Monoprint by Andy Hayes @andyinfinity on Instagram
“Why Words Matter” is a new podcast series from 26, exploring the power of words across different fields. In this article, Andy Hayes chats with Sophie Gordon about her upcoming episode on social issues – the third in the series. Their conversation reveals how words connect people and ideas, helping us address complex challenges through art, charity work, and beyond.
Words act as bridges between people and ideas
Andy: Sophie, your upcoming episode is “Why Words Matter for Social Issues” – what drew you to this particular theme?
Sophie: This is what I was drawn to because it’s essentially what my career has been in for over a decade. Even back at uni, when I was still more of a designer than a writer, the briefs I most enjoyed working on were ones that had some kind of social purpose. I found that’s how I was best able to be creative.
Andy: That’s interesting. You studied graphic design at Edinburgh College of Art, but then moved into copywriting. How did that transition happen?
Sophie: Quite often my ideas actually started from words and then I got the visual from that, whereas others in my class might have gone the other way around. After doing some internships, I realised I’d actually rather be responsible for the words and work with designers. When I went for my interview to be a junior copywriter at the NSPCC and talked about my background in design, one of the people interviewing me said, “Well, we know that you’ll never give our designers too many words to put on a poster.” And I was like, “I would never do that to them!”
Andy: So you had the advantage that you understood the design process and were used to being around creative people. Tell me about the guests you’ve lined up for your episode.
Sophie: I’ll be joined by Danny Wright, who’s now Creative Director at Campaign Against Living Miserably. Danny has worked as a copywriter and creative director in the charity sector for over 15 years. I’m also joined by Kaye Brennan of the Wildlife Trusts who we know from several 26 projects, including “26 Trees” and “26 Wild.” And then Nina Kelly from Reframing Race will be joining us to discuss how we can have better conversations about race and racism.
Andy: I’m particularly intrigued by the Reframing Race initiative. Why do you feel that’s important?
Sophie: It’s particularly valuable because often we all want to say the right thing but we don’t know how, and sometimes that ends up with us saying nothing, which can be a real enemy of progress. The research-based guidance they offer is such a gift, not just to the not-for-profit sector, but really to anybody who wants to have better conversations about these issues.
Andy: That sounds really valuable. In my recent episode on “Why Words Matter in Art,” we explored how words and visual media intersect. Dr Tilly Scantlebury talked about creating audio descriptions for paintings at the National Gallery, essentially “painting pictures with words” for blind and partially sighted visitors.
Sophie: I can see how that connects to my design background too – finding ways to communicate visually through words.
Andy: Very much so, and building on that, Thérèse Kieran introduced us to ekphrastic poetry. Ekphrasis is a rhetorical device; a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined. She shared a poem inspired by Joseph Beuys as she quoted from Plutarch, “a painting is a silent poem, whereas a poem is a speaking picture.”
Sophie: I love that quote. It really captures the relationship between words and images.
Andy: I agree. Then there was a nice link with printmaker Jason Hicklin who’s worked with Thérèse. He explained how words serve both as an inspiration and a complement to his visual work. He often begins his creative process with reading and research before creating his etchings, and his working prints are covered in notes that are arguably artworks themselves. As he put it, “Words act as a bridge between myself and the audience.”
Sophie: That’s exactly how I’ve always seen words – as bridges between people and ideas. That’s what makes them so powerful in addressing social issues.
Andy: When will your episode be broadcast?
Sophie: We’re recording next Tuesday, and it should go out on Bloomsbury Radio on Monday 2nd June at 6pm. It’ll also be available later on the 26 Substack page.
Andy: I look forward to hearing that, thank you, Sophie.