Dan Goode

Please describe yourself and your areas of interest.

I am a curator, coach, writer and judge in the craft industry and a passionate advocate for nature conservation. I curate up to two craft events every week in London; I am the Consultant Director of Handmade in Britain; I sit on the board of the New Ashgate Gallery; I judge the annual Global Design Graduate Showcase; and I coach creative people through my own business Making Goode. My coaching practice primarily focuses on why a person is drawn to a particular material/skill and from what source their creativity springs. It is a process of drilling down into the specificity of why a person does what they do, and why their work matters. The entirety of my work is driven by ‘voice’. Helping people to speak and to feel heard and aiding them to communicate more effectively. I have seen the creative industries lose too many extraordinary people for want of clearer, more specific communication. I have bolstered my coaching practice by becoming an NLP Master Practitioner, and I am seeking to expand this aspect of my work by taking coaching into walking in natural environments. In my spare time I tend a garden dedicated to wildlife bordering the Wandle in South London, a river John Ruskin knew well.

Why did you become a Companion of the Guild?

I joined the Guild of St. George because I have for some time longed for a greater sense of cooperation and community, precious qualities that are very often discounted in our modern world. The Guild's longstanding support of creativity, human development and the environment strikes a very deep chord within me. I became a Companion to engage with people with whom I share core values, to proffer my skills in whatever way will be helpful, and to join likeminded people who wish to make the world a better place.

Web links: www.makinggoode.com, www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk,