Join our Community in 2021!

05/26/2021

We’re happy to announce that Creative Minds is back and ready to rock and roll!

It’s fair say that the last 18 months have been a bit of a disaster for Creative Minds (as it has been for many small businesses). Last March our CM Artists and their sessions were cancelled with immediate effect as the care sector and then the whole of the UK (or world for that matter) was plunged into Lockdown as the pandemic started to take hold. Fear, uncertainty and despair started to take hold and was further compounded when we all understood what was going on much more clearly, and thus realised that this not going to be a quick recovery. There is however the promise of recovery and the light at the end of tunnel certainly feels within reach now due to the fantastic vaccination rollout.

Creative Minds is a wee bit smaller in size than it was prior to the pandemic, but we still have some wonderful artists that have stuck by the organisation, me, Sarah and the community and we’re really thankful that they’ve stayed! Creative Minds wouldn’t be here without – you. Like many people throughout the pandemic, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect an think deeply about what has happened, what I could have done better and what can be changed to improve Creative Minds for the future and as we move into this ‘new normal’ (that people keep harping on about 😉).

For Creative Minds to grow, prosper and scale, which has always been my vision for the company, it’s model will need to adapt to this new digital landscape we’re in. Gone is the Franchise and in is the Membership. This is part of my new vision of what a franchise is or can be, something that’s much more affordable for people, therefore much more accessible but yet retains some of the fantastic elements that made Creative Minds great – the community, and that support network. One of the key differences is that artists can become ‘members’ i.e. Creative Minds Artists, across the world and can leverage the Artsflow platform (booking and payment system) whilst they build their creative businesses.

So without further or do, I’ll go into the details of the Creative Minds Membership…

Our Training Costs £250 and will be delivered by Sarah, Head of Community Development.

In our online training you will learn how to:

Build your Creative Minds business.
Market & Sell yourself to prospective clients.
Learn about best practices when delivering your art sessions.
How to diversify your business by approaching and working with different clients.
Learn about the various marketing tools & means to build your business.
Learn about the Artsflow platform and how to onboard your clients.
Administer your business using the various tools & templates we’ve created.

Our monthly Membership fee is £25 & includes our Membership Pack:

Creative Minds Email Address (via Google Workspace)
Bi-weekly calls & messaging support from Sarah for first 3 months (conference/video calls)
Access to files, docs & templates (via Google Drive)
Access to our two Facebook Community Groups
Branded Apron & Name Badge

Marketing materials will need to be ordered separately by artists, and all of our templates will be available in Google Drive.

Business cards, facebook profile & cover images can be ordered separately by artists and are designed by a freelance graphic designer.

Our first training of the year is on Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd July and if you’d like to join us and the other artists please get in touch by completing a ‘Membership Application Form’ on our Membership page (this page and the form will be changing soon to reflect the above changes).

We really look forward to hearing from you and helping you to start your creative journey with Creative Minds!

Thank you for reading. 😊

James.

A message from Creative Minds re’ Coronavirus & Art Activity Boxes

03/19/2020

Dear clients,

As the coronavirus situation escalates we want to reassure you of our full support and understanding during this difficult and concerning time. As many of you are aware, immediate steps have been taken by our clients, especially the care sector to restrict visitors in order to protect the most vulnerable people in our society. These measures are absolutely necessary to ensure the protection and safety of our vulnerable population across the country.

However in times of restriction and isolation the importance of activities and stimulation becomes ever more apparent. Their importance to peoples health and wellbeing cannot be understated, whether it’s music, arts & crafts, poetry, sowing, other crafts or forms of entertainment.

In light of the restrictive measures implemented across the country, in particular in the care sector we as a community of artists have been working hard to develop ‘Art Activity Boxes’.

Our Art Activity Boxes contain accessible pre-planned sessions with all the art mediums, materials and equipment required, which can be delivered straight to your doorstep.

The Art Activity Boxes are priced at £35 each (based on one session plan) and can be delivered on a monthly/weekly basis.

Example Art Activity Box by Judy & Caroline, CM Artists based in Salisbury

To find out more and enquire please click below…

Art Activity Boxes

*Please be aware that this is dependent on where our artists are located and we may not be able to deliver to you if you are too far away*

Thank you for your support and we wish all of our clients the very best. We’ll get through this together!

Creative Minds.

Creative Minds Regional Meetings!

03/05/2020

Last year we started organising Regional Meetings for the community, which have been a great opportunity for the artists to get together, discuss their business, share ideas and support each other in addition to our twice yearly Community Meetings.

Artists have enjoyed discussing opportunities in their localities and the potential of collaborating with one another on the delivery of projects. We have a buzzing online forum where our artist community regularly chat and share ideas, but nothing beats a face-to-face catch up!

So far we’ve had Regional Meetings in the South East, South West, Midlands and Northern England, and we will be organising more over the coming months.

Leicestershire based CM Artist Alison described the Midlands meet up that took place on the 15^th Feb; “Four of us met in Leicester at The Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Only two of us had met before so it was a great way to feel comfortable in each other’s company, talking about what we all love, art!”

“Afterwards we found a small cafe to have lunch with some comfy seats, as we wanted to get to know each other better and discuss our businesses. We shared many ideas and positive experiences and soon realised that we all had different skills and expertise, which could help each other with in areas of our businesses. We plan to meet up again and have remained in contact.”

“It can be quite isolated at times being self-employed and this arranged meeting paid for by Creative Minds, has helped us to realise that friends are not far away and we are all there for each other.”

