A podcast from Selina Thompson Limited about exploring experiments in doing things differently, thinking about access, marginalisation and what we can learn through failure from disabled artists in the UK and beyond.

“Failing Brilliantly”

Episode 2’s guests in conversation are Jess Thom, James the Vacuum Cleaner, and Selina Thompson. This is a dialogue centred on three artists trying to navigate running artist-led, disabled-led organisations. It's balancing some really hard and honest and funny traits.
Our host is Toni- Dee Paul - @txnidee , https://www.instagram.com/txnidee/ and this week’s guests are:

1. Jess Thom - @disabilityarts - https://www.instagram.com/disabilityarts/
2. James Leadbetter (The Vacuum Cleaner) - @vacuumcleanerart - https://www.instagram.com/vacuumcleanerart/
3. Selina Thompson - @selinatltd - https://www.instagram.com/selinatltd/

This episode contains bad language. For full content warnings, a transcript of the episode, links to resources and things referenced please visit: https://selinathompsonltd.co.uk/work/documenting-failure

Don’t forget to subscribe for more wonderful content talking to disabled artists in the UK about failure, documenting our failures and failing joyfully.

Selina Thompson Ltd is a national portfolio organisation supported by Arts Council England, using public funding from National Lottery.

Timestamps / chapter breakdown:
Short breakdown of chapters / areas of discussion
00:00:00- Intro and setting intention for the episode
00:06:21- Toni Dee asks ‘can you talk a little bit about your experiences starting those
organisations, a little bit about what your organisation does for its communities, and also
what it gives you as a disabled artist?’ All the guests talk about their companies and how
they were set up.
00:19:26- Toni Dee asks ‘what disabled knowledge have you centred that means that
something that other organisations are doing, you're choosing to do different, to deviate
from?’ Guests talk about survival, ableism, epilepsy, mitigating barriers and being a disabled
artist.
00:29:58- Toni Dee asks ‘if the guests can talk about risk and how people make good risky
decisions.’ Guests talk about risk, trust, risk assessing, censorship and creative energy in
running an organisation.
00:48:28- Toni Dee asks ‘what has been something that you have done that has maybe not
looked the way you thought it was going to look? And it was the right thing for you, your
organisation, for the way that that thing needed to be delivered.’ Guests talk about their
failures.
00:55:03- Toni Dee talks about her learning from being Selina’s Support Worker.
01:04:13- Toni Dee asks ‘what gets to bring you joy about what you do?’. There is mention of
living in the war in the Ukraine.
01:09:14- Toni Dee thanks the guests for joining the podcast.
01:09:56- Outro thanks to the team.