Catch up with CG's Sector Support Manager for Arts on Prescription

We caught up with Carrie Creamer to find out more about her role as Project Manager for arts on prescription - working alongside arts organisations delivering programmes in Glos - as well as her own chance encounter in a hospital setting which delivered a moment of joy amongst the worry and waiting.

So Carrie - tell us where this began?

I began working with Create Gloucestershire in early January 2018 as their Project Manager for Sector Support for Arts on Prescription. This role was funded by the NHS and involved working alongside the 5 arts organisations who are also funded to deliver the arts on prescription programmes in Gloucestershire. I also supported the wider community of people who are working in a range of activities to embed art and culture for health, wellbeing and social purpose.

Tell us about what’s happening in Gloucestershire?

In Gloucestershire, the Arts on Prescription offer has been developing in a fairly organic way for over 8 years drawing in various artists and arts organisations who initially worked under the umbrella of Artlift. The CreativeHealth report also includes case studies on Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group’s social prescribing programme and the Artlift arts-on-prescription scheme.

For much of the UK, the “Universal Social Prescribing Model” is usually shared with the voluntary sector and the NHS. It’s focus is very about prevention and connection, joining things up and working to bring people together. So, it might involve a link worker/community worker and/or community groups to signpost and share offers for practical and emotional support. The model that I am supporting 5 organisations with is the “Social Prescribing Plus model”, which is integrated into something called clinical care pathways, so it is a much more targeted offer. A key part of this work involves co-production as part of the Social Prescribing Plus model. In effect it means that artists and organisations work closely with partners to create an offer and process together that is responsive and inclusive in its development and delivery.

So, what did you do as part of this role?

I supported 5 funded organisations, who are Artlift, Artspace, Artshape, Mindsong and The Music Works to coming together and share their knowledge and learning. This involved digging deeper into the creative process, mapping delivery and development of this work. I organised the first Creative Health Lab event in September with people, patients and communities, artists and makers as well as clinicians and doctors who are working in the arts and health sector to come together. Again, it’s about connecting people to what is happening, growing our knowledge and expertise of this work and sharing it more widely both individually and collectively to make a difference.

How is this role a good fit for you?

As an artist and producer, this role feels like a good fit for me. My background in the arts sector comes from my own desire to work with communities, collect stories and build relationships. Much of my work has been engaged with connecting people across all ages to find common ground through arts projects. It’s not always so simple and it isn’t always so easy.

But, forging partnerships and working in unlikely places has always been my passion. To include everyone. EVERYONE. To amplify the voices of the least heard is always a big motivator for me. It is always about collaborating and working with people to create something that we all feel part of all. For me, this begins with a conversation, a chat and a hopeful connection. Communities deserve to be spaces of wonder, a chance to excite and to dream. It is an evolving space, changing and breaking down into different shapes and sizes over the years. It is where we build relationships and make memories. It should be where we feel comfortable and supported, healthy and happy.

The thing that excites me about arts and health is the ripple effect that this has on you as an individual and the world around you. When my father was ill a few years ago and spent long stretches of time in hospital, I would take my daughter along the hospital corridors to visit the artwork whilst we were waiting for news.

We would always visit the same spot along the hospital corridor. We were always fascinated by a collection of small wooden painted figures engaged in some kind of a dance by http://www.edwinabridgeman.com/. It was a moment of pause to notice something new and playful. It was this chance encounter in those small moments of joy and discovery in a hospital setting which so often are also dark moments of worry and waiting.

Suddenly the space became something else, other than the current worry. We would take ourselves off to visit Edwina’s work along with others. We gave each work a playful name as we invited various members of our family to join us in our new discovery.

So, what can social prescribing do for us ?

Many of us often feel isolated and lonely. Some people may live alone with worries about money, work, health, family, housing and a wealth of other things.

Like many people I am a member of the classic sandwich generation. I am positioned between my child and my elderly parents. I watch the passing of time with my daughter and my parents at either end with myself sandwiched in the middle. The passing of time. The change of seasons. The change of health needs as some become more independent while others become less so. Health and wellbeing plays an enormous role in my life. Therefore, community and creativity is vital for someone like me.

A few years ago while giving a talk about creativity and mental health support for young people, somebody asked me during the lunch break what I did to support my own creativity and my own well-being. It threw me somewhat. Until that point, I had spent a lot of time researching, talking and writing about ways of working in the creative arts sector. I had been speaking with authority and passion about the importance of self care. However, I wasn’t always (actually not at all) living the messages that I was sharing. Many artists are in the same position. Many of us work long, uncomfortable and unpredictable hours with unpredictable work. So, maintaining that creative curiosity and health is really key to us all.

Cut forward and times have changed for me. I actively invest in my creative self care and I do spent time to reflect and look after myself. So, here is a wellbeing checklist from our beloved NHS which i found really useful at that moment. It is a good thing. It can enrich us and support us all. Try and plot your week, your month, your year with it. It is really worth it.

Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Get out to meet them. Work to make friends.

Be active – It isn’t about going to the gym but taking to walking, cycling or playing active games, move. You might swim indoors or outdoors. You could do something in your own home.

Keep learning – trying something new with your brain, learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence.

Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it’s a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering is as much about you as the community. It can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.

Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. I guess this is about knowing yourself more, what you need, what you feel and connecting with it.