Folklore Inspired Creative Session

Do you ever feel the pull to be creative, but don’t know how to start, or even what you want to make?

Do you ever get a flash of inspiration, but never have the time or energy to follow it through?

Do you worry that you have to become technically skilled before you have the 'right' to make art?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this event is for you!

As children, we create all the time. We sing, draw and write as part of our normal lessons. We make sandcastles, secret dens, friendship bracelets, invent ball games and make up elaborate storylines for dolls and action figures. We don’t fear failure because the point isn’t to succeed, but to express ourselves and have fun. In fact there’s a whole branch of folklore called childlore!

But as adults, it can become hard to connect with that creative instinct, whether that’s due to time, energy, cost or self-doubt.

So for this event, we’ll be taking time and space to connect with what inspires us and flex our creativity just for the fun of it. Skill and experience levels don’t matter (although those who are skilled or experienced are welcome!)-what matters is remembering what creative inspiration feels like to you personally, and pursuing it to create something authentic to you.

To do this, we’ll be emulating artists across millennia in using folklore as inspiration. A collection of folklore genres will be supplied, each containing a collection of prompts, and you will be picking a piece of folklore that speaks to you on that day and creating a piece of art based on your own interpretation of your prompt.

This art can be anything, from poetry to sketching, sewing to architecture, make up, set design, tattoo art, songwriting, fashion, game design or event planning-whatever your prompt inspires you to create!

You can choose to do several pieces or spend the whole session on one. Paper and pencils will be provided, but please feel free to bring other materials so long as they are not disruptive to the people or environment around us (eg no liquid paints, musical instruments, etc).

Please note: this is not a technical lesson! No specific creative skills will be taught, as the aim is connecting with your own personal creative process. But you are welcome to take your pieces home with you to hone your skills.

We are currently exploring free spaces to have this event so location and accessibility details will be confirmed closer to the time. (And if you know of a good location, do let us know!)

(This is a free event, so we ask that you please keep RSVPs updated to ensure that as many people as possible who want to come are able to. Cancellations with less than three days’ notice may be removed from the group to prevent wasted spaces in future. Many thanks for your understanding!)