HOW TO BEGIN is a week-long digital artist workshop designed as a space to reignite, reawaken, or re-encounter your artistic practice. It is a place for anyone who feels blocked, uninspired, bored, fed up, or out of love with their artistic practice. You can think of this as an artist’s call-to-arms, an invitation to commune with your art-self, or a love letter to your burgeoning art practice.
The workshop lasts a week. It will begin on a Sunday and end on a Sunday.
Every day during the week (Mon-Fri) you will receive a short tutorial video from me, beginning with a tip or skill that I use in my work, and ending with setting you a creative task for the day. You can complete this task whenever or wherever you’d like during that day.
The workshop will close with a live group session on the final Sunday, to share, debrief, and reflect.
This workshop is intended for those at any stage in their career, and will serve as a pick-me-up, an invitation and a provocation for your arts practice. It is designed to get your creative juices flowing, whether or not you call yourself an artist, whatever stage you are in your arts practice, and wherever you are in life. Tasks will centre around unblocking your own creative life-line, tuning into your inner artist radio, and first and foremost giving you a place to begin (again).
The workshop is open to artists of any discipline: live artists, poets, writers, performers, directors and anything in between.
HOW TO BEGIN UPCOMING DATES
HOW IT WORKS
On the first Sunday I will hold a workshop opening ceremony which is a chance for you to ask questions and set intentions for the week.
After that, every day from Monday to Friday you will receive a 15min video and creative task in your inbox at 7am. We invite you to spend anywhere from 45mins + on your creative work for the day. You can do this anywhere or at any time of the day, we just ask that you put aside 1hr minimum every day to engage with the workshop materials.
On the final Sunday I will host a group workshop session on zoom, which will be a chance for the group to come together, share, and reflect.
Over the week you will also be supported through an exclusive digital community space set up exclusively for the group (not on Facebook!) where you can share ideas, reflections and work, as well as asking for support, and finding gentle ways to interact with the workshop group.
DETAILS
You must be 18+ and available for all the dates in order to take place. (Please note Mon-Fri’s tasks are self-directed and you can fit them around your schedule, but Sunday’s group sessions are at a fixed time)
All workshop content is captioned, and a BSL/Language Interpreter will be available on request.
COST
It is important to us that the workshop pricing accessible, so we have kept the cost as low as possible, and included a student/unwaged/low income tier.
Standard Price: £75
Student/Unwaged/Low Income Price: £60
We also have a select number of scholarship places available- you can let us know in your application if you would like to apply for one.
APPLY
You can apply to be on the workshop via the link below.
“Nurturing, fortifying, invigorating. A way to find your way back into your practice with courage, clarity and play.”
“How to Begin helped me to reignite my creative spark after a long time lying cold. I came into the week hoping to be able to re-find what I love about writing, creating, and learning, and I found all those things. The support network in the group doing it formed affirming, helpful ties through the online portal, and I’m sure there’s more than one collaboration that’s come out of it. I’m going to be taking more than a few of the techniques and exercises with me into my making processes. ”
“This series of creative prompts from Louise, has kick started my creative fire again. Filled with lots of exercises that encourage artistic reflection as well as creation, Louise beautifully guides the week long journey to restore the foundations of a daily creative practice. Gathering insights and new ways to create material along the way.”
“I applied for this when I was feeling at a low ebb creatively. The workshop helped me get back to my optimism, get back in my body and get back in the habit of making time for play in my practice. It was a nurturing, well supported and invigorating week that will serve my practice well as I go on to finish some of the things that started here
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“A beautiful coming together of people from all walks of artistic life. Louise knows how to gently lure the artist you want to be out of you, leaving you a little breathless along the way, but deeply committed to continuing your practice at the end. ”
“This has been such an uplifting week. I feel I’ve not only developed as an artist but also as a person. I’ve created work I never imagined I could think up, felt completely supported by the fellow artists on this journey and know that after this week, I’m starting something new. A new project, a new outlook and a new creative me. I feel so INSPIRED!
Thank you Louise for a wonderful workshop week. I highly recommend to anyone doubting themselves, needing a creative pick me up.
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