‘Unbelievable and one of the best roads I have undertaken’ 

‘…now there is a real sense of urgency to create that needs to be heeded, regardless of where it might lead.’ 

‘Your hard work and support through this series has been a real delight, with all the different elements that you have included to keep us amused and active!

Creative? Me?

You’re curious. Good first step. If you are curious then you are open. You are open to possibility.

Writing for Fun and Friendship and Well-being

Join me for sessions of conversation, creative writing and enjoyment. Each session will explore a different theme with discussion and guidance to try different writing exercises.

No writing experience necessary just some enthusiasm to play around with words and to spend time with others. The sessions have an easy relaxed atmosphere and experiment with fun and sociable activities.

Themes:

• Writing about memories

• Inspiration from the environment

• Positive enrichment and new ideas

• Prompts from favourite poetry and prose

Pen Friends

• Small group for older members of the Orkney community to socialise and write.

These sessions aim to be flexible and enjoyable and will follow different themes with opportunities to try memoir writing and storytelling. There will be a chance to explore writing prompts and to share in a friendly atmosphere.

I am always keen to follow ideas from the group and to encourage everyone to give new things a go. Each person will develop their own portfolio of writing.

Themes:

• All Creatures Great and Small
• Journeys
• My Team
• On Waking
• Seasons
• With These Hands

Environmental Writing for Well-being

This course encourages writing for wellbeing following a series of new exercises and prompts based on the environment. Each session will focus on different aspects of the environment and participants will be guided in a positive creative response. It will be the perfect way to wind down and reconnect with nature and to explore creative possibilities. No experience necessary, just a pinch of curiosity and enthusiasm.

The sessions are inclusive and exploratory and seek to uncover a sense of curiosity and exploration and through creative reflection and writing an increased sense of well-being. They also aim to provide participants with a creative tool kit for examining the possibilities of the world around them and for reflecting on past experiences and moving forward positively.

Each session includes: welcome and introduction, warm up writing, new stimulus, creative reflection, guided writing, sharing and discussion.

Themes:

• Seeds
• Growth
• Change
• Light
• Connections
• Stars

You are wondering what could happen next if I say ‘hello’ to my creative-self. I can’t guarantee worldly success. But I can guarantee you will know yourself better. You will become more creative. You will become closer to your true self. The self that is the most tender and most creative part of you.

This process may have been waiting for you for a long time. You may have gone through creative processes before and feel it is time to re-boot, to reconnect. You may have never, ever thought about your creativity for very long at all. Too busy doing other things. Doing is good. Very good. Turning up and doing is in fact the very best thing you can do for your creativity.

You need support though. We all do. You need tools. We all do. To stay creative, to grow, to understand ourselves. To remove blocks that we can’t even see. These tools will make you more creative. Which is good.

They will take you to your true self. It is a journey with and through other people’s experiences and generosity. I’d love you to join us. Read my article on protecting creativity in the UHI LitSoc Magazine – New Beginnings.

Please get in touch if you or your organisation are interested in any of these creative sessions. I am also happy to provide bespoke programmes for different groups.

Workshop Tutor

Gabrielle Barnby has run creative writing workshops for many years, encouraging new writers and supporting creative discovery. She has facilitated creative groups with participants aged from eight to eighty. More information about her writing and creative practice can be found at gabriellebarnby.com