True Voice English, Crieff (2026)

13/03/2026

Photograph by Sophie Gerrard at .

In this series, Gerrard photographs female farm workers: portraying the lives of women who work in traditionally male-dominated agriculture.

You can find this series on her website (well worth a look). Now that I’ve found it, I know I’ll be sharing this series with future guests.

I guess as an English teacher I would call it a resource: something to build conversations around. Conversations that develop English skills (this is what I do).

But resources are so often dry and impersonal and so synthesised to be ‘optimal’ for language learning, there is nothing to connect with other than a string of words in the right order (hello AI worksheets). Language progress - yes. Language connection? Missing.

And we get so used to the language connection being missing, we feel it’s us. It’s our fault that English doesn’t feel real.

Gerrard’s work is now one more layer in ways I share the Scottish landscape, the stories it hold (ancient and new), the different ways people have of using it and sharing it with others. I celebrate the people who protect it. (Together, we discuss what protecting it even means). Thanks to Gerrard’s work, now, when you meet a female farmer (and I brought one in to talk to my current guest), you can make your questions deeper.

Other ways I share the landscape? Cycling, walking, guided nature walks, lochside fires, woodland saunas, foraged foods… each a jigsaw piece in how you feel connected here to our land, and how English feels real.

Trust your instincts.
It’s not your English that isn’t working, there’s a connection that needs to be made.

24/01/2026

Tonight I’m hosting a Burns Night celebration.

For me, as an English teacher, it’s one of the few moments where my Scots doesn’t have to be translated or softened.

I’ve been thinking about how much of our daily energy goes into adjusting ourselves when we move between cultures, languages, or professional worlds. Small edits. Quiet switches. Useful — but tiring.

Hosting this evening means holding a space where those adjustments aren’t required. Just making room for people to arrive as themselves, and for language to do what it’s always done best — carry memory, humour, and connection.
 
Are you celebrating Burns Night this year?

23/01/2026

Free Practice Interview for Art School Applicants

If you’ve submitted your portfolio and are now waiting for interviews, this is for you.

Interviews can feel daunting — not because you don’t know your work, but because talking about it out loud, under pressure, is a skill of its own.

We’ve created a free practice art school interview audio to help you prepare calmly and confidently before the real thing.

There’s no catch.
Just genuine support for artists entering interview season.

🎧 When you listen, you’ll be able to:
• experience the natural rhythm of a real interview
• practise speaking about your work (not memorising answers)
• test your timing and presence with 1.5 minutes of quiet space after each question
• build clarity and confidence in your own voice
• rehearse privately, safely, and at your own pace

How to use it:
✔ Sign up to receive the private audio link
✔ Set aside around 20 minutes
✔ Listen to each question and answer out loud
✔ Use the quiet moments to think and respond naturally
✔ Treat it as a gentle final rehearsal

👉 Get the free interview practice here:
https://gigsandjams.co.uk/free-practice-interview-for-your-art-school-application/

If you know someone applying to art school, please feel free to share this with them. 💛

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 💕
True Voice English — supporting artists to speak with clarity, confidence, and authenticity.

14/01/2026

Ruth: I’ve been re-reading Ultra-Processed People — a book I picked up a couple of years ago and immediately wanted everyone to read. One of those books.
I’m back in it because my sister Kirsty and I are doing NoUPFJanuary.
She’s done Veganuary with her family before, but this year she’s teaching her kids how to read food labels and make informed choices. My own very food-stubborn 11-year-old is refusing to join in — but she’s still benefiting from better food around her.
I’m actually 3 months into avoiding UPFs completely.
I’d love to report dramatic health wins, but honestly? A few more sore stomachs as my body adapts. So I’m re-reading to remind myself why I’m doing this — because many of the benefits aren’t immediate, visible, or even personal (the environmental impact alone is huge).
One unexpected shift: A bowl of fruit and yoghurt now feels like a real treat. Biscuits… less so.
This way of eating is: • more expensive • more time-consuming • a pain when travelling
I’m coeliac, so this also wipes out every “pretending to be bread or pasta” option 😅
Still — for everything I’m not eating, there’s a lot I can. If you focus only on restriction, it feels hard. If you focus on abundance — and on your body healing — it feels surprisingly doable.
If you’ve got questions about UPFs, I’ll try to answer them in the comments.  

13/01/2026

One year of True Voice English 🤍

Lately I’ve been loving opening Instagram and seeing all the art that’s been created by the artists we’re connected with over the past year. So much work, so many ideas, and so many small and big successes being shared. It’s genuinely joyful to witness.

