Arty-Folks

29/01/2026

Creative opportunity for survivors of domestic abuse in Coventry!

29/01/2026

Have you checked out the range of free mental health courses offered by the Recovery & Wellbeing Academy ?

Online and inperson

This online workshop will help you to think about your values, how to create balance in your life and set goals. It will explore how we place unhelpful limitations on ourselves by maintaining our current comfort zone and instead help you understand what is important to you and why.⭐
👉Book here: https://www.recoveryandwellbeing.co.uk/courses

28/01/2026

Every January we think we can press a reset button and get something new started, but by the end of the month we feel deflated and sometimes even disappointed with ourselves.

So let’s come clean: 2026 won’t drastically become better because the calendar changed! It will only get better if we change how we show up:
"I've pushed myself today to come to the workshop because I really do want to break my anxiety. I have let it rule me for too long."

2026 doesn’t need a polished version of you; be yourself and be honest. But don't wait for motivation to hit you with a magic wand!

We suggest you don't try to change a bad habit.
Instead, try to form a new good one, one that you're excited by!

No sugar coating: some days will be hard and you’ll mess up.
But that is not failure; it is being human.

The rest of 2026 won’t just be another year you've survived;
you can turn it into your time to thrive!

27/01/2026

Far too many people are being told:
"I'm sorry but you're not meeting the threshold."

Things have been difficult for quite some time and you are struggling with day-to-day mundane tasks. You recognise that your mental health is in a bad place and you push yourself to ask for help. That's exactly what you are supposed to do.

But then you're told that you are not struggling enough!
We understand that services are stretched but does it justify judging people as 'not meeting the threshold'.

And what does it do to people who receive this rejection?
Being told you are not ill enough to be worthy of help, when you are at your wits end! No wonder we are meeting so many people who have lost trust in the system, who feel disempowered, even feel traumatised!

Of course we know that mental health services are over-stretched and that they can’t support everyone. But they could explain the reasoning behind their decisions in a kinder and more empathic way, in a way that still validates what you are going through.

If you've been rejected or are on a waiting list, get in touch with your GP and ask to see a Social Prescriber who should be able to help you access other help in the meantime. Or, come and see us!

There are many different ways to support your mental health and start your healing journey!

With Arty-Folks, you can join us for a 1hour taster workshop online or for a 3-week course at our studios in Coventry

For more info: https://arty-folks.org.uk/whats-on/

27/01/2026

Oh my days!
Don't people have a sense of humour anymore??

No, we're not being 'evicted' from Eaton House!
We knew 10years ago that the building would eventually be demolished and we've been kindly given 6 months notice instead of 21days, which is super decent of our landlords.

Sorry, no drama here!
But let us know if you can help 👫

26/01/2026

Today a member raised an important topic at our workshop:
"I have done so much therapy, medication, meditation and courses and I read every self-help book under the sun but it hasn't stopped. I still feel the same anxiety and sense of dread."

We discussed that if we've lived in fear since childhood that can became our default mode, our nervous system stuck in bracing for impact. Your body then isn't responding to the present, it's reliving memories.

There's a lot of evidence to suggest that whatever state you've lived in the longest becomes your baseline. For example, if you've grown up in a household full of tension you learn to be hypervigilant, and you will carry this into your adulthood.

"I've eventually realised that I can't heal my trauma by understanding it better. Intellectually I can understand the why, when, where, and how, but it doesn't change a thing.

Now I'm learning to embrace the feelings in my body, to listen to my breathing and my heartbeat. And yes, I'm learning to talk to myself in a different way because that's what shapes how I feel now."

26/01/2026

Great opportunity for artist!!

🌿 PAID ARTIST OPPORTUNITY – Grounding - Community | Collaboration | Creativity

We’re inviting emerging artists to take part in Grounding – Community | Collaboration | Creativity, our Arts Council England–funded paid programme at The Stoneleigh Arms Arts Space.

Artists will work in mentored pairs with local community partners to create new work for a final exhibition.

👉 Apply here: https://wkf.ms/4oDuIhF

Please share with any artists who might be interested 💛

25/01/2026

Our time at Eaton House is up!!!

We've got marching orders to vacate by the end of June'26 😭 😭 😭
and we need your help to find a new home!

In 2016 the 1st floor at Eaton House became our home and allowed us to expand into running 7 groups per week. Coventry Artspace and Coventry Irish Society followed us a few years after, and we are all now looking for a new abode somewhere Cov city-centre-ish as we want to be easily accessible for everyone in Coventry & Warwickshire.

