Learning Lessons - My Experience of a Heritage Crafts Bursary Training

Author’s Bio - Angela Benjamin of Ange B Designs, is a jewellery artist based in West London. Alongside her jewellery practice, she teaches jewellery making workshops for beginners and also works part-time as physiotherapist.

How it started…

Over the past couple of years, having settled into a creative style that feels “like me”, I have had a growing desire to expand the nature of the work I make. Whilst I love making jewellery and wearable art pieces, I also want to create non-functional objects that bring another dimensions to my practice. In order to achieve these creative goals, I realised that I needed to improve existing skills and learn new ones!

Practicing a craft is very often a solitary process and if one is also juggling other commitments (second job, family, life, etc), it can be challenging finding time for additional learning. When I came across Heritage Crafts and the training bursaries they offered, my hope was that they would be able to help me gain access to the up-skilling I needed.

The bursary application process was lengthy and it took me three attempts before I was successful. On reflection, I feel that my last application was helped by the fact that I had a clearer idea of what I wanted to learn and the direction in which I wanted to take my work. I also find self-reflection to be a valuable tool: being able to look at oneself and one’s work with objectivity can be a great start point for self-improvement.

Making things happen

Having received my award in September 2025 and following the initial excitement, it was time to put my plans into action. One of the best things about working with Heritage Crafts, was their patience. I had three distinct aspects to my training, involving three tutors. I also had my day job and other life commitments to co-ordinate, so it was a relief not to feel pressurised when it came to scheduling my training.

One of my tutors was in the process of moving to a new studio, and could not start my training until January 2026. Another was based in Germany and needed to co-ordinate her other international teaching commitments, whilst the third aspect of my training was a residential course which only runs twice a year! Just to complicate things further, I found out that I’d been scheduled for major surgery at the end of April 2026, which would mean being unable to do anything for at least six weeks following that.

Thankfully my trainers were all very accommodating and I managed to arrange everything to finish by mid-April 2026.

Going against the grain

I’ve always loved wood and always say that if I hadn’t become a physiotherapist, I would have been a carpenter! Introducing mixed media pieces into my creative practice was not new: when trawling through my stash of early jewellery makes, I discovered several rings I’d made using wood and silver. Having created a small collection of wood and precious metal brooches last year, I discovered a need to explore this medium further and potentially work on a bigger scale.

Finding someone to help me improve my wood-working skills was not a challenge. Having met wood sculptor, Donald Baugh through the Black Artisans networking group and being an admirer of his work, it was easy to decide on my tutor. So when he agreed to give me some training I was elated!

Over several weeks, Donald took me through the process of making geometric wooden ‘forms’, using reclaimed timber from his studio. With a background in carpentry, Donald has a very technical approach to construction which required new levels of concentration from me. Sketching, planning and measuring before even touching the materials was a definitely a challenge. I also had to adjust to the different way wood behaves, compared to metal.

As a certified ‘tool junkie’ being in someone else’s workshop AND learning how to use new equipment is always a joy. Scouring resale sites for preloved chisels and files has become a new pastime.

Wonderful West Dean

Developing my clasp making skills was another aspect to my bursary training proposal. I’ve had jeweller Sarah Macrae’s book ‘Fastenings and Findings for Jewellers’ for a few years and knew her residential workshop at West Dean would be perfect. Set in amazing grounds in Chichester, the college is the former home of Edward James (agent to Salvador Dali), who established it as part of a charitable trust to nurture traditional crafts and fine art.

I did one of my first ever jewellery courses at West Dean over ten years ago, so although I had some memory of its grandeur, the drive up to the main building was still very impressive. To the uninitiated, I would describe West Dean College as ‘Hogwarts for Creatives’ - think sprawling grounds, outdoor sculptures, peacocks and babbling brooks. During the four days I spent there, I made sure to get up early each day to explore the grounds before breakfast (and I am not typically a ‘morning person’).

There’s something very inspiring about an immersive learning experience: being away from the demands of normal life (all meals at West Dean are provided…and excellent) and in the company of like-minded enthusiastic makers. Sarah is a brilliant teacher: knowledgeable, thorough and flexible in her approach. By the end of the four days, I was buzzing with ideas and eager to get home to try them all out.

All about the brooch

There are few things that get me excited and I can honestly say that brooches are in the top 10 (up there with a good cheeseboard and live music). As a kid, I have vivid memories of my gran wearing a cameo-style brooch on her coat AND I’ve always loved badges. Having made a few brooches in the past and after attending a course in Berlin with Daniela Malev two years ago, I knew I had to up my game.

It took a little courage for me to pluck up the nerve to contact Daniela about one-to-one training but having met her in Berlin, I was hopeful that she might at least entertain the idea. I was bowled over when she agreed to come to the UK and teach me in my little garden workshop!

Over four days, I had access to Daniela’s forensic knowledge of brooches and pin mechanism design. She showed amazing generosity in imparting that knowledge, whilst helping me to develop existing projects. After four enthralling days of training, deep conversations and bonding over wine at my local pub, I was even more excited by brooches and l also felt I’d made a beautiful new friend.

Back to the start…

I’m writing this a few months after completing my training, and after a period of enforce medical rest. Having used some of my convalescence time to work on new designs, my goal now is to develop my practice in a way that reflects not only my original training objectives but also keeps some of the excitement for making which I rediscovered over the past six months. As a creative, revealing new work or changes in direction can be daunting. However, I believe that having passion for one’s craft and faith in one’s skills is a great start point for new ideas.