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You want to lead a normal life (whatever that means) despite your illness but maybe you feel a bit stuck in the mental health system and don’t quite know where to start ‘getting on with it’. Don’t worry, we are all in the same boat. If you are recovering from mental health issues and you feel ready to move on we aim to act as a half-way house and to help you to bridge that gap. |
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| We are a group of adults who have a shared experience of mental stress and who also share a love of art. Art is what we focus on; painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, carving, etc. We aim to have a go at all visual art forms so you can find out what suits you. |
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| We don’t do art therapy, so we do not analyse your artwork. We support you to experiment, learn and develop new techniques. During the workshops we all work with the same materials and to a similar theme so we can learn from each other. Most of all we want you to enjoy being creative, and to enjoy being you through your art. |
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Arty-Folks is a good starting point to meet new people and to develop new interests. You don’t need to ring or book a place, neither do you need to be referred. If you feel more at ease bringing a friend please do so. We don’t turn anyone away. Typically, we would introduce you to the others and then you can just join in. We will ask you to make a contribution of £1 every time you come. You don’t have to bring anything, we provide all materials, tea & coffee and biccies. It would be better though if you didn’t wear your best clothes! Of course, the artwork you create will be yours to keep.
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| We are usually a mixed group of men and women of all abilities. Our youngest member ever to join was 17 and the oldest member is 93. Many haven’t done art since school and may want a second bite now. Our art workshops give you the opportunity to try art forms you might not usually do. Others have already done a lot and may want to move on to Art College. We support them to build a good portfolio and to apply. |
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What our workshops will definitely give you is 2 hours of quality ‘me-time’. It’s time out for yourself, away from day-to-day problems and where you can engage in something positive. Art is a universal thing through which you can relate to other people. It can help to find ways to express how you feel and it can give you confidence to connect to others. Even though we all work with same materials or processes, the results are always different and often very surprising. We have a lot in common but everyone is also unique in their own way.
Art can give you grounding. |
