Our Newsletter: Issue #43

Hello, and welcome to another issue of Our Newsletter.

I hope the last two weeks have treated you well?

In these two weeks I've been busy (no surprise there!) primarily with painting but also with some other things...

Today, I'm hosting my first ever art workshop in collaboration with True Ambassadorscharity, and I wanted to share with you the process of how it came about and my approach in planning it, with a view of updating you on how it went (amongst other things) in the next issue in a couple of weeks time.

(Strap in, this is going to be a bit longer than usual but there's a lot to say and I've underlined the important bits if you want to just skim through this - also I'll break the writing up with pics so keep going for the story).

Alright, let's go.

*What nature gives, grab.* 2021 (Available)

*Ode to our innocence.* 2021. (Available)

The day before my last newsletter I was approached by a friend about collaborating on an art workshop for True Ambassadors charity, which took me by surprise but also felt like a bit of a sign because in the back of my mind this is something I've always wanted to do.

Well, a version of it anyway.
I've always had a dream of setting something up that helps enable others to make art.
Why?
Because I think making art has a real ability to help a person understand themselves and their surroundings better and I think that everyone should have the opportunity to explore that and decide if that's something they like or not.

In my mind this was going to happen at some vague time later in the future when I was 'older' and 'more experienced', but every second/minute/hour/day passing contributes to the getting older part and experience literally comes from just doing.

So, I set the little voice of doubt aside, and jumped on the opportunity following the logic that: while I don't know anything about teaching per se, I have definitely been on the receiving end of being taught and have a good idea of what I liked and how I'd approach it if given the opportunity.

*Study of my golden pothos in blue*, 2020 (Available)

The charity, True Ambassadors, is an initiative aimed at helping people tackle adversity.They've been doing this for some time now in East London, and in response to the 2023 UK Government Loneliness Strategy report they've been setting up a series of events looking to reduce loneliness, promote mental health and well-being and to empower the elderly population of the community.

Cue my workshop!
A 2 hour adventure, titled From Pencil to Petal: Community Building Through Sustainable Practices

In these 2 hours I'm hoping to create a space in which the people attending can feel as though they have been given the confidence to just start making art.

How do I plan on doing this?

By focusing on 3 things:

1. Using easily accessible materials.
Art doesn't have to be an expensive hobby, especially if you don't know if you like the process. A pencil or pen and some paper will do just fine. Don't have paper, that's fine too. Draw on a napkin. You get what I'm trying to say.

2. Learning to find inspiration in our surroundings.
You don't have to have some sort of 'inspired' idea to start creating. Look around, what are you finding interesting? Try and draw that. In my workshop I'm using plants as an example of this because nature is healing (which neatly fits into the charity's initiative of promoting mental well-being) and in my experience drawing plants is more approachable than drawing portraits or buildings/objects.

3. Highlighting that making art is something you do for yourself first and foremost and whether it fits in with your notion of whether it's 'good' or not is irrelevant. If you like the process, stick with it and you'll improve.
Talent is relative. Making art is a skill like any other and creativity is a muscle - I had written a piece on this a million years ago but that's a topic for another time.

Another thing that's important for me to incorporate during this workshop is allowing time throughout the two hours to check in which the attendees, understanding how they're feeling about the whole process, and adjusting the workshop in real-time based on feedback to make it as an enjoyable and approachable process as possible.

As you can maybe tell from my very extended newsletter, I am excited about doing this. I'm feeling nervous too as it's all very new, but that's probably a good thing.
Also the fact that this charity is helping people in East London, especially in boroughs like Newham and Tower Hamlets feels very special as my second studio was in Tower Hamlets several years ago now and the borough gave me a grant to continue my practice during the pandemic, so it feels good to finally be able to give back in even a small way.

If you've made it down here and read the whole thing, I truly salute you.

What do you think?
Would you take a workshop like this?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and sharing how it went in the next issue of Our Newsletter. Until then...

Wishing you a great weekend ahead.

Lots of love,
Arietta xx