I’m passionate about the value of creative expression to a fulfilling and fulfilled life for everyone. So often I am told ‘I’m not creative’ by adults who shut down their aptitude for creative play a long time ago when ‘art’ became a subject in the school curriculum they would have to be ‘good at’ as opposed to a medium for communication of thoughts, ideas, perceptions. In my experience most people when given half a chance to try, will surprise themselves at what they can create. Sunday Crafternoons are designed to encourage adults to bring out the dormant inner child within and resuscitate the enjoyment of play with art and crafts.
The first Sunday Crafternoon took place on Sunday 10 April at a community venue in Saltdean overlooking the sea. I was inspired by a painting by Oliver Kilbourn (a pitman painter) of women sitting around a kitchen table making a northern ‘proddy mat’ to generate a community of women to come together to participate in a creative project and invited a handful of women to knit, crochet, collage, make poetry, paint and – for fun – attempt origami. Materials were provided as was instruction and suggestions for mini projects: the women were invited to learn to knit and crochet by making 8 inch squares to be sent off to South Africa to be made into blankets for abandoned children and AIDS orphans (knit-a-square.com); experienced knitters tackled knitted hearts from a pattern downloaded from The Children’s Society’s website (childrenssociety.org.uk/bigstitch).
The afternoon kicked off with a ‘share and tell’ – everyone was invited to bring something either they had made themselves or something handmade which
they found inspiring. Lisa stunned everyone with her beautiful intricate embroidery, Jenny brought homemade pickle, Helen brought out a patchwork quilt which her grandmother had made and recounted memories engendered by some of the fabrics – her old green and white candystriped school dress had been cut up for squares – and Helen also shared a crocheted cover she had made for her parents’ wedding anniversary one year. Catherine brought handknitted socks and a collection of poetry containing one of her poems in print. Lotus used the event as an opportunity to get back into her watercolour painting, bringing with her an easel and canvas – she has been setting aside time in the week to paint ever since and maintains that the Crafternoon was an important support to this routine. Lynne left the event with enthusiasm for getting back into her lapsed hobby of leatherwork.
Catherine had provided home made cakes and these were served with tea. Leisa Brown, natural health practitioner (Highfields Natural Health), brought with her a massage chair and oils and relaxing music and pampered everyone who took advantage of her offer of a free mini-massage. These went down a treat and Leisa’s diary bore a few new bookings by the time she left the party.
Every one expressed that they had enjoyed taking ‘me time’ to make something. In many cases they had surprised themselves at what they had produced and the satisfaction they had taken to do so; some of the women who work together and thought they knew each other were surprised at what they hadn’t known which they learned as a result of the show and tell activity. Rumour has it that there has been a shift in the teatime gossip at work to discussions concerning needlework projects.
Invited to feed back her appraisal of the Crafternoon, Vicki wrote that the afternoon was ‘An opportunity for me to do something for myself and meet some lovely and inspiring people’. My intention to provide a nurturing space for women to express themselves was a success and my claim that ‘everyone is creative’ gained a few more adherents.
A Sunday Crafternoon is being planned for September. Follow me on twitter at @youarecreative to receive details of this and other community creative projects I am hosting in 2010.
