SMART Thoughts, Authentic Aims

At this time of year, we all start thinking about big things, like goals and targets. Even if we're not working, whether for someone else or for ourselves, we still like to plan out what we would like to get done in the New Year. Lots of us jump straight in there, making lists of what to do, and when to do it. SMART, if you haven't come across it before, is an acronym which is meant to remind us of the best way to set goals. Goals, it says, should be;

-Specific
-Measurable
-Achievable
-Realistic
-Time bound.

And that's true. The only way to be sure that you do what you want to do, is to be as specific as that. So, we move from, 'I want to do more dyeing', to ' I want to make x metres of hand dyed fabric by February, and another x metres by August. For more about SMART goals, try the site here for a clear explanation.

I know all this, I've taught lots of other people to work that way, too, and I know it is a great way of managing and measuring performance. The downside, for me, is that it focusses on what I'm going to do. For me, there's a bit more to it than that. I also want to think about how it is I'm going to be. I want to continue to be healthy, for instance. I want to be sure that I'm working authentically, too, making the work I want to make, and not work that I think might be commercial, or might suit this or that market... I've done a bit of that this year, and I don't want to do it any more.

So, I'm starting my goal setting, not with the specifics, but with the general. I'm asking the question, 'what do I want to achieve this year'. After all, if you don't have the big picture clear in your head, you might well miss something. That question, 'what do you want to achieve' is one of my favourites; I use it often when I'm coaching, or talking to people about a problem they have. We jump too quickly to 'fixing' things, without really getting a clear picture of what it is we want out of the situation. We get swept up in the issue, and forget to ask ourselves what is important to us.

What is important to me, this year, is this idea of authenticity. Most of my work comes from my inner landscape, or from talking to other people about theirs. For me, that means trusting myself, listening to my intuition, taking risks, exposing parts of myself that I might have kept hidden before. If you like, I'm defining the way I want to work, before I sit down and write up the goals. I want to work openly, honestly, directly, clearly. I want to continue with the themes I've been working with recently, of scarring, cracking and erosion. I want to work with other people, too, to help them to work out what they need to be authentic, how they need to work, and what they need to work on, to achieve that aim, or whatever else their aim turns out to be. I want to fill my life with joy, and share that joy with others.

Now, I'm ready to start thinking about goals, the specifics, such as the two books I am committed to writing this year. If you are going through the goal setting process, just give yourself some time first, to being clear about what you want to achieve this year, and how you want to achieve it, before you start listing what you are going to do. I'm sure it will help.

Flat Out...

for all the wrong reasons. I've managed to pick up a virus of some kind, which has laid me very low (in bed) for the past week or so. I've given up struggling, and this is the only thing I'm doing today, just to see if I can. All I want for Christmas is... a virus free body. Not as bad as one of my friends, though, who had to go through a knee operation without visitors, as the Norwich hospital has been closed to visitors because of Winter Vomiting Virus. He's at home now, though, and having care lavished upon him... we have some care to lavish on him ourselves, but I'm staying away until I'm sure that I'm no longer infectious.

Work has ceased completely, which is a pest. I just got the creativity book straight in my head, at last, and was ready to finish it this week... but I'm really not thinking straight enough for that. The house looks like a bomb has hit it, and I'm not sure what Robin has been eating this week...but I'm pretty sure that whatever it was, I wouldn't have approved of it. I have a lot of baking to do for Christmas, tidying and cooking, too, but that's not going to happen until I can manage to stay upright for more than half an hour at a time. We have three guests coming to stay, and I'd like to give the impression of being calm and competent, even though I'm not! Mind you, there's a limit to how far you can fool your family...

The image is of a collage I made a couple of weeks ago, see what you think. Meantime, I'm going back to bed...

WARNING!

This is what happens when you leave a thing half done. It might even be a picture of What Too Much Fabric Looks Like. Well, I exaggerate a bit; that's a small proportion of my actual stash, which is boxed up now and looking tidy in the far corner of my studio. But it was what stopped me playing with my embellisher this afternoon; I quite simply couldn't get at the table. And yes, there was a bit of me thinking, there's something I should be doing, here... but hey, the embellisher won't go away, and I can now see the table. And I managed to put all of that lovely fabric away, including the small mountain that was underneath the table, without falling in love with more than one piece of fabric, which is now sitting waiting on top of the sewing machine. I'm impressed. And I think I might do some quilting before Robin gets back from the football.

