Community Design Studio

Read about our community design studio at the Great Escape, the people and the factors that influenced our new design workspace.

As a creative organisation, we see a need for individuals and families from those underprivileged backgrounds or people dealing with mental health issues such as addictive behaviour to be given support in terms of equipment and collaborative workspaces to explore opportunities in the creative arts.

Until they are shown the freedom from addictive behaviour that art can provide, many of our members struggle to think of an alternative direction for themselves.

Still, through our regular workshops and community initiatives, many have expressed an interest in using creativity as a possible way to support themselves and their families.

We have primarily engaged with our members using art workshops and the development of a recovery community focused around art and creative community initiatives.

Alongside the many health benefits of concentrating on creative skills that this brings to assist with recovery, we also see the application of creative digital skills on community projects as a further way to develop self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth.

Research and daily experience show that many members don't want handouts, but an opportunity to work their own way out of poverty after missing previous opportunities through their addictive behaviour.

Digital Support for Our Community

We see the provision of advice and signposting via our community of peers and advisers as an invaluable way for our members to find opportunities for personal growth and a likely direction for their future in the creative art sectors.

We also want to provide those with limited resources or finances to further their ambitions with subsidised (or free) training or equipment.

We have aligned our organisation alongside several creative and IT businesses from the local community. We have plans in place to provide access to (usually expensive) training and equipment via donations.

There are general business support organisations within the region that offer traditional business support but do not provide the specific facilities or advice needed for a creative sector business.

As an example, the creative sector is driven by community and collaboration. In contrast, business support facilities offer minimal opportunities as they are geared up for a competitive environment rather than a collaborative one.

Our studio is looking to tap into unique ways to support our community 'online' via online digital channels and providing a 'hands-on' approach to develop skills in a 'live' design studio environment.

Some of the potential support could be;

Supporting Local University and College Education

Universities and Colleges typically offer the specific training needed for working in the creative sector, however as we mentioned before, many in addiction miss these opportunities through a lack of finances, health or mental health issues.

We know that if opportunities are missed after compulsory education, it can demotivate and lead to a potential loss of individuals from our creative sector. In some cases, this may even be a factor that initiates addictive behaviour.

Other opportunities may arise at a later stage, so individuals can apply to a course as a 'mature' student.

Still, in many cases, the courses available are for general foundational skills with a limited range of learning options available. They may not provide sufficient expertise to progress further in this specific sector.

We want to offer guidance and signposting to members about existing options via further education, and we are exploring ways to bring foundational skills to the community at large via our digital initiatives and workshop-based training, alongside the 'real world' experience of working within a creative studio.

This helps to build confidence and self-worth and to develop the collaborative skills that are required to work in the creative arts sector.

Alongside these skills, there is also a wide range of sector-specific 'transferable' skills that can be developed based around the management of the design environment.

Such skills include dealing with customers, personal development, organisational skills and strategic skills, all of which are perceived as a significant factor in employment opportunities for the creative sectors and are regularly bemoaned about as lacking even after a university-level education.

Our digital studio is being built to create aspiring and inspired individuals that have a practical approach to design and creativity and the skills to use a wide range of technologies that many do not get the opportunity to gain even during further education.

Supporting the Local Business Community

With the support of the local community and companies in the region that are currently craving fresh creatives, we believe we can train and retain creative individuals that want to find employment or start their own business within our area.

From feedback, we are actively encouraging our members to look at what they need to learn as a way to start their own businesses or maybe work as freelancers, and we want to provide them with the support they need as they move in their new direction.

In many ways a 'traditional' business support approach is only available for those that have the entrepreneurial drive to start a business, access to finances or in many cases have previously trained with that outcome in mind. They may not have experienced the barriers that many of our members face.

We know some business support organisations provide help with workspaces, financial and funding support. Still, many of these use a general business approach, rather than delivering specific support required by the creative and digital sectors.

What do we want to do?