We've had an amazing 10years here as we 'only' paid for utilities which became a pretty hefty £4k per year, even without any heating in the winter months! It's a huge space and we could only afford it because we enjoyed peppercorn rent, which basically means we didn't pay rent.
But now it is definitely on its last leg! 😢

There is so much empty space in Cov, have you noticed?
Surely someone could offer us a similar deal, i.e. peppercorn rent against paying taxes, bills, reducing risk of vandalism, 3weeks get out clause... and at the same time fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility?

If you know anyone who could help us negotiate a new home please point them in our direction: info@arty-folks.org.uk

Thank you! 🙏

23/01/2026

Burnout may not be about being tired.
Maybe it’s about being “the good one” and avoiding a confrontation for too long. Do you know that feeling?

In our creative projects we ask our members to be 'Hand on Heart' honest with themselves. Sadly, many say that they've never been able to fully open up and tell their truth.

"I've been trying so hard to get on top of things but it feels like everything is stacking up against me. I'm exhausted and I've felt so alone with it all for too long."

Maybe this feeling of exhaustion, of no-feeling, of numbness isn't about apathy or low motivation or tiredness. Maybe it's about being unhappy with the present situation but not wanting to rock the boat.

There are so many pressures on us that affect our health and wellbeing, and it's really challenging to lead a good life. Sometimes we need to step away from it all, to give ourselves a bit of time to breathe and calm our thinking.

"The 2hour art workshops at Arty-Folks are about the only time when I can feel safe to relax, and by the end of the session I can hear myself think and feel more clearly. The 3-week course has been a revelation for me, I can't believe how much I've learnt and how much better I feel for it."

The next Art for Mental Health is starting soon!
https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/art-for-mental-health-180226

22/01/2026

"I realised that sometimes you need to feel worse before you feel better. But I didn't expect that the change would feel quite so anxious."

We have noticed how hard it is for people who have lived through long periods of stress to change course. As soon as things start to calm down something else crops up and gets in the way.

It's a phenomenon often explained as self-sabotage but it's more like gravitating towards something that feels familiar, not what feels good.

If your baseline was unpredictability, intensity, or survival mode, peace is not registered as relief. It is registered as unknown. And unknown, to the body, feels like danger. So your nervous system will creates tension, unearth another problem.

But that's not because you are consciously self-sabotaging.
It's because your body has accepted that stress is its 'norm'. and it has learned to live inside a certain level of chaos. This is why personal growth can feel destabilizing and uncomfortable.

"I've been with Arty-Folks over 4 months and I can't tell you how many times I've nearly given up. What's keeping me going is that staff keep in touch with me and believe in me. I can see that my peers are struggling as much as me and we are all persevering together."

21/01/2026

We are so pleased to welcome Elham 'Ellie' Kafaeimehr to our team!

Ellie facilitates two of our Coventry groups including Canvas to Change for young people 16-25yrs old and we’re already loving her energy and fresh ideas 🎨

Ellie is originally from Iran where she studied Graphic Design before coming to Coventry for her Masters.

Ellie shared: "Until a couple of weeks ago I felt very happy and content with my life. But in a blink of an eye, this all changed and it's hard to live with this constant level of fear and uncertainty.

One minute I am planning a bright future and the next I'm worried sick about my family and not knowing when it is safe to go back.

I'm so glad this role as art workshop facilitator is so absorbing. It is helping me anchor my thoughts but it doesn't take long before reality hits me all over again."

We’re so grateful to have you with us, Ellie. 💛
Our thoughts are with you and your family, and we're sending love and strength to all people in Iran who are risking their lives for a life lived without fear.

19/01/2026

It is sad so see even our young people looking so exhausted!
And it’s not always that obvious what is draining their energy.

Neuroscience explains our brain is like a GPS system that goes into lockdown when it has no clear direction. Your prefrontal cortex then burns 73% more glucose trying to work out all the different options and possible routes forward, and it feels like you're mentally living five lives all at once while physically accomplishing none!

“I’m sure people think I’m lazy but I’m just overwhelmed. I feel I should be doing something with my life but I can’t see what. I just can’t see where my place is in society. I look at my friends and I can see that I’m way behind where I should be, but I don’t seem to find a door opening for me.”

What might look like laziness or apathy might actually be your brain, your biological engine has shut down and has become paralysed in indecision.

The blunt truth is that it is better to do something, than nothing at all. Joining Arty-Folks art therapy might not feel like the solution to all your problems but it be the first step on your journey.

To find out more about our Canvas to Change project for young people 16-25yrs old visit https://arty-folks.org.uk/events/canvas-to-change-jan26