Elizabeth Hoskin - Age 61

When you came to the workshop what inspired you to come and take part? 

I saw a poster in a shop window in Whitchurch. I love trying new arty stuff and thought the project itself was intriguing, so I decided to take part.  I am really looking forward to seeing the end result.

What did you receive, get to understand or learn about yourself and your body from creating your art on the I Am Woman day? 

I learned that my back aches if I work on a piece of art on the floor for several hours...!  What I found most interesting was listening to the other women who were taking part, almost all of whom were strangers to me.  I discovered that I am much more comfortable in my own skin than many women.  I have never had an issue talking about my body.  There were discussions about issues and perceptions that had never even occurred to me before. 

What does it mean to you to have a female body in our modern day world?

We have so much freedom, at least in the western world, to wear what we want, when we want, and to express ourselves however we please.  I am very proud of my femininity, and of my body,  but I would temper that statement by saying that I am very lucky never to have experienced prejudice, abuse or to have had my career or life held back because of my sex. I appreciate that this is probably unusual, and I know we as women still have a long way to go. 

How do you feel about your body today? I love my body. I feel fantastic! 

My body is brilliant. It does so much without me thinking about it, and I can actively make it do remarkable things. I am happy to be naked. I really do not care about the wrinkles and scars.  Getting older gives a fabulous sense of freedom from worrying about what others think. I highly recommend it.