Hello, I’m Jo Crawford, an artist, teacher and creativity coach.

I work with other creatives to live in the present, trust their inner voice and express themselves creatively.

My mom tells this story that when our family moved when I was 6, they discovered my little scribbles and drawings on walls and corners all over the house — along the skirting boards, tucked away behind doors and under furniture. Even at such a young age, I intuitively knew that creative expression was the way I would leave my mark on this world!

While this is a cute story, it also reminds me of how tender many of us hold our art and are ambivalent to share our talents. Holding space for emerging creativity is a key part of my work with my clients.

It fills me with joy to see creatives be present with, and own their innate creative talent.

My own creative process is my lifeblood and where I find replenishment, both as meditation and an ecstatic practice. Through creative expression I believe we connect to our true inner beauty and power.

My first medium was fibre arts and art quilts — using batik and various dying methods, hand embroidery and free motion machine stitching. There is something so visceral and healing in using traditionally women’s craft of hand needlework and stitching in a modern context.

In recent years I have added mixed media, visual/art journaling and book arts to the mix which allows me to explore my love of layers, colour and texture. I find most of my inspiration in the natural world. The street craft, textiles and folk art of my South African homeland also strongly influences my color palette, form, pattern and mark making.

You may notice my accent in my art videos as well as my penchant for spelling color as colour. As I mention above, I am proudly South African, born and raised.

While I identify as a creative person, my education and early professional life were a lot more pragmatic. I earned my degree in Industrial Sociology and Adult Education & Training at the University of Cape Town and worked in non-profit, legal and legislative environments for many years. For my professional resume, pop on over to LinkedIn.

In 2007 I left the 9-to-5 world to birth my creative business, Crafting the Sacred, and have not looked back. I believe that when we are creating, we are connecting to, and expressing our sacred selves…we are literally crafting the sacred.

Warmly,
Jo Crawford