Creative Calm by the Coast: Inside Megan Roberts’ “And Breathe” Workshops

When artist and filmmaker Megan Roberts invites you to “and breathe…”, she means it. Her residency at Grow Plymouth as part of Sea for Yourself transforms creativity into calm, combining art-making with gentle reflection on the sea’s healing power. Our Community Reporter Victoria Lammie joined the first of Megan’s participatory workshops to discover how collage, conversation, and coastal inspiration can ease the stresses of modern life.

And Breathe…..

Spending a couple of hours with Megan Roberts, artist in residence at Grow Plymouth was a very tranquil way to start my Saturday last weekend.

Megan describes herself as a participatory film maker where process is the most important part of that creation. She’s also a community artist.

The sea has long been known for its positive effects on mental wellbeing, and much like art, can have incredible therapeutic benefits. I was intrigued to find out how Megan combining these two key elements would work and act as a stress reliever.

Upon arrival I was keen to learn more about the morning and what we were going to be undertaking. The space was set out with two long tables adorned with fabrics, glue, scissors and paper. The main distinction was that the table located at the back of the room was covered with black materials and textures. Whilst the table closest to me was a wash with a whole variety of shades of mostly blue trims, fabrics and interesting fibres.

I was warmly greeted by Megan who invited me for coffee and biscuits whilst she chatted about attendees and the nerves she felt of people not turning up! Naturally, it was her first in a series of ‘and breathe’ workshops running during October and November. The title of this workshop is ‘Collage’

As we chatted people started to arrive creating a delightful atmosphere within the space.

The Sea Collage Table (Photograph V Lammie 2025)

We all gather around the blue table and Megan asked us to take a seat and to introduce ourselves. I make myself known that I’m a reporter for Plymouth Culture and tell the group I will be taking notes and photographs as we go along which they are all happy with as long as I don’t name them or post photographs of their faces. I decided to mention that I'm also a creative and that I’m a sustainable fashion designer which instantly puts them at ease and they start asking me questions.

The participants, all over 55 years old, are very friendly, easy to converse with and mostly all from Plymouth. Our conversations centre around my practice as a designer and the sea and how we all connect with it in our various different ways. Megan starts by asking us to introduce ourselves and talk about the last time we were in or by the sea. One of the women tells us ‘I took a young person on the Cawsand Ferry, we saw a seal and then went swimming. The sea is my go-to place’. Her narrative is well received and the reference to a seal is particularly appreciated. We continue going around the table all listening and eagerly awaiting each person's story. One of the artists from an upstairs studio tells us how he does lots of coastal path walks to let his mind breathe.

Once we’ve all told our tales Megan explains how the commission is funded by Plymouth Culture ‘Sea For Yourself’ programme, where the purpose is to celebrate Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. She goes on to explain more in depth: “Plymouth Sound has been recognised as the first National Marine Park in the UK; which is quite a big deal and the funding behind that is to encourage people to access the sea more both for the wellbeing benefits for themselves. But also for the ‘stewardship’ element because if we care and consider something it’s more likely that we are going to look after it. With increased pollution and global warming it’s really important that priorities start that stewardship. But in terms of using the sea as stress reliever and well being tool, it’s so important to have somewhere you can go to when life becomes overwhelming.”

Megan then gives us a description of the workshop; “The first part is looking at ‘what stress feels like in our bodies’ and is going to be a group exercise over on that table where we are going to spend ten minutes collaging what our stress feels like. Then we’ll do a sharing exercise with the person next to us where we describe what that stress is and then they’ll share it back to the group and how that stress felt for the person next to them. After that we will do a short breathing exercise and then come back to the table, and then we’ll explain what the sea means to us and how we can find release from that.”

We all head to the collage table and start creating ‘what stress feels like’; everyone’s collage looks completely different - just as does stress does in real life.

She continues telling her story about the residency; “So this is the first of four workshops and we’re going to be co-designing content that will then become a two part installation film that will be hosted at the Market Hall in Devonport. So the collages we make today will be animated into a film sequence and then the ‘stress’ collage is going to inform a dark tunnel that people are going to have to literally walk through to get to the sea at the end. So you’re making a film today! Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re making a film!”

After we’ve all shared our stories to the rest of the group. Such subjects arise as loss, brain fog, childhood trauma, angst and juggling life. We are all keen to hear about everyone’s stresses and how using the sea is helping to calm those feelings. There’s one thing that really stands out amongst the participants which is how much we all love and respect the sea. For me personally it’s a place of calm, somewhere I can think creatively and work things out. I take walks daily by the sea and I also love to wild swim.

The breathing exercises in between moving onto our sea collages is a moment of calm and stillness and personally I really enjoy them. Our second and final collage is a reflection of what the sea means to us and we talk about how we use it.

The defining thing about my own collage is my natural instinct as a designer to form a structure in my head with the fabric I want to use. Mine indeed is minimal and uses only one fabric, denim. It represents the sea at low tide, the place I love most of all, the place I feel safest, is in the shallow water.

Victoria Lammie’s Sea Collage(Photograph V Lammie 2025)

Megan's residency will conclude with a film screening at the Dome in Devonport’s Market Hall in early 2026. I feel this project will have a truly long-lasting impact on Plymouth and drive an underlying message of just how important the sea is to humanity, our mental wellbeing and also give people a deeper understanding of what is so special about being close to the sea.

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If you’d like to take part in one of Megan’s workshops head to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/over-55s-and-breathe-free-workshop-series-part-of-sea-for-yourself-tickets-1749181191029