Art / arts and crafts
The collective tapping into creativity to improve mental wellbeing
Busy Minds Hub is a creative non-for-profit run by Alice Moseley, Jade Harrison and Netty Burd.
They offer workshops such as collage making and upcycling, as a means of fostering a safe space to make social connections, have relaxed chats and decompress from the day. All with the aim of improving people’s mental wellbeing and if people learn a skill too that’s a bonus.
Alice who works as a nurse, sat down with us to explain where the idea came from and how it’s evolving.
is needed now More than ever
Alice pictured here says: “I just wanted to channel my energy into something a bit more creative, but also to be able to focus on mental health.”
“I’ve worked in mental health services for about ten years, working mainly in high-pressure environments such as in hospital wards.
“What they (hospitals) did offer was good but there is still was so much more that could have been done but it just wasn’t possible and it’s sad. In the community it’s the same thing, mental health services they’re not able to do that stuff on a super accessible way.
“Thankfully in Bristol its way more creative so that there is that space. But in general spaces that are both accessible and relaxed were missing.
“I’d personally experienced seasonal depression and I found that if I was focused on a task or a low intensity activity, that really helped.
“So, I started a collage group just in my living room, just like friends coming over just informally.”
Collage Club was a big hit at Wiper and True
The group steadily evolved, being picked up by Wiper and True in December 2023, they then established Busy Minds Group as a non-profit in October 2024 and they now offer free bi-monthly workshops at Easton Community Centre.
It’s still in the early stages she says.
But the ethos is imperative to leading their work, she passionately states: “The ethos is that we want to support people that are in the creative industries to be fairly paid, as well as helping people who for example are in the in communities and they’re feeling lonely, perhaps not feeling their best or maybe they have a learning disability.
“This is their safe space, where we can chat openly about how you’re feeling or just not. Sometimes people aren’t having a great day and they just want to channel that energy into their work.”
As she and Jade have more than a decade of experience in the mental health sector, they are able to leverage that knowlege if anybody needs it.
One of the attendees of the many workshops that the hub runs
Collaboration with artists who also receive fair pay and get to platform their work is a crucial element of making the hub what it is.
The other reason Alice started the group she says is because she has such talented friends, such as Ash who runs the upcycling workshop called Santino’s Wardrobe.
“The plan is to run some markets. I had a few markets of some of the collage workshops. Its an evolving project which can hold space for all.
“It’s not about one person, it’s about supporting each other, supporting creatives, supporting people with mental health and wellbeing.”
Nettie modelling her ruffle collar project
She admits it is difficult to run a project that teaches a skill, while paying the teachers and having enough left over to buy equipment and reinvest back in the organisation in order for them to continue.
But she is applying for funding and seeking out opportunities on new horizons.
She is hoping to implement workshops in workspaces for those who need time-out from work to relax, so she is appealing for businesses to get in touch.
The upcoming workshop will be work centred around period positivity.
Looking further to the future, she hopes to take these classes to more male dominated spaces and teaching them what has become more of a female dominated skill such as sewing.
Then getting them to participate in a skill share by teaching skills that are male dominated such as carpentry.
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The tickets are £5, but you can contact them to attend for free if you need it. The money goes to ensuring they can keep them low-cost and pay the creatives.
Their next event is on Thursday at Wiper and True.
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Main photo: Rozi Lane
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