Thortify on Tour
Yes, you heard us right! Since the success of phase one of our creative wellbeing initiative The Art of Self Care we’ve come out from behind our laptops and have been delivering a series of well-attended workshops.
And we are looking forward to doing more!
Springboarded by the range of activities we shared at our first Self Care Social, we have created a collection of mindful making workshops that can be tailored to suit any individual or group requirements. Pop over to the page on our website to find out more.
We have worked with various organisations, and all of the workshops we have delivered have been hugely enriching. Our involvement with the 50 Years of Middle Street Resource Centre event and exhibition has perhaps been the most rewarding so far.
This is mainly because we have been working directly with people in the community with lived experience of mental illness. Evidence suggests that this project enabled them to use their voices creatively to express their thoughts and feelings about the centre, and how its program of activities has supported their wellbeing.
A model of the garden made by a participant in the Middle Street sessions
The carefully curated research conducted by Verusca Calabria, assisted by Dale Copley, was pulled together to encompass all that is valued about a place like Middle Street, and highlights the incredible legacy it has had in the community over the past five decades.
It was a privilege to work alongside individuals of Beeston Women’s Group, to develop a body of artwork that encompassed what they appreciated and valued about the services they accessed at the centre. Their first exhibition at Beeston Library shone a light on the impact the group activities have on their wellbeing.
The creation of further collaborative work produced more in depth pieces that illustrated some of the facilities themselves, and the benefits of using them. Our favourite has to be the model of the garden, which over a dozen different pairs of hands contributed to. “The People Make the Place” became the theme for the exhibition, when it was realised that once the empty boxes were decorated they were transformed when the people were added.
The larger exhibition at Nottingham Central Library was presented alongside the written research that spotlighted specific areas in which Middle Street was providing excellent support, but also some of the key people that make the place what it is.
We especially loved that both exhibitions were held in public spaces and made accessible to all.
Verusca with CEO of Middle Street, Robert Ashford, at the Central Library exhibition opening
As part of the project we ran a community workshop in one of their shiny brand new meeting rooms to coincide with the exhibition, which was something new and rewarding for us.
One of the most popular activities we have involved participants in, is the decoration of a memory box. This open-ended activity encourages them to choose whatever materials they like to decorate their boxes and allows them creative free rein.
As the pre-made box closes with a lid, meaningful images, self care notes or letters to themselves can be stored safely inside. It’s been one of the activities that translates well to a wider audience — the boxes make beautifully personal gifts too.
The children that dropped into our family session at the library showed enthusiasm and thought out their planned decoration really well, this reassured us that they were already having those all important self care conversations.
A teenager’s take on the memory box activity
And it was clear from the themes other people around the table chose, that there was a conscious effort being made to use this gift of mindful time, to think deeply about the elements that contributed to their wellbeing.
Most importantly, some of the the encouragement and collaboration that went on during the free two hour session was incredible to see. Obviously, as facilitators, this is something that we pay close attention to.
We are guiding people with their creativity rather than instructing them, and this is where the empowerment happens.
At this Saturday morning session, especially among the families, a lot of this appraisal came from within the participants themselves — it was magic!
The family session at the Nottingham Central Library
As well as our face-to-face workshops, we are continuing to work towards widening our reach and our online presence via our website and social media will continue to be developed to reflect this.
Links to our Facebook and Instagram feeds can be found at the bottom of this page.
We also hope that by sharing some of our strategies and the wonderful work we have been doing, that other people will feel empowered to explore art and creativity as a way of achieving a sense of balance in their lives too.
It works for us, so we want to share it with the world!
❤ Keep creating
Team Thortify
