#sparkchamber 040323 — Eileen Budd

Any time is story time here at #sparkchamber, and today we lean in, welcoming Scottish author, artist, and storyteller Eileen Budd. Raised in Perthshire in the very heart of central Scotland, her family maintained a tradition of oral storytelling. No surprise that Eileen made that her life’s work, specializing in traditional Scottish folklore, folk traditions, folk objects, origin stories, and ancient Scottish legends. An experienced workshop facilitator, she creates bespoke events using storytelling, illustration, and historic object handling to help bring these legends, traditions, and folk tales to life for audiences of all ages.

Her podcast, Scottish Folk is a pure delight, and her illustrated book Ossian Warrior Poet introduces the Poems of Ossian to a new generation, telling the tales of 3rd Century Scottish warrior chiefs and their army of heroes through colorful artwork, maps, and new commentaries. Follow along on Instagram.

1.] Where do ideas come from?

The Ancient Greeks believed ideas and inspiration were like little goblin type creatures and I love this!

It links in with my feeling that ideas have their own shapes.

You know? The way some ideas just seem to fit or connect?

On the days when nothing seems to connect I find being out in nature helps.

Going for a walk somewhere leafy and green or along the beach. Even a train ride where you can just stare blankly out the window can help clear your mind.

Something which gives you time to daydream or relax.

There’s a classic genre of Scottish stories about Changelings. In these stories a mother’s child is swapped for a faery being. This being is so demanding and upsetting, the mother is beside herself and seeks help from a member of her community, who comes in lot three house, sends the mother away and looks after the changeling in her stead.

This person will then uncover the truth about the changeling and banish it from the house, so the mother’s real child can be returned.

And when the mother comes back, all is well, the changeling gone, her own child returned.

So…. Take a break, take a bath, daydream. When you’re ready for an idea goblin, it will find you.

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

The Travelling Folk Museum & Scottish Folk Podcast

I am a Scottish author, artist, Storyteller and museum professional. I was brought up in a family with strong tradition of oral storytelling and I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of knowing your stories, culture and traditions. So I run the Travelling Folk Museum, which takes me all over Scotland, visiting schools, museums and libraries, sharing the Scottish folk stories, traditions and folk history behind folk objects.

The history and stories I share are not about kings and queens. They are stories you don’t often find in the history books, ones about everyday people, their lives and their beliefs.

Some of my stories date right the way back to the Bronze Age and some of my objects, like a jar full of herbs used for medieval medicine, can connect you with the 3rd century through smell!

Many of the objects i use to tell stories have been specially commissioned from artists and creatives using traditional skills.  This kind of tacit knowledge is often overlooked in favour of written texts when it comes to teaching history. However, there’s lots you can learn through handling the objects and so everything commissioned has this in mind.

Responses to the museum have been incredible. Meeting with so many artists and craftspeople who are keeping traditional skills alive has helped to create a collection built around community.

Being able to share these skills across Scotland and seeing the stories and objects inspire people, is pure joy.

We now have 2 Trustees with extensive Museum Conservation and Early Years Education experience and our museum is working towards accreditation.

This is great if you’re in Scotland and you can attend an event.

Not everyone can.

A lot of people got in touch with me through Instagram asking if I would do a podcast to share the stories and histories with those couldn’t attend events.

And so, I started the Scottish Folk podcast.

Through my work I’ve discovered people of all ages are keen to share their stories too.

So on top of all this I also take on projects like the one I’m doing now at Glenesk Folk Museum, recording the histories and stories from Glens folk so their voices and knowledge are preserved for future generations.

3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?

I learned recently the original intention of the story about the Tortoise and the Hare was to explain how everyone has both the tortoise and the hare in them. Sometimes it’s important to rush ahead. Sometimes it’s important to take your time.

This makes so much more sense to me than our modern interpretation of ‘slow and steady wins the race’ because that’s just not always the case.

And the story of the tortoise and the hare is relevant to creative processes, especially if you have children.

Having kids forces you to change many creative processes in order to look after your kids, manage work commitments and still create something for yourself.

I once heard, all you need for a successful project is a great idea and not enough time. Completing creative work when you have a family is a lot like that. Being creative is a compulsion, you want to do it, you have ideas, just never enough time.

When my son was first born, I worked on writing and illustrating my book Ossian Warrior Poet in the wee hours. The only time I got to myself.

I learnt how to work in the hours I had, which is still the case, and it can be 4am or 11pm, it can be 10mins while making breakfast, or 3 hours when everyone else is in bed.

Sometimes I’m tortoise.

Sometimes I’m hare.

Because the rhythms of life care nothing about our professional or creative ambitions /:-)

And sometimes it’s in these stolen moments you get great ideas.

4.] How do you know when you are done?

Everyone in Scotland will know all the stories my family and fellow storytellers taught me. Only then, not before!