The Things We Hold In Our Hands
Join us in our upcoming Participatory Project
We’re very excited to share that we have been preparing a participatory project which we hope is going to create a sense of connection and purpose amongst The Everyday School of Art community. We will launch the project very soon, so if you aren’t already subscribed pls do join us now so that you can be kept in touch!
Over the next couple of weeks we’d like to share with you a four of the core values around which the project is built, and why we think they are important. We hope we can tempt you to take part :)
Reason Number 1 to take part in The Things We Hold In Our Hands:
Purpose
Sometimes, the urge to make (in whatever form) is great enough, and that urge spurs you to move from thought to action. But sometimes (often!), procrastination gets in the way. One day, we tell ourselves, we’ll get that box of materials out, one day we’ll start that painting, make that drawing… but it’s hard to get there. Ideas might be quick and plenty, but until we get our hands dirty we have no proof of anything.
There are lots of ways round this, and a tried and tested art school method is to workshop your way through activities until students are ready to fly alone. Workshops, icebreakers & warm-ups all enable new ways of thinking and doing – the “purpose” of each is focussed enough to allow action, open enough to provide freedom, and finite enough to stop overwhelm.
But there’s another kind of “purpose” too, which involves thinking beyond the “I” of acting in a workshop, and instead opens out thinking about the bigger purposes of art itself.
Once again, this bigger question can easily overwhelm and paralyse, but we hope that The Things We Hold In Our Hands Participatory Project will give you the opportunity to explore a small, tangible and universal aspect of why we make art and what art can do for us, through tangible, relatable, and manageable gestures. We will guide you through a project with separate stages which gives you the reason to make, share and receive, and through doing so entice you to move from idea to action, to get your hands dirty, and to feel a satisfying sense of having made.
Reason Number 2 to take part in The Things We Hold In Our Hands:
Connection
Many people manage to have build a creative community, perhaps colleagues, friends, even family who enjoy supporting, and being supported by, each others creative journey. But building this kind of community takes time, and we think it’s no coincidence that for many people the urge to explore creativity comes precisely because we have not yet been able to find ourselves a supportive creative community. Making is so much easier when there is a sense of gentle accountability and understanding.
It is also perhaps ironic that one of the most powerful aspects of art is its ability to connect, and through connection to transform, and yet so much art is made alone, without a clear sense of connection with audience. Whilst art is powerful, it (or the creative ego) is also fragile, and making the leap to trust connection and to share your work is a very brave thing to do.
But if we can reach out with our work, in terms of ideas and outcomes, we can both support and be supported. That in itself is enabling. There is no doubt that combining purpose (above) with a sense of connection to others who will appreciate or be inspired by your work, makes for a powerful force.
The Things We Hold In Our Hands Participatory Project will provide a gentle and safe way to help you to explore purpose, and to trust how you might connect with others. We’re excited to see what the project becomes and hear how it might help you to explore your creativity and connection to the world.
Please share with your friends and colleagues too, and let’s look forward to making together.
Next Time…
Reason Number 3 to take part in The Things We Hold In Our Hands:
Safe Place to Express
Reason Number 4 to take part in The Things We Hold In Our Hands:
Learning to Receive
The Things We Hold In Our Hands Participatory Project will be launched Christmas 2023, and run through the first months of 2024.