Clouds & Creativity
Stover School X Suzanne Gattrell Hodshon
A community project exploring creativity, connection and our relationship with the natural world
What if a simple cloud could become a conversation?
Clouds & Creativity began as a series of weaving workshops with students at Stover School in Devon and has since grown into a wider community initiative celebrating creativity, curiosity and connection.
Created using natural wool fibres and simple weaving techniques, hundreds of handwoven clouds have been made by students, children and community members across Devon. Each cloud is unique. Each carries its own story.
Through the simple act of making by hand, participants are invited to slow down, explore their creativity and reflect on the world around them. Along the way, conversations emerge around nature, wellbeing, sustainability and what it means to feel connected to ourselves, to each other and to the places we call home.
The Story So Far
The project began when Stover School invited Devon textile artist Suzanne Gattrell Hodshon to lead a series of workshops as part of the school's Phyllis Dence Day.
Working alongside the Art Department, more than 50 students created sculptural woven clouds from British wool while exploring themes of nature, change and environmental awareness through creative practice.
What started in the classroom quickly grew beyond it.
Since then, the project has continued through community events and creative workshops, inviting children, families and adults to create their own cloud and contribute to an evolving story of imagination and connection.
While some clouds come together in temporary displays, many travel home with the people who created them, carrying a small piece of the project into homes, schools and communities across Devon and beyond.
Together they form a growing network of creativity, a reminder that small acts of making can create meaningful connections.
Why Clouds?
Clouds have long fascinated me.
They exist somewhere between the physical and the imagined. Constantly changing and never fixed, they reflect both the natural world around us and the inner landscapes we carry within.
For me, clouds represent the meeting place between thought, feeling, nature and reality.
They remind us that change is natural, that perspective matters and that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
In many ways, creativity works in a similar way. It helps us explore ideas, process experiences, make connections and discover new possibilities.
Why Weaving?
Weaving is one of humanity's oldest creative practices.
Using simple techniques and natural fibres, it invites us to slow down, focus and create something tangible with our hands.
The rhythmic nature of weaving encourages reflection and conversation while offering a gentle antidote to the speed and distraction of modern life.
Working with wool also reconnects us to the beauty, value and story of natural materials, reminding us of our relationship with the living world around us.
The Artist Behind the Project
I'm Suzanne Gattrell Hodshon, a Devon textile artist, environmental science graduate and founder of Nest & Burrow and Clarity Through Creativity.
Before returning to my creative roots, I worked internationally in marine and coastal conservation, including projects in Mexico and Australia, and work connected with WWF and Marine Parks initiatives.
Today my weaving, workshops and retreats bring together my lifelong interests in creativity, nature, sustainability and personal growth.
Through tactile creative experiences, I encourage people to reconnect with themselves, their values and the natural world.
I believe creativity is far more than making something beautiful. It can help us find clarity, deepen our awareness and strengthen our sense of connection to ourselves, to others and to the world around us.
Clarity Through Creativity
Clouds & Creativity forms part of a wider initiative called Clarity Through Creativity.
At its heart is a simple belief.
Meaningful change often begins with awareness, connection and the small choices we make each day.
Through weaving workshops, creative retreats, textile collections and community projects, I explore how creativity can help us live more consciously, connect more deeply and cultivate a greater sense of wellbeing.
About Stover School
Clouds & Creativity was made possible through a collaboration with Stover School and its inspiring Art Department.
Stover School places creativity, curiosity and personal growth at the heart of learning, encouraging students to engage thoughtfully with the world around them through exploration, discussion and hands on experience.
The Art Department provides a nurturing environment where students are supported to develop confidence, imagination and creative thinking while working across a wide range of materials, processes and ideas.
By bringing together art, wellbeing, environmental awareness and creative expression, the department encourages young people to see creativity not only as a subject, but as a valuable way of understanding themselves and the world around them.
Find out more about Stover School here
Get Involved
Whether you have woven a cloud, visited one of the workshops or simply discovered the project through a friend, you are warmly invited to continue the journey.
Explore upcoming workshops, weaving kits, retreats and textile collections below.
Thank you for being part of the story.
