming a parent was a real identity shift, so I definitely have to put that in there as one of my jobs! I’ve never had ‘typical’ days, but an ideal creative day now would probably be a compromise between parenting an energetic and hilarious 14 month old for part of the day and using the rest to create something - for myself or a client - that I can look at by the end of the day and think, “nice, time well spent.” Some sweet additions would be getting a few internet shop orders in (gotta pay them bills) and doing some productive admin. There’d be an obligatory 15 minutes on Instagram somewhere in there too. Some habits die hard. 

3. Tunnocks Tea Cakes or Caramel Wafers?

If you’re offering, I’ll have one and then the other. If you’re twisting my arm, caramel wafers have slightly better structural integrity in a coat pocket context. 4. If you could describe Glasgow in one word what would it be?

Gallus. (bold / cheeky) It feels a bit ‘on the nose’ but it was genuinely the first word that popped into my head. For me, it had to be a Scots word. I also think it covers the way most folk can be, the way the city looks, it captures a sense of humour. 

Join Rosemary at Spaces this coming Friday 28th February and grab your tickets while they’re hot.