Funny, though, I might think I have too much fabric, I might even believe it; but it's still remarkably difficult to contemplate giving it away... but I do have some set aside for Sally, and some more for Jill. And Andrew is coming for Christmas with his new girlfriend, and she sews...so perhaps she might like to do a bit of judicious stash diving while she's here... so I'm not as mean as all that! And there will be one or two more quilty visitors after Christmas, and I'm looking forward to sharing some of that lovely fabric with my friends.

Christmas Is Coming...

but it doesn't mean that I've stopped working. I'm still writing away, and considering what to do with the small pieces of evolon and lutradur which I made during the Knitting and Stitching Show weekend. The one above is an example. It is evolon soft, just waiting to be stitched. I love working in bright colours, and orange in particular is one of my favourites. I'm immediately drawn to orange in shops, and wear it as often as I can. It makes me feel joyful and bright, good things to feel. I love working with these colours, too. Not sure quite what I'll do with this piece... but I'm sure I'll think of something!

I'm enjoying working with evolon, which is just as well, as I'm committed to writing a book about it. It will be called 'Exquisite Evolon', and will be out next August, just in time for Festival of Quilts. I love working with Evolon, as it is so tactile, with the feel of suede, or a very short piled velvet...lovely stuff, and takes colour beautifully.

By the way, I've made a new blog here, because I wanted to show off other peoples' work, as well as my own. And I just wrote about 'happy soup' on my personal blog, if you'd like to know a bit more about me...or just fancy reading about food! Not that I'm obsessed...but isn't it coffee time around now?

Creative Coaching

As I said in the other blog, yesterday, I'm branching out, and am offering coaching services for creative people, particularly focussing on removing creative blocks, but also doing some practical work. Read all about it here My first coaching session took place today. I've coached all sorts of people in all sorts of situations, but I had never coached over the phone before, and immediately learned that the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley. You can arrange a time to phone, but if someone got there first, you just have to wait!

It's always a pleasure to talk to people about what they do. I love hearing about other people's approaches to things. In this case, we talked about the things that hold us back, and what we can do about them. I think we both learned something, which is the way it should be. Communication is a two way thing, after all. I may know quite a lot about all kinds of things, but we are our own experts when it comes to our own situation. It is my job, as a coach, to ask appropriate questions, so that you can work out what it is you are concerned about, and make a plan to deal with it. It sounds very simple, and it is, really. A conversation with a purpose, if you like.

And now it's back to dealing with The Stash. Yesterday, I went upstairs and began to reorganise the way I keep my fabric. If anything, things look a lot worse than they did, with piles of cloth everywhere, but I have managed to sort out the large pieces, and sift them out into colours, and box them. I've now got to find a good way of managing fq's and smaller pieces, probably rolled up and inserted into boxes, lengthways, as they do in shops. And then, of course, there's The Scraps. My, there are a lot of scraps. Just as well, perhaps, as I'll want to make a baby quilt soon for a friend's soon-to-arrive offspring, and I feel the notion to make a lap quilt... no, I don't know why, either. Maybe it's just that it's cold. Very cold. Brrr.

And then there's the hand dye. Lots of it. Lovely stuff. Much of it will be put onto the etsy shop, or the blog, because there is a limit to how much even I can use. So keep an eye open if you're looking for a colour infusion, as some of it is Quite Bright, as you can see from the image above!

Breakdown...

no, not me, though the demons have been cantering through my week kicking at anything that moves, and quite a few things that don't... My camera is sulking. Or rather, the interface between camera and computer is not working, so there are plenty new images, I just can't show you any of them. Sigh.

The cantering demons have come as a bit of a shock, really, I've been so well for so long. But I suppose it seems reasonable that they have to come out to play occasionally. I just wish they weren't quite so enthusiastic about it all. But, looking on the bright side, I have lost half a stone... and if I can avoid making myself feel better by using chocolate, I'll hopefully continue to lose weight. So, as diversionary tactics, I started to dye. Yes, you read it right. I love dyeing when I'm depressed, it always makes me feel better. It is something to do with all that undiluted colour, I think. The images are not the new cloth, which is some of the lovely sateen that I bought several years ago from Heide Stoll Weber, the German dyer, dyed with some purple and brown procion from ColourCraft. The results are fab, rich dark colours with some lighter browns, I'm very pleased.