On 7^th December, 6 CM Artists based in the South East had their Regional Meeting at the Woods Restaurant in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells.

CM Artist Sarah Ackroyd commented; “It was a jolly festive lunch and we all listened to each other’s news and shared tips and techniques. Lots of chocolate tart was consumed and I really enjoyed the meeting, putting names to faces!”

Up in Leeds, 4 Northern based CM artists had their Regional Meeting on 25^th November at the Tetley Gallery, where they enjoyed lunch and then went on to explore the exhibitions.

CM Artist Sarah W, based in Cheshire said; “We spent a few hours chatting and getting to know each other. I felt a real sense of community, it’s great to meet our “colleagues” and chat face-to-face so even though we work for ourselves we are not alone.”

CM Artist Caroline & Judy based in Salisbury, Wiltshire attended the South West Regional Meeting on 9th November, where a group of artists met at the Royal West of England Academy to view the latest exhibitions and enjoy a bite to eat together.

Caroline said; “‘It was great to meet up with other artists from our region and discover how much joy we all get from bringing art to residents in care homes and other settings, and seeing how much they enjoy it!”

If you would love to be part of our wonderful artist community, please feel free to request a Franchise Booklet and complete a Franchise Application on our ‘Franchise’ page – www.creativeminds.art/franchise/ . We look forward to hearing from you!

Stoma Support Groups get creative!

12/07/2018

Creative Minds are delighted to be working closely with Colostomy UK who will be rolling out an art project next year that will run across Stoma Support Groups across the UK. This will be part of Colostomy UK’s“active ostomates” initiative – designed to empower people with a stoma to participate in activities to increase both physical and mental wellbeing. These activities are undertaken in a supportive environment to enable ostomates to build their confidence before taking up similar activities in the wider community.

Colostomy UK strongly recognise the emotional benefits that creative activity brings and they back Stoma Support groups across the UK. These groups bring people together in a friendly, supportive atmosphere to sensitively address issues that people face after stoma surgery.

Our artist Karen ran a wonderful taster session at the East Berkshire Ostomy Group in September. Participants had the opportunity to explore their creativity during a fun, relaxed 90-minute art session. Some stunning landscapes were created and attendees enjoyed experimenting with different techniques using soft and oil pastels. Many had never even used these mediums before!

A second taster session took place in November with Creative Minds Artist David at Wrights Meadow Centre, High Wycombe. It was a very autumnal theme and David gave participants the opportunity to either paint onto cut-out leaves or to paint from observation. Most participants said that they were not artistic in any way, and went with painting on cut-outs, but as the session progressed they got stuck in and began to really enjoy themselves. A couple of people commented to David that they found it very relaxing and therapeutic, and came away from the session feeling good.

Giovanni from Colostomy UK says; “We have heard some fantastic feedback from the Creative Minds Sessions and are looking forward to pushing this out to a wider audience in the near future. Anything we can do that encourages Ostomates to participate in activity, build up their confidence and get back into the community adds significant value to the people we support. To find out more about how to sign up for the project please email giovanni.cinque@colostomyuk.org”

Creative Minds Artists Attend Community Meeting 2018!

11/20/2018

On a beautiful autumnal morning Creative Minds Artists (CM Artists) traveled from across the UK, to come together for our biannual Community Meeting. These meetings are an opportunity for CM Artists to network, share ideas, gain valuable business advice and receive news and updates from the Head Office.

Upon arrival, each artist received a little card with the name of one of the world’s most famous artists on (which they could not reveal). Creative Minds Artists then had to ask each other questions, to try and guess which of the old master’s names they had on their card. This fun game got everyone talking and appreciating how the iconic figures of the art world have inspired many of their own art sessions.

A friendly networking session with refreshments followed, with loads of ideas being shared. Our CM artists regularly communicate with each other via our online forums but don’t often get the chance to chat face-to-face. This was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to enjoy a cup of tea and have a good catch up.

Following this, our CM Artists Jess and Ali delivered a short arts and dementia training session. This included a hands-on workshop, sensitively encouraging everyone to explore ways in which those living with dementia respond to different themes and objects, which evoke emotions and memories.

The artists were then set a 20-minute challenge to each create their own work of art in response to this training. Following this all of the work was hung around the room so that everyone could view and discuss each other’s own unique and beautiful take on the challenge.

Everyone then enjoyed a tasty buffet lunch, followed by tea and cake, whilst reflecting on the insight they had gained from the morning’s session.

Following lunch, Creative Minds Founder and Director James Cropper, delivered news and updates on future plans for Creative Minds, and shared a selection of fresh new business building tools. This lead to an open discussion on the opportunities they have as CM Artists to expand into further fields.

Community Development Manager Sarah Fenner, then shared kind and inspiring words, giving advice and ideas on how to overcome the challenges some of the artists may face. She then encouraged everyone to stop for five minutes, and take a break for a little self-care. All CM Artists were handed clay and took a wander outdoors, for a moment of mindfulness and reflection in the warm autumn sunshine.

This was a lovely way to end the day as everyone considered all that had been discussed, and how it can be applied to their business as Creative Minds Artists. At the end everyone came together for a group photo, before saying good-byes, then each artist began their journey home.

It was a wonderful day, bringing together such a passionate community of artists, and hearing their moving stories about how their work is touching people’s lives. We’re so proud of the work that they do, and we look forward to getting together again for our next community meeting in spring 2019!

Thanks for reading.