Arty-Folks

31/03/2026

“The great joy of play, fantasy and the imagination is that for a time we are utterly spontaneous, free to imagine anything. In such a pure state of pure being, no thought is ‘unthinkable.’
- Carl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychiatrist

There are times we feel so squeezed out in our heart and soul that we simply can't imagine a different way forward. That's when you need to start playing creatively without any restrictions, without an end result in mind.

Playing again free as a child is something we focus on during our 3-week Art for Mental Health courses. It's about giving people permission to explore without the fear of failure, without the pressure of perfection.

"It was quite liberating! I suddenly felt light and I could breathe again."

"I've learnt that I can let go, have no expectations, and it actually can turn out quite alright!"

"To just be, and time flying by. I've not felt this good for a long time."

30/03/2026

This is alarming and should really concern us!

Research shows that half of all mental health disorders start before the age of 18 and that about 14% of people between 15 and 19 years old worldwide have been diagnosed with a mental disorder.

What is most saddening is that teenagers mostly suffer from 'Anhedonia', which is an inability to experience happiness or joy. Young people often describe it as feeling flat or numb, unable to enjoy any pleasurable activities and leading to social withdrawal.

Adolescents are typically highly sensitive to social feedback, and their use of digital technology and social media amplifies it. And with it comes a high risk of developing Anhedonia, anxiety and depression.

If you are worried about your child, find a group activity that can interest them such as dungeon&dragon, drama, music, arts&crafts, basically any activity that does not remind them of school!

Arty-Folks runs Canvas to Change, a group for young people 16-25yrs old Wednesdays 4pm-6pm. You will find more info on our website https://arty-folks.org.uk/what-we-offer/canvas-to-change

28/03/2026

The next 3-week Art & Mental Health course
at Arty-Folks studios Coventry starts Wed. 15th April, 1pm-3pm

You can book your place now if you live in Coventry/Warwickshire and are you looking for an in-person art group that supports your mental health and wellbeing.

With a small group of like-minded people you will learn foundation art skills that will help you relax and switch off from ruminating and worrying.

Once you've booked your place our Wellbeing Mentor will call you to find out more about your needs and talk you through what you can expect.

Give it a go! Art can be a great next step on your recovery journey.
🎨

22/03/2026

We just can't understand why some people believe that people with mental ill health don't want to work?

That's absolutely not our experience at all!

There is not one person here who is not looking for a job, or studies, or volunteering as a stepping stone into a job. And so many take on part-time jobs like 5hours per week on a minimum wage, because it's a foot through the door into a very difficult job market.

This week we've celebrated one of our young people passing the driving test with a 100% pass! Another young person completed a training course and is now running arts&crafts workshops. Another one got a part-time job but still wants to attend...

We have so many examples of people truly doing their best, and achieving! We can assure you that nobody here wants to be a burden on their loved ones, or society.

Let's try be kind and not rush to judgement.
There are much bigger fish to fry in this world!

21/03/2026

Get creative and sprinkle a little happiness!

We spend an enormous amount of energy chasing happiness as if it only exists somewhere ahead of us in the future.

We imagine to be finally happy with a better job, a better house, a better partner, or being thinner, richer, calmer, more accomplished. Happiness then is always out of our reach.

Maybe we are just looking in the wrong direction?

Today we sat together all fully engrossed in our artwork and on a mission to complete it in time for our exhibition, and it felt so good!!!

We all went home feeling really happy with what we have accomplished today and happy that we had such a nice time together.

Are you creative with other people?

20/03/2026

Have you noticed that at some point in the creative process self-doubt creeps in? How do you get through it?

This is the work of one of your young people who really had to dig deep to fit that inner critic.

"It just all felt wrong from the start. I had no clue where I was going with it and I wanted to dump it so many times. It was such a horrible feeling and I didn't think it was ever going to stop.

It's strange, I don't know when that feeling change and something clicked into gear. I started to feel free to experiment and care a lot less about whether it's right or wrong, whether people like it or not, whether it's as good as everyone else's.

Now I really like it and I'm actually proud of it. It feels like a huge achievement in so many different ways."

If you're not careful that silly negative voice in your head, the voice of past critics, can really stop you in your tracks.

One way to reduce it's power is to take pics step by step so you can see for yourself that you and your artwork are work in progress.

Don't you think this piece is coming on nicely! Can't wait to show it at the Herbert Art Gallery next month as part of our Hand on Heart exhibition. ✨

19/03/2026

Next Tuesday 24th March, we are running a lunchtime online workshop if you fancy joining us 12pm-1pm?

In this 1hour Come Connect workshop we will introduce you to Creative Mindfulness the Arty-Folks way so you can enjoy a bit of 'me-time' in your busy day.

All you need is A4 paper, pencil/pens, scissors, maybe some highlighters/colour pencils, and a cuppa of course :)

Here you can book a place, it's all free:

COME CONNECT a free online workshop for adults 16+ in Coventry and Warwickshire who want to try creative techniques to…

18/03/2026

We are over the moon to share the Arts Council England has awarded Arty-Folks £32,790 to fund Hand on Heart project! This means we can celebrate 30 years since running our very first art workshop with you all.

