A Day In The Life of Creative Minds Artist: Laura Novak

06/25/2019

When did you join Creative Minds?
October 2018

What attracted you most to the franchise opportunity?
The opportunity to combine my love for helping people with my love for art, all in the time my children would be at school.

Tell us what you’ve been up to today…
Today I have been running my Mini Makers art session at the Whale of a Time Soft Play in Bar Hill, Cambridgeshire. They have a perfect party room that runs along side the soft play, decorated with a fun mural. The children can come to me and go crazy with all my art materials, having lots of fun and parents don’t need to do any tidying up! I always set up paints, stickers, pastels and bring a various amount of tools to paint with. The most popular being wheels to roll with, mixed with glitter! Each week I will also bring new ideas and mediums to experiment with.

I absolutely love drawing animations so I often ask the little ones who their favourite character is and we draw it together, they can then experiment with different mediums to finish off their artwork! I encourage mixing up the colours, playing around with lots of mediums and just generally having lots of fun!

How do you fit work around your two young boys and busy family life?
Being a Creative Minds Artist fits really well around family life. I am still able to do every school run, which I want to do while my children are young. Being mummy is and will always be my most important role in life. I plan my art sessions in advance and prepare anything that needs doing before the session either in the evening or a day I’ll have at home for administration and playing with my equipment.

What inspires the themes that you run in your art sessions?
It could be the time of year with what season it is, or if it’s Christmas etc. We have a wonderful Creative Minds network, where the artists share their art sessions and ideas. This is very inspiring. I also ask the participants if there is anything they would like to try in the next session.

What do you like best about being a Creative Minds Artist?
Seeing the joy and happiness on participant’s faces during an art session. It’s the most rewarding feeling in the world!

Read ‘Day in the Life of Creative Minds Artist: Sarah Bryant’ here: http://159.65.94.31/creative-minds-artist-sarah-bryant/

Our Community Meeting, March 2019

04/16/2019

We had another beautiful sunny day for our spring Community Meeting. Twice a year our passionate artists travel from across the UK to come together for a day of creativity, networking, sharing ideas, company news and updates plus a chance to catch up with old friends.

The day began with a fun ice-breaker, where Community Development Manager Sarah encouraged everyone to write down the answers to 5 questions about themselves on a piece of paper. She then got everyone to fold it into a paper airplane and launch it across the room. Each artist had to retrieve the one that landed closest to them, and discover who’s it was. This straight away got everyone talking, laughing and having fun.

After this, everyone enjoyed a bite to eat and a catch up for an informal networking session. Artists discussed projects they are working on, activities they are running with clients and any challenges they face, offering each other ideas and advice whilst sharing creative tips. This in essence is what the Community Meeting is all about.

Everyone then broke out into groups for a “Create and Design” session. This was the chance for CM Artists to get creative and explore different types of art sessions that they can run with different types of clients. Everyone got stuck in, working in a variety of different mediums. Each group had to create their own piece of artwork to showcase the ideas they brainstormed, which they then presented to the rest of the group.

We all then enjoyed a cuppa and some cake whilst reflecting on the ideas that came from the “Create and Design” session and how they can be applied to different client groups.

Following this, Creative Minds Founder and Director James Cropper ended with a presentation on all the latest company news and updates. James really brought across why now is such an exciting time to be working in the arts and health industry!

This Creative Minds Community Meeting is always a wonderful social occasion. It’s great to bring together so many like-minded passionate artists, all sharing their advice, experience and support. Everyone left feeling positive and uplifted, after hearing so many stories about the impact that their work is doing to bring joy to people’s lives!

A Day in the life of a Creative Minds Artist: Sarah Bryant

04/16/2019

How long have you been a Creative Minds Artist?
Just over three and a half years. I started in October 2015, and have renewed my franchise for another 3 years.

Tell us what you have been up to today?
I like to start early so by 7:45am I was enjoying a coffee, listening to Classic FM in my PJs whist beginning my prep work for today’s art sessions. I had two floral-themed sessions planned, so cut out templates, created a prototype and prepared some musical playlists to take along to the sessions. This took around an hour. I then got myself dressed and ready to leave the house by around 10:15am. I’m lucky because all of the Care Homes where I am based are all close to where I live.

I arrived at St Dominics Care Home in St Leonards-On-Sea and started the session around 10:30am. I worked with eight residents to create their own tulip collages. I got them to paint the flowers using watercolours, demonstrating different techniques for them to try. We then mounted the tulips onto card adding the vases to create a collage. I love engaging with the residents and chatting about memories that may stem from the theme of the sessions. There’s often lots and fun and laughter.

The session finished around 12pm, and all were thrilled with their work. I drove home for lunch and an hour of downtime before I headed out for the afternoon.

I arrived at Whitebeach Care Home in St Leonards-On-Sea around 1:30pm. The home had booked an extended session with me, as work was being carried out on the building. A group of residents worked on a collaborative “funky flower’ wall display. They all enjoyed painting the backdrop using acrylics, then each created their own 3D flower out of paper plates. The music I prepared was playing in the background, and it was all very upbeat and fun. Once the completed piece was up on the wall, one lady who took part came and hugged me with a tear in her eye. She was so thrilled with the outcome. It’s moments like this that make me really love my job!

It is great when homes display the artwork that the residents create. Not only does it brighten the surroundings, but relatives and visitors always appreciate seeing their creations when they come to visit.

I arrived home by around 4:30pm to finish my working day, and grabbed myself a cuppa whilst popping onto the Creative Minds Community Facebook group to share a few pics from the day. The support from the artists is incredible, and it is a great resource to tap into for ideas and advice.

What would a typical week look like to you?
I’d normally run on average around five-six sessions per week. Sometimes weeks are busier but that is around how many sessions I’d aim for.

How many hours do you normally work in a week?
Including prep time, around 23-24 hours per week.

Where do you get inspiration from on how to carry out your art sessions?
Previous artwork that I’ve created, other artists, exhibitions I have visited, the fact that I live by the sea! I can base my sessions around nature, seasons or topical themes. Anything that is happening in the wider world. I also tailor themes of sessions to client’s interests and hobbies. I tap into the Creative Minds Community who share great ideas with each other. I also like to work with recycled/up-cycled materials.

What first attracted you to the Creative Minds franchise opportunity?
The opportunity to run my own business with full support. I wanted to be able to get creative again with a care group that I am passionate about having lost both of my parents to dementia.

I was also attracted to the opportunity to be able to work flexibly, and work hours that would fit in better with family life. I wanted to be around for my daughter more and being a Creative Minds Artist offered a working solution that would let me choose the hours I wish to work.

What do you like best about being a Creative Minds Artist?
The job satisfaction I gain.
I love to see the reactions from clients and pride at what they can achieve. It’s so rewarding to see how pleased they are to see me when I arrive. This type of feedback is the best motivation anyone could ask for. Knowing I’m making a difference to people’s days.

Read ‘A Day in the Life of Creative Minds Artist: Laura Novak’ here: http://159.65.94.31/creative-minds-artist-laura-novak/