Support our Community

We want to support our community members by providing access to digital equipment and workshops to develop their digital skills and to use them to build self-confidence, self-esteem and to create a new start for their lives and their families.

Online and In-Person Workshops

We have experience in delivering workshops in-house and access to the facilities needed to create a safe learning and instructional environment for our members. We are also engaging with local professionals to offer workshops on our behalf, either via online channels or through our walk-in centres.

Example of skills workshops we are currently planning:

• Design Management Skills
• Project Management and Time Tracking
• Pricing and Invoicing
• Running a Freelance Business
• Planning Skills
• Sketching and Visual Thinking
• Moodboards and Journaling
• Design Basics
• Typography
• Iconography
• Colour Theory
• Digital Skills
• Graphic Design
• Digital Illustration
• Photography (Digital and Mobile)
• Photo Retouching and Restoration
• Videography and Animation
• Audio (Radio and Podcasts)
• Production Skills
• Scanning and Digital Photography
• Large Format Digital Printing for displays and events
• Promotional Clothing and Items (for example, mugs, badges, pens etc.)

We will also provide signposting to useful advice, funding and business support, professional training and education from the local creative sectors, business support organisations, colleges and universities for any of our community that want to explore possible employment in the digital arts.

Supporting our Community of Local Artists.

Creative Start is supported by a local community of artists (amateur and professional). To return the support of these artists, we have invested in digital photography and scanning tools and large-format printers to provide a 'digitising service' for them to turn their works of art into digital assets.

These can then be used for promotion and to create digital products that can be sold via our online eCommerce site.

We are also building our eCommerce platform to provide a space for artists to sell their creative products and works of art under the Creative Start banner.

Supporting other charities and not-for-profit organisations

We will also provide help based around digital knowledge and skills to local start-ups, community projects and work with a wide selection of other charitable and not-for-profit organisations throughout the community to help them to promote their own initiatives.

Our community based digital studio is available for free to all members in recovery (and potentially non-members with a regular donation or subscription).

We offer a range of creative services, marketing advice and skills workshops, including graphic design, digital publishing, production of promotional items, exhibition and event graphics and web design, e-commerce, social marketing and mobile app design to name but a few.

Delivery of the Digital Community Studio

Alongside the Creative Start directors and the Recovery Committee, we are working with professional digital design studio and consultancy 'Nomad Remote Digital Studio'.

This local company specialises in design management, strategic digital planning and digital support for business start-ups, charities and not-for-profit organisations.

Founded by Justin Fancourt in 2018 after a 35-year career working in digital agencies and management including 15 years as a freelance designer and entrepreneur running his own businesses.

Justin also lived and worked in Spain for 12 years providing digital services to rural communities and ran digital training workshops from a cybercafé and network gaming business he established for his local community.

He has been an active member of the local business community in Grimsby for the last 15 years.

He brings a wide variety of creative skills and support from his connections in the digital world alongside his wealth of digital knowledge to help us grow the studio initiative further.

He works from the community digital studio for several days a week to provide advice and support to our walk-in members and remotely via our current online channels on a day to day basis.

He is currently designs and manages our website on a volunteer basis and manages our digital marketing platforms to expand our current membership processes.

He also develops our online community to bring more people and creative sector supporters into the initiative. 

'Nomad' will be providing the same support and advice to all our members, non-members and any local organisations that require help to build and promote their communities online.

Funding our initiative

The creation of a creative studio environment run by the local community and supported by professionals can be easily expanded to work in many different areas of the creative arts purely with the provision of new equipment and training.

However, we see the support of the local creative, education and business sectors as a real requirement if we wish to train and retain potential local talent.

We are exploring further opportunities to engage with the local business communities to financially support our efforts via donations of equipment, time or money rather than purely relying on government funding.

Many digital software or equipment companies provide grants and financial incentives to creative start-ups, and we are exploring ways to help them engage with our creative community to support its future development too.

Large format art and design, murals and signage, created for you by our community design team.