A Home for Creatives
Having just the right space to create is always a bonus, and now I have access to a workspace in the new community art hub I feel my arty side will be well nourished this year. Once inspiration has embedded itself in my imagination I can settle down to write anywhere, but having a spot I can return to each week has been brilliant for my productivity.
Being part of an arts community can bring a wealth of benefits to the creative table.
At my own partitioned desk space, I am focused. I tap away purposefully on my laptop, a mug of coffee to kickstart me before I add finishing touches to a Thortify blog post. The radio is on low beside me, another creative is sitting behind me at her desk full of paper bits, working on a collage.
Ready to write at the Thortify Art Hub
Other creatives have been dropping by to view the remaining workspaces. Suitable for a range of arty activites, the wide desks with intergral shelving leave space around to set up an easel and the partitions work well as an ideas board for sketches and plans - as well as offering the artist an opportunity to retreat into their own world.
Our creative community is evolving. We acknowledge how willing artists can be to share their inspiring thoughts with each other and how empowering collaborations can be.
Ideas buzz around the air; free expression takes over our thoughts. Without realising it, we have begun developing a new concept. Creative connections spark and the discussion ends with us having formed the basis of a community workshop to add to the repertoire.
Creating in creative spaces
Strips cut from collage papers are folded and rolled into pleasing shapes. Their forms loose and organic suddenly appear as flower heads and stones. The waves of the ocean materialise in an artist’s hands.
Empty gift boxes become mini picture frames and images are constructed in the blank space between their four corners. The meditative act of repeatedly rolling strips of soft paper is appreciated for its soothing quality - perfect for a wellbeing art session.
The expressive nature of manipulating paper into recognisable images is a perfect way to encourage individuals, who don’t feel they have any artistic skills, to engage in some mindful creativity — and produce a piece of art they can be pleased with.
Art making in progress
One visitor offers a fresh perspective on how a workspace could be used. In a tangible moment, we have captured the essence of this place. I’m reminded of the phrase attached to one of our exhibitions last year, “people make the place” and delight in the creative brilliance the new people are bringing with them.
Within minutes, we are discussing skill-sharing and talking about how we can mutually support each other to build on our community at the art hub. I clap my laptop lid shut at the end of the day feeling as though my creative tank has been re-filled.
And I haven’t even got my brushes out yet…
If you would like to be part of the Thortify Art Hub community, get in touch!
thortify@gmail.com
Or just pop in and see us at The Place Community and Activity Centre in Sherwood on Fridays.
Peace and paintbrushes
Debra Thortify