Our little business has changed a lot over the year too. What we started with isn’t exactly what we’re building now, and that feels like a good thing. It reminds me of those art videos where you don’t quite know where the piece is going until you’re well into the process.

We’re still finding our rhythm, still listening, still shaping what we offer. And I’m really enjoying creating more opportunities for artists to grow in confidence, clarity, and voice in English.

To mark the moment, we’ve made a free audio recording with interview practice questions for artists applying to art school. If that sounds useful, the link is here:
https://gigsandjams.co.uk/free-practice-interview-for-your-art-school-application/

Thank you for being part of the journey so far. There’s more to come.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 💕
True Voice English, supporting artists to communicate with confidence.

06/01/2026

This board game was a surprise hit this Christmas. Hues & Cues. You have to describe the colour on your card in one or two word clues. It’s a lovely game to play as a family as most of the descriptors are combined memories of things.

30/12/2025

Ruth: Apparently there is still time to fall off your bike in 2025!

Good to know!

#2025

29/12/2025

For anyone on a creative path this holiday season.
Pause and look at your table with fresh eyes.

It’s a creation — an assemblage of objects, chosen and arranged.
Imagine someone from a different culture sitting there. What does your table tell them about your culture?

Now imagine a visit from a past version of you — or a future one. What story would you want to share about this moment, this table?

This is how you learn to tell the story behind your work — so your audience feels invited into your portfolio, not shut out by it.

It’s a real sketchbook exercise art school candidates can use, but it benefits most creatives.

You don’t need finished work to share.
 Quick notes, sketches, and observations are enough.

Too often, we wait for perfect. Your everyday is already interesting.

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas to anyone still working on their art school candidate portfolio 🎄

They’ll be due in January, so while everyone else seems to be taking time off, you need to stay on.

Over the holidays, we’re sharing a few practical tips to help you stay on track during this disrupted period.

And when you’re close to hitting send, we also have a free practice audio interview you can use to rehearse talking about your work — so you can enjoy your day, knowing there’s one less thing to worry about.

21/12/2025

Ruth: One of my favourite ways to relax is time in my kitchen. Radio on. Cooking. No pressure to produce anything.

I like following a thought rather than a recipe — letting memory lead. Trying to capture a taste. Recreate an experience. I might check a cook time, but I’m happiest winging it.
And I’m happiest sharing food the same way. No formal dinner party. More like a potluck: everyone at ease. 
At this time of year, I always feel the pull to make eggnog. It’s a Christmas tradition in the US — but almost unknown here in Scotland.
For me, it’s tied to memory: three Christmases spent in America, years ago, when I was an art grad student. I think of my firends there when I drink it.

Last night I made two vats — one with alcohol, one without — while listening to old time American chart hits on the radio.

Nostalgia? Yes please.  Travel doesn’t stop once you are home. It’s part of your story — we jsut need to make time to revisit it.
 Cheers!

19/12/2025

Free Practice Interview for Art School Applicants

Most art school interviews are short.
You’re expected to speak clearly about your work, your thinking, and your decisions.

This free audio practice interview gives you a real interview structure to practise with:
• real candidate-level interview questions
• uninterrupted speaking time
• portfolio-focused prompts

It helps you practise how you speak about your work, so your ideas land with clarity and confidence under interview conditions.

Made for international applicants preparing for UK, US, or English-medium art and design schools in Europe.

Tell your community 🙏

https://gigsandjams.co.uk/free-practice-interview-for-your-art-school-application/

16/12/2025

Some art school applicants have tutors, mentors or environments full of advice.
Others are on their own.

It’s not a level playing field.

We’re building a free PDF to share real artist experiences of portfolio preparation — what actually helped (and what didn’t). There’s no one right way, so hear your way.

Portfolios aren’t only about raw talent.
They also show how you think, work, and develop ideas — but that maturity is often fed from outside influence, good questions, or being given permission.

You can put back.

If you’ve applied to art school, your insight could genuinely help someone else.

2–3 lines are enough to make a difference.

You can comment or DM me:
→ what helped your portfolio
→ what advice you’d ignore now
→ what you only understood in hindsight

Let me know if you’d like to stay anonymous.
Or if you’d like a copy when it’s ready, write STORIES in the comments.

True Voice English

13/03/2026

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23/01/2026

14/01/2026

13/01/2026

06/01/2026

30/12/2025

29/12/2025

25/12/2025

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16/12/2025

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