International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Marked every year on the 8th March, it is the perfect time to come together to:
- Celebrate women’s achievements
- Raise awareness about women’s equality
- Lobby for accelerated gender parity
- Fundraise for female-focused charities
The day has been celebrated each year for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. Each year the day has a theme, over the years we have seen themes such as:
1996 – Celebrating the past and planning for the future
1999 – World free of violence against women
2001 – Women managing conflicts
2003 – Gender equality
2006 – Women in decision making
2009 – Women and men united to end violence against women and girls
2012 – Empower Rural Women, End Poverty and Hunger
2017 – Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030
2018 – Time is now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives
2019 – Think equal, Build smart, Innovate change
2020 I am generation equality: Realizing women’s rights
2021 – Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a covid-19 world
Having looked into how to celebrate this day, it is suggested you can:
- Educate yourself by learning more about women and their struggles worldwide.
- Get politically involved by donating to a pro-women organization.
- Raise awareness of women’s issues using social media.
- Be supportive to the women in your life. Let them know how much they mean to you.
I then read ‘Celebrate and thank the women in your life’ and so to celebrate International Women’s Day I would like to celebrate some of the fabulous women in my working life.
During the 4 years that Artifex Designs has been running it is fast becoming a beast of a business that offers way more than one person can manage. Over the years I have built up a fabulous and diverse group of professionals in their fields of both men and women. Sometimes these brilliant businesses take on work for me and other times they join me creating an array of wonderful, imaginative and all immersive events and theming.
Everyone who joins us has different skills, different backgrounds but the one thing they all have in common is passion.
They are all passionate about their chosen fields, and not only that, they take on any and every challenge that comes into their path with enthusiasm, valour and strength. Many are mums and juggling home and work lives, we have other halves and homes to look after, elderly parents, multiple jobs, the list goes on but each and everyone one of them are amazing in their own right and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend every single one of them.
So coupled with celebrating the women in my life and this year’s theme of ‘Women in Leadership’, here they are, some of the fabulous women in my work life:
Meet Emma
Emma is the owner of Pleated Rose and makes the most amazing and durable costumes for visitor attractions. I have a costume store full to bursting of Emmas creations for Halloween, Christmas Easter.
Emma also joins me on the theme team and helps to create some of the immersive events Artifex Designs creates and boy have we have some late nights over the years. And if that wasn’t enough… she is also an Elf, dancing, singing and jingling away creating happy memories for families.
As well as all of this Emma is a wonderful mum to the gorgeous one year old Freddie who is yet to discover just how amazing his mummy is.
Pleated Rose Costume Design & Maker
Meet Bryony
Bryony is the owner of Bryony Smith Interiors. Not only is she a fabulous interior designer creating beautiful homes wherever she goes she also joins me on the theme team at Christmas time, and has been known to don a Father Christmas outfit or two!
Bryony and I met at a Networking event a good few years ago and hit it off straight away and whenever either one of us wants to just “blurghhhh” about work and ideas there have been many a phone call, wander in the park and long chats over dinner supporting each other.
Meet Kelly
Kelly owns Boogie Monsters, an award winning pop and rock band for children. She plays the keyboard, sings, teaches, puts on events and is going from strength to strength. During lockdown she has been amazing with live streamed gigs, song request sessions and fundraising, what a legend.
Kellys band played at one of my Christmas events this year with a fantastic 45 minute set, twice a day for the whole weekend. They absolutely smashed it and had everyone singing along, dancing and honking their car horns. She is a super mum of 2 and even finds the time to join us on the theme team at Christmas time.
Meet Emily
Emily is owner of the fabulous Whoop fitness and Wellbeing. Long before I started Artifex Designs I attend Emily’s fitness classes and always came out feeling amazing, and amazingly sweaty. She runs regular classes spreading the ‘whoop effect’ During lockdown she has continued to run online classes and now pre-recorded classes to ensure no one misses out and has even found the time to write a wellbeing course to help others.
This Christmas Emily joined me live on stage as Joyous Twinkletoes, Elf in charge of happiness and high spirits, never has there been a more fitting name. Emily is mummy to the lovely Elodie and her wonderful husband Daniel also helps me with my website… what a team.
Meet Angela
Ange is the owner at Aardvark Productions and ipaintfaces. Ange and I have worked together a lot over the years with Ange providing brilliant actors for my attractions as well as her and her husband Dave often acting themselves. They write the scripts that bring my attractions to life and we have had some fun working out what daft stuff to include.
As well as this Ange is a multi-awarding winning face painter, body artist, judge and teacher and if you haven’t seen her stuff, prepare the be amazed. Ange also joins us on the Christmas theme team.
Meet Camilla
Camilla and I have been friends since we worked together at a Farm Park what feels like an age ago now. Camilla has two children, a husband, a house to look after and a full time job but still finds the time to come along and help me out whether that be, theming, covering everything in snow or even admin when we are really busy.
She is my absolute rock and I don’t know where I would be without her smiley face, encouragement and help.
There are so many other people I could mention but for now these women are smashing it in their business and personal lives and I couldn’t be prouder to call them colleagues and friends.
If you have a moment, please check out their business pages and websites, give them a follow and get in touch if you are ever in need of their services.
Thank you all you fabulous ladies you and Happy International Women’s Day 2021
#IWD2021 #InternationalWomensDay.