#@creativity

[ian-c-bouras]

Very excited to get more of my photos, printed on metal. Just wanted to go through them quick! Thank you for watching:)

[ageofcreativity]

TO MAKE IS TO LIVE

 By Paul Cann,  Chief Executive, Age UK Oxon

How would you feel if, feeling low once again,  you turned up at your local surgery and your nice GP sent you away without a prescription for some pills but with a phone number for a nearby dance class  and free entry for a month?  Not just any old dance class of course, but one which was good for your balance and coordination.  Oh and, also, one that you really could enjoy, return and look forward to, even on a wet Wednesday evening in winter.

This is called “social prescribing” in the jargon. The idea is that exercise, helping others, connecting with friends,  doing creative arts and the things one actually enjoys in life are as important to our mental and physical health as the medicine regime we are on.  

I’m specially fired up about creative arts. We know – we really do know – that taking part in a singing  can lower blood pressure, raise pain thresholds  and increase lung capacity.  We know that dance classes can prevent falling, and we know how ominous a fall is.  We know that going to a local museum can help people out of depression.  All these inexpensive and above all fun ways to spend time can reduce the thunderous knocking on the door of health and social care services by chronic illnesses and care crises.  

Serious people are now taking the arts seriously. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence  - the custodian who must be heeded by the NHS about evidence-based health and care interventions – has issued guidelines promoting creative arts. Some enlightened  Health and Social Care Commissioners are pushing ‘cultural commissioning’.  Parliamentary Groups  are exploring and advocating.  The influence of the Baring Foundation, a long-term funder of initiatives for arts and older people, is being felt.

So let’s ride the wave.  I am working with Age UK and Age of Creativity to make creative arts a big policy issue across the UK.  We now need research to show irrefutably that participation reduces demands on the system such as GP visits and anti-depressants.   We need to join with arts organisations to address the barriers to that: transport, age-unfriendly services, digital access.  To name but three.  And how about some new ideas: Armchair Art Galleries bringing works of art via virtual means to housebound, isolated older people.  We’ve had the Can’t Sing Choir and the Choir with No Name – time for a ‘Love Later Life’ Choir?

One of our finest journalists Andrew Marr had a stroke in his early 50s.  A vital part of his rehabilitation has been learning to draw.  As he put it:

“To make is to live; merely to consume, however isn’t. In terms of any art market what I’m producing is probably valueless; but without it I wouldn’t be alive.”

The time for creative arts as a central part of the NHS and adult social care has surely come.

 Paul Cann

[tanukishojo]

This man can paint, what does he paint with? http://www.pricasso.com/

[cre8tvtcafe-blog]

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[themangopeople-blog]

The Smallest Mango Speaks

Creativity can take many forms. It's embedded in art; in poetry, music and paintings. It comes to people through nature, through love; even negativity can be the beginning of new ideas. At PurpleMango, creativity certainly seems to be the eternal watchword. As an outsider joining the office for a short period of time, I wasn't sure what to expect. The first person I met was Phoebe, a lovable labrador that spends her time lounging in the garden while the rest of the team slogs away in the 'Batcave'; a fun welcome to a fun company. The PurpleMango office itself is a small but cosy little room, where everyone is busily typing or editing away on their laptops- creating logos, searching for pictures, coming up with slogans, and taking the odd Facebook break. It's a relaxed yet lively atmosphere inside. I've never worked in an office before, and I was concerned about the discipline and structured routine of being in one. At PurpleMango, however, there's a sense of absolute liberty. With only seven people inside the sunny workplace, it's easy to have a discussion, or ask for someone's opinion on your work. Plus, the design of the place is definitely a factor in sparking creativity. The little room is done up with splashes of vibrant colour and various things to make you smile. In the corner is, oddly enough, a toilet- where a permanent 'thinker' sits on it and ponders. It's hard not to be inspired by his commitment to the creative process, and he's helped by his environment- the painted tree that sprouts from the wall behind him, the flock of purple birds etched on the wall near the entrance. What better way to create the perfect atmosphere for creativity?

Although creativity can come to people in many different ways, it's hard to maintain it. An idea can come and go in the blink of an eye. But when you're at a place like PurpleMango, ideas never go for too long. Creative blocks can happen, of course, but luckily Reuben, Reshma and the rest of the team are always there to help out. That's the best thing about the place. Small  firms have a lot of love and support to give, and it's so much easier for a new member to settle in. In a place like this, creativity is just a natural component of the workplace. Whether the team is working away furiously to meet a deadline, or sitting around chatting, there's always something going on here at PurpleMango.