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In basic terms it’s a room with tables and chairs, art materials, snacks, cups of tea, maybe some music playing in the background, plus support and encouragement from staff, volunteers and other participants. It’s a space to be creative in your own way and in the company of other people.

By creative we mean a whole load of things, and we know that creativity is a bit different for everyone – it could be painting, taking pictures, making a comic about pigeons, talking about your favourite tv programme or book or piece of art, or just noticing things in the world. It matters less to us whether you make something “good”, and more what it feels like to be making. 

It’s not an art lesson and there aren’t set things you have to do, although there will be small activities as options/places to begin (we know the blank page can be intimidating). Most of the time we can be responsive to things you’re interested in doing or trying out. E.g. if you want to learn to crochet, someone in the room might be able to teach you, or at the very least we can watch YouTube videos and learn together.

We run this project because we think it’s important to have dedicated space and time to be creative, and we know from experience that being creative supports our sense of self as well as our connections with others and that these things really matter for our wellbeing and mental health.

It’s a pretty simple set up. At the beginning of each session we allow time for people to arrive, settle in, get materials out and have a cuppa. We then do some intros: everyone who wants to says their name, pronouns, and maybe something they’ve noticed/enjoyed that day or week. Then there’s open time to be creative and try things out, with prompts/possibles provided by staff. At the end of the session there’s the opportunity to share or say something about what you’ve made. There’s never any obligation or pressure to speak unless you feel like it. Showing up is enough!

If this sounds interesting to you, we’d love you to get involved.

We are at The Pickle Factory on Thursdays 4:30-6:30pm, and you can come every session, or just once to see if it’s your kind of thing, or whenever you feel like it. You can join us for 10 mins or the full 2 hours. 

To attend the project you’ll need to fill out a form, either via the sign up bottom at the top of the page or in person the first time you come along to a session.

We encourage you to sign-up beforehand, partly because then we know who to expect in the room, and partly because it’ll save you time during the session. But we welcome you to just show up on the day if that feels easier for you, or if it’s a spontaneous decision and you don’t have time to fill the form out beforehand.

If you’d like to chat more about the project before signing up or coming along then please give us a shout. You can arrange to have a call, or ask questions, by emailing: isla@otrbristol.org.uk