Thread & Thought: Reflective, Creative Workshops

A monthly space for women to pause, reflect, and write, through the lens of art, care, and the stories we carry.

I created these sessions because I needed them. And maybe you do too?

You know, when your brain is full to the brim and it’s impossible to focus on a single idea?
When you're absorbing content constantly, but feel like you’re creating nothing?
When your days have to be highly efficient but time for day-dreaming is limited?

When I ran my Picturing Mother workshops, the main feedback I got from attendees was that it was so enjoyable to have an hour of time dedicated to themselves, their learning, their creative reflection.

So I started Thread & Thought: a monthly online gathering for those who want to reclaim time for reflection, writing, and creative exploration.

Held on the first Thursday of each month, each session centres around a work of art, sometimes surprising, sometimes familiar. We use it as a prompt to write, to think, to share (if you’d like), and to reconnect with parts of ourselves that often get side-lined.

These are gentle, low-pressure sessions for women who crave more intellectual stimulation, emotional reflection, or creative time. It’s for those of us whose creativity has been dulled by overwork, caregiving, scrolling and the weight of expectations.

Led by me, Dr Joanna Wolfarth, cultural historian, writer, and mother, these sessions are where academic thinking meets creative thinking and mindful reflection.

There’s something powerful about taking an hour for ourselves. A small act of resistance against creative starvation.

If you’re ready to join us, click the button to become a paid subscriber now. Or keep reading to find out more!

Why Visual Art and Creative Writing?

For me, art and writing are a way to navigate change, to understand myself, and to make sense of the world. I turn to them when life felt overwhelming, when I feel uncertain, and when I needed a way to process and reflect.

There’s an immediacy to looking at a work. It can takes us to new places, open us up to new perspectives, and prompt us to think differently.

What happens in a session?

• A welcome and a warm-up exercise or two

• We look at an artwork - individually and together - I’ll guide you through this & give some art historical detail too

• We sit together and write based on a choice of creative prompts. You’re welcome to draw or paint or make music - whatever nourished you.

• There is the option to reflect or share, if it feels right, at the end of the session. Or we have a discussion on the artwork and/or the theme.

In addition to the above, I share a handful of short reading recommendations based on the monthly theme.

I also send out all the prompts after the session for future reference.

There will also be a THREAD AND THOUGHT group chat on Substack to keep conversations going in between sessions.

For deeper-dives and more intensive teaching, keep an eye out for my standalone workshops and courses.

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Upcoming themes:

I’m open to suggestions, whether thematic or a work of art you’d like to explore. Let me know in the comments or send me a message with your ideas!

In the meantime, here are the proposed themes for the coming months.

August – Mirrors, Shadows & Doubles

A chance to explore perception, projection, and the layered nature of identity.

September – Timekeepers: Cycles & Seasons

A chance to reflect on how time shapes us and think about what changes, grows, or what remains constant.

October - Mapping the Interior

Exploring the metaphor of interior spaces - attics, kitchens, bedrooms.

Miniature of Orpheus lying on his back, protesting himself from Thracian women armed with spindles and distaffs. Detail from The Fall of Princes, Giovanni Boccaccio. British Library, London, England, UK.

Who Am I?

I’m an art historian with over 15 years of experience. I have taught art history at the University of Leeds and SOAS, University of London. I currently teach global art history at The Open University and Fulbright University Vietnam.

I have written extensively on the intersections of art and (m)otherhood. My work has been featured in The Observer and Hyperallergic, and my book MILK was reviewed favourably in The Sunday Times.

‘as a cultural historian Wolfarth is excellent at detailing how motherhood changes her perspective of art . . .’ Francesca Angelini ― THE SUNDAY TIMES

Any questions?

Let me know in the comments or send me a DM.

And I hope to see you in a session very soon xxx