But, as I can't show you the new cloth, you'll just have to put up with images of Some Things I Dyed Earlier (in true Blue Peter fashion). I decided to add some cloth to my Etsy shop, so these pieces, both metres, can be found there. The colours are even stronger in real life, but this is as close as I could get to decent photos. Must Try Harder. But of course, first, Must Get Camera To Cooperate...sigh.

A Good Time...

was had by all concerned at Harrogate, I hope! Nice to see both old and new friends. It was a particular surprise to look up and find my sister standing in front of me. Unbeknown to me, but not to everyone else in the family, she and my brother in law had come down to Harrogate to surprise me. I'm rarely lost for words, but on this occasion, all I managed was...what are you doing here? Not very original, huh? I spent a goodly time covered in fine glitter, as lots of people delighted in informing me (I think ColourCraft should call it fairy dust, myself, much more romantic than fine glitter... but very nice to work with, even if you do get covered in it!

And then, of course, time to go home. I've been working very hard, about to launch a new coaching service (of which more tomorrow), plus making plans with the printers for a hard copy edition of Lovely Lutradur (yes, you read it here first ... if you hate CDs, the book form should be out in early February). And a project for a magazine. Now, that was a real oops moment. I ran out of red lutradur, so I went to make a sheet or two of red dyed paper. There I was, transfer paint uncapped, finished and ready to clear up. Must not knock the jar...oops... Rats! Transfer paints plus wood trims equals stains you just can't get out. I know this from bitter experience...which is why I was being so careful... aaargh... Still, look at the number of extra designs I got out of the spill!

In Case You Were Wondering...

...just what it is I'm going to be demonstrating at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate this weekend, I thought I'd give you a sneak preview. I'm going to be working mostly with transfer dyes, though I suspect that some of Colour Craft's other watercolour and acrylic paints might well sneak in there, too. I'll be working with transfer paints, but I've prepared some background colours using the powdered dyes. I'm much more likely to spill those, so I reckoned that doing that preparation work in the shed was probably a good move!

As you probably know, when you use transfer dyes, you first paint them onto paper, and then 'transfer' the colour from the paper onto the cloth, using a very hot iron (detailed instructions, of course, in the Lovely Lutradur book) (end of plug!). If you haven't done that before, you might not appreciate the incredible transformation that heat brings about to the dyes painted on the paper. So I brought one in from the shed to show you how it works. The first image shown is the dye on the paper; the colours are dark, almost greyish. That is completely changed in the next two images, both taken off that specific piece of paper. The colours are much brighter, and they show up beautifully, first on Lutradur, then on Evolon. I think that's part of the reason I love working with transfer dyes; you get such a lovely surprise when you transfer an image for the first time.

I say surprise, advisedly; if you work as I do, wet on wet, the dyes mix and mingle, so I can never be sure quite what the end result will be. I love that about dyeing in general, and this process in particular. And as you can see, not content with ironing my way through Festival of Quilts, this time, I'm going to iron my way through two days of the Knitting and Stitching Show. Most people go to these things to get away from the ironing!

Getting Ready...

to go to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate this weekend; if you're around Saturday and Sunday, come and say hello, as I'm demonstrating transfer dyeing with lutradur on the ColourCraft stand. As I was drifting through the fabrics, I came across some hand painted pieces that I haven't used; the one in the picture here is a good example. Something like that is ideal for using to work under lutradur, especially the lighter weights, as the marks will show beautifully through the lutradur layer. I think I may take some up dye painted pieces with me to sell at the weekend; I'll certainly take a couple of small pieces up to demonstrate with. This one, which reminds me of trees, somehow, is in my Etsy shop, and I'll be adding more over the next couple of days.

I will, of course, have ample supplies of the Lovely Lutradur CD with me at Harrogate, but if you just can't wait, you can find it here, too.

I'm slightly overwhelmed with fabric at present, still trying to work out where to put the lovely cloth that I inherited from my friend Lynn, so a little judicious pruning is in order, I think. Hand dyes, anyone?

You've Been Framed...

or at least, this particular piece has. It's a follow on from 'It's In The Trees', called 'Blue Trees', and it is sitting happily in a lovely wooden frame.

