Alison Bomber chose the name Words and Pictures for her blog and then later for Instagram because those are the two worlds she inhabits. She is a freelance creative working with both words and pictures. Alison's first creative career was as a text and voice coach in the theatre, specializing in Shakespeare. She is fascinated by the power of words, and how our voices shape our connection to the world. And she is passionate to the point of obsession about sharing the profound excitement of speaking Shakespeare. Alison started out as an actor and singer more than thirty years ago, and then shifted to become a text and voice coach. She worked full time for the Royal Shakespeare Company for nearly ten years, and is proud to be an Associate Artist of the RSC. Since going freelance, Alison continues to work with them regularly as well as with theatre companies around the world, including Theatre for a New Audience in New York and Song of the Goat Theatre in Poland. When Alison left the RSC more than a decade ago, a whole new creative form of expression opened up for her in mixed media, crafting and painting. Alison now works (alongside theatre projects) as a freelance artist and designer, in watercolour and mixed media, collage and assemblage, and she is extremely proud and honoured to design stamps for PaperArtsy. Her first stamp sets were words (of course!) - collections of quotes, gathered by theme. Alison's newer stamp plates combine her own botanical sketches with theatrical, historical and personal ephemera, and advice from Culpeper’s herbal on the medicinal uses of the plants. The Pictures part of Alison is still very much about storytelling, about connection, and about communicating emotions and ideas. And she loves to combine words and imagery in her work. As she has continued to explore new skills and techniques, nature has become a more and more important part of her visual storytelling, as well as a vital part of her everyday life. Spending time in the natural world is a constant source of inspiration. Another link between the two creative paths, Words and Pictures, is Alison's passion for sharing the expertise she has developed in these two strands, teaching both one-to-one and in workshops and classes, both in person and online. You can find Alison on Instagram at @w0rdsandp1ctures and @b0hem1anh0me

Listen to this and all episodes of the podcast on any platform.