HELLO again! I said in my last post that I would share a bit more about my participatory art practice this month and offer some suggestions of how you can get involved. Study after study (scientific and otherwise) has shown that being creative and getting involved in art and craft is hugely beneficial for both our mental and physical health, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Why not try it for yourself?
Textile Treasures: Examples for my Machine Embroidery on Water-soluble Fabric Workshop
I’m not really sure that I can write a post about creativity in Cumbria at this time of year without mentioning you know what. It can be so easy at this time to get caught up in how busy we are and feel the pressure to buy buy buy but what if we could say bye bye-bye to that and stop and think for a minute about what our loved ones would really like. I’m willing to bet that for a lot of people what they’d really like is a bit of time; time to spend with the people they care about, time for themselves, maybe just a bit of time out.
Work produced by students on my Introduction to Machine Embroidery Course
Craft can be a great way of giving that most precious gift, the gift of time. Don’t get worried, I’m not suggesting that you spend the next few weeks crafting manically to create unique and bespoke gifts for everyone on your list, that would make you very stressed and totally defeat the point I’m trying to make! What I am suggesting is that you have a look down your list and see if perhaps there’s someone on there who would prefer a ‘crafternoon’ with you; when you get together with a friend or friends, maybe some drinks and nibbles and spend time together making something.
The charity Mind are organising a nationwide Christmas Crafternoon this weekend (but don’t worry, you can organise one on any date you like) and on their website they have a whole host of resources so that even if you don’t think you’re very crafty or creative you can join in and discover the benefits of craft and a good natter! As a participatory artist, I work with lots of different people in lots of different settings on lots of different creative projects and one thing that’s common across all the work I do is the positive impact creating something has; giving people confidence, pleasure and a sense of achievement.
If you think you’d like a bit more structure or there’s a particular skill you’re longing to master then Cumbria is host to many fabulous venues, artists and craftspeople offering workshops including machine embroidery, chicken wire sculpture, box making, spoon carving, spinning yarn and more! Many of these places also offer gift vouchers; a workshop experience could be the perfect gift for that person on your list who has everything already. The Eden Workshop in Plumpton is a really friendly venue offering a wide range of workshops by a variety of artists and craftspeople, a small shop and even a weekly craft club. Check out their Facebook page for shop opening times and upcoming workshops. Swallows and Artisans in Coniston have just turned 2 and also hosts a great range of workshops as does Quirky Workshops in Greystoke.
Work in progress by a student on my Bird Portraits Workshop
A quick look through Cumbria 24 will show you there are lots more fabulous venues like this across the county so why not have a little look to see what’s on near you and give yourself or someone you love the gift of time and the chance to learn a new skill, who knows where it could lead?
I love workshops myself and I love running them; I’ll be starting to put next years dates up on my website soon or you could sign up to my newsletter, just fill in the boxes on my site: www.delicatestitches.co.uk. Until next time; happy crafting!