I have a love hate relationship with frames, but I have to agree with Robin, who said that he thought that a piece looks more finished than when it is hung without. I think that, as well as that, that there is an expectation that art work comes in frames. People know what to *do* with art in frames; I think they are less sure about textiles that hang unframed. Either way, I think that this particular piece looks good in its frame. I hope you agree; all feedback welcome as always! Find more detail shots here

And yes, of course, the piece is made from lutradur. Well, I suppose it would be... I'm obsessed with the stuff. Who wouldn't be, when you can get results like these.

A Lovely Surprise

The things you learn when you're working. I used some thick thread in the bobbin and stitched from the back of the piece for the first time today, and WOW! what a difference! As you can see from the images above, I liked the effect so much, I quilted the whole quilt that way. The thread is Decora, made by Madeira, and I got mine from Myfanwy. Thanks, Myfanwy, it's just gorgeous, it has a wonderful sheen (several strands of rayon together will do that, I suppose...). So guess who'll be doing a whole lot of that in future?

The quilt is called Gestation, and it has turned out quite unlike I expected it to. Nothing new there, really. I'm just delighted by it. Yes, I know, I've always been modest... But joking apart, I have been finding it difficult to work abstractly with commercial fabric. It usually depicts something realistic, and I find it hard to get past that and into what the piece suggests. But this one seems to have taken me past that barrier, so here's hoping it'll stay down.

BTW, the quilt is all strong, rich colours, must try to get a better picture of the whole thing; the detail shot is very realistic. Bring back the sun, all is forgiven...

Sixteen Small Quilt Tops...

waiting to be stitched... sing along...(to the tune of Ten Green Bottles!)...and if one small quilt top, was stitched along the ditch, there'd be fifteen small quilt tops, waiting to be stitched...

As you can see from the image, some of them are very small indeed. It started out as an activity with my friend Jill; with my scrap box, augmented with some of the fabric I was given by the Bunis family, we set to making small quilt tops. Jill made one single, complex piece; I went for quantity and simplicity. And then, while demonstrating at the exhibition, I managed to complete a few more. So when Jill and I met up for our regular Tuesday afternoon session (every second Tuesday), it seemed to make sense to get the quilts ready for quilting, along with some lutradur and evolon pieces that were ready to be worked on. So, sixteen in all.

I had forgotten what fun it is to work with random amounts and types of fabric, putting them together in the best possible way, stitching into them. Improvisational piecing, to give it its Sunday name. Believe me, I won't forget again! Working in a seemingly random way epitomises my approach to art in general... make a mark, make another mark, respond... It's a question of trusting one's judgement. And allowing oneself to have fun!

Summing Things Up.

I've been asked to run a short workshop on writing profiles, for one of my local WIRE groups. If you're a self employed woman in the UK, check out WIRE by clicking on the link in the last sentence. I designed the workshop, but thought I had perhaps better add my own profile, first, to see that the process actually worked.

It's not easy, telling the world exactly what you do in a few short sentences. Here's my profile, see what you think.

I'm Marion, a Scottish artist living and working in a tiny village in Norfolk. I have a portfolio of skills and experience, which I offer to share with you in a number of different ways.
I make and sell art of all descriptions,with a current focus on mixed media and textile art for domestic and commercial interiors. Start at my blog, http://artmixter.blogspot.com, to get a feel for what I offer, and find a list of my online outlets on the right hand side column of the blog.

I offer workshops based in my studio, The Little Green Shed, for up to four people. These are bespoke workshops, but I also offer workshops for larger groups throughout the country by arrangement. I write and self publish instructional books for artists; my first has just been published (Lovely Lutradur with Dijanne Cevaal), and two more are in production. I am also happy to work one to one with artists on the theme of their choice, whether technique or process focussed.

I also offer coaching services to small businesses, based on my experience as an HR and Self Development Manager. I believe that we are all creative, and that we are all capable of self expression, in any part of our lives, and my coaching is tailored to help you find the answers you already have, but aren't aware of yet.

So there you go; me in a nutshell. You might be surprised by some of the things I do... sometimes I surprise even me! I think it reflects the different things I have done over the years, combining all my knowledge and experience in new ways. So, why now? I have, over the past few months, put Incapacity behind me, and become a fully fledged Small Business. I will, of course, try not to drone on about that here, but I did want to acknowledge a change in direction, somewhat. The demon depression is of course still lurking, but he behaves really well these days. Change IS possible, no matter how ill you might be. If I can do it, so can anyone else.

