Pratibha Singh joined the Indian fashion industry as a fashion and accessory designer after her training at NIFT as a fashion designer. In 2012 after witnessing the profound positive impact hand work and playing with open ended toys has on the growth and development on children, her child being an example, she started training in handwork with the Waldorf community of India through various workshops. She started conducting the Doll making workshops or the CDW (The Character Design Workshop) in 2015 and here she tells us all about it.
What inspired you to create a character design workshop that focuses on making dolls?
I got interested in the world of simple open ended toys watching the effects these have on the overall health of small children. My son went to a very good play school. There I had the opportunity to observe teachers from Waldorf, Krishnamurti, Mother’s and Montessori backgrounds. One common thing between all these unique pedagogies was their use of similar and open ended play material. This play material made with simple natural material, visibly had a healthy effect on children. Many of the teachers made the play material along with us parents with our own hands while following a rhythmic process in groups singing and rejoicing and that had a deep impact on my mind. It reminded me of the ancient circle practices of the tribes where hand work was a powerful tool to bond communities and hence contributed to the health of the community. So I saw that not just that the process of creating this play material was good for the health of the people making them but it was also healthy for children to play with such simple hand made open ended toys.
Research shows that children who play with simple open ended natural play material are healthier,they have better relationships, more creative out of the box thinking and overall better emotional responses. When the child can actually touch and feel the material at an age when they are learning to trust things around them; for example a block of plastic can be any texture or weight, where as a block of wood will have a specific texture and weight, so it’s helpful for the child to interact with natural materials as he is building his vocabulary of materials and experiences and building trust. I was blown away to see the profound effect of something as simple as this on an entire class of children.
I come from a design background. I went to NIFT, the most premier fashion design college in India. Once I learnt the nitigrities of Waldorf handwork, I improvised on it and created an amazing product which are my hand made dolls, with each doll having a unique personality. While developing this product for the European markets which is where these dolls are always in great demand, something else happened. The process of making these and training my staff to make these had a visible deep healing effect on us and that’s when I realized I need to open this up: the doll making process, as a workshop also for those who need it and can benefit from it. I created the Character design Workshops, where the participants create their dolls and experience a transformative shift through the process. The process takes them deep inside themselves and connects them to parts of them that have not yet learnt to access. This process integrates these parts of us and brings it into a delightful expression through the unique personality of the doll. Hence the process aids in retrospection, acceptance and expression all in the most fun and creative way.
How are these workshops connected to wellness?
When people accept themselves unconditionally they automatically accept those around them also unconditionally. When we judge others, we dont judge them, we judge us!
Can you describe the typical participants in your workshop? What backgrounds or interests do they tend to have?
From every possible background and all ages. Teachers, engineers, healers, students, farmers, filmmakers, artists, shephards, labourers, you name it, we have very mixed workshops and it’s a miracle that the whole group becomes a family by the end of the 5 days. Also you might like to look at The Storytellers FB page for participants and their backgrounds ( you might have to scroll down a bit.
What specific skills or knowledge do you hope participants will gain from your workshop?
First of all they will know themselves better as at some point of the process one surrenders to the rhythm of the process and that’s when the process itself starts guiding. other than that it opens you up creatively and you are not scared any more to start. Also, the dolls that you learn to make can be a source of income for you.
How do you approach the balance between character design and the aspects of doll-making in your workshop?
The doll is the character, your unique character, which has brought a message or story for you.
Can you share some success stories or particularly creative characters that have emerged from your workshop?
On my facebook page, The Storytellers, there are many testimonials, check if you can find them.
Do you offer different levels or versions of your workshop for participants with varying levels of experience in character design and doll-making?
I don’t offer different versions as such, however every workshop is made of its unique set of participants and hence is very different every time.
How do you help participants develop the personalities and backstories of their characters during the workshop?
I hold the space , provide material and some basic instructions, the magic begins when the process begins guiding the participants, then I sit back and just witness the magic unfolding!
What role does storytelling play in your character design workshop, and how does it enhance the doll-making process?
Every character comes with a story and these are the stories we share on the last day of the open house.
Are there any specific challenges that participants commonly face in your workshop, and how do you help them overcome these challenges?
Ya, time and again I have noticed that the process only begins once the participant has surrendered. So one has to witness them going through the first few moments/ days of resistance and control, once that is dropped, the process flows effortlessly.
What do you believe sets your character design workshop apart from other creative or mindful workshops?
There is nothing that can compare to the CDW, nothing can compare to creating your own doll. There is a unique character inside all of us and the joy of watching this character materialize into a cute doll form is incomparable and I have seen very macho looking people breakdown and cry like children while sharing their stories as this process has connected them to their inner child and the proof is in their hands, their doll! The CDW is a very unique healing process and that is the reason it was awarded under the category of “Health and wellness” at the India international science festival 2016.
How do you foster a sense of community and collaboration among participants during the workshop?
Participants begin with sharing the materials, becoming witnesses to each other’s processes, standing up and helping each other and eventually as a group sharing their stories. It is a uniquely bonding process.
What are some of the most memorable or unique characters that participants have created in your workshops?
There are too many. The characters can be studied on the same FB page, let me know if you were able to find them.
How do you see the field of character design and doll-making evolving to encompass mind, body and soul wellness, and how does your workshop adapt to these changes?
Healthier people make healthier societies. When someone has come into awareness of themselves and accepted themselves fully and unconditionally only then they can do the same for others. All conflict arises from lack of understanding and acceptance and the resolution starts with first accepting and understanding oneself.
The CDW has been recognized under the categories of (a) Make in India and (b) Health and Wellness at the India International science festival 2016 and IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University ) is in the process of incorporating CDW as a tool for wholistic healing into their curriculum for one of the courses that they offer, for which Pratibha recently submitted her research and white paper.
Pratibha Singh can be contacted on iammeherabad@gmail.com