Can you believe it! Back on 25th of April 1996, a bunch of people got together to be creative and talk about art and life, rather than broken minds. And here we are! 30 years… how did that happen?! Bonkers!

We are so excited to invite you to our exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum which will run from Tuesday 14th April to Sunday 25th, during their usual opening hours.

Members of our Creative Peer Support groups in Coventry and Lillington have been working hard since January to create stunning 2D and 3D artwork that will invite you to pause and create with us, and reflect openly about how we feel in the here and now.

With this ACE grant we can frame our members work properly and get technical support for an installation that we would like to evolve with your help. During those two weeks you can join us in the gallery for hands-on workshops and add your own piece of work to our exhibition. And of course we will send your work back to you afterwards.

We want our Hand on Heart exhibition to be open to everyone and to spark more honest and creative conversations about how art supports mental wellbeing, how being creative helps to work through difficult life experiences, and how we find connection and belonging through our arts practice.

Back in the days, mental health patients used to leave the hospital with very little to go to. They were told that their conditions were chronic or hereditary, and due to a chemical imbalance there was no hope of recovery, let alone get a job, a family, a driving licence, or travel. Much has changed since, some for the better, but only some.

Arty-Folks is now a registered Charity with all the pressures that go with it, but our mindset has remained unchanged. We believe that people can and do make a full recovery, regardless of diagnosis. We have ample proof that Art is a powerful tool to spark our drive to explore, to learn, and against all odds to succeed.

A massive THANK YOU! to ACE - you are indeed ace! 😍

We can’t wait to welcome you to our Hand on Heart exhibition and get creative with you!

14/03/2026

Burnout doesn't happen all at once our out of the blue!

It happens step by step and it starts very often with the need to prove yourself to others!

"I felt like I couldn't keep up and whatever I achieved was never enough. That was in work, with family and friends, and eventually it felt like the story of my life."

When you constantly push yourself to meet others’ expectations, you lose sight of your own. The drive that once gave you purpose becomes the weight that drags you down. You keep saying yes to everyone else but forget to say yes to yourself.

At Arty-Folks we meet so many people who feel they’ve “failed” because they can’t run on empty anymore.

Burnout is a red flag and your body asking for rest, balance, and reconnection with what really matters to you.

Through art, conversation, and community, we help you slow down, rediscover your creative spark, and rebuild a relationship with yourself that’s based on compassion, not exhaustion.

If this resonates, have a look at our programme of workshops and courses https://arty-folks.org.uk/whats-on/

13/03/2026

The story of F.C. who joined Arty-Folks online during Covid,
attended at our studios in 2024 and has just returned for a bit more support:

"I became very unwell over 20yrs ago and I was then told I would never get a job and be on benefits for the rest of my life. I felt hopeless and completely written off by their verdict and it stuck with me for a very long time.

Slowly, very slowly, attitudes around mental health began changing and things started to pick up for me. I started to get jobs but also losing them, which is now at the root of so much of my worries and anxiety.

I’ve just joined Arty-Folks again and it feels like I’ve never left. We had a really nice catchup which ended in an interesting discussion about logical versus reasonable thinking.

I said that I feel it’s just logical that it will all go belly up again. Staff replied that just because something can be explained logically step by step it doesn’t make it inevitable or true, that logic is linear and biased and only works because it excludes other possibilities.

Things may have happened in the past in a certain way repeatedly because conditions were the same, that seems logical. When conditions change it is also logical to expect a different outcome, one that you might not be able to predict as it’s a new place! To ignore everything that has changed in the past couple of years is un-reasonable and also illogical.

I hadn’t realised that I was disregarding my achievements like completing my 1st year at Uni, supporting my family through tough times, and holding myself together when students in my care are in crisis.

It helped me realise that I have changed and that staff might be right: I need to build trust and confidence in myself that I can handle situations now, and stop measuring myself through the lense of the past.

I'm really enjoying being back."

To read the full story visit:
https://arty-folks.org.uk/peoples-journeys/logical-vs-reasonable-f-c/

11/03/2026

Very often we are our own worst critics when we're feeling down.

We label ourselves unreliable, unworthy, a lost cause, a burden on others, weak, lazy, a waste of time. We are harsh on ourselves when we really need encouragement most.

What you really need to hear is that you're doing your best going through tough times, that every day is different and remember your hopes and dreams.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, low mood, stress, or just life weighing you down seek the company of people who know what you are going through and who know that you too are worthy of support.

A good starting point is your local library or community centre, or even church cafe. It sure is hard to give yourself that little push, but you won't regret it!

10/03/2026

It is quite sad to see how exhausted people look at the start of our 3-week Art for Mental Health Course.

So many people are feeling tired, exhausted, worn out. Life seems to spin faster, with every more pressure, more stress, and a race to keep up with...? Do we still know?

We are now 4 years past the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s been a weird and surreal ride, to say the least. And life has not got any easier since!

We've been trying to hard to establish a new 'normality' but we just can't find any markers for it. And it’s taken a toll!

Taking a step back from it all has become an essential survival and coping strategy. About 60% of people attend Arty-Folks are on sick leave and are using this time off to recharge energy through their arts practice.

Of course, life can’t just stop! But we do need to allow ourselves some time for our brains and bodies to calm and cool.

So let's be a bit more gentle with ourselves and give each other time and space to heal.