If you're interested in these services, please do get in touch, I'd be delighted to talk to you about what I do and how I do it. It costs nothing to ask questions... not the first time, anyway!! The image is my new logo... hope you like it. And wish me luck, won't you?

Recovering...

from a busy, busy week! If you missed it, my work has been on show in Norfolk, alongside another textile artist and some photographers. And look what you missed! I'll be putting up more photos over the next few days, but for now, here's a selection of my work. The first image is what you saw as you came in the door of the gallery, two mixed media pieces, 'Outburst' and 'Losing My Religion'. The gallery is structured into three recessed spaces. My work was mainly in the central recess, with more of my mixed media work on the ends of the walls. To the right, were photographs by Ray Arnold, Derek Roberts and Rosie Arnold (image 2 shows some of my mixed media work with some of Derek's photos). To the left of my work, was more textiles and collage work by Jill Arnold, as well as an installation; image three shows my remaining mixed media pieces, along with some of Jill's collages in the background. And yes, all those Arnolds are related; Rosie is Ray's and Jill's daughter.

Now, though, it's back to work with a vengeance. Paperwork, mostly, sigh... but also some creative work, which is balm for the soul. Though I did get a lot of work done in the two days I was demonstrating at the gallery. Great fun was had by all concerned! Thanks to everyone who came in to look over the week! Now to get stuck into work on the books, as well as some painting and dyeing...hurrah...

Fantastic Feedback

All feedback is fantastic...trust me! I love it when people stand in front of a painting and say, I really don't like that... providing they tell me why, of course... though sometimes it's just a question of personal taste. But I feel complimented, nonetheless. Art is usually intended to produce strong feelings...at least, mine certainly is. And I don't know about you, but deathly silence after a post makes me wonder what I did wrong. Usually, the answer is, nothing at all... it's just that people are busy with their lives, and they read the blog, or whatever, and they continue with the rest of their day...
Occasionally, though, someone reaches out and says something. I got a lovely email yesterday from someone who bought the Lovely Lutradur E book. Margie lives in South Africa; I'd never sent anything to South Africa before, and was a bit concerned that it would arrive. It did, of course, and she told me (and I quote, with her permission);

Many thanks for the CD. It arrived this morning!!

It is GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Inspiring and wonderful!!! Thank you, thank you,
thank you!!!!

Just what the doctor ordered!!

Keep well and good luck with your new book!

I'm a very happy chicken. It's bad enough with a blog, but with a book, you spend a great deal of time making it as good as you can. It's great when someone really enjoys it, and lets you know! Thanks, Margie. And if you'd like to see what she's so enthusiastic about, click here!

The image is a detail of 'Curvilinear', which you can find here

I was at a concert on Sunday night, six emerging bands playing in the semi finals of a competition. Afterwards, I took a leaf from my own book, and told the sound engineer that I thought he had done a great job. He did, too. He made sure that all six bands sounded as good as he could make them. Could you give someone some feedback today? Go on, you know you want to! Make someone's day.

Forward Planning

Things are hectic at present; exhibition opening on Friday, busy writing a new book, Etsy, a new shop to set up at Ehive... I don't really know where to turn. Rather than dive in, though, I've decided to take time out to breathe a little, and to create a forward plan. I'm going to go find a wall planner, and chart the next year or so, what needs to be done, when, and by whom (usually me, you understand, but occasionally I can delegate to Robin...). I like taking the longer view, sometimes. It's important to see where you're going in the longer term, remembering where you are likely to be busy, like around holidays, and when not... it means you can plan your time better. So that's how I'll spend the rest of my morning.

But in the afternoon.... I'm going to play in the shed! Can't be grown up all the time...

What Are You Doing Today?

Good question. I've had several people on the phone today, and they've all asked me that, expecting, I think, to hear that I'm painting. I wish. Instead, I've been on the computer most of the (somewhat chilly) day, emailing invites to the private view of my upcoming exhibition, filling in forms for said exhibition, talking to people about a potential new project, wondering what to include in my new UK online shop, packing CDs ready to send away. Anything, in fact, other than painting or sewing. Did I mention keeping the books up to date? Hard sums just aren't my thing, but needs must when the devil drives, or, in this case, expects you to complete a tax return. Sigh.

Soon, though, soon, I will be in the shed. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon...

Meanwhile, Outburst, pictured above, mixed media on canvas, will be shown as part of our 'Mixing Up The Marks' exhibition which comprises mixed media,
textiles and photography. It is taking place from 24th October - 1st November at the Dragonfly Gallery, Wayland House, High St, Watton, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 6AR
Tel: 01953 883915 Fax: 01953 884084, and is open daily 10.00am – 4.00pm
except Saturday 10.00am – 1.00pm, closed Sunday.

I'm going to be in the gallery on Wednesday and Friday that week, demonstrating mixed media techniques and possibly a bit of lutradur, too... if you're interested, come and join me! I might even let you play, too!

Creative Surprises

Process is a wonderful thing. I say this advisedly; I haven't been able to do much in the way of art making, recently, too busy with the book, visitors and other distractions. Yesterday, though, I got my act together and finished five pieces, all of which had been smallish quilt tops, just lying around, waiting to be worked on. Except Curvilinear, above.

Curvilinear is, in fact, the back of a piece I had made and quilted, using this piece of discarded lutradur (waste not, want not, etc). I quilted it,right side up, and decided I really didn't like it. So I turned it over and thought...Oh... Somehow the quilting worked Just Right on the back, after I'd added a few bits here and there. There are surprises every day when you work creatively...just this one was more surprising than most.

Another creative surprise was the number of potential guinea pigs (yes, okay, cavies...) who volunteered to help me with the new book. Thank you all, I'll be in touch with you shortly. Please, though, no more volunteers! I have more than enough now, but I will offer more opportunities later in the year (I've got plans...).

Now to list this piece on Etsy...if I can get Merlin off my legs, and find a tape measure...

Do You Believe In Gurus?

I follow Robert Genn's newsletter, Painters' Keys, on a regular basis; there's a lot of information to be found on the internet, and newsletters like this one are a great way of ensuring the occasional creative nudge. I have to confess, I don't read them all, and I doubt very much if Robert would expect me to... Anyway... He wrote an interesting piece here
which I felt I just had to respond to, about how gurus and mentors are rife in the art world (they are in the business world too, of course...). And about how many of them are in it for a quick buck. I hope you'll read the whole piece, it's considered and helpful, but I wanted to post my response here, too.


"This gave me a bit of a poke in the ribs. Along with a colleague, I've just published a book for textile artists on using Lutradur. And another two are in development, one on another non woven fabric, another on removing the practical and emotional blocks we put up between ourselves and our creativity. That one draws on my experience as a Self Development specialist and artist. And I've run several online groups for many years, to encourage growth and change in textile artists. Am I a guru? Err... not in my own head. In my own head, I'm a constantly changing and developing artist, sharing some of what I know for free, and some of it for (a very modest) gain. I may be a guru in your head, or my students' heads, but I'm not in my own, and if I ever I get to that point, I hope to goodness someone will take me gently aside and wake me up! When I work with people, I want to encourage them to believe that they have all the answers inside them already, and can learn to draw them out for themselves. Gurus, methinks, create a culture of dependency that is positively harmful to everyone, and stifles creativity."

My aim in writing books and working with individuals (I'm about to start offering coaching for textile artists) is always to show you that you are your own guru. Everything you need, you already have; it just takes a bit of thought to work it out, and it's often easier to do that with someone with no direct connection. Doth the lady protest too much? I hope not. And, like I say in my response, if I ever get to guru in my own head, I'm trusting my friends (you know who you are...) to flatten that tendency, kindly but firmly. You know you'll want to!

The More Things Change...

...the more they remain the same. Why is it that despite legislation, petitions and campaigning, it remains difficult for those of us who are not able bodied to access public spaces? Steve Wilkinson recently made a short film for the Politics Show (see it, and his comments, here), in which he highlights access issues. As an able bodied disabled person (work that one out...), I'm horrified that my less mobile friends have to deal with such discrimination on a daily basis. If you feel the same, and you live in the UK, please consider signing the petition Steve has created here
Basically, the petition calls for amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). To my mind, they seem relatively minor; but they would change many peoples' lives for the better.

I'm particularly disturbed by this issue because in 1980, I wrote a dissertation about the (then) Year of the Disabled and its effect on France. The issues that Steve highlights here are exactly the same as those that were highlighted for me decades ago. Like I said, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose... and how sad it is that we have to ask for legislation to produce changes that represent best practice, and are very low cost.

ps don't forget to check out Steve's website... I should also say that I usually limit my rants to my personal blog ; you can find a few posts about depression there, if